Jimmy Johnson

James William "Jimmy" Johnson is a contestant from Survivor: Nicaragua.

A retired NFL Coach, Jimmy was the most recognizable castaway on his season. Emerging as the de facto leader of the older Espada tribe, it was, ironically, his leadership skills that caused him to be identified as a threat, leading to his own tribe voting him out.

Profile[]

Retrieved from CBS.com

Name: Jimmy Johnson (67)
Tribe: Espada
Current Residence: Islamorada, Fla.
Occupation: Former NFL Coach
Personal Claim to Fame: Winning two college national championships with Arkansas (playing) and University of Miami (coaching) and winning two Super Bowl championships coaching the Dallas Cowboys.
Hobbies: Fishing, scuba diving and boating.
Pet Peeves: People being lazy or late.
3 Words to Describe You: Happy, intelligent and goal oriented.
Survivor Contestant You Are Most Like: Tom Westman, because he is trustworthy.
Reason for being on Survivor: For the adventure!
Why you think you will be the Sole Survivor: Because people can trust me, and I'm not a threat.^[1]

Survivor[]

Being the oldest among the Nicaragua castaways, Jimmy was placed on the Espada tribe. The rival La Flor tribe displayed their disappointment of not having the legendary NFL coach as a tribemate. Jimmy's fellow male Espada tribemates, however, resented the coach's popularity.

His leadership role might not have been on the competition side, but his compassionate approach to his tribemates earned their respect. Tribemate Yve Rojas even confessed that she was still starstruck towards Jimmy every time they had a conversation. Though the women adored his presence, his other male tribe members became skeptic about him, most notably Marty Piombo, who did not like the fact that they had a celebrity on their tribe and did not want to do anything with him. His celebrity status became an issue for the tribe, with his male tribemates wanting to oust him immediately, stating that no one from the jury would give him a vote at the Final Tribal Council, stipulating his wealthiness, though Jimmy already declared that he only wanted to compete just for the experience, but was eager to help his tribemates to make sure that the winner would come from Espada. Additionally, Jimmy threw up on the first night after overworking at camp, adding more reasons to eliminate him, though he was livelier the next day. The other Espada men were put on hold when they decided to eliminate weaker tribemate Wendy DeSmidt-Kohlhoff at the first Tribal Council and then winning the second Immunity Challenge.

After Marty revealed his Hidden Immunity Idol, he used it to lure his tribemates to do whatever he wanted. When Espada lost the third Immunity Challenge, they decided to follow Marty's lead, and Jimmy was eliminated unanimously after an 8-1 vote.

Episode	Tribe Affiliation	Challenge	Challenge Type	Sit-Out?	Result
1	Espada	Race to Shore	Reward	No	Lost
1		Getting Tanked	Immunity	No	Lost
2		Hay Mate	Reward/Immunity	No	Won
3		Get Barreled	Reward/Immunity	No	Lost
Voted Out, Day 8

Episode	Jimmy J.'s Votes	Voted Against Jimmy J.
1	Wendy	-
2	Espada Tribe Immune
3	Dan	Dan, Holly, Jane, Jill, Jimmy T., Marty, Tyrone, Yve
Voted Out, Day 8

Post-Survivor[]

Jimmy became an analyst for Fox NFL Sunday. He currently resides in the Florida Keys.^[2]
On January 12, 2020, Jimmy was revealed to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.^[3]
On December 30, 2023, Jimmy was inducted into the Cowboys' Ring of Honor at AT&T Stadium.

Trivia[]

A known Survivor fan, Jimmy was in the audience during the Survivor: Vanuatu reunion show.^[4]
Jimmy applied for Survivor twice before getting cast on Nicaragua. He was not chosen the first time and he was initially considered for Gabon, but he failed a medical test after doctors discovered two blocked arteries.^[5]
- He was replaced by Bob Crowley, the eventual Sole Survivor.^{[citation needed]}
Jimmy is the oldest contestant on Nicaragua.
Jimmy is the second person in the history of the show who was affiliated with the NFL before going on Survivor. The first was Gary Hogeboom. He would later be followed by Steve Wright, Grant Mattos, Brad Culpepper, Tyler Fredrickson, Alan Ball, Danny McCray, and Brandon Cottom.
Jimmy lost 20 lbs. during his time on Nicaragua.^[6]