Matt Elrod

Matthew "Matt" Wyatt Elrod is a contestant from.

Although not adept at the strategical game after being voted out second, he is remembered more for his dominance in challenges at Redemption Island and defeating notorious villain Russell Hantz.

Profile
Name (Age): Matthew Elrod (22) Tribe Designation: Ometepe, Murlonio Current Residence: Nashville, Tenn. Occupation: Pre-Med Student Personal Claim to Fame: My decision to lead my own life. Inspiration in Life: I think that there are so many people worthy of being deemed "a hero" in everyday life that are overlooked. So, I'm going to say people who put others before themselves. Hobbies: Athletics, reading and exploring. Pet Peeves: People who act out for attention. 3 Words to Describe You: Mysterious, impulsive and deep. SURVIVOR Contestant You Are Most Like: Any contestant who has played the game with honesty and integrity. Reason for being on SURVIVOR: I've always wanted to live off the land and I think it would be a fun experience to compete on the show. Why you think you'll "survive" SURVIVOR: I know what it takes to be a winner. Why you think you will be the sole SURVIVOR: I'm athletic, amicable and intelligent. I can also hold my own socially.

Survivor: Redemption Island
Matt was one of the new contestants elated to see veteran player Rob Mariano draw the Ometepe buff. He was shown as a devout Christian, who would play the game with a high degree of integrity.

Following Kristina Kell's secret discovery of the Hidden Immunity Idol, Matt became part of Rob's newly formed alliance to usurp Kristina's plans of eliminating him. With most of the tribe followed their idol Rob, the vote was split according as planned, where Kristina's closest ally Francesca Hogi was eliminated.

On Day 5, despite being faithfully aligned with him, Rob noticed that Matt was seemingly starting to make a budding romantic relationship with fellow alliance partner Andrea Boehlke, a familiar tune for Rob, who was once in that same situation (which eventually lead to his marriage to Survivor: All-Stars winner Amber Brkich). Adding insult to injury, Matt made a more damaging mistake by shaking hands with the rival Zapatera tribe seconds after Ometepe suffered their second consecutive defeat on Day 5. This gesture irked Rob, who swerved the vote to Matt's direction. In the end, Rob managed to turn the majority allance against Matt, blindsiding him in a 4-2-0 vote, sending him to Redemption Island.

Upon reaching Redemption Island, he was briefly reunited with Francesca, because they were to partake in a special challenge to determine who would stay on the island and in the game. Matt won the duel, sending Francesca home. As duels came by, Matt was unstoppable, winning duel after duel, defeating every opponent he faced (including Russell Hantz), somewhat earning respect from his former tribemates. His persistence eventually paid off as even a foot injury could not stop him from winning the final pre-merge duel, thus allowing him to reenter the game on Day 19, giving him the chance to merge with the eleven remaining players, forming the newly-merged Murlonio tribe. After merging, the former Zapatera tribe members tried to convice Matt and Andrea to vote Rob out, giving them a spot in the final four if they were successful. But Matt made a fatal mistake of telling the entire thing to Rob, causing the latter to direct the former Ometepes to vote for Matt (even angering his closest ally, Andrea, since she would also take the blame for the incident). At the first Murlonio Tribal Council, while the Zapatera five gave their votes to Grant Mattos, it was the Ometepe's six-person majority that sent Matt back to Redemption Island after a 6-5-1 vote. After being voted out the second time, an angry Matt walked away, while the Zapatera members were in total shock.

Returning to Redemption Island, Matt felt miserable for being blindsided for the second time, by the same people who screwed him before, even to the point where he considered quitting. Nonetheless, Matt continued to win more duels, even though he routinely placed second since Zapatera's Mike Chiesl was also sent to Redemption Island.

Unfortunately, Matt lost the final Duel in Day 36, sending him home. Since he lasted longer than Grant but dropped out of the duel before Andrea and Mike, Matt finished Survivor: Redemption Island in 7th place and was the 6th member of the jury. Despite Rob being the chief reason why Matt was sent to Redemption Island twice, Matt felt that Rob deserved it more than the inexperienced Natalie Tenerelli and the unpopular Phillip Sheppard and voted for him to win.

Post-Survivor

 * Matt appeared in the music video for the song You Lie by The Band Perry.

Trivia

 * Matt is the first person to get voted out on Day 5.
 * Matt is the first contestant to return from Redemption Island.
 * He is also one of two contestants to be sent to Redemption Island twice (the second one is Ozzy Lusth).
 * Though he did not win any challenges as part of Ometepe, he did win the most Redemption Island Duels, winning ten of eleven. He also spent the most time on Redemption Island, spending there 28 days of his 36-day run.
 * Matt was referrenced in the Survivor: South Pacific episode Reap What You Sow by Christine Shields Markoski, who said "It would be great if I pulled a Matt and returned to the game."
 * In a pre-season interview, Jeff Probst compared Matt to Fabio Birza, the winner of the previous season Survivor: Nicaragua, saying that the two looked similar but personality wise were very different.
 * Matt is the third person to return to the game, following Lillian Morris and Burton Roberts in Survivor: Pearl Islands.
 * Matt is the only to return from Redemption Island, but eventually lose a duel - resulting in their elimination.
 * Matt is also the only person to participate in every duel at Redemption Island (in his season and overall).