Linda Spencer is a contestant from Survivor: Africa.
Due to her eccentric personality and poor social standing with the younger members of Samburu, Linda was voted out after the Younger Samburu Alliance gained majority of the tribe.
Profile[]
Retrieved from CBS.com
Age: 44
Marital Status: Married
Occupation: Assistant Director of Career Services, Harvard University
Hometown: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Luxury Item: Aromatherapy
Linda Spencer is currently an Assistant Director of Career Services at Harvard University, as well as a married mother of two children. Spencer was born and raised on welfare in Boston's inner city. She received a BA degree from Dartmouth College, an MEd from Tufts University and an MSW from Boston College. Previous occupations include corporate account executive, director of African Adventures at an overseas adventure travel company and clinical social worker.
In December 1999, Spencer was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and underwent a thyroidectomy the following January. She received radioactive iodine treatments in May 2000, and is now completely cancer free. In September 2000, a mere eight months after being diagnosed with cancer, she successfully reached the summit of Mt. Rainier.
The three adjectives Spencer uses to describe herself include adventurous, competitive and determined. She is a member of the Appalachian Mountain Club, Sierra Club, American Alpine Club, Career Counselors Consortium, Blackpack and is a former member of the Coalition of 100 Black Women.
Spencer's hobbies include mountain climbing, ice climbing, winter camping, international travel, spinning and yoga. She also enjoys in-line skating, and has completed a race from Athens to Atlanta, Georgia, covering 85 miles. She has traveled to over 28 countries on 4 continents, including two summers spent in rural African villages with no electricity or running water.
Linda Spencer currently lives in Boston with her husband Jim and two children, Jared, 11 and Jenna, 9. Her birth date is January 1.[1]
Survivor[]
Linda began the game on Samburu, which was fractured by two conflicting alliances defined by age. With the younger members Silas, Kim P., Brandon, and Lindsey banding together, Carl and his fellow older members Frank, Teresa, and Linda formed their own alliance out of necessity. These alliances would go untested as Samburu won both of the first two immunity challenges. When Samburu finally went to Tribal Council for the first time, the expected deadlocked 4-4 vote occured, forcing a quiz challenge tiebreaker between Carl and Lindsey. However, Carl lost the challenge, putting Linda and her alliance in the minority.
After losing yet another Immunity Challenge, Silas made a plea to the older alliance to continue to vote for Lindsey to keep their alliance strong as possible, stipulating that Lindsey would be the only one vulnerable in future Tribal Councils should a recount take place because of another deadlocked tie. Linda, along with the remaining elders knew that the plan would not benefit them whatsoever and decided to switch their votes to Silas. Despite making Silas in danger in future votes, Linda was next to go in a 4-3 vote.
| Episode | Tribe Affiliation |
Challenge | Challenge Type | Sit-Out? | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samburu | Trail Blazer | Reward/Immunity | No | Won |
| 2 | Stairway to the Stars | Reward | Yes | Won | |
| Safari Supper | Immunity | No | Won | ||
| 3 | Rock n' Roll | Reward | No | Lost | |
| Distress Signal | Immunity | No | Lost | ||
| 4 | Caught in the Web | Reward | Yes | Won | |
| Movin' On Up | Immunity | No | Lost | ||
| Voted Out, Day 12 | |||||
| Episode | Linda's Votes |
Voted Against Linda |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samburu Tribe Immune | |
| 2 | Samburu Tribe Immune | |
| 3 | Lindsey; Lindsey1 |
- |
| 4 | Silas | Brandon, Kim P., Lindsey, Silas |
| Voted Out, Day 12 | ||
^1 In "The Gods Are Angry", the vote ended with a 4-4 tie between Carl and Lindsey, forcing a revote. Linda did not change her vote on the revote.
Post-Survivor[]
- In early 2002, Linda, along with all of her Africa castmates, appeared on Late Show with David Letterman where they would present the top 10.[2]
Trivia[]
- Linda's luxury item was a string necklace.
- Linda was the oldest female member of the original Samburu tribe.
References[]
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