John Cochran

John Martin Cochran is a contestant from and.

A self confessed superfan of the series, Cochran (at his request) asked that he be referred to by his last name due to host Jeff Probst acknowledging his favorite contestants by surname. Initially an outsider from his tribe, the Harvard Law student earned their trust by the merge, but ultimately turned his back due to their former attitude towards him.

South Pacific
Name (Age): John Cochran (24)

Tribe designation: Savaii, Te Tuna

Current residence: Washington, D.C.

Occupation: Harvard Law Student

Personal claim to fame: I won the Dean’s Scholar Prize at Harvard Law for an essay I wrote on the “Survivor” jury system. It was one of the few times in my life where my personal interests and academic obligations coincided perfectly.

Inspiration in life: My family.

Hobbies: Guitar, trivia and studying the music and history of The Beatles.

Pet peeves: People who think or act like they are smarter than they actually are and people who don’t have a sense of humor.

3 words to describe you: Neurotic, insecure and brilliant.

SURVIVOR contestant you are most like: I have some of the humor of Rob Cesternino, the candor of Jonathan Penner and the intelligence of Yul Kwon.

Reason for being on SURVIVOR: My respect and admiration for “Survivor” and my desire to make it even better. My secondary motivation is to experience some adventure and excitement in my life during a time when I otherwise feel like I’m on autopilot.

Why you think you’ll “survive” SURVIVOR: I have a strong sense of humor that can defuse tense situations and an ability to listen to conflicting viewpoints and devise a rational compromise that is satisfying to all parties involved. I also have a slender frame that doesn’t take up much space in a crowded shelter.

Why you think you will be the sole SURVIVOR: I understand other people and how they function. Sure, I’m bright and have an extensive knowledge of “Survivor,” but none of that does any good unless you’re able to figure out the reasons why other people do the things they do. Not only can I do that, but I’m also confident that I can leverage their desires and motives in a way that best serves my game.

Caramoan
Name (Age): John Cochran (25)

Tribe Designation: Bikal

Previous Season: Survivor: South Pacific – 13th castaway voted out/5th Jury Member

Current Residence: Washington, D.C.

Occupation: Harvard Law Student

Personal Claim to Fame: Flipping on my tribe, being reluctant to take off my shirt on day one of Survivor: South Pacific.

Inspiration in Life: My Family – for supporting and putting up with me. Hobbies: Beatles music, guitar and Survivor.

Pet Peeves: Self-entitlement and lack of a sense of humor.

3 Words to Describe You: Brilliant, insecure and neurotic.

If You Could Have 3 Things on The Island What Would They Be and Why? 1)   Frisbee – It’s fun and doubles as a dish. 2)    Cards – To pass the time. 3)   Sketchpad – I like to doodle!

SURVIVOR Contestant You Are Most Like: I have the humor of Rob Cesternino, the intelligence of Yul Kwon and the candor of Jonathan Penner.

Reason for Being on SURVIVOR: I love Survivor! I’ve watched it, talked about it, studied it, written about it and dreamt about it for half my life.

Why You Think You’ll “Survive” SURVIVOR: I’m too passionate about Survivor to let harsh elements, starvation, sleep deprivation and abrasive tribe mates deter me from lasting all 39 days.

Why You Think You Will Be the Sole SURVIVOR: Having played once before, I know the sorts of mistakes I’m susceptible to making. I didn’t win the last time I played and I have no desire to repeat history. I still know more about Survivor than virtually anyone else who’s ever played the game. Now I feel more mentally and psychologically prepared to put my theoretical knowledge of the game into practice.

Survivor: South Pacific
Believing that Jeff Probst calls his favorite contestants by their last names, "superfan" John insisted he should follow suit. Jeff accepted the proposition and challenged him to live up to it. Despite knowing game theories, Cochran found himself unable to use them, and came across as socially awkward. After Savaii lost the inaugural Immunity Challenge, Ozzy Lusth perceived him as the weakest member of the tribe, but was saved when tribemate Semhar Tadesse was voting out for her dismal performance at the Immunity Challenge.

Cochran would continue to find himself on the outs of the tribe but formed a close friendship with Savaii tribemate Dawn Meehan. Cochran also began becoming more of a provider for Savaii, despite Savaii's de facto leader Ozzy already doing most of the food collecting. At their next Tribal Council visit, Cochran was once again spared over the much weaker Mark Caruso, who was blamed for the loss despite Cochran being in charge of rope management during the Immunity Challenge. However, Cochran received a vote from Jim Rice, who was wary of the possibility Mark really had a Hidden Immunity Idol. Cochran's odds in the tribe would soon increase after Jim recruited him to help blindside Elyse Umemoto, Ozzy's closest ally after losing the Day 15 Immunity Challenge. The tribe lost the Immunity Challenge on Day 17, and the tribe as a whole told Cochran he was leaving, and that if he beat Christine Shields Markoski, he would come back into the game as a hero. However, Ozzy saw it as too risky after having a dream and introduced his new plan: "The Trojan Horse," where he asked to be voted out so that he could beat Christine, allowing the on the outs Cochran to make the merge. Ozzy gave Cochran his Hidden Immunity Idol for safekeeping just in case he lose, but would ask him to return the idol if he did return.

Savaii wanted Cochran to become the double agent and gather intel from the Upolu tribe at the merge. Cochran, however, having notions of being "bullied" by his former Savaii tribemates, flipped over to the Upolu tribe during a talk with Coach Wade. At Tribal Council, it came down to a 6-6 tie between Upolu's Rick Nelson and Savaii's Keith Tollefson. However, when the tie votes came back, the Savaii tribe was stunned after realizing someone flipped, causing Keith to leave 6-4. Cochran admitted that he flipped to Ozzy and said that he would state his reasoning later. Jim called him a "coward," but Brandon Hantz came to his defense.

Cochran immediately became Savaii's number one enemy, with Whitney Duncan calling him "disgusting." Nevertheless, Cochran maintained his allegiance to the Upolu tribe, helping to take out Ozzy, Jim, Dawn, and Whitney at the following Tribal Councils, finding themselves competing each other at Redemption Island, with Ozzy successfully defeating them all. With no common enemy left, it had become clear that Cochran would be the first player out since he was the last Savaii member remaining. Cochran didn't win Individual Immunity, but he pleaded his case to stay to the Upolu tribe members. However, it was not enough as Cochran ended up leaving in a 5-2 vote (Edna Ma being the only player to vote with him).

At Redemption Island, Cochran was doubtful that he would stand a chance against Ozzy in the duel, but Ozzy falsely assured Cochran he had a chance (Ozzy believing he could blow out Cochran in the duel). Much to Ozzy's surprise, Cochran came close to winning in the duel after being far behind Ozzy. However, Ozzy managed to continue his Redemption Island winning streak, permanently eliminating Cochran from the game. Cochran left the game having enjoyed every moment he spent in it and glad that he put up a fight against Ozzy despite his expected defeat.

Voting History
In Double Agent, the vote ended with a tie, forcing a revote. Cochran changed his vote to Keith at the revote.

Post-Survivor
Cochran is a student at Harvard Law School. He will graduate in January 2013.

Trivia

 * Cochran was the only Savaii member to receive a vote against him at every pre-merge Tribal Council his tribe attended.
 * In I Need Redemption, John claims to have watched every episode of Survivor and also has a Buff collection at home.
 * John asked Jeff to call him Cochran, because he claims that he addresses all of the great players by their last name.
 * He is the only Savaii member to vote for Coach to win.