Once upon a time in Africa, a wise man with a big bad boil on his neck said, “If you’re gonna run in front of the pack on a white horse, you’re gonna be shot at!”
Big Tom Buchanan was talking about his friend and competitor Lex van den Berghe, but the Survivor: Africa contestant may as well have been looking into the future and describing Survivor: Worlds Apart‘s Joe Anglim, the latest player eliminated from the current season.
Anglim, a jewelry designer from Arizona described by many Survivor fans as Ozzy Lusth meets Malcolm Freberg (more on that later), was the alpha member of an outnumbered alliance, and easily the fiercest competitor on the beach, what with three of three individual challenge wins under his belt. As soon as he lost his fourth opportunity to keep the winning streak alive, his number was up.
But Joe didn’t go down without a fight. In his final hours, he constructed a fake immunity necklace and attempted to buy himself another three days in the game. The plan didn’t work, but he earns an A for effort. Really, was there anything Joe could have done to keep surviving, short of extending his winning streak? Probably not; as Big Tom said, the one riding ahead of the pack is always the first to get shot at — and there are only so many bullets you can dodge if you’re not Keanu Reeves.
I spoke with the so-called “Joey Amazing” (or “Average Joe,” as he calls himself) about his time in the game, his lifelong Survivor fandom, where things went wrong for him earlier in the season, why he didn’t make his fake idol sooner, and those constant comparisons to Malcolm and Ozzy.
Joe, it’s not that I took pleasure out of this, but watching you cry on your way out of the game in your Ponderosa video was kind of amazing, only because it showed how much you cared about being out there.
Yeah, I cared. I cared. [Sighs] I love this game, man. It’s been a part of my life forever.
Where does your Survivor experience begin? When did you start watching the show, and how did you go from fan to player?
I remember seeing the preview for Survivor when I was 11 years old. My mom and dad, we recorded it on a VHS tape. I’ll never forget it. I just fell in love with everything about it. For me when I was that young, it was more about the challenges, playing these cool games and battling each other. As I got older and I understood the strategy and the social dynamics, and as the game evolved and became… you know, insane… I just fell in love with the game. I think I was 14 when I looked over at my parents and said, “You will see me on this show one day.” We would talk through strategy and what I would do in scenarios. I never watched the show as a fan. I watched the show as a player. I just wanted to play.
When I was in college, a friend of mine put me in contact with somebody in casting. I’d made videos, but was never happy with them and felt like I encompassed everything about myself. Sure enough, I sat down, went through everything, my home videos and photos, got it all together and sent it in. One and done, man. I went through the process, interviews, paperwork — and holy moley, here I am!
A big theme of the early episodes this season with Max and Shirin, and even Shirin now, was about how Survivor fans turned Survivor players can almost geek out too much and wreck their game. How did you rein it in?
I did yoga! [Laughs] I just knew going into the game that was going to be part of it. I needed to harness all of that excitement and energy and bring it to the challenges. I had to use that adrenaline… kind of like how Jeff did his little hands [dance] with Shirin: “Lock it up! Bottle it up!” It was like that.
I went to this really calm state of mind. I prayed a lot. I learned to harness it. Trust me, on the inside, I was giddy as a schoolgirl seeing Jeff, being on the mat… the most adrenaline I’ve ever had in my life, hands down. It was fun. I was a sponge to it. I tried to remember as much as I could. But at the same time, you had to focus and try to lock it up and play with some players.
When you’re focusing, when you’re meditating, when you’re trying to visualize what you want out of this game… what are you seeing? What’s the picture? What are you locking in on?
All of the relationships with everybody. Feeling the vibe. For me, I’m at a disadvantage, because I know everyone’s out to get me. My focus then became, “All right. You’re going into this challenge today.” Treemail gives you an indication of what the challenge might be, so I’m going through my head of every single possible challenge. Approach the challenge and put the positive mental thought in my head of, “I’m going to win this today,” regardless of outcome. If you can see it, you can manifest it. Really and truly. You just go to a happy place. I’d think about my family and friends and everyone back home. My motivation… yeah. It was good stuff.
You mention how everyone was out to get you. When I spoke with Max Dawson after he came out of the game, he joked about how he and Tyler were so worried about you that they could visualize you painting the merge flag some day — which you ended up doing! At what point was it clear to you that there was no more hiding for you? When did you realize you were sticking out from the pack?
First challenge, brother. I tried to place myself… I said, “Vince, you do the locks. We’ll kill the middle part. Jenn, you got the puzzle.” I knew the puzzle. I knew if we got to that point, as a fan, I understand how the puzzle works. I’m very visual. I’m an artist, I see things. It