Kathleen Behnke "Kathy" Sleckman is a contestant from Survivor: Micronesia.
Initially on the outs with Chet Welch and Tracy Hughes-Wolf, Kathy managed to find a Hidden Immunity Idol with the unintentional help of Yau-Man Chan. After being sent to Exile Island twice, Kathy began feeling depressed. Shortly thereafter, Kathy voluntarily left the game. She placed 13th.
Profile
Retrieved from CBS.com
Born in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, Kathleen Sleckman currently works at a golf course in Illinois where she moves about selling thirsty golfers snacks and beer. She previously worked as a bartender, computer graphics artist and a plumber in the Seabees with the United States Navy. She attended St. Paul's Catholic Grade School, Manitowoc Lincoln High School and the U.W. Extension Program in Manitowoc.
Sleckman has lived in Port Hueneme, California, Pacific Beach, Washington, Agana, Guam (for military service) and Oxnard, California. She describes herself as intellectually astute, sarcastically witty and a tad bit shallow. Her hero is Max Factor as, without his invention of make-up, she would be a veritable shut-in. She believes her excellent puzzle-solving skills, athleticism, knowledge of outdoor survivor skills and ability to motivate others will help her go far on SURVIVOR.
Sleckman resides in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, with her husband, Rick, their six-year-old child, Maddison, and their dog, Wilson Von Barkypants. Her birth date is August 14, 1962.[1]
Survivor
At the first challenge, Kathy, with the accidental help from Yau-Man managed to find the Individual Immunity Idol first thus granting her safety from her first Tribal Council. Kathy along with Chet Welch and Tracy Hughes-Wolf were immediately branded as targets by the younger, more athletic members of the tribe. With the individual idol in her possession, Kathy found herself safe for at least six days, as Airai won the first challenge, both for reward and immunity.
Days passed, and Kathy, Chet, and Tracy were so isolated from the tribe, they made a separate shelter only big enough for the three of them. On the Day 5 Reward/Immunity Challenge, Chet's poor performance heavily contributed to the tribe's loss. The "Favorites" chose Kathy to go to Exile Island and would stay there until the next day, in time for Tribal Council. However, the Favorites chose Cirie to join her.
At Exile Island, Kathy and Cirie searched for the Hidden Immunity Idol, but were unable to decipher the clues and end up wasting the whole day looking in vain. Kathy returned to camp, only to find out that the tribe was planning to vote out Mary Sartain instead of the weaker Chet. Initially, the plan was for the younger members to split their votes between Tracy and Chet in case Kathy produced the Hidden Immunity Idol (Kathy still had the Day 1 individual idol and was still in play), but Tracy found cracks within the alliance, most notably Joel Anderson wanting to usurp control of the majority from Mikey Bortone, who was being flirtatious with Sartain. Tracy's plan worked, and Mary was blindsided.
Airai lost the next Reward Challenge and Kathy was once again sent to Exile Island, this time being accompanied by Ami Cusack. Kathy didn't bother looking for the Idol since she had previously tried and failed. Ami on the other hand looked for the Idol but eventually gave up. Kathy was safe however, as Airai managed to win the following Immunity Challenge.
The lack of reward wins began taking a toll on Kathy. Hungry and desperate for food, the Fans began eating raw items such as clam lips, much to her displeasure. Following Airai's back-to-back losses, Kathy was once again at the bottom with Tracy and Chet, but the three remained intact as Tracy convinced Joel to blindside his ally-cum-rival Mikey B.
A Day 12 Tribe Switch mixed the Fans and Favorites, and Kathy was separated from her few allies as she was the only one of them who stayed on Airai while Tracy and Chet moved to Malakal, making her lonelier. Kathy would be remain immune for the rest of her time in the game as Airai enjoyed a healthy four-challenge winning streak.
Away from her family and with no allies within the tribe, Kathy began feeling more depressed and wanted to go home. It came to a point where she considered cutting her fingers with a machete to be medically evacuated from the game. A boat containing Jeff Probst fetched an emotional Kathy and allowed her to quit the game on Day 19.
Voting History
| Kathy's Voting History | ||
|---|---|---|
| Episode | Kathy's Votes |
Voted Against Kathy |
| 1 | Airai Tribe Immune | |
| 2 | Mary | Individual Immunity |
| 3 | Airai Tribe Immune | |
| 4 | Mikey B. | - |
| 5 | Airai Tribe Immune | |
| 6 | Airai Tribe Immune | |
| 7 | No Tribal Council | |
| Quit, Day 19 | ||
Post-Survivor
- On January 9, 2010, Kathy attended the Survivor 10-year anniversary party.
- Kathy would remain a vocal member of the Survivor fan community, being a very active member of the Facebook group, Previously on ...Survivor!.
Trivia
- Kathy was in the shortlist of 50 applicants for Survivor: Vanuatu. Kathy sent five audition tapes prior to Survivor: Micronesia.[2]
- Kathy was the oldest female to compete on Micronesia.
- Kathy was the first castaway to win individual immunity but not use it for the immediate Tribal Council.
- Kathy was the only original Airai member to not receive any votes against them.
- Kathy is the only castaway on Micronesia to stay on Airai during the tribe switch and be eliminated pre-merge.
References
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