30
Sep
NFL Great Jimmy Johnson Fumbles His Way Out of ‘Survivor’
Jimmy Johnson definitely proved his mettle as a two-time Super Bowl-winning coach, but when it came to the game of “Survivor,” his celebrity put a target on his back. Wednesday night, the “NFL Sunday” analyst was ousted from Nicaragua by several conniving members of the Espada tribe. He tells ET, he never saw it coming. Do you think your renown as a coach essentially put a target on your back right from the start? Jimmy Johnson: I was hoping it would work to my favor because I tried to convince everybody I wouldn’t win the million dollars and that I wasn’t a threat. I thought I had pretty well convinced everybody of that but, apparently, I miscalculated because Marty still felt like I was a threat and needed to get me out of there. Was it a stupid move on their part because you are one of the most famous football coaches and know how to get a team to the title? Jimmy Johnson: I don’t know if it was a smart move or a dumb move. I wish they hadn’t made it. Had I known that they felt like I was a threat, I would have at least tried to form an alliance. I think I could have gotten an alliance with the women, especially Jane and Yve and Holly and possibly Tyrone. I could have protected myself and gotten Daniel out of there. I didn’t realize, in fact, until watching the show that Daniel was aligned with Jill and Marty, and Marty was the main one trying to get me out of there. Going into the Tribal council, did you have a feeling it might be you? Jimmy Johnson: I knew that I was one of the weaker ones at 67 years old, but I felt like I contributed as far as the strategy, I worked around camp, and I helped with the fishing. So, I was able to do some things and I knew that I wasn’t one of the weaker players. I felt that Daniel was the weaker player. I felt that Daniel would have been the person to go last night. Now that you’re gone, who are you rooting for? Jimmy Johnson: I’d love to see someone on my tribe win just like I told them when I left Tribal Council. I said, “I hope one of you wins the million bucks.” I’d like to see any one of the group on my tribe win a million bucks. I think it is going to be tough for Daniel. They are kind of carrying him and I think Jimmy T.’s a little volatile, but I would like to see someone on my tribe win a million bucks. Can you reflect on the whole “Survivor” experience? Jimmy Johnson: I am probably a bigger fan of the show now than I have ever been. I don’t know if I could have been any bigger than prior to this. I love the show, but now that I know all the dynamics of the show and how really difficult it is, I don’t think anybody watching it on television can get the impact of how difficult it really is when you are dehydrated, you don’t have any food, you don’t have any sleep, you are cold at night and it is raining. It is really harsh conditions. You can’t really feel that watching it on television. It was so much more difficult than I thought it would be, but I was able to accomplish what I set out to do and that is to have a great adventure and it was a great adventure for me. Are you glad you did it? Jimmy Johnson: I just kind of look back at it as a great experience being on “Survivor,” and, obviously, I will be watching with a lot of enthusiasm these upcoming shows just to see how it all plays out. “Survivor: Nicaragua” airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on CBS.
[Read full story on The Insider]
[Read full story on The Insider]
