Archive > Survivor Tocantins: The Brazilian Highlands

Jerry Sims

(1/2) > >>

RealityFreakWill:
Age: 49
U.S. Army Sargeant
Rock Hill, SC
Tribe: Timbira
Jerry Sims promises, "you've never seen anybody like me before." Growing up in a poor family, he was one of 10 children who had to learn, very early on, the skills to help him survive in the real world. Jerry has been passing on those survival skills learned from his childhood to soldiers in the Army National Guard for the last 20 years.

A 1st Sergeant and specialist in Nuclear Operations, Sims just recently returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan. No stranger to being in a leadership position, Sims was in charge of 100 men and not only knew how to manage them, but also earned their respect. "With this big smile and this convincing attitude, I get them to do exactly what I want them to do!"

He's always been a strong proponent of the team concept, a skill that came in handy growing up in such a large household, especially around dinner time "where you had to be on time!" Jerry is also a family man, who's been married for 25 years and has both an adult son and daughter. He has no qualms about saying he's doing this for the money. "The million is in my grasp! I've got to have it. I'm a competitor. I like to win. I like to win, win, win!"

Raised on a chicken farm in South Carolina, Jerry also knows how to live off the land and involve everyone in the daily chores. This self-proclaimed jokester says he will give his fellow castaways some much need entertainment, but nobody should misinterpret his cheery personality for weakness because Jerry proudly proclaims, "I am physically fit, I am mentally strong and I'm ready for the million."

Jerry currently resides in Rock Hill, SC. His birth date is May 18.

georgiapeach:

Watch CBS Videos Online

Jobby:
He seems fun, but seems abit cocky too.

Not a favourite for me, as of now.

puddin:
“I Would Have Done the Same Thing” – RealityNewsOnline’s Exclusive Interview with Survivor: Tocantins’ Jerry
by David Bloomberg -- 02/27/2009

 
Jerry was, by all appearances, a strong guy who would likely go far in the game. Unfortunately, he was brought down by a stomach bug. What happened to him? How is he now? Is he upset about how he was lied to and voted out? Read on to find out!

RealityNewsOnline: Hello, Jerry, and thanks for taking the time to talk to RealityNewsOnline! Starting at the beginning, what was your strategy coming into the game?

Jerry: Coming into the game, I wanted to keep a low profile, lay low, and try to win people over. And just not try to cause any controversy, just be in the background not out front with yelling and screaming and boisterous opinions.

RNO: So, not like Candace or Coach, then?

Jerry: I could have done those things and I can speak up when I need to, but by them doing what they were doing, they kept the spotlight off of me, so more power to them – let them hang themselves.

RNO: When you weren’t feeling well, we saw you ask Tyson if anybody had talked about voting you out, and Tyson said no. Did you believe him and think you would be safe?

Jerry: I really didn’t believe anybody. I listened to them and heard what they said, but all this time in my mind, I hadn’t been feeling well for several days. When Sierra wasn’t feeling well, we were going to get rid of her as the weakest link. I hadn’t been feeling well so I knew I may be the one going tonight – which I was.

RNO: From what we saw, you seemed to have something of an alliance with Tyson before that point – is that correct?

Jerry: Oh yeah. I like Tyson. Basically, the men on the tribe kind of had an agreement that we would stick together through thick and thin. All the men were four of us, four women, so if we could start weeding the women out, we’ll make it to the end – that was pretty much our strategy.

RNO: You said “through thick and thin” – but when “thin” came, they voted you out. Were you upset?

Jerry: Not really, because I wasn’t 100%. At one point I wasn’t even 50%. The choice they made under the circumstances, I don’t fault them. I would have done the same thing if the shoe was on the other foot and it was one of them. I have no hard feelings against what they did.

RNO: After you were voted off, did you see a doctor?

Jerry: Yes, I sure did. The doctor gave me some type of stomach medication and in a couple days I was back to getting over whatever virus I had going on in my stomach.

RNO: So it was a virus?

Jerry: Yeah. I couldn’t get rid of it while I was in the game. I tried several different things but nothing worked. They made a little potion for me with tea leaves and that didn’t help either.

RNO: But you’re okay now?

Jerry: Oh yeah. I’ve seen my doctor and he checked me out and said go back to work, you’re okay.

RNO: What is “back to work” for you these days?

Jerry: I work as a nuclear equipment operator at a nuclear power plant. I’ve been there for 30 years.

RNO: Wow. So instead of needing a fire at night, you could have just glowed for the tribe.

Jerry: (Laughing) Exactly!

RNO: What was the most eye-opening thing you saw on TV that you didn’t know about while you were there?

Jerry: There was when Brendan and Taj went to Exile Isalnd, they made a pact with each other. That wasn’t what he told us. Also when he found the idol, that was an eye-opener. At the very beginning, when Sierra and Sandy made it to each camp, they had a clue for the idol and I had no idea about that either. There was a lot of undercover conspiracies going on. I guess you expect that in the game like that.

I trusted no one – I listened to everybody, but as far as trusting anyone, I trusted no one.

RNO: What do you think about Coach?

