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S I G H T S
Checkmate
by Chris Wright
Who knew country bumpkin Tom could be so good at chess? Throughout Survivor: Africa, goat farmer Tom Buchanan has come off as a stereotypical big dumb Southerner. Rotund and usually clad in faded denim overalls, Tom (and the show’s editors) set the tone for his “character” in Episode 1 when he playfully mimicked an elephant in the Boran water hole, then chastised Clarence following the bean incident and told the black basketball coach he’d shoot him if he only had a rifle handy. His marble-mouthed speech (sometimes entire sentences are unintelligible), his silly behavior (such as literally sticking a feather in his rear for an immunity challenge, or his “no ham for Ethan!” outburst in the most recent episode), and his eyeballing of the women (he proclaimed getting to remove a tick from Lindsey’s rear one of his best experiences in Kenya) hasn’t helped him any. But Tom’s portrayal now seems more complex: Suddenly, ‘dumb” Tom — who the former Samburu Mallrats targeted back in Episode 6 because they thought he would lose the a tie-breaking mental challenge, if came down to that — is beating everybody at chess and checkers. “He’s a checker shark,” Frank says of the 46-year-old rural Virginian, who’s busy dusting the rest of the tribe at the game. Upon his own defeat, Frank mutters, “Stupid me.” These developments cause Moto Maji to reconsider Tom’s abilities. “Tom plays the good ol” boy,” Kim Johnson muses, “but I don’t think he’s as back-woodsish as he would like to make you think.” Her choice of the word “plays’ is appropriate, because ever since the first Survivor, role-playing clearly has been integral to the game. Some of these roles were chosen by the series’ editors — witness, as mentioned before, former Survivor contestants Nick and Gervase complaining that they were edited as lazy — but certainly some players slipped easily into character, and for good reason: Greg, the nutty coconut-phone boy on Palau Tiga, acted aloof because he thought it would help him or to show he didn’t care about the game; Rodger, who picked up the nickname "Kentucky Joe" in the Australian Outback, withheld information about his background to appear more benevolent and less of a threat; Lindsey, who came off as tough-as-nails SuperGirl in Africa, pushed invincibility to hide her physical shortcomings.
" Courtesy of: Sociologists would cite these as examples of “impression management,” which is how people choose to present themselves in an attempt to guide — or even control — how others perceive them. There’s a fine line here; due to the show’s nature, it can be hard to discern what is genuine and what traits contestants play up. However, Lindsey’s impression management is self-evident, considering her showmanship didn’t match her self-promotion. And Rodger — known on the show as a kind teacher and farmer — spent 10 years as chief executive officer of a bank, which has much more ruthless connotations. "I really never lied to my fellow tribal members," Rodger said in a CBS Web chat during his post-eviction media tour, "but I just never told them everything I was involved in." It’s also common for people to make use of what are called “back and front regions.” Much as actors prepare offstage for parts they play in front of an audience, so, too, do regular people practice, relax and act themselves in “backstage” places, where they are closed off from their “audience” — the comfort of the home, for example, or in the restroom before a big presentation or a proposal. When in the front regions, however, one must constantly work on the performance, through the use of everything from general behavior to clothing and gestures. One prominent Survivor example of backstage/frontstage in Australia occurred following the merge, when both teams had five remaining players. Ogakor worked overtime to prevent Kucha from targeting Jerri for eviction, since the previous votes cast against her by her own team made her vulnerable in the case of a tie. Sworn enemies Jerri and Keith (who was also vulnerable) acted like pals when Kucha members were present (i.e. frontstage) and Jerri did her best to be charming; her training as an actress probably helped. Meanwhile, Colby, who had no prior votes against him, did his best to attract attention by acting like an arrogant jerk. The strategy paid off, and Ogakor dominated the rest of the game. Once the Ogies had the advantage, of course, the impression management tactic wore off, and the remaining Kuchas quickly realized Jerri’s true nature. A similar tactic failed this year: After the Episode 5 tribal swap, Mallrat Brandon tried to make new Samburus Tom, Kelly and Lex think he had previous votes against him, rather than Lindsey, who had four. Lindsey, however, was sent packing after Kelly overheard the Mallrats having a backstage conversation. The related question with Tom, then, is whether he is playing up the ‘dumb redneck” stereotype to seem more likable and less of a threat, only letting his true smarts slip through now and then. On the other hand, he may just happen to be good at chess; in the recent immunity challenge, a test of recall, Tom wasn’t even close to winning. It’s hard, too, to discern a frontstage/backstage dynamic with everyone’s favorite goat herder; his solo confessionals are sometimes more analytical than his usual banter — but only sometimes. But are these confessionals really “backstage”? They were to Australia’s Jeff Varner, who used them to vent about his tribemates, but that got Jeff in a bit of trouble with them once his comments aired. They may be backstage, but only temporarily. Either way, Tom’s actions have raised his tribemates’ eyebrows. “I go back and forth on whether I think Tom is for real, or some if it’s put on,” says Kim Powers. And Lex thinks he sees right through Tom: As for “his whole “I’m a hayseed from Virginia, I’m not that smart” [routine], I knew quickly that he was a lot brighter than he let on”but that intrigued me all the more.” Us, too.
Next episode: Teresa pushes to unite the women against the men; the tribe gets messages from family; two Survivors get the biggest reward yet — a safari. Chris Wright, an admitted Survivor addict since Season 1, Episode 3, spends his days as a copy editor for Federal Computer Week in Falls Church, Va. He previously wrote about how the media turns crime stories into narratives. His take on Survivor will appear here each week.
Related Sites: For more reading on impression management, check out this article, which focuses on The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life (Doubleday Anchor, 1959) by noted sociologist Erving Goffman.
Immunity challenge: Probst explains African customs to the Survivors. They then dash around an abandoned village, answering related questions written on signs by breaking open the fake ostrich egg that corresponds to the correct response (no, really). Inside the good eggs are pieces of leather that the Survivors tie around a pole. Lex retains immunity by being the first to answer five questions right and return to the starting point.
Moto Maji developments: Ethan, Tom and Kim J. worry about Lex’s loyalty; Tom gives the women and Ethan a shower at the waterhole, then bests everyone at checkers; Teresa tries to persuade Kim J. to vote off Ethan, but a ’shocked and pissed” Kim isn’t willing — not yet at least.
Tribal Council: Everyone eligible, including a tearful Teresa, votes off Frank, who scrawls “Kim Johnson” on his ballot. |
