Tra'Mese "Missy" Byrd[2] is a contestant from Survivor: Island of the Idols.
Missy rose as a strategic powerhouse in the game, forming a women's alliance on the Lairo tribe, as well as a separate alliance with Aaron Meredith. Missy quickly took control of the game, positioning herself at the top of the Lumuwaku tribe following the merge. However, she also developed a rocky relationship with Karishma Patel, which led to her eventual downfall when her allies were scattered across two teams by a Double Elimination. After an attempt to get Karishma to vote out Tommy Sheehan went awry due to Missy's domineering approach, Missy found herself being the one blindsided instead.
Profile[]
Retrieved from CBS.com
Age: 24
Hometown: Decatur, Georgia
Current residence: Tacoma, Washington
Occupation: Air Force Veteran
Hobbies: Hiking, traveling, immersing myself into the culture I'm visiting, and winning.
Pet peeves: Annoying human beings.
Three words to describe you: Relentless, clever, and decently dope.
What accomplishment are you most proud of? Always finding a way to travel the world regardless of budget. We all deserve to see what's out there.
Who or what is your inspiration in life? Oprah, Beyoncé and the Obamas. They all broke the mold for what being black in America looks like.
What's one thing we wouldn't know from seeing a photo of you? I rather enjoy a hot cup of tea and a good book.
Which Survivor contestant are you most like? Kim, my girl is a legend. She hit the sand and aligned quickly. She played both sides effortlessly. I would play like this. Kill 'em with a smile.
Why do you think you'll "survive" Survivor? Beyoncé wrote a song about surviving so I have to honor Queen B.[3]
Survivor[]
Missy was involved in every major alliance on Lairo, including the women's alliance that succeeded in taking out two men in Ronnie Bardah and Vince Moua at their first two Tribal Council visits. Meanwhile, she also developed a core alliance with fellow physically strong players Aaron Meredith and Elizabeth Beisel. Approaching a third Tribal Council in 11 days, Missy was faced with a dilemma between voting out Karishma Patel or Dean Kowalski. Missy's desire to keep Karishma as a pawn and Elizabeth's lack of desire to target Dean lead to a chaotic afternoon of strategy. Ultimately, Missy and her allies settled on "Plan Z" by eliminating Dean's closest ally and a bigger threat than Karishma, Chelsea Walker. Some harsh words toward Karishma at that Tribal Council would complicate Missy's relationship with her for the rest of the game.
Missy continued to play aggressively after the swap, quick to leave behind Lairo and flip on Elaine Stott if necessary. That plan changed when Elaine revealed her advantage which allowed her to block one of the original Vokai members' votes at Tribal Council. This lead to Jason Linden's elimination though Missy harmed her relationship with Lauren Beck in the process. Missy assured Lauren that she was safe, though she considered targeting her ally Tommy Sheehan in case Vokai lost another challenge.
At the merge, Missy and Kellee Kim bonded over their uncomfortable experiences with Dan Spilo. Lauren then revealed to Missy that Kellee's intention was to blindside Missy at the first Tribal Council, which firmly put Missy on a quest to eliminate Kellee by any means necessary. These means included exaggerating her claims concerning Dan so that Missy herself would not be targeted. Post-switch Vokai voted as a group and, along with Dean, successfully blindsided Kellee. This collective stayed together for another vote (during which Missy won an individual Immunity Challenge alongside Aaron) before a Double Elimination shook up the game by splitting the final eleven into two groups. Missy's group consisted of close ally Elizabeth, two other allies in Karishma and Elaine, and a newer ally but also threatening target in Tommy. Still seeing value in keeping Karishma for her personal gain, Missy tried to get her to vote out Tommy. However, at this point Karishma was tired of taking orders from Missy and considered flipping on her when Elaine presented her with that plan. When Missy's group entered Tribal Council, she was shocked to find Aaron sitting on the jury, having been voted out at the first vote of the cycle. Missy's attempts to keep Karishma on her side at her Tribal Council failed as well, meaning she would join her ally on the jury, but not before a prolonged exit where she whispered to Elizabeth to target Elaine.
At the Final Tribal Council, Missy questioned Tommy for not focusing on the strategic and challenge aspects. She expressed respect for Dean's strategic game, but called him out for his duplicity. She ended up being one of eight jurors to vote for Tommy to win.
| Episode | Tribe Affiliation |
Challenge | Challenge Type | Sit-Out? | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lairo | Tower of Equality | Reward/Immunity | No | Lost |
| 2 | Rung O Star | Reward/Immunity | No | Won | |
| 3 | Beam Me Up | Reward/Immunity | No | Lost | |
| 4 | Ow Pairs | Reward/Immunity | No | Lost | |
| Switched Tribes, Day 12 | |||||
| 5 | Vokai | Headlong Flight | Reward | No | Won |
| Discography | Immunity | No | Won | ||
| 6 | Heroes End | Reward | No | Won | |
| Cage Against the Machine | Immunity | No | Lost | ||
| 7 | Box Car Blues | Reward1 | No | Won | |
| Faulty Towers | Immunity | No | Won | ||
| Tribes Merged, Day 20 | |||||
| 8 | Lumuwaku | Pegs Over Easy | Immunity | Lost | |
| Raise the Roof | Reward2 | Lost | |||
| I Hold On | Immunity | Won | |||
| 9 | We Will Go Round | Reward/Immunity | Shared3 | ||
| Voted Out, Day 27 | |||||
| Notes: | |||||
| Episode | Missy's Votes |
Voted Against Missy |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ronnie | - |
| 2 | Lairo Tribe Immune | |
| 3 | Vince | - |
| 4 | Chelsea | - |
| 5 | Vokai Tribe Immune | |
| 6 | Jason | - |
| 7 | Vokai Tribe Immune | |
| 8 | Kellee | - |
| Individual Immunity | ||
| 9 | Tommy | Elaine, Karishma, Tommy |
| Voted Out, Day 27 | ||
| Voted for Sole Survivor |
Tommy | |
^1 In "We Made It to the Merge!", Janet used a Hidden Immunity Idol, negating Missy's vote against her.
Post-Survivor[]
- Missy, along with nineteen other former Survivor, Australian Survivor, Survivor South Africa, and Survivor New Zealand contestants, competed in the second Survivor-themed mini-competition of Sequester on June 20, 2020. She was eliminated in the fifth round, finishing in 16th place.[4]
- Missy starred as Desiree in the 2021 movie Baking Up Love.[5]
- In 2023, Missy competed on The CW's Fight to Survive. She reached the eighth and final episode, finishing as the runner-up.[6]
Trivia[]
- Missy is the youngest member of the original Lairo tribe and the youngest woman to compete on Island of the Idols.
- Missy is the second female LGBT African-American contestant, after Jolanda Jones. They would be followed by Chanelle Howell, Claire Rafson, and Katurah Topps.
- Missy lost 18 lbs. during her time on Island of the Idols.[7]
References[]
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/tramese.byrd/about?lst=100000038483476%3A100000148336603%3A1568144132
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/tramese.byrd
- ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20230524013641/https://www.cbs.com/shows/survivor/cast/216261/
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNMcwCWh1Bg
- ↑ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13684314/?ref_=tt_ch
- ↑ https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/cw-partners-roku-channel-fight-170208818.html
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1N4O2i0MqLo
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