Brian Heidik

Brian Heidik is the Sole Survivor of Survivor: Thailand.

One of the pioneers of the game, Brian was known for his commanding leadership of Chuay Gahn, disdain for creating true relationships with any of his tribe members, considering the game a "business trip" and inventing the "Goat Strategy". His strong gameplay, combined with his opponent Clay Jordan's unpopularity with the jury, won him the title of Sole Survivor in a close 4-3 vote.

Profile[]

Retrieved from CBS.com

Brian Heidik was born in Burtonsville, Maryland, and attended Paint Branch High School, where he played football and ultimately became an All-State quarterback. Upon graduating, he was recruited by North Carolina State. While in college, he studied finance until a knee injury during his sophomore year ended his football career. Brian then moved to New York City and lived there for three years before moving to California.

Brian is currently employed as a top used car salesman in Southern California. He previously worked as a stockbroker, motorcycle salesman, writer and actor. His varying acting credits include a series regular role on "Days of Our Lives," playing the character of Tim Rollins, along with guest-starring roles in "Baywatch Nights" and "Doogie Howser, M.D." He enjoys dirt bike riding, playing guitar and hunting. He is most proud of being a father. Brian describes his perfect day as riding a dirt bike in the woods with his son while chasing deer.

Brian currently lives in Quartz Hill, California with his wife, CC, and their son, Logan. He is a member of the National Association of Homeowners and The Chamber of Commerce. His birth date is March 9, 1968.^[1]

Survivor[]

As part of the Chuay Gahn tribe, Brian considered his experience a "business trip" and was not immediately targeted due to his physical strength and his ability to provide food for the tribe. Early on in the game, he was considered a trustworthy individual, despite his used car salesman occupation being known by all. However, his status as trustworthy would soon change dramatically. When Brian's tribe lost the first and second Immunity Challenges, he joined the majority to vote out John Raymond and Tanya Vance. After the grind gate incident between Ted Rogers, Jr. and Ghandia Johnson, Brian was worried that the rift between the two would divide the tribe. So he enlisted the help of Helen Glover to side with himself, Ted and Clay Jordan to vote out Ghandia, which they did successfully in Episode 4. By doing so, he created a Final 2 Alliance with Helen, despite already having one with Ted. Chuay Gahn then enjoyed two immunity wins.

When there were only 10 castaways left, the two tribes began living on the same beach and believed they had merged into one tribe. However, this was not the case. Chuay Gahn continued their winning streak for two more episodes, dwindling the former Sook Jai members to only 3. When the tribes finally merged with 8 contestants remaining, Brian was a strong force in keeping the Chuay Gahn alliance strong and ousting the remaining former Sook Jai members at back-to-back Tribal Councils. They were very successful, voting out Ken Stafford, Penny Ramsey, and Jake Billingsley respectively. At this point, Brian had three Final 2 Alliances, each with Helen, Ted, and Clay.

At the Final 5, the remaining contestants (all members of Chuay Gahn) were forced to turn on each other. Helen and Ted had a plan to pull over Jan Gentry and vote out Clay, whom they believed did not deserve a spot in the Final 2. When Brian heard the two had been talking, he wrongly believed this was against himself, with neither Helen or Ted having this idea in mind. After winning individual immunity, Brian, together with Jan, Helen, and Clay, voted out Ted despite their Final 2 Alliance. At the Final 4, Brian enjoyed another immunity win and informed Helen that Jan would be voted out. However, he went with Clay and used Jan to vote out Helen, believing she had conspired against him and was unbeatable in the Final 2.

On Day 38, Brian felt comfortable with his game and immunity wins, despite backstabbing two of his former tribemates. He managed to win the final immunity and chose to vote out Jan, taking Clay to the Final Two. Jan was the only former Chuay Gahn Final 5 member Brian did not have a Final 2 alliance with. Believing Clay was more hated, Brian thought he had made the right decision. However, Brian faced a tough jury and in particular a very angry Helen.

In the end, Brian Heidik beat out Clay Jordan in a 4-3 vote to become the fifth Sole Survivor. He managed to gain the votes of Jake, Ted, Helen, and Jan. Brian was benefited by a usual occurrence on Survivor when two of Brian's votes came from a vote against Clay, particularly Helen and Ted whom Brian himself betrayed in the game, but still voted for him over Clay. Ted mentioned that he was voting for Brian because he was "the lesser of two evils".

Episode	Tribe Affiliation	Challenge	Challenge Type	Sit-Out?	Result
1	Chuay Gahn	Flying Your Flag	Immunity	No	Lost
2		Palonquin Slalom	Reward	No	Lost
2		Floating Puzzle	Immunity	No	Lost
3		Pilfering Pirates	Reward	No	Won
3		Temple Transfer	Immunity	No	Won
4		New Tribe Member	Reward	No	Lost
4		Tan-dy Gram	Immunity	No	Lost
5		Survivor Auction
5		Catch of the Day	Immunity	No	Won
6		Wicker Flicker	Reward	No	Lost
6		Thai 21	Immunity	No	Won
7		Jail Break	Immunity	No	Won
8		Breathing Space	Immunity	No	Won
Tribes Merged, Day 25
9	Chuay Jai	Wicker Ball Relay	Reward		Won
9		Thai Numbers	Immunity		Lost
10		Knock-Out	Reward		Won
10		Snuff It	Immunity		Lost
12		Thai Menu	Reward		Lost
12		Cube Crisis	Immunity		Lost
13		Letter Hunt	Reward		Lost
13		Step on Up	Immunity		Won
14		Try Again	Immunity		Won
14		Slip Through Your Fingers	Immunity		Won
Sole Survivor, Day 39

Episode	Brian's Votes	Voted Against Brian
1	John	-
2	Tanya	-
3	Chuay Gahn Tribe Immune
4	Ghandia	-
5	Chuay Gahn Tribe Immune
6	Chuay Gahn Tribe Immune
7	Chuay Gahn Tribe Immune
8	Chuay Gahn Tribe Immune
9	Ken	-
10	Penny	-
12	Jake	-
13	Ted	Individual Immunity
14	Helen	Individual Immunity
14	Jan	Individual Immunity
Jury Votes for Brian	Helen, Jake, Jan, Ted
Sole Survivor, Day 39

Post-Survivor[]

Prior to the Thailand finale in 2002, Brian accused C.C. (real name Charmaine Ann Costigan^[2]) of spousal abuse after being struck in the nose. C.C. was sent to jail for two days and received a temporary restraining order which ended before the Thailand reunion show.^[3] The two later divorced in 2006.
In 2003, Brian was one of several castaways who appeared on MTV's Men vs. Women: Rumble in the Jungle, a preview show for Survivor: The Amazon, and offered his commentary in the debate of which gender was stronger.^[4]
From February 17 to 21, 2003, Brian appeared on the game show Hollywood Squares as a panelist for the entire week.^[5]
During the airing of Survivor: All-Stars, Brian appeared on The Early Show along with the most recent winner at the time, Sandra Diaz-Twine. He incorrectly predicted that Rob Mariano and Amber Brkich would not go far in the game, while Sandra said they would.^[6]
Brian was nominated in "America's Tribal Council" in the "Best Villain" category, but lost to Jon Dalton.^[7]
In 2006, Brian was arrested and charged with battery and cruelty to animals after he shot a puppy with a bow and arrow. He was released after posting a $6,000 bond.^[8]
In 2006, he married a realtor named Courtney.^[9] They have three children together: Ethan, Waylan, and Josslyn.
In the summer of 2009, Brian, along with the other first eighteen Survivor winners, appeared on a TV Guide special "Survivor Millionaires: Where Are They Now?"^[10]

Trivia[]

Brian's luxury item was a guitar.
Brian was the youngest male member of Chuay Gahn.
Brian is the only castaway to never receive an elimination vote against him in Thailand.
- Brian is one of two Sole Survivors to never receive an elimination vote against them throughout their Survivor careers, the other being Mike Gabler.
Brian is the first person to win the Final Immunity Challenge and then become the Sole Survivor.
Brian was the first person to win the most individual Immunity Challenges of their season and become the Sole Survivor, although Vecepia Towery tied for most individual immunity wins in her season with two.
Brian was the first man to win an all-male Final Two.
Brian was considered for Heroes vs. Villains, but the producers were too "repulsed" by him to bring him back.
Brian appeared in a couple commercials for the Crispy Crunch candy bar in the early 1990s.^[11]^[12]
Brian was a former actor in soft-core adult movies, starring in Sinful Obsession (1999) and The Virgins of Sherwood Forest (2000).^[13]
Brian is the only Thailand castaway to not attend the Survivor 10-year anniversary party.