Jamal Shipman

Jamal Shipman is a contestant from Survivor: Island of the Idols.

Jamal quickly bonded with Jack Nichting and Molly Byman, but he was relegated to the minority on the Vokai tribe following the latter's blindside. However, he was able to find a Hidden Immunity Idol and work his way back into the majority after the Tribe Switch. After the merge, Jamal, along with several of the women, took a stand against the uncomfortable behavior of Dan Spilo. However, after a failed attempt to vote him out, and a visit to the Island of the Idols that left him without a vote and as the biggest target in the game, Jamal was eliminated at the following Tribal Council.

Profile[]

Retrieved from CBS.com

Age: 33
Hometown: Jersey City, New Jersey
Current residence: Providence, Rhode Island
Occupation: Admissions Counselor K-12
Hobbies: Coaching basketball, taking West African and salsa dance lessons, teaching myself the bass guitar, and losing in fantasy football leagues.
Pet peeves: I hate bugs that insist on leaving behind itchy, painful bumps. I don't mind sharing my blood with you, but why the discomfort? Why the ache? It's pretty rude if you ask me.
Three words to describe you: Balanced, inquisitive, and present.
What accomplishment are you most proud of? My educational path is something I'm most proud of. After 8 years at P.S. 27, a Jersey City public school where my mom is still a teacher, I was accepted to the Prep for Prep program in New York. That experience prepared me for high school at Milton Academy, a New England prep school, which opened the door for me to attend and graduate from Brown University, an Ivy League school in Providence, R.I. With some bumps along the way and lots of help from those who care about me, I was able to make it through and be where I am today.
Who or what is your inspiration in life? Barack Obama. I wasn't all that politically aware prior to his run for president. He spoke to me. He inspired me to get involved and care about our world in a more engaged way. I've read his books, watched his speeches, and followed his presidency. The thoughtfulness, grace, optimism, and commitment he showed is absolutely uplifting. If we can approach life with his same attitude and aspire towards excellence the way he does, we'd all be better off.
What's one thing we wouldn't know from seeing a photo of you? You wouldn't know that while I was a tri-varsity athlete by my junior year in high school, I was also in the school a cappella group, played the trumpet in the orchestra, and played a role in the spring play! You can't judge a book by its cover.
Which Survivor contestant are you most like? I most relate to Jeremy. I think he played the game the second time similarly to how I would want to play it. Wendell, Officer Sarah, and Christian are all players I relate to, as well.
Why do you think you'll "survive" Survivor? I've been intensely studying this game. I feel like I have a good handle on what to do in order to give myself the best shot at making it to the end with enough good will to get votes. People will be happy to write my name at the end.^[2]

Survivor[]

Jamal was originally in the majority alliance on Vokai, but he quickly emerged as part of a power trio which worried some of his allies. Jamal remained confident, claiming he's playing at first gear. That would change immediately after being left out of Molly Byman's blindside, which saw Jamal find Vokai's Hidden Immunity Idol. This appeared to be important for Jamal as Tommy Sheehan considered Jamal as a potential next target after he caught wind that Jamal targeted Dan Spilo. However, Vokai would not lose again prior to the Tribe Switch.

Jamal ended up in a 5-3 majority on the new Lairo tribe after the switch, where he appeared to be working well with the players that blindsided him at their initial vote. After Vokai remained unified in voting out Tom Laidlaw, Jamal and Noura Salman's rivalry intensified and Jamal recruited Dean Kowalski in an effort to potentially take her out. Camp life took a brief detour from the game following Jack Nichting's "durag" comment when he referred to Jamal's buff. Jamal interpreted this as a racially motivated comment, which Jack was immediately regretful of. After some conversations about race, identity, and privilege, the two friends restored their bond.

Prior to Lairo's second Tribal Council following the swap, Jamal was resigned to Dean going home despite his best efforts to work with him. However, Jamal was blindsided for the second time this game when Dean played an idol, negating 5 votes against him and eliminating Jamal's closest ally Jack with just 2 votes. Following that Tribal Council, Jamal learned that Kellee Kim came up with that plan and became wary of her. The tribes would merge the following day. Following a strong effort in the first individual Immunity Challenge which Aaron Meredith ultimately won, Jamal once again targeted Dan since he knew Dan didn't want to work with him. This happened to align with Janet and Kellee's plans since they wanted Dan out due to his poor behavior. They could not muster enough votes, as Kellee was blindsided.

The following day, Jamal and Karishma Patel found an advantage hanging from a tree. Jamal grabbed it first, sending him to Island of the Idols. Rob Mariano and Sandra Diaz-Twine explained that Jamal lost his vote due to grabbing the advantage, but presented a pencil and parchment to him. With the ability to craft any advantage he could think of, Jamal wrote out a fake Legacy Advantage and gave it to Dean in an effort to put a target on his back. Unfortunately, the majority alliance suspected Jamal's motive and it did not change the dynamics. Jamal was seen as a bigger threat than fellow outsiders Janet Carbin (who played her idol regardless) and Karishma and was voted out that night, becoming the third member of the jury.

At the Final Tribal Council, Jamal asked the Final Three what ethical lines they were unwilling to cross, and questioned Noura's decision to bring Tommy to the end. He voted for Tommy, who won in a 8-2-0 vote.

Episode	Tribe Affiliation	Challenge	Challenge Type	Sit-Out?	Result
1	Vokai	Tower of Equality	Reward/Immunity	No	Won
2		Rung O Star	Reward/Immunity	No	Lost
3		Beam Me Up	Reward/Immunity	No	Won
4		Ow Pairs	Reward/Immunity	No	Won
Switched Tribes, Day 12
5	Lairo	Headlong Flight	Reward	No	Lost
5		Discography	Immunity	No	Lost
6		Heroes End	Reward	No	Lost
6		Cage Against the Machine	Immunity	No	Won
7		Box Car Blues	Reward¹	No	Lost
7		Faulty Towers	Immunity	No	Lost
Tribes Merged, Day 20
8	Lumuwaku	Pegs Over Easy	Immunity		Lost
		Raise the Roof	Reward²		Lost
		I Hold On	Immunity		Lost
Voted Out, Day 24
Notes: ^1 An unaired Reward Challenge was held on Day 17. ^2 An unaired Reward Challenge was held on Day 23.

Episode	Jamal's Votes	Voted Against Jamal
1	Vokai Tribe Immune
2	Jason	-
3	Vokai Tribe Immune
4	Vokai Tribe Immune
5	Tom	-
6	Lairo Tribe Immune
7	~~Dean~~¹	-
8	Dan	-
8	Ineligble²	Aaron, Dan, Dean, Janet, Noura, Tommy
Voted Out, Day 24
Voted for Sole Survivor	Tommy

^1 In "I Was Born at Night, but Not Last Night", Dean used a Hidden Immunity Idol, negating Jamal's vote against him.
^2 In "We Made It to the Merge!", Jamal lost his vote after being sent to the Island of the Idols, making him ineligible to vote at Tribal Council.

Post-Survivor[]

Jamal, along with nineteen other former Survivor contestants, competed in the first Survivor-themed mini-competition of Sequester on May 23, 2020. He was eliminated in the eleventh round, finishing in 9th place.^[3]
On June 6, 2024, Jamal got married.

Trivia[]

Jamal had previously applied for Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers.^[4]
Jamal was told that he could not make his Island of the Idols advantage into an Extra Vote or a Hidden Immunity Idol.^[5]
Jamal lost 18 lbs. during his time on Island of the Idols.^[6]
At the Island of the Idols Reunion, Australian pop singer Sia awarded Jamal $15,000.^[7]