Tom Buchanan, affectionately known as "Big Tom," is a memorable figure from the reality television show Survivor. His journey through the game, spanning multiple seasons, showcases his strategic gameplay, comedic personality, and significant physical transformations. This article delves into Tom's Survivor experience, highlighting his alliances, rivalries, and the notable weight loss he experienced.
Early Life and Background
Before his Survivor fame, Tom Buchanan led an active life rooted in family and sports. He attended Rich Valley High School, where he excelled in football, basketball, and baseball, also serving as student body president. Continuing his athletic pursuits at East Tennessee State University, he earned a full football scholarship and captained the team during his senior year. After college, Tom returned to his family farm, embracing hobbies like softball, fishing, bird hunting, and riding his Harley motorcycle. Tom has been married to Sandy for 25 years. They have one son, Bucky Bo, who is now a senior at Cumberland College in Williamsburg, Kentucky, where he has been an All-American football standout.
Survivor: Africa - A Comedic and Strategic Force
Tom's Survivor journey began in Survivor: Africa. He was initially placed on the Boran tribe where he was well-liked for his wacky personality and distinct, albeit unintelligible, accent. Despite this, he immediately revealed his bad side after losing the first Immunity Challenge-when Clarence Black made a percieved mistake in judgment by eating a whole can of beans together with Diane Ogden without the tribe's consensus, Tom, alongside the rest of his tribe, fumed about Clarence's mishap, even saying he would shoot Clarence if he had a gun, the situation led him to vote for Clarence at Boran's first two visits to Tribal Council. Nonetheless, Tom's comedic demeanor returned in time for the third Immunity Challenge-an SOS signal challenge-where he decided to strip down with a feather between his butt cheeks. This oddly helped grant Boran their first immunity win. On Day 13, things were shaken when Tom, together with Kelly Goldsmith and Lex van den Berghe, were asked to "go on a quest", which ended up transferring them to the opposing Samburu tribe, while being replaced by Frank Garrison, Silas Gaither, and Teresa Cooper much to Tom's chagrin, as he wanted to go back to Boran. Upon reaching the Samburu camp, he and Lex became disappointed of how murky their new tribe's water hole was. As the former cleaners of Boran's waterhole, Tom and Lex found themselves doing their old jobs. After winning the fifth Immunity Challenge, Kelly discovered that Lindsey Richter had past Tribal Council votes. While being targeted by remnants of the Younger Samburu Alliance, Tom, Kelly, and Lex targeted Lindsey, despite Brandon Quinton's efforts to get them to vote against him instead, because if there were a deadlock tie vote between the ex-Borans and the original Samburus, Lindsey's previous votes would be taken into account, thus eliminating her. Despite Teresa's strong strategic gameplay, the former Samburus still failed to come together as a unified alliance, with the Boran Alliance successfully eliminating them one by one. Teresa was the last of the Samburus to be voted out, but not before turning Tom on Lex by telling Tom that Lex was persistent in keeping Brandon in the game beforehand. With only Borans left, Lex, Ethan Zohn, and Kim Johnson felt that Tom's goofiness was just a front to conceal his ulterior strategic motives, and he was eliminated at the final four in a 3-1 vote after Kim J. won immunity. At the Final Tribal Council, Tom felt that Ethan's more congenial personality made him more deserving than Kim J. ^1
Tom's jury question in Africa became one of the most memorable moments of all time. He created a humorous scenario involving eating "mush" and cleaning a hind end, prompting the finalists to choose which they would do.
Survivor: All-Stars - Alliances and Rivalries
Tom returned to compete in Survivor: All-Stars, where he started the game on the Chapera tribe and aligned early on with the duo and budding "showmance" of Amber Brkich and Rob Mariano. With Rob M. leading the Chapera Alliance, Tom was able to play a quiet game and avoid making enemies, save for Susan Hawk. On Day 13, a tribe dissolve occurred, bringing original Saboga members Jenna Lewis and Rupert Boneham into the tribe, with Amber and Rob M. also forming an alliance with them. After the Chapera Alliance had successfully voted out all of the other competitors and made it to the final five, Rob M. worried that Tom would side with Jenna L. and Rupert, which caused him to instigate a fight between Tom and Rupert. Tom then sided with Amber and Rob M. and targeted Jenna L. at the next Tribal Council. However, Amber and Rob M. voted to take Jenna L. At the Final Tribal Council, Tom, angry over Rob M.'s betrayal, pretended to hold out his hand and when Rob M. was about to shake it, Tom pulled his hand back and snapped "Don't be stupid, stupid." To get even with Rob, Tom voted for Amber to win, which she did in a 4-3 vote. However, Tom eventually forgave Rob M.
Read also: Weight Loss Guide Andalusia, AL
Weight Loss Revelation
As revealed on the David vs. Goliath reunion show, Tom lost 80 lbs. during his time on Survivor. His dramatic weight loss became public knowledge during the live reunion for Survivor: David vs. Goliath. This transformation is among the most significant in Survivor history.
Fraser Olender's Weight Loss
Fraser, referencing a photo of himself fishing underwater, added, “This belt is the only thing holding my pants up in these challenges,” “I put on approximately 10 pounds before the game started.
Life After Survivor
Since returning from Survivor: Africa, Tom Buchanan has become very involved with elementary schools, promoting reading literacy. Prompted by events on the show that shed light on his inability to spell, Tom created a reading program for kids, "Reading is The Key to Survival," which has had an enormous impact on young readers of today. Tom declined the offer to appear on Blood vs. Water.
Survivor: David vs. Goliath - Season Overview
Season 37, Survivor: David vs. Goliath, was lauded for its compelling cast and engaging theme. Nick Wilson emerged as the Sole Survivor, winning three Immunity Challenges to secure his place at the end. The season featured memorable players like Davie, Mike, Kara, and Angelina, each contributing to the season's dynamic. The reunion show highlighted key moments and players, with Davie revealing a weight loss of over 30 lbs and Alison losing 27 lbs.
Read also: Beef jerky: A high-protein option for shedding pounds?
Read also: Inspiring Health Transformation