Kim Johnson

Kim Johnson is a contestant from.

Profile
Retrieved from CBS.com

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Kim Johnson grew up in Annapolis, Maryland and has lived in New York for the past twenty years, currently on Long Island's Oyster Bay. She attended Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and Monmouth University in Long Branch, New Jersey, where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education.

Though now retired as an elementary school teacher, Johnson has since worked as the League/Tournament Coordinator for an indoor tennis club and was the owner of a sportswear clothing boutique.

In her free time, Johnson enjoys exercising (running, tennis and free weights), camping, hiking, fishing, sailing, golfing, horseback riding, thoroughbred horse racing and playing games of any kind. She describes herself as nutty, logical and determined. She is extremely proud of her family; she is especially proud of being the grandmother of two, with another one on the way. She is fluent in sign language, and has volunteered her services over the years for the blind and deaf.

Kim Johnson is a lifetime member of Pi Beta Pi Sorority, the U.S. Tennis Association and the U.S. Platform Tennis Association. She has been married to Ted for 37 years and has three children, Wendy, Kerry and Ted, Jr. Her birth date is Sept. 18.

Survivor: Africa
Kim Johnson was placed on the Boran Tribe. On the way to camp, the tribe decided to dump out the water to lessen the load. This would be a mistake as the water source was very dirty and shallow. At the first challenge of the season, Boran lost and they had to go to Tribal Council. After they lost, most of the tribe went to get water. Clarence Black stayed behind to tend to the ailing Diane Ogden, who had collapsed in the challenge due to dehydration. When they returned, it was discovered that Clarence opened a can of beans and shared them with Diane. Big Tom Buchanan was especially angry by Clarence's decision. However, at Tribal Council, The tribe deemed Clarence's strength to valuable. Diane was voted out for weakness instead. Boran received flint after Diane's elimination. They quickly made fire and spent all night boiling water. At the Reward Challenge, Boran and Samburu were neck and neck. However, Kim stumbled at the last minute, giving Samburu reward. Kim apologized for losing and feared she would be the next to go. Kim talked with Kelly Goldsmith about the men teaming up to pick off the women. Samburu won their third challenge in a row, sending Boran back to Tribal Council. Despite fears of being picked off, both women joined in voting out the ailing Jessie Camacho over Clarence.

After Jessie's departure from the game, Lions came dangerously close to camp. At the next Reward Challenge, Boran finally won reward in the form of 100 gallons of water. The tribe was thankful for the water. The tribe gotten Tree Mail, revealing the next challenge they had to make a Distress Signal. Kim said that losing three Immunity Challenges was unthinkable. Kim used her luxury item, acrylic paints, to dye the mosquito nets. Boran also used a clear area to build the SOS signal. Everyone stripped down to their underwear. Everything paid off and Boran won Immunity. At the Reward Challenge, Kim once again held the team back athletically, allowing Samburu to win again. Kim once again felt bad for costing her team the challenge. Both Ethan Zohn and Lex van den Berghe comforted her, with the latter saying she had 56 excuses for not doing well. Kim and Kelly were the architects for the Immunity Challenge. That won Boran immunity, keeping Kim away from Tribal Council.

When Lex and Kelly came back with the next Tree Mail, he describes it as the strangest Tree Mail yet. It said to pick three member to go on a quest. The tribe selected Lex, Big Tom and Kelly to go. Later on, three members of Samburu, Silas Gaither, Teresa Cooper, and Frank Garrison arrived at Boran camp. Confused by this, the newcomers explained that there was a tribe switch. Teresa told Kim that she or Frank was the next go. On the first night, Frank and Teresa revealed how badly they were treated. Silas' strategy won Boran the Reward Challenge and some chickens. Ethan talked to Kim about throwing the challenge to vote out Clarence or Silas. Midway through the challenge, Boran stopped trying. This gave Samburu an easy victory. Kim was vary of Silas' gameplay and joined in voting him out. Everyone was worried about when the merge is and their food supply. Clarence was making it clear that he wanted to eat the chickens. At the Reward Challenge, Samburu barely beat out Boran for immunity. During the challenge, Kim gave a signal, alerting the original Samburu about Lindsey Richter's past votes. Clarence agreed to spare the chickens if they laid an egg by the next morning. The next morning, Kim found a egg and laid it out on a tray. Everyone laughed at Clarence's reaction when he learned that he couldn't eat the chickens. Boran won the Immunity Challenge, ensuring Kim makes the merge.

Kim made brunch, which Frank didn't know what it was. The tribes merged at the Immunity Challenge. Kim J. was the second person out. Teresa won immunity over Clarence. When they returned to the Boran (Now Moto Maji) camp, a feast awaited them. Clarence was voted out due to being a physical threat. At that same Tribal Council, Lex gotten two votes from Clarence and Teresa. Surprised by this, Lex was determined to find out who voted against him. Ethan won reward and chose Lex to join him. When they returned, they had cookies for everyone. Ethan also won immunity. Lex came to the wrong conclusion that Kelly voted against (Teresa really did this) and rallied Boran to turn against her. Kelly flipped to Samburu, but Brandon Quinton flipped to Boran. This sent Kelly to the jury and gave the Boran Alliance the numbers advantages. Brandon's decision made Lex's allies question his loyalty. For the Reward Challenges, the castaways were formed into pairs. Kim J. was paired with Ethan. They made it to the final round but lost to Frank and Brandon. Lex won the fire making contest for immunity. Brandon was voted off because of his questionable loyalty, despite Lex's lobbying against the negative Frank. The next morning, Kim's legs were very swollen. Kim felt that Ethan, Lex and Big Tom had doubts in each other and know that they can't all go to the Final Immunity Challenge. At the Survivor Auction, Kim brought some cheese and crackers. She also brought a mystery item, which turned out to be a fried chicken meal. Lex brought a piece a chicken from her. Lex won immunity again and Frank was unanimously voted out.

At the next Reward Challenge, the castaway saw videos of their loved ones. They had to guess what they loved ones said. Kim J. came close but Lex won and picked Big Tom to join him. At the Immunity Challenge, Kim J. had tough luck in the challenge. Despite that, she was the last of two standing. Big Tom beat her out for immunity. Teresa tried to get her and Big Tom to vote out Lex, but they stayed loyal. The Borans decided to vote out Kim Powers over Teresa and Lex. Kim notes how the pressure is taking its told on everyone. Elephants left their dung in the water. Kim still bathes in the water. Big Tom advises her otherwise but stopped telling her. The next challenge was a word search. Lex won once again. This time, his prize was a car, which was used to give supplies to a local hospital. Kim tried to align her with Ethan and vote out Lex. Teresa tried to get Kim and Big Tom to vote out Lex. The Immunity Challenge incorporates elements from past challenges. Kim was quickly out of it due to her lack of physical ability. All plans to vote out Lex was made unfeasible as he won immunity, forcing the Borans to vote out Teresa, the last standing original Samburu member.

Before she left, Teresa revealed that she voted against Lex and told him that Big Tom wanted to vote him out. The two men argued about trust, which they settled peacefully. The Final Four headed to a mountain to relax. Kim felt great about being the last woman standing. She notes that just because she hadn't won a challenge yet, doesn't means she can't win. The next Tree Mail implies the challenge was Fallen Comrades. Lex suspects that Kim would do well in the challenge about her personality. This was proven right as Kim beat out Big Tom and Lex for a much needed immunity. Kim voted out Big Tom as she felt he was playing a manipulative game and he was voted out unanimously. In the early hours of day thirty-eight, Jeff came to camp and inform the final three that they were going to take the Rites of Passage. After completing the rites of passages, the final three partake in the Final Immunity Challenge. Ethan was the first out. Kim won immunity because of determination that came out of her and Lex having stomach pains. She felt the win proved that dreams do come true. Kim was stunned to be in the final two and remembered that she believed that she would have been the first person voted out. Kim describes the power as a double-edge sword and felt that she had no chance of winning against neither Ethan or Lex. With Ethan and Lex encouraging her to go with her heart and not to regret it, Kim goes to make her decision. Kim deemed Ethan more deserving and voted out Lex.

After Lex's ouster, Kim was worried about Lex being angry with her. Ethan reassures her that Lex was not angry with her. The Final two reflect about their time in Africa. At Final Tribal Council, Kim J. made her case by saying that she can't ask the jury to vote for her. She said that the jury made her feel the best that she can be. The jury felt she was riding the coattails of the Boran alliance. Kim J. answered the juror's questions to the best of her ability. In the end, Kim J. lost to Ethan in a 5-2 vote. She earned Brandon's vote as he was annoyed with Ethan calling him undeserving and Kim P.'s vote because she viewed Kim J. as a strong woman.

Post-Survivor
Kim Johnson is now working as the League/Coordinator for an indoor tennis club. She is proud to be a parent and grandmother. She has also volunteered her services for the blind and deaf.

Trivia

 * Kim J. was the oldest contestant in Survivor: Africa.
 * Kim is the first woman to be the oldest contestant of a season.
 * Kim is the oldest contestant to win the Final Immunity Challenge, being 56 at the time of filming.
 * Kim J. is the first oldest contestant of a season to reach the Final Tribal Council and is one of four to do.
 * Kim J. is the oldest person to make it to Day 39 and Final Tribal Council by Birth Date. The oldest person to reach Final Tribal Council by age at time of play was Bob Crowley.
 * Kim Johnson and Kim Powers are the first pair of contestants with the same first name to compete on the same season.
 * Kim's luxury item was Paints and Brush.
 * Kim J. is the only woman to vote against Kelly Goldsmith.
 * Kim J. was the only female in the Final 4 of her season.
 * Kim J. is the only female Boran member to win an Individual Immunity Challenge.
 * Kim J. is the second contestant to play an individual Immunity Challenge wearing the Immunity Necklace.
 * The first being Gervase Peterson in the episode Old and New Bonds.
 * Kim J. was the only member of the Africa Final Four not to return for a future season.
 * At every Tribal Council she participated in, the person she voted for was voted off.
 * Kim J. is the first finalist to receive less than three Jury votes.
 * The only vote Kim J. receives against her is from Frank Garrison.