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Gretchen Cordy is a contestant from Survivor: Borneo.

A likeable leader and strong survivalist, Gretchen's refusal to form alliances on the basis of ethics led to her becoming the victim of the first major blindside in the history of the series at the hands of the Tagi Alliance, setting in motion the downfall of her Pagong tribemates. Gretchen's elimination would set up the modern game where people are voted out for strengths over weaknesses after the merge.

Profile[]

Retrieved from CBS.com

Originally from New York City, Gretchen attended Freedom High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. She spent six years as a survival instructor for the US Air Force where she earned the Cadre Award from her survival instructor training class (for being the person who most exemplifies the spirit of survival).

Gretchen describes herself as strong-willed (stubborn), compassionate and open-minded. The two things that she is most proud of are her children. She enjoys camping, hiking, canoeing and swimming. Gretchen's hobby is working in her yard, and she likes listening to alternative music. When describing her perfect day, it would be camping with her family in the Hoh Rain Forest in Washington State.

Gretchen currently works part-time at a preschool in Clarksville, Tennessee. Happily married for 14 years, she and her husband have two children, one dog and a ferret. She is a member of Amnesty International and her children's PTA. Her birth date is Feb. 7, 1962.[1]

Survivor[]

From the beginning, Gretchen was second-in-command in Pagong. B.B. Andersen became the tribe's leader due to his work ethic. Immediately following B.B.'s elimination, Gretchen took over the leadership position over the Pagong tribe. Her first move was to create a new shelter because the hut that B.B. made beforehand was deemed uncomfortable to sleep in. Despite some misunderstandings, Gretchen's leadership was more well-liked and accepted than B.B.'s abrasive personality. This was also in part due to Gretchen knowing how to pace herself whereas B.B. worked too hard, ultimately leading to his near unanimous vote out at Pagong's first trip to Tribal Council. Gretchen would see herself remain in a comfortable position for the entire pre-merge, as the other women, particularly Ramona Gray, were seen as weaker links, and Gervase Peterson and Joel Klug made themselves targets through their sexist behavior.

After the Day 20 merge, Gretchen was pleased to have the opportunity to meet the Tagi members. She entered the merge firm in her belief that she wanted to get far in the game through her merits rather than alliances. Richard Hatch was intrigued by her stance, similar to that of Sean Kenniff, to which Richard replied in confessional by saying playing this game with alliances has nothing to do with morals. After Greg Buis won the Immunity Challenge, the majority of the Rattana tribe went into Tribal Council with various individual agendas. Gretchen cast her vote for Rudy Boesch, citing some personal issues. However, she fell victim to the Tagi Alliance of Richard, Rudy, Susan Hawk, and Kelly Wiglesworth. They deemed her as a threat to win the show, and since she was the leader of the Pagong tribe, Gretchen was ousted from the game after a capricious 4-1-1-1-1-1-1 vote.

Episode Tribe
Affiliation
Challenge Challenge Type Sit-Out? Result
1 Pagong Quest for Fire Reward/Immunity No Won
2 Water Torture Reward Unknown Won1
Buggin' Out Immunity No Lost
3 Treasure Chest Reward No Lost
Rescue Mission Immunity No Won
4 SOS Signal Reward No Lost
Buried Treasure Immunity No Lost
5 Choose Your Weapon Reward No Won
Shipwrecked Immunity No Won
6 Abandoned Barracks Reward No Won
The Obstacle Course Immunity No Lost
Tribes Merged, Day 20
7 Rattana Snake Island Relay Immunity Lost
Voted Out, Day 21
Notes:
^1 An unaired Reward Challenge was held on Day 4.

Episode Gretchen's
Votes
Voted Against
Gretchen
1 Pagong Tribe Immune
2 B.B. -
3 Pagong Tribe Immune
4 Ramona -
5 Pagong Tribe Immune
6 Joel -
7 Rudy Kelly, Richard,
Rudy, Susan
Voted Out, Day 21

Post-Survivor[]

Trivia[]

  • Gretchen's luxury item was a toothbrush.
  • Gretchen is the first contestant to reside in Tennessee.
  • Gretchen is the oldest woman of Pagong.
  • Gretchen is the first castaway to be voted out of a merged tribe.
  • Gretchen is the first castaway to be voted out by a plurality, being voted out with less than half of the total counted votes.
  • At the Reunion Show, her last name was mistakenly listed as Klug, which is the last name of her fellow Pagong tribemate, Joel.
  • Despite her elimination being confirmed after Jeff Probst read the third vote cast against her, he still read the fourth and final vote.

References[]

Survivor: Borneo Castaways
 B.B.
Pagong
S1 bb t
 Colleen
Pagong
S1 colleen t
 Dirk
Tagi
S1 dirk t
 Gervase
Pagong
S1 gervase t
 Greg
Pagong
S1 greg t
 Gretchen
Pagong
S1 gretchen t
 Jenna
Pagong
S1 jenna t
 Joel
Pagong
S1 joel t
 Kelly
Tagi
S1 kelly t
 Ramona
Pagong
S1 ramona t
 Richard
Tagi
S1 richard t
 Rudy
Tagi
S1 rudy t
 Sean
Tagi
S1 sean t
 Sonja
Tagi
S1 sonja t
 Stacey
Tagi
S1 stacey t
 Susan
Tagi
S1 susan t
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