Tribal Storytelling with “Coach” Benjamin Wade of Survivor Tocantins by Troy Rogers
After
18 seasons of Survivor, it’s hard to say there’s
been anyone more unique than “Coach” Benjamin
Wade, a soccer coach, a man of adventure, a conductor
of a California orchestra, a musician, and one
of the most contentiously entertaining tribe members
in Survivor history. Early in the season of Survivor
Tocantins, “Coach” became a dominant tribal force
when he and his Timbira tribe mate, Candace Smith,
clashed in a battle of egos in the Brazilian Highlands.
From then on Coach, the self proclaimed Dragon
Slayer of Survivor, earned a reputation as an
eccentric and strong philosophical presence that
rubbed a lot of tribe members the wrong way while
also earning the respect of some of the strongest
players on Survivor Tocantins.
While most of his tribe mates came from the conventional and seemingly “normal” 9 to 5 world, Coach has led a life that most people would find unbelievable. And when Coach told a story mid-way through Survivor Tocantins about getting kidnapped and beaten by Pygmies in the Amazon, no matter how true it was, could you blame anyone for thinking Coach was telling tall tales outside of the orchestra?
But
with all of the controversy surrounding Coach’s
adventure stories, his life philosophy, his
warrior spirituality, and his open nature, plus
what many perceived to be overly dramatic theatrics
in the most recent episode of Survivor Tocantins,
there’s an interesting, multilayered man underneath
the tattoos.
As we found out when we talked to Coach the
morning after his torch was extinguished by
his Tribal Council sparring partner, Jeff Probst,
Coach has a unique world view but he’s also
a humble guy at the same time. After getting
to know the “on-screen” Coach Benjamin Wade,
we also got to briefly know the “off-screen”
Coach after chatting about where he felt the
game starting to slip away from him, how he
feels about his Survivor portrayal and public
Tocantins reception, whether it was easy to
manipulate his tribe mates, and what it was
like to go toe-to-toe with Jeff Probst at Tribal
Council.
THE DEADBOLT: When did you feel your hold on the game beginning to slip?
COACH:
Without question, when Tyson was voted out.
That was a shock to me. I don't know if you
watched the deleted scenes, but I actually choked
up the next day thinking what a great and noble
warrior he had been. It hurt, you know? He was
my best friend in the game, and when he left
I realized that things were going to permanently
change.
THE DEADBOLT: How frustrating was it for you to know that most people think all of your stories are just tall tales or exaggerations?
COACH: Yeah, you know, it is tough. I think that I am a unique individual and I think that if you guys were telling these stories and I was on the flip side, I think I would be a little bit incredulous as well about them. It's hard because I don't tell those stories to edify myself. Actually, I know at the beginning of the game I came off as a little bit arrogant. That was my way of psyching myself up, because I knew people like Brendan would be stronger. I knew people like Tyson would be faster. I knew Debbie would have a better social game than me. And so it was actually my way to just kind of psych myself up. I don't think I'm better than everybody. And if I wouldn't lie for a million dollars, why would I lie about anything else?
THE DEADBOLT: In your opinion, what's the biggest mistake you made in terms of gameplay?
COACH:
[laughs] Well, honestly, I think my game play
was horrible. I mean, I look at myself and I
see everything crumbling around me and yet here
I am this noble warrior that is saying I will
be loyal to the people that I said I was going
to be loyal to. And meanwhile everything is
crumbling around me and I'm too set in my ways
to make any changes. But again, I'm comfortable
with that. I wouldn't have played the game any
different. As far as my gameplay, I'm probably
one of the most harmless, worst Survivors in
history as far as just the game play itself.
And I look at myself and I'm like, 'Oh, my goodness!
I can't believe it. You can see the writing
on the wall.' And I'm just like a lamb led to
the slaughter. 'No, I'm going to be loyal to
the end,' and it was to my detriment.
THE DEADBOLT: Actually, with that being said, you appeared as a master manipulator. Were you surprised at how easy it was to steer most of the tribe mates in the direction you wanted?
COACH:
I don't know. I mean, as far as being a master
manipulator, “mani” talks about your hands and
“pulation” talks about moving, so if you look
at moving with your hands and you look at “manipulation”
as a good thing, directing with your hands,
like I do with the soccer team and with the
orchestra, then I guess that you can say that.
