Artis Silvester

Artis Silvester Lewis is a contestant from.

Profile
Retrieved from CBS.com Personal Claim to Fame: Beating stage 4 cancer. Inspiration in Life: My ex-wife - she’s my light, my strength, my everything. I pray everyday that we are brought back together. Hobbies: Martial arts, motorcycle riding and bowling. Pet Peeves: Traffic, know-it-all people, bullies or people that prey or pick on those weaker than themselves. 3 Words to Describe You: Spontaneous (sometimes explosive), opinionated and competitive. SURVIVOR Contestant You Are Most Like: I’m a combination of Rudy, Rupert and James. I have Rudy and Rupert’s cunning leadership and likability. I have James’s physical appeal – even at 52. Reason for Being on SURVIVOR: The million dollar prize and the chance for the experience of a lifetime. Plus, I’m tired of yelling and screaming at my TV about how the contestants are playing. Why You Think You’ll “Survive” SURVIVOR: I have physical and mental strength, creativity, adaptability and a sense of humor. I’m an incredible manipulator and I have an uncanny ability to remain calm in stressful situations. Why You Think You Will Be the Sole SURVIVOR: When the odds are stacked against me that is when I shine the most. Although I’m definitely no angel, I believe I do have a guardian angel watching over me. No one has been more persistent than me to be on the show and it is because I know I can win if given the chance.

Survivor: Philippines
Artis was a member of the Tandang tribe consisting of himself, Lisa Whelchel, Abi-Maria Gomes, Pete Yurkowski, R.C. Saint-Amour, and returning player Michael Skupin. Initially starting out as a somewhat nice and friendly person, over the course of the game, he would become very outspoken and opinionated. Artis also had a strong dislike for Michael, which began as he was annoyed with Michael for not allowing him to use the goggles in the third Immunity Challenge, but Michael instead used the goggles and broke them. The dislike was fueled even further when Michael ate up a huge portion of their rice supply raw, and then brokered a deal with Kalabaw in the sixth Reward Challenge to give up their reward in exchange for all of Kalabaw's rice. Artis was annoyed by this because he felt Michael did not contribute enough to Tandang to be making decisions for everyone. Despite the Tandang tribe's dysfunction, they never lost any Tribal Immunity challenges. When the two tribes merged on Day 17, Artis became a member of the alliance between Abi-Maria and Pete, and became viewed as one of the three "bullies". It appeared Artis was sitting comfortable in his position, as R.C. and Jeff Kent were voted out at the first two post-merge Tribal Councils. On 24, Artis would fall victim to a diversion strategy by Denise Stapley, who believed Artis would be the least likely candidate to have an Idol played on him by Abi-Maria. Along with Skupin's flipping on Tandang, Artis was blindsided in a 5-4 vote (with the other original Tandang members voting for Jonathan Penner, who was a target ever since the merge).

At the Final Tribal Council, Artis scolded Denise, Skupin, and Lisa for contradicting their plans to play the game honorably. In the end, he voted for Denise to win since he was most offended by Lisa and Skupin's betrayal, being a proud member of his original tribe.

Trivia

 * Artis has applied for Survivor 12 times.
 * Prior to applying for the final time for Survivor, Artis was diagnosed with, and overcame, stage 4 Cancer.
 * Artis was the oldest contestant on Survivor: Philippines.
 * Artis is the lowest placing male member of Tandang.
 * Artis is the only African-American contestant on Survivor: Philippines to make the merge.