Matt Elrod

Matthew "Matt" Wyatt Elrod is a contestant from.

Known for his athleticism and religiosity, Matt was voted out second after Rob Mariano noticed his closeness with tribemate and fellow ally, Andrea Boehlke. He managed to win his way back in the game through Redemption Island, making it to the merge. However, a fatal mistake sent him back to Redemption Island.

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
Matthew 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. His 3 closest allies and friends in the game would be Andrea Boehlke, Grant Mattos, and Mike Chiesl, but Matt would betray or be betrayed by all 3 of them.

Following Kristina Kell's secret discovery of the Hidden Immunity Idol, Matthew became part of Rob's newly formed alliance to usurp Kristina's plans of eliminating him. The alliance consisted of Rob Mariano, Grant Mattos, Andrea Boehlke, Natalie Tenerelli, and Ashley Underwood. With most of the tribe following 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 Matthew 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 winner Amber Brkich). Matthew 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 Matthew's direction. In the end, Rob managed to turn the majority alliance against Matthew, blindsiding him in a 4-2-2 vote, sending him to Redemption Island and also flushing Kristina's Hidden Immunity Idol in the process who played it when Rob scared her into thinking she was being voted out.

However, Matthew became an unstoppable force at Redemption Island, winning every duel, including one where he faced the infamous villain Russell Hantz. On Day 19, he won himself back the game, earning him a spot in the merged Murlonio tribe.

After the merge, Matthew found himself as a swing vote between the majority Ometepe alliance, and the minority Zapatera alliance. He told Rob he wanted to be part of his alliance still, and that he now wanted to go to the final 3 with Grant and Rob. While Matthew easily forgave the very tribe that sent him to Redemption Island, Matthew weighed his options too. He and Andrea were offered a Final Four deal by Zapatera member, Mike Chiesl, if they voted out either Rob or Rob's closest ally Grant Mattos. However, Matthew decided to follow his honor code and told Rob he actually tried to vote him out, ostensibly throwing Andrea, who was also offered the same thing, under the bus. This prompted Rob to have the Ometepe alliance turn on Matthew once again in a 6-5-1 vote, sending him back to Redemption Island. Matt was told a lie by Grant and Rob to vote for Steve Wright, who he was made to believe was the intended target, which would be the deciding vote in Matt receiving 1 more vote than Grant Mattos who all the Zapatera tribe would vote for. Andrea would be the crucial swing vote in voting for Matt instead of her other main ally Grant, and sticking firmly to the Ometepe side.

Matthew's second go-around at Redemption Island was not as eventful as his first one, as Mike dominated in the duels, while Matthew himself only finished second. After being blindsided on day 33, Andrea would arrive at Redemption Island, and get into a heated debate with Matt about his recent blindside. Matt would face especialy tough competition in the final duel against Mike Chiesl, the just recently blindsided (on day 35) Grant Mattos, and Andrea Boehlke. On Day 36, Matthew was not able to return to the game for a second time, when Andrea, who was voted out four days ago, won the final duel, sending Matt to the jury in 7th place.

At the Final Tribal Council, Matthew berated Rob for his duplicitous game play, but ultimately voted for him, putting it down largely to the lack of other respectable options with Rob purposely having dragged Natalie Tenerelli and Phillip Sheppard as the other 2 finalists.

Post-Survivor

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


 * Matt is now acting under the stage name, "Wyatt Nash" (a play on his middle name, "Wyatt" and "Nash", for Nashville, his hometown). His landed recurring character roles in Pretty Little Liars and Hollywood Heights. Elrod also portrayed Christopher in the television film adaptation of the novel, Petals on the Wind.


 * On August 3, 2015, Matt announced on his Instagram he will be playing the role of Ryan Kelly in the adaption of Karen Kingsbury's novel "The Bridge".


 * Matt will be appearing in the first episode of the upcoming ABC sitcom "Dr. Ken" premiering on October 2, 2015.

Trivia

 * Matt is the first person to be voted out on Day 5.
 * Matt is the first contestant to return from Redemption Island.
 * He is also the first of three contestants to be sent to Redemption Island twice (the second one is Ozzy Lusth, with the third being Laura Morett).
 * He is also the first male to be ever sent to Redemption Island.
 * He is the only player to return from Redemption Island and not play the game more than once.
 * 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 29 days of his 36-day run.
 * He is the only contestant to reach the merge without winning a single tribal challenge.
 * However, Denise Stapley reached the merge with only 1 tribal challenge victory and that came via forfeit.
 * Matt is the only contestant to spend the majority of his time in the competition on Redemption Island.
 * 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, 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.
 * Matt is the first of two contestants to return from Redemption Island, but eventually lose a duel - resulting in their elimination, with the other being Laura Morett.
 * Ozzy Lusth and Andrea Boehlke also returned from Redemption Island, but never lost a duel.
 * Matt is also the only person to participate in every single duel at Redemption Island (in his season and overall).
 * Matt has the record for longest Redemption Island winning streak at 10 consecutive wins.
 * Matthew is the youngest male contestant on Redemption Island and third youngest overall.
 * Matt turned down the offer to appear for a second time in as a favorite.
 * Both times Matt was voted out, Ashley Underwood, Grant Mattos, Natalie Tenerelli, and Rob Mariano voted for him.
 * After Krista Klumpp was eliminated after their duel, she lent Matthew her bible to use for the rest of the game.
 * Both times Matt was voted out, the person he voted against at that Tribal Council, did not write his name down at either of the 2 Tribal Councils that he got voted out at.