Jerry: Coach and Candace are pretty much the same as far as their beliefs, values, and leadership values. That’s why they didn’t bond, because they were too similar. When you got two similarities like that, somebody’s going to get their feelings hurt. But as far as Coach and me, we had a pretty good bond. He never did raise any boisterous opinions or suggestions to me. We’re cool.

RNO: What about Erinn?

Jerry: I thought she was probably the weakest woman on our tribe. When we voted Candace off, I really didn’t want to vote her off, because as far as physical strength, she was stronger, but Erinn had more social skills. Erinn was real sneaky. She was like the wind – if a lot of people were saying this, she would go that way, instead of sticking to one opinion. If we’d have merged with the other tribe, she could have been persuaded easily to join the other group.

RNO: Do you have anything else you’d like to tell us about your time on Survivor?

Jerry: It was an experience of a lifetime for me. Some people come up to me and say, “Would you do that again?” I say, “Whoa, probably not.” That was tough! Especially when you’re not feeling your best, it was a tough situation to be in. I enjoyed it and have no regrets about the outcome of it. I would recommend anybody who has a chance to do it, at least do it once.

RNO: Thanks again, Jerry!

http://www.realitynewsonline.com/cgi-bin/ae.pl?mode=4&article=article8704.art&page=1

RealityFreakWill:
Survivor’s Jerry: ‘I Begged for a Bottle of Pepto’

On last week’s episode of Survivor: Tocantins, Jerry Sims, 49, joined a long list of promising players whose time in the game was cut short due to illness. The Rock Hill, S.C., Army National Guard sergeant and nuclear power plant worker talked to PEOPLE.com about bad beans, the controversial Coach and why being on the show was harder than being stationed in Afghanistan. — Carrie Bell

Why did you want to be on Survivor?
There were two reasons. The first was the million dollars. And No. 2, it was another challenge in my life, something completely different than anything I had done before. I wanted to see if I could endure it until the end. Unfortunately, my stomach got in my way.

Did you realize you broke one of the cardinal rules of Survivor when you ate the beans instead of the rice?
Bad beans have felled many a strong player. You’re starving so you eat whatever is available. One day we ate beans without cooking them. We didn’t have any fire, but we were hungry so we set them in the sun all day thinking that would cook them. I only nibbled that day but I think it was enough.

How long did it take after being eliminated to get back to normal?
It took about two days for me to start feeling better and several days after that I got back to my old self. They gave me some medication after I was eliminated. The doctor used some big words to describe what was wrong with me like gastrointestinal distress. I begged for a bottle of Pepto but they wouldn’t give it to me. When I came home, I went to my doctor to make sure there was no bug inside of me or anything. I got a clean bill of health and none of my limbs have fallen yet so I think I am out of the woods.

In your exit speech you said this was by far the hardest situation you had been in — that’s saying a lot since you are in the Army and did a tour of duty recently in Afghanistan.
In Afghanistan, they provide you with everything you need to survive in the environment that you’re in. You have food and appropriate clothing and shelter. In Survivor, they give you a machete, a bag of beans and a bag of rice for 39 days and see what you are made of. That is a big difference.

You are a leader in your daily life and yet you seemed to hold back on your tribe. It seemed like you didn’t even tell people about your job or skills.
That was my plan. I could have gone in hard charging, voiced my opinion and directed people. They may not have wanted to do what I said but they would have listened. But they also would have been rubbed the wrong way or been threatened. I figured in order for me to survive in the game, I’ve got to lay low and stay in the background and when the tribe gets smaller, I will start voicing my opinion more and more and show how strong I am.

Were you surprised that you were voted off?
No, because my stomach had gotten so bad that I couldn’t hide the pain anymore and they had no idea if I was going to get better or not so you have to vote to keep the tribe as strong as possible. I was not going to quit though. I am not a quitter so the only way I was gonna go was if they voted me off.

One person that was thrilled you got sick was Erinn because it bought her at least three more days.
Erinn was definitely on the chopping block and she lucked out. But she better watch out because the eyes are back on her and she is still on the outs.

If you only consider first impressions, who did you think would be the sole survivor? Did that change after nine days of play?
My first impression was that Coach would be the person to beat. When we first got there, he seemed strong and smart and he told all these stories about adventures he’d gone on and challenges he’d been through. After some of the challenges and seeing his work around camp, my opinion [changed] of him. He wasn’t as tough as I thought he was and he started to irritate some people. Now my pick would be Tyson. He wasn’t the strongest person on the tribe but he had the most endurance. And he got along with people.

Candace had a lot of choice things to say about Coach. Give us your take on him.
He never rubbed me the wrong way. We would sit down and have normal conversations but I think he was different towards the women. He was condescending to them. He wanted to get rid of Candace, Sierra and Erin quick. If he makes it to the merge, I don’t think the other team will respond to his personality, but he is very deceptive. When he is around camp, a majority of the time he wasn’t like that. He was usually very quiet until he was by himself or with only one of two other individuals. That’s when he expressed his true colors. In a group, he is a different person.

What has the response been since you returned from Brazil?
It is like I am a movie star. Everybody wants an autograph or a handshake. They want a photograph. I am enjoying it. It has been a fun ride.

http://tvwatch.people.com/2009/03/02/survivors-jerry-i-begged-for-a-bottle-of-pepto/

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page