Joseph "Joe" Mena is a contestant from Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers.
Joe was known for his aggressive gameplay and behavior, which rubbed people the wrong way on multiple occasions. He managed to find two Hidden Immunity Idols, and successfully play one idol. At the start of the merge, Joe found himself on the wrong side of numbers, and became a target. Knowing he was a target, he started irritating the majority alliance members with a goal of them seeing him as an easy "goat" to take to the end. While this strategy seemed to work, it soon wore out, and he was voted out at the final 8 for being a major threat.
Profile
Retrieved from CBS.com
Age: 34
Hometown: Bronx, N.Y.
Current residence: Tolland, Conn.
Occupation: Probation Officer
Hobbies: Working out, playing video games (fantasy football), and playing sports (flag football).
Pet peeves: My biggest pet peeve is that fake energetic, fake smile, person that we all know. Also, someone who does not take responsibility for their actions, and is constantly giving excuses. Let's not forget that individual that must have one up on you.
Three words to describe you: Real, confident, and energetic.
What's your personal claim to fame? Obtaining my degree. This is something I'm proud of because it has given me the opportunity to secure my career and that has given me the lifestyle where I have the ability to provide my children with their wants, needs, and a lovely home that they can call their own. Without my degree, I wouldn't have been able to accomplish this.
Who or what is your inspiration in life? A hero is someone who is noble and will not let you down. My sisters are my heroes—they are noble, loyal, and love me unconditionally.
If you could have three things on the island, what would they be and why? Me, myself, and a picture of my children. I don't think I would need anything but a picture of my children. A picture would provide me with a tangible image of them instead of just a mental image.
Survivor contestant you're most like: Tony Vlachos' understanding of how to manipulate others, Mike Holloway's "ball to the walls" attitude, and Jeremy Collins' ability to stay true to himself.
What's your reason for being on Survivor: Mo money baby! Of course the million dollars. I play "survivor" 40 hours a week at work. It would take me 10 plus years to earn a million dollars at my current work rate. Why not speed up the process and make a million in six weeks? It’s a no brainer. In addition, I always tell my son that he needs to give 100 percent in everything he does. I'm constantly telling him "go hard or go home." I just want him to see that what I preach, I also apply to myself.
Why do you think you'll "survive" Survivor? I can relate to people from all paths of life, I work in a diverse community with diverse backgrounds in age, religion, and social status. I can converse with anyone about anything. With these stories, I'll be able to manipulate individuals and my surroundings. I'm a likable, outspoken, and natural in most things I do. Nothing I do feels forced or uncomfortable. I'm well aware of my strengths and weaknesses. I'm not going to Survivor for vacation or fame. I'm not going to be away from my children for six weeks and come back empty handed. I can win this and I am confident I can.[2]
Survivor
Starting on Soko, Joe called out Mike Zahalsky for having a Hidden Immunity Idol, putting a target on the latter's back. He found a clue to the hidden immunity idol on day 4, but misinterpreted the clue. Cole Medders then helped him find the idol. Soko won the first three challenges.
He along with Desi Williams were switched to Levu after the Tribe Switch occurred. Levu lost immunity on day 11. At camp, Joe openly stated he would vote for Ashley Nolan at tribal council, and annoyed Ashley and Alan Ball with the goal of them voting for him so he could use his idol. At tribal council, he played the idol on himself after reading Ashley's facial expression, negating Alan's and Ashley's votes, and his and Desi's votes blindsided Alan. On day 15, Joe found a clue to another Idol, and found the idol that night.
When Joe reached the merge he regrouped with his original tribemates. He joined them in voting for Chrissy Hofbeck, he played his idol but received no votes, and his original Soko tribemate Jessica Johnston was blindsided. When he noticed Cole and Chrissy digging for an idol which Ryan Ulrich already found, Joe started digging in the same spot. On day 21, he talked to Ryan and Devon Pinto about blinding Ben Driebergen for being the leader, which Ben heard. Ben confronted him, to which Joe lied about Ben swearing on the marines to cause chaos. At tribal council, Joe voted for Ben, the vote ended in a 4-4-1-1 tie between Joe and Desi, and Desi was unanimously voted out in the revote with Joe receiving a vote from Mike. At the following tribal council, Joe called out the majority alliance for not playing the game, and Cole was voted out. With Cole gone, Mike, and Joe were the only Soko members left. At the next tribal council, he received a vote from Chrissy, and both he and Mike joined Ashley, Lauren Rimmer, and Devon in blindsiding JP Hilsabeck. Chrissy won the next immunity challenge. At camp, Devon lied to Joe and Mike about getting out Ben, and told them to vote for Ryan. At tribal council, he voted for Ryan, but Ashley, Ben, Lauren and Devon voted against him resulting in his elimination.
Voting History
| Joe's Voting History | ||
|---|---|---|
| Episode | Joe's Votes |
Voted Against Joe |
| 1 | Soko Tribe Immune | |
| 2 | Soko Tribe Immune | |
| 3 | Soko Tribe Immune | |
| 4 | Alan | |
| 5 | Levu Tribe Immune | |
| 6 | Levu Tribe Immune | |
| 7 | Chrissy | -2 |
| 8 | Ben; Ineligible |
Ashley, Chrissy, Cole, Mike; Mike3 |
| 9 | Cole | - |
| 10 | JP | Chrissy |
| Ashley, Ben, Devon, Lauren | ||
| Voted Out, Day 30 | ||
| Voted For Sole Survivor |
Solewa | |
^1 In I Don't Like Having Snakes Around, Joe used a Hidden Immunity Idol, negating 2 votes against him.
^2 In Get to Gettin', Joe used a Hidden Immunity Idol, but did not negate any votes against him.
^3 In Playing with the Devil, the vote ended with a 4-4 tie between Joe and Desi, forcing a revote. On the revote, Joe did not receive enough votes to be eliminated.
^4 In Buy One, Get One Free, Ryan used a Hidden Immunity Idol, negating Joe's vote against him.
Post-Survivor
Trivia
- Joe lost 20 pounds during his time on Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers.[3]
References
| Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers Castaways | |||||||||||||||||
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