But manipulation in a negative connotation,
I don't think so. I think if you look at each
one, Candice, everybody saw that. Brendan, that
was a great coup. Really, Brendan was really
my only strategic move in the game, which Tyson
of course obviously helped pave the way for
that one. So I don't think I'm this master manipulator.
But if it's a positive thing, sure, I'll take
it.
THE DEADBOLT: What did you think of Jeff's persistent questioning? Did that screw up your game at all?
COACH: I love Jeff. Not in a sexual way, I’ve got to clarify that, like what I said with Tyson. No, Jeff's the man, and I'm not saying that to be sycophantic. I'm just saying he has very good intuition, he likes to get to the bottom of things, and he likes to push your buttons to see how you'll react. I loved it. You know, it would be great to come out with - this sounds very egotistical, but it's not - but I think it would be very cool to have a Tribal of Jeff and my interactions from the whole game, because you guys saw just the tip of the iceberg. He and I would go back and forth and it was a great sparring match that I think both of us looked forward to going to Tribal.
Hey coach.. You've def showed me not to care what other people think. You played as yourself on survivor and not somebody you're not. It takes a strong hearted individual to do that. Anyways, Like i said before, i'll leave you my spam email and you can email me there. If you could email me that would be great, i have a few question i'd like to ask you.
Tania – Colorado
July 02, 2009 - 23:47
Subject: Well, well, he lives
Hello little brother,
I've been following your trials and tribulations in the press. Things are quieting down in the press, but after that hour long radio interview I am wishing that you had a little more common sense. See the thing is little brother, if you really want a job? You don't badmouth your ex-boss on national radio where all can identify you. I've sent you all kinds of emails. You've ignored them all just like you ignmored the advice I gave you.
Believe it or not Ben, I really did care about what happened to you. Now? There is nothing I can do for you even if you were willing to talk to me.
T.M.
Reply to Tania
Michael Bates – Florida
July 15, 2009 - 17:28
Subject: Re: Well, well, he lives
Is Ben really your younger brother? ...Well.. If you could leave me a email at ruxxter_phantom@yahoo.com... it's just a spam email, and from there i'll give you my actual email, don't want anybody to spam me ;P
TaloN
May 18, 2009 - 03:21
Subject: Truth
While coaches stories sound too incredible to be true, I know better than to doubt him without more info. I have had some pretty incredible life experiences, and I have seen how people react when I casually mention them. They look at me like I'm a crackpot, but that doesn't mean my experiences are less real. Some people never leave their comfort zone. Others just dont fit "ordinary". Maybe coach is full of it, or maybe he has done some amazing things and he is just a good story teller. Some people start with a certain "self image", then seek out experiences the are congruent with that self image. I think we know how coach sees himself, what kind of things do you think he would try to get involved in?
Craig – Salem, Massachusetts
May 17, 2009 - 19:30
Subject: Witch trials........
LOL...... Coach should have said he was a witch, he would have had an easier time of it. 300 years ago, not so much.
LindieB – Susanville, CA
May 17, 2009 - 16:19
Subject: Coach Wade
Really??? Are you sure he's a liar? How do you know none of these things happened to him? Were you there? I've seen the actual news paper articles and the official documents from the trip signed by government officials. It's truly incredibly and hard to believe but it actually happened. I've seen the sharks tooth and the scare on his hand where he was bit. We have the paddles in our home signed by well wishers. He is an incredible guy with an incredible
life. Don't doubt him just because you have never dared to live life to it's fullest. Oh and yes, start with the passport, I've seen that as well. It's all there.......
Reply to LindieB
Benjamin
June 04, 2009 - 17:20
Subject: Re: Coach Wade
You can't even spell newspaper or incredible. How can anybody take you seriously? I have a sharks tooth and a scare as well. Oh and yes, a passport.
Reply to LindieB
Benjamin
June 04, 2009 - 17:23
Subject: Re: Coach Wade
Scare/Scar. Get it? That was intentional.
TerryRock – San Diego
May 17, 2009 - 05:56
Subject: Outwit, Outsmart, Outplay
Since when did it become mandatory to tell the truth on Survivor?
Peter – Manhattan
May 16, 2009 - 21:48
Subject: I didn't see anything......
Just going by what I saw on TV, it looked like the guy was nuts. Does it mean the guy really IS nuts? Uh, no. Man, why are so many people willing to believe everything they see on TV to be fact? I couldn't care one way or the other ... IT'S TV, PEOPLE!
People posting here should really read the intro again. There's nothing in there that says any of it is true or not. From what I can see, the interviewer says the guy is interesting, multilayered, a philosophical presence, and the guy has led a life that most would find unbelievable. How is that any indication that any of it IS true? Is he interesting? Sure. Was he a philosophical presence? Yep. Has he led a life that most people would find unbeliebable? Obviously ... even if he is a liar. To me that would make it even more unbelievable.
"... no matter how true it was, could you blame anyone for thinking Coach was telling tall tales outside of the orchestra?"
I don't see anything that says he's a liar or he isn't a liar. If anything, that quote says it all ... if he is a liar, could you blame anyone for thinking that? I'm not sticking up for the guy one way or another, he was entertaining to say the least, but I hate coming to sites and seeing these types of comments about journalistic investigation. Did Oprah do any on James Frey?
Coach? Who cares!!! Why are people letting the huge elite media get away with it?
Hey, Troy, other sites in other interviews are saying the same thing. Good job for not falling into the herd!
Reply to Peter
Benjamin
June 04, 2009 - 17:26
Subject: Re: I didn't see anything......
What's with the diatribe, if you couldn't care one way or the other?
bobi – boston
May 16, 2009 - 15:16
Subject: coach
You should have called coach on his male chauvinism--he really does think women are inferior and exist to serve his needs. He is intensely narcissicistic and all this post-hoc talk is a way of protecting his enormous ego. Someone should do a little journalistic investigation to verify his Amazon story, clearly a pack of lies. Just start with the dates on his passport.
The guy is nuts and a liar--he was fired from his coaching job for it, for starters. Why are you letting him get away with it?
After
18 seasons of Survivor, it’s hard to say there’s
been anyone more unique than “Coach” Benjamin
Wade, a soccer coach, a man of adventure, a conductor
of a California orchestra, a musician, and one
of the most contentiously entertaining tribe members
in Survivor history. Early in the season of Survivor
Tocantins, “Coach” became a dominant tribal force
when he and his Timbira tribe mate, Candace Smith,
clashed in a battle of egos in the Brazilian Highlands.
From then on Coach, the self proclaimed Dragon
Slayer of Survivor, earned a reputation as an
eccentric and strong philosophical presence that
rubbed a lot of tribe members the wrong way while
also earning the respect of some of the strongest
players on Survivor Tocantins.
But
with all of the controversy surrounding Coach’s
adventure stories, his life philosophy, his
warrior spirituality, and his open nature, plus
what many perceived to be overly dramatic theatrics
in the most recent episode of Survivor Tocantins,
there’s an interesting, multilayered man underneath
the tattoos.
COACH:
Without question, when Tyson was voted out.
That was a shock to me. I don't know if you
watched the deleted scenes, but I actually choked
up the next day thinking what a great and noble
warrior he had been. It hurt, you know? He was
my best friend in the game, and when he left
I realized that things were going to permanently
change.
COACH:
[laughs] Well, honestly, I think my game play
was horrible. I mean, I look at myself and I
see everything crumbling around me and yet here
I am this noble warrior that is saying I will
be loyal to the people that I said I was going
to be loyal to. And meanwhile everything is
crumbling around me and I'm too set in my ways
to make any changes. But again, I'm comfortable
with that. I wouldn't have played the game any
different. As far as my gameplay, I'm probably
one of the most harmless, worst Survivors in
history as far as just the game play itself.
And I look at myself and I'm like, 'Oh, my goodness!
I can't believe it. You can see the writing
on the wall.' And I'm just like a lamb led to
the slaughter. 'No, I'm going to be loyal to
the end,' and it was to my detriment.
COACH:
I don't know. I mean, as far as being a master
manipulator, “mani” talks about your hands and
“pulation” talks about moving, so if you look
at moving with your hands and you look at “manipulation”
as a good thing, directing with your hands,
like I do with the soccer team and with the
orchestra, then I guess that you can say that.
But manipulation in a negative connotation,
I don't think so. I think if you look at each
one, Candice, everybody saw that. Brendan, that
was a great coup. Really, Brendan was really
my only strategic move in the game, which Tyson
of course obviously helped pave the way for
that one. So I don't think I'm this master manipulator.
But if it's a positive thing, sure, I'll take
it.