Tina Wesson

Tina Wesson
Contestant Profile
Born	December 26, 1960 (1960-12-26)
Hometown	Knoxville, Tennessee; Robbinsville, North Carolina
Occupation	Personal Nurse; Motivational Speaker
Survivor Career
Version	United States
Tribe(s)	Ogakor Barramundi
Finish	Winner
Alliance(s)	Ogakor Alliance
Challenge Wins	5
Votes Against	0
Days Lasted	42/42
Tribe(s)	Saboga
Finish:	18/18
Challenge Wins	0
Votes Against	4
Days Lasted	3/39
Tribe(s)	Galang Kasama
Finish	4/20
Alliance(s)	Galang Alliance
Challenge Wins	9
Votes Against	10
Days Lasted	38/39

Tina Marie Wesson is the Sole Survivor of Survivor: The Australian Outback. She later competed on Survivor: All-Stars and Survivor: Blood vs. Water.

Distinguished as the first woman to win Survivor, Tina leveraged her position as the Ogakor matriarch to help her advance in the game. By forming a tight duo with Colby Donaldson, she was able to convince her ally to bring her to the Final Two against his best interests, thereby securing her the win in The Australian Outback.

After her victory, Tina played two more games, including a brief stint in All-Stars where she was immediately targeted for her status as a former winner, as well as a longer run in Blood vs. Water where she became the last person voted out of the season.

Profile

Retrieved from CBS.com

The Australian Outback All-Stars Blood vs. Water Name: Tina Wesson Age: 40 Marital Status: Married Occupation: Nurse Hometown: Knoxville, Tennessee Luxury Item: Backgammon Set Tina Wesson currently works as a private duty C.N.A. nurse while also working as a full-time mom. Formerly, she worked as a community education director, flight attendant, substitute teacher and a swimming instructor. Wesson obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in therapeutic recreation from the University of Tennessee in 1983. An avid athlete, she is most proud of having completed the Dublin, Ireland Marathon, placed first in the Tennessee State Racquetball Tournament and placed first in her age division in her hometown mini-triathlon, all in the same year (1998). Her quest in life continues to be to "live the life less ordinary." Wesson describes herself as happy, content, adventurous, outgoing, and very much in love. Her favorite hobbies are racquetball, paddleball, running, swimming, and motorcycling. Her favorite television show is Rosie, while her favorite feature films are Out of Africa and Shadowlands. She prefers classic, contemporary Christian, and pop rock music, citing Match Box 20 as her favorite band. While rooting for the University of Tennessee Volunteers, she's always game for a round of Balderdash. Her perfect day consists of eating a good breakfast followed by a ride on her motorcycle to the mountains with her husband and her best friend. After a hike, she'd play racquetball, take a shower, have dinner, see a movie while eating a big bag of popcorn and then head home to bed. She's an early riser. Born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, Wesson currently resides there with her husband, Dale, and her two children, Katie and Taylor. She is a member of the Outstanding Young Women of America and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Her birth date is December 26. Age: 42 Previous Season: Australian Outback Previous Finish: Sole Survivor Since being declared Sole Survivor of Survivor: The Australian Outback, Tina Wesson has been working as a motivational speaker, which has enabled her to travel around the country encouraging people to do whatever it takes in order to live a fulfilling life. She takes her motto, "It is a mistake to not live all you can!," very seriously. She previously worked as a private duty nurse, a community education director, flight attendant, substitute teacher and a swimming instructor. Tina obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in therapeutic recreation from the University of Tennessee in 1983. An avid athlete, she is most proud of having completed the Dublin, Ireland Marathon, as well as placing first in the Tennessee State Racquetball Tournament and in her age division in her hometown mini-triathlon, all in the same year (1998). Tina describes herself as happy, content, adventurous, outgoing and very much in love. Her favorite hobbies are racquetball, paddleball, running, swimming and motorcycling. Her favorite television show is Survivor, while her favorite feature films are "Out of Africa" and "Shadowlands." She prefers contemporary Christian and pop rock music, citing Matchbox 20 and John Mayer as her favorite artists. While rooting for the University of Tennessee Volunteers and the Tennessee Titans, she's always game for a round of backgammon. Her perfect day consists of eating a good breakfast followed by a ride on her motorcycle to the mountains with her husband and her best friend. After a hike, she'd play racquetball, take a shower, have dinner, see a movie while eating a big bag of popcorn and then head home to bed. She's an early riser. Born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, Tina currently lives there with her husband, Dale, and her two children, Katie, 16 and Taylor, 15. She is a member of the Outstanding Young Women of America and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Her birth date is December 26, 1961. Name (Age): Tina Wesson (52) Tribe Designation: Returning Player Relationship to Significant Castaway: Katie's Mother Previous Season: Survivor: Australia – winner; Survivor: All-Stars – non-jury, 1st out Current Residence: Robbinsville, N.C. Occupation: Motivational Speaker Why Did You Want to Return to Survivor and Play with Your Loved One? Survivor gets in your blood. It is a thrill and an honor and a quest to get to play! Then to be able to share the experience with my daughter who happens to also be my best friend, what a gift!

Survivor

The Australian Outback

Main article: Tina Wesson/The Australian Outback

• Challenge History
• Voting History

Episode	Tribe Affiliation	Challenge	Challenge Type	Sit-Out?	Result
1	Ogakor	Bridging the Gap	Reward/Immunity	No	Won
2		Butch Cassidy	Reward	No	Won
		Tucker'd Out	Immunity	No	Lost
3		Water Torture	Reward	No	Won
		Lock Step	Immunity	No	Lost
4		Mastermind	Reward	No	Lost
		True or Falls	Immunity	No	Lost
5		Triage	Reward	No	Lost
		The Maze	Immunity	No	Won
6		Blind Leading the Blind	Reward	No	Lost
Tribes Merged, Day 20
7	Barramundi	Perch	Immunity		Lost
8		Return to Sender	Reward		Lost
		Don't Fence Me In	Immunity		Lost
10		Double Play	Reward		Lost
		Hanging in the Balance	Immunity		Lost
11		Survivor Auction
		Fire and Water	Immunity		Lost
12		End of the Line	Reward		Lost
		Blue Plate Special	Immunity		Lost
13		Survivor.com	Reward		Won
		Fugitives	Immunity		Lost
14		Survivor Pentathlon	Reward		Lost
		Memory	Immunity		Lost
15		Fallen Comrades	Immunity		Lost
Sole Survivor, Day 42

Episode	Tina's Votes	Voted Against Tina
1	Ogakor Tribe Immune
2	Kel	-
3	Maralyn	-
4	Mitchell; Mitchell1	-
5	Ogakor Tribe Immune
6	No Tribal Council
7	Jeff; Jeff2	-
8	Alicia	-
10	Jerri	-
11	Nick	-
12	Amber	-
13	Rodger	-
14	Elisabeth	-
15	Ineligible	-
Jury Votes for Tina	Alicia, Elisabeth, Jerri, Keith
Sole Survivor, Day 42

^1 In "The Killing Fields", the vote ended with a 3-3 tie between Keith and Mitchell, forcing a revote. Tina did not change her vote on the revote.
^2 In "The Merge", the vote ended with a 5-5 tie between Colby and Jeff, forcing a revote. Tina did not change her vote on the revote.

All-Stars

Main article: Tina Wesson/All-Stars

• Challenge History
• Voting History

Episode	Tribe Affiliation	Challenge	Challenge Type	Sit-Out?	Result
1	Saboga	Quest for Fire	Immunity	No	Lost
Voted Out, Day 3

Episode	Tina's Votes	Votes Against Tina
1	Jenna L.	Jenna L., Jerri, Rudy, Rupert
Voted Out, Day 3

Blood vs. Water

Main article: Tina Wesson/Blood vs. Water

• Challenge History
• Voting History

Episode	Tribe Affiliation	Challenge	Challenge Type	Sit-Out?	Result
1	Galang	Blue Lagoon Bustle	Reward/Immunity	No	Won
2		In the Barrel	Reward/Immunity	No	Won
3		Sumo at Sea	Reward/Immunity	No	Won
4		Boats, Brains & Brawn	Reward/Immunity	Yes	Won
5		Slide Show	Reward/Immunity	No	Lost
6		Buoy Oh Buoy	Reward/Immunity	No	Lost
7		Chain Reaction	Reward/Immunity	No	Lost
Tribes Merged, Day 19
8	Kasama	Flashback	Immunity		Lost
9		Pesky Palate	Immunity		Lost
		Balancing Point	Immunity		Lost
Voted Out, Day 24
10	Kasama	Puppet Master	Duel		2nd
11		Block It Out			2nd
12		House of Cards			2nd
13		Jail Break			2nd
14		A Leg Up			Won
Returned, Day 36
14	Kasama	A Bit Tipsy	Immunity		Lost
		Rise to It	Immunity		Lost
Voted Out, Day 38

Episode	Tina's Votes	Voted Against Tina
1	Candice	-
	Galang Tribe Immune
2	Galang Tribe Immune
3	Galang Tribe Immune
4	Galang Tribe Immune
5	Laura M.	-
6	Kat	-
7	Laura B.	-
8	Ciera	-
9	Vytas	-
	Tyson	Caleb, Ciera, Hayden, Gervase, Laura M., Monica, Tyson
Voted Out, Day 24
10	On Redemption Island
11
12
13
14
Returned, Day 36
14	Gervase1	-
	Gervase	Gervase, Monica, Tyson
Voted Out, Day 38
Voted for Sole Survivor	Tyson

^1 In "It's My Night", Gervase used a Hidden Immunity Idol, negating Tina's vote against him.

Post-Survivor

Tina's book.

• In May 2001, Tina was featured as a panelist on Hollywood Squares along with the other The Australian Outback castaways for Survivor Week. Tina appeared in three episodes, two as an individual and one where she was paired with Maralyn Hershey.
• In 2001, Tina also graced the cover of the July–August issue of Racquetball magazine.
• On January 6, 2002, Tina, along with Gervase Peterson, appeared on a celebrity edition of The Weakest Link. She was the fourth one voted out, but did receive the house minimum of $10,000 for her charity.
• On January 10, 2002, Tina was seen in the audience at the Africa Reunion Show, sitting beside Borneo castaway Rudy Boesch.
• Tina recruited her family friends Hope & Norm Davis to compete on the second season of The Amazing Race.
• On May 19, 2002, Tina, along with Africa winner Ethan Zohn, appeared live going into commercial break chatting with Rosie O'Donnell during the Marquesas finale episode "The Sole Survivor". Rosie asked Tina who she thought would win Marquesas, and Tina said Neleh Dennis would win while Ethan said Vecepia Towery would win.
• Tina wrote an inspirational book entitled, "Out Live, Out Laugh, Out Love". that was published in 2006.
• In the summer of 2009, Tina, along with the other first eighteen Survivor winners, appeared on a TVGuide special "Survivor Millionaires: Where Are They Now?"
• On December 3, 2013, Tina's son, Taylor Lee Collins, died in a car accident.
• Tina, along with eight other former castaways competed on a Survivor edition of The Price Is Right primetime special that aired on May 23, 2016. Tina and her partner, Donna, did not make it up on stage.
• Tina was inducted to the Survivor Hall of Fame on December 13, 2016.

Trivia

Statistics of Tina Wesson
Longevity
Seasons competed:	3
Days lasted:	83
Challenge Wins
Tribal wins:	8
Individual wins:	6
Total wins:	14
Tribal Council
Total votes received:	14
Exile Island
Times sent to Exile Island:	N/A
Redemption Island
Duels won:	5
Days spent on Redemption Island:	12

• Tina's luxury item in The Australian Outback was a backgammon board.
• Tina is the first castaway to make it to the Final Tribal Council without winning individual immunity and subsequently the first castaway to win Survivor without winning individual immunity.
• Tina is the first eventual Sole Survivor to never receive an elimination vote against her at Tribal Council.
• Tina is the first finalist to have every castaway they voted against at Tribal Council be voted out.
• Tina currently owns the Barramundi tribe flag after a deal with Colby Donaldson that whoever won would have the right to own the flag. She claims that it still smelled as it did during the game.
• As revealed at the Reunion Show, Tina was originally an alternate for The Australian Outback, and was called to the show only a week before filming began.
• Tina is the first castaway to be voted out as a returning player.
  • By extent, Tina is the first Sole Survivor to be voted out in a subsequent attempt.
• Tina is the first contestant to finish in 18th place in a season of Survivor.
• Tina is the second contestant, after Francesca Hogi, to return for a later season after finishing in last place in a prior season, returning for Blood vs. Water after finishing in last in All-Stars.
  • She would be followed by Bruce Perreault.
• Tina is the oldest castaway in Blood vs. Water.
• Tina, along with Colby Donaldson, Amber Mariano, Coach Wade, Jerri Manthey, Ethan Zohn, Rob Mariano, and Rupert Boneham are the only castaways to compete in seasons with 16, 18, and 20 castaways.
• Tina is the only castaway to play in multiple seasons of Survivor that are longer than 39 days.
  • She is the only castaway to play in a season with 39 days, 39.5 days, and 42 days.
• Tina is the first castaway to return twice after winning a season.
• Tina is third winner to become a member of the jury on a subsequent attempt. She followed J.T. Thomas and fellow Blood vs. Water castaway Aras Baskauskas. Tina is also the only former winner to return from Redemption Island.
• Tina has only received elimination votes at Tribal Councils where she was voted out.
• Tina lost 18 lbs. during her time in Blood vs. Water.
• Tina is one of the eight castaways who have experienced all the phases of all the game, being voted out pre-merge, post-merge, and making it to the Final Tribal Council. She was voted out pre-merge in All-Stars, post-merge in Blood vs. Water, and made it to Final Tribal Council in The Australian Outback. Her fellow The Australian Outback finalist Colby Donaldson, J.T. Thomas, Rob Mariano, Aubry Bracco, Parvati Shallow, Stephenie LaGrossa, and Tyson Apostol are the others.
• Tina is one of six returning players who has competed on at least three seasons but has never won an individual Immunity Challenge. The others are Cirie Fields, James Clement, Jeff Varner, Sandra Diaz-Twine, and Sarah Lacina.
• Instead of a still shot or her official promotional image for the season, Tina's image featured in the Survivor: The Australian Outback DVD cover is her official promotional image for Survivor: All-Stars.

References

Preceded by Borneo Richard Hatch

Sole Survivor Titleholder The Australian Outback Tina Wesson

Succeeded by Africa Ethan Zohn

Survivor: All-Stars Castaways
Alicia Chapera	Amber Chapera	Colby Mogo Mogo	Ethan Saboga	Jenna L. Saboga	Jenna M. Mogo Mogo	Jerri Saboga	Kathy Mogo Mogo	Lex Mogo Mogo
Richard Mogo Mogo	Rob C. Chapera	Rob M. Chapera	Rudy Saboga	Rupert Saboga	Shii Ann Mogo Mogo	Susan Chapera	Tina Saboga	Tom Chapera