Survivor Contestant From Michigan Makes It Past First Elimination, Stands Out As Villain

[barkascruff]

FLUSHING TOWNSHIP, Michigan — Local native Jim Rice will be on Survivor for at least one more week.

 

 

He made it past the first elimination tonight.

 

And he stood out, establishing himself as a villain, at least according to host Jeff Probst.

 

Probst commented on Rice over Twitter:

 

"He's a villain for sure," Probst wrote. "Jim is definitely savvy to the game."

 

Rice put one over on his fellow contestants within the first half hour of the season’s first episode.

 

When all the members of his “tribe” stripped down to their underwear, took a dip in the ocean and gathered in a circle to get to know one another, he told the group he’s a school teacher.

 

He told the group he's a forensic science teacher — “a cool teacher,” he said.

 

He reveals the truth about his occupation during an individual cut-away interview.

“I’m not a teacher,” he said, laughing.

 

“... I own two medical marijuana dispensaries. I’m not going to tell anyone that. Why would I?”

 

Survivor host Jeff Probst commented on the exchange over Twitter while it aired.

 

“Jim is REALLY a poker champion and sells pot,” Probst wrote. “Love it. He's a villain who thinks he's a hero.”

 

Chris Brosky, a friend of Rice’s, appears to be the inspiration for the fib.

 

He’s a real forensic science teacher from Clarkston.

 

"It's funny," said Brosky after the show Wednesday. "He realized right before he was about to go out there that being a medical marijuana dispensary owner is not going to get him any votes in the end so he's like 'I've got to come up with some sort of alter ego.

 

"He knows me so well that he could play off any questions if someone asked."

 

Rice also may not have endeared himself to the audience when he took a teammate to task for failing during challenge.

 

Contestant Semhar Tadesse was no sharp shooter in a game of coconut basketball, and tried to get someone to take her place in the middle of the game when she recognized her ineptness.

 

“It's not tag team wrestling,” said Rice. “It's Survivor.”

 

The team had to eliminate one of their own as a result of the loss, and Tadesse was the first to go.

 

A group of some 120 people gathered for a premier party with Rice and Brosky to watch the show at Bar Louie in Auburn Hills.

 

"It was a fun time for all of us," said Brosky.

 

"We know he speaks his mind. In the game, you speak your mind and you're the jerk.

It's not easy to play both sides, to be honest and to play the nice guy."

 

 

Jim grew up in Flushing, but lives in Colorado and owns High Level Health, with two locations in Denver.