Survivor birthday: Rupert Boneham turns 54 years old
A Survivor so likable that America voted to just hand him a million dollars for being a pirate man, Ruper Boneham turns 54 years old today.
Player: Rupert Boneham
Occupation: Troubled Teens Mentor
Hometown: Indianapolis, IN
Seasons: Survivor Pearl Islands, All-Stars, Heroes vs. Villains, Blood vs. Water
Tribes: Drake (Blue Buff), Balboa (Black Buff) in Pearl Islands, Saboga (Yellow Buff), Chapera (Red Buff), Mogo Mogo (Green Buff), Chaboga Mogo (Blue Buff) in All-Stars, Heroes (Blue Buff, Yin Yang (Black Buff) in Heroes vs. Villains, Galang (Yellow Buff) in Blood vs. Water
Finished: 8/16 in Pearl Islands, 4/18 in All-Stars, 6/20 in Heroes vs. Villains, 20/20 in Blood vs. Water
Phew! What an exhaustive resume for an exceptional Survivor player, as Rupert Boneham represents the pinnacle of old-school play that rewards working hard at camp, staying loyal and proud of your tribe, not going against your word and “earning” your way to the end with noble intentions.
What I always found odd about how Rupert was edited back in Pearl Islands is how much he was painted in an altruistic life. He certainly had a lovable demeanor that played well into the pirate theme of the season, but the amount of time he would get angry that someone would have the gal to try to vote him out, plus his drained confessionals of doubt and anger clashed against his playful personality.
Even though he insists he started out playing the game as a mentor to troubled teens, you would think the man was a pirate transported to the 21st century. The way he would naturally take the opposing tribe’s stuff at the market challenge is befitting the lifestyle, as he poured his heart into everything that made Survivor great.
CBS knew he was ratings gold when they looked over the footage of Pearl Islands, bringing him back the next season for All-Stars en route to becoming the first player to make it onto back-to-back seasons. His heroic portrayals on both seasons made him the perfect candidate to become a Hero for Heroes vs. Villains, and he became the only player to take the place of their loved one in Blood vs. Water, showing which one of the two was thicker to him.
Next: Survivor Winners: Ranking 34 Sole Survivors By Season
We at Surviving Tribal would like to wish Rupert Boneham a very happy 54th birthday!