Survivor birthday: Coach Wade (Tocantins, HvV, South Pacific) turns 46

One of the most memorable, if divisive, players to come out of Survivor, Coach Wade (don’t call him Benjamin), turns 46 years old today.

Player: Coach Wade
Occupation: Soccer Coach
Hometown: Susanville, CA
Seasons: Survivor Tocantins, Heroes vs. Villains, South Pacific
Tribes: Timbira (Black Buff), Forza (Green Buff) in Tocantins, Villains (Red Buff), Yin Yang (Black Buff) in Heroes vs. Villains, Upolu (Blue Buff), Te Tuna (Yellow Buff) in South Pacific
Finished: 5/16 in Tocantins, 12/20 in Heroes vs. Villains, 2/18 in South Pacific

Survivor became a bombastic-personality-driven show during its late teens / early 20s seasons. When I think of that period of the show’s history, rarely do I think of a player other than Coach Wade. He represented a player who built themselves up, placed themselves on a pedestal and somehow got others to follow along in his ways, even if they were skeptical of him.

Whether you like him, hate him, hate to like him or whatever, Coach Wade was a force on each of his seasons. In Survivor Heroes vs. Villains, Coach showed an emotional side of himself to a cast of seasoned veterans, yet remained cutthroat to the point of being a swing vote in a blindside of his idol, Boston Rob. In South Pacific, Coach created The Family Alliance that pretty much steamrolled all the way down to the Final Tribal Council.

In Tocantins, however, Coach Wade cemented a memorable legacy as one of the first players to truly play up themselves like a reality contestant. He made the right moves for much of the game but did so in a matter of fact manner that irritated others. He always had a story to tell, with each less believable than the last.

The editors had house money with Coach as a focal point of the season, coming to a head with his boot episode. Having been responsible for one of the most self-congratulatory Exile Island experiences of all time (truly amazing, memorable work), Coach had to secure immunity to stay in the game. Here’s him narrating his fall from grace below:

Even though he played things up, even in retrospect Coach Wade can recognize when his antics overshadow the play of others. It’s that self-awareness that makes it harder to put his gameplay in a certain box. Had he won that season, he easily could have been edited as a hero instead of a villain.

Next: Survivor Game Changers: Ranking All 33 Previous Seasons

Regardless, we at Surviving Tribal would like to wish three-time Survivor player Coach Wade an excellent 46th birthday!