Gary Hogeboom

Gary Keith Hogeboom (known in-game as "Gary Hawkins") is a contestant from.

He holds the distinction as being the first contestant ever to find and play a Hidden Immunity Idol.

Profile
Originally from Grand Haven, Michigan, Gary Hogeboom attended Grand Rapids Northview High School. He then attended Central Michigan University, where he became quarterback of their football team before being drafted into the NFL.

In 1980, Hogeboom was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys and played with them for six years. He then played three years with the Indianapolis Colts, followed by a year with the Phoenix Cardinals and a year with the Washington Redskins.

Since retiring from the NFL, Hogeboom has become a real estate developer and landscaper. He also serves as volunteer coach for high school football, basketball, tennis and soccer. He previously volunteered his time with Youth for Christ conducting Youth Ministry Work.

Hogeboom believes he is a useful member of SURVIVOR because he is a team player, a hard worker, had lots of outdoor skills and is very athletic. He believes he can win because he's a fierce competitor and he likes to have fun. He enjoys hunting and horseback riding, all sports, and spending time with his family.

Hogeboom has been married to Kristi for 24 years and is father to Heidi, Jake, Kasi and Jami. They have one dog, one cat and three horses. His birthday is August 21, 1958.

Survivor: Guatemala
Gary was placed on the Yaxhá tribe initially, and decided to keep his past as a professional quarterback hidden. In a tribal challenge, rival tribe member Danni Boatwright told Gary's tribemate Brian Corridan about his past, but Gary continued to deny it. He formed a tight bond with Amy O'Hara, both of whom were kept around for the physicality.

A tribe swap occurred, and Gary remained on Yaxhá with Brian and Amy. Despite being down in numbers, Gary survived the tribal stage of the game and became the only orignal Yaxhá member to remain on Yaxhá and make the merge. At the merge, Gary was in the minority, and was targeted quickly after the merge. When it was revealed that a hidden immunity idol was somewhere in the jungle, Gary knew he had to find it to stay in the game. When Judd Sergeant received a clue, he told the other Xhakúm tribe members that it was on the ground. However, Gary observed Judd searching in the trees and realized he was lying.

When Gary learned he was being voted out in favor of Bobby Jon Drinkard, he searched for the immunity idol, and found it. He used it at tribal council, delaying his elimination from the game and instead ending Bobby Jon's time. After Jamie Newton was blindsided, Gary was the next slated to go. He tried desperately to make an alliance with Rafe Judkins and Danni Boatwright, his closest ally, but even she ended up voting against him, and he was eliminated from the game.

He voted for Danni as Sole Survivor, who won the game by a 6-1 vote.

Trivia

 * While he introduced himself as "Gary Hawkins" the landscaper, he didn't lie about his profession, as landscaping was actually what he did at the time.
 * Gary was reluctant to reveal his real surname for fear that fellow castaways would recognize him as a former NFL player. At the reunion show, Danni Boatwright revealed that she knew who he was all along, being a sports-radio talk show host.
 * Gary was the oldest member of the Yaxhá tribe.
 * Gary is the first former NFL player to compete on Survivor.
 * He is the first of 5 people to be related to the NFL. He would later be followed by Steve Wright, Jimmy Johnson, Grant Mattos, and Brad Culpepper.
 * Gary is the first contestant to find and use a Hidden Immunity Idol in Survivor history.
 * Gary is the only person to receive Immunity via a vote, win tribal immunity, win individual immunity, and become immune by using a Hidden Immunity Idol.
 * Gary is the first contestant to find the Hidden Immunity Idol without finding a clue. He got a false clue from Judd Sergeant, but found the idol after observing Judd when he was looking for it.
 * Gary was the only person that was a part of the merge tribe to be part of the Yaxhá tribe for the entire pre-merge stage of the game. He along with Judd and Cindy was the only people to make the merge without switching tribes.
 * As such, Gary was the only member of Xhakúm to never be part of the Nakúm tribe.
 * Gary is the only member of the original Yaxhá tribe to outlive any member of the Nakúm Alliance.