Chuay Gahn (ช่วยกัน) was a tribe from Survivor: Thailand.
While older and weaker compared to the younger, more fit Sook Jai tribe, Chuay Gahn's camaraderie and better tribe dynamics allowed them to be on par with Sook Jai, entering the merge and effectively decimating the other tribe. Their tribe color was orange.
Members
Chuay Gahn |
- Brian Heidik, a used car salesman from Quartz Hill, California.
- Clay Jordan, a restaurant owner from Monroe, Louisiana.
- Ghandia Johnson, a legal secretary from Denver, Colorado.
- Helen Glover, a Navy swim instructor from Middletown, Rhode Island.
- Jan Gentry, a teacher from Tampa, Florida.
- John Raymond, a pastor from Slidell, Louisiana.
- Tanya Vance, a social worker from Kingsport, Tennessee.
- Ted Rogers, Jr., a software development manager from Durham, North Carolina.
Tribe History
The Weaker Tribe
The tribe was formed after a Schoolyard Pick. Jan picked what seemed to be a weaker tribe compared to the rival Sook Jai. This was evident early on, as Chuay Gahn lost the first two Immunity Challenges, as well as the first Reward Challenge. They voted out John - for his inability to gel - as well as Tanya, who was appearing to be very sick and unable to adapt to the environment.
Grindgate
Dysfunction was beginning to fracture the tribe, especially after the infamous Grindgate incident involving Ghandia and Ted. Though it seemed to be patched, a misunderstanding caused the feud to stay.
Shift in Momentum
After Sook Jai threw a challenge to get rid of Jed Hildebrand, Chuay Gahn saw a momentum shift that saw them lose only 2 of the upcoming challenges (and thereby voting out Ghandia). Sook Jai was forced to lose two of their own before the Fake Merge.
Fake Merge
At the Fake Merge, the five remaining members of Chuay Gahn saw Shii Ann, a member of the rival tribe, to be a useful asset. She made her intentions clear that she was open to flipping to the other tribe, and was voted out at Sook Jai's next Tribal Council. When the merge finally came, the tight-knit Chuay Gahn entered with a 5-3 advantage over Sook Jai.
Gallery
Trivia
- Chuay Gahn is the first tribe to have a cave as a shelter.
- The Chuay Gahn tribe camp was located near a cave that was large enough for the entire tribe to sleep in, eliminating the need to build a shelter. The downside of the Chuay Gahn camp was that their water source was located at another island, forcing tribe members to paddle and fill their water containers there.
- Chuay Gahn is the second orange tribe to produce the entire final five of the season.
- The first tribe to achieve this was Tagi. They were both followed later by Ometepe.
- All three tribes also had the first person eliminated from the season.
- All three tribes also competed in seasons where at least 5 members from the opposing tribe were consecutively eliminated.
- Chuay Gahn is the first orange tribe to accomplish this while opposing a purple tribe. This happened again in Survivor: Redemption Island.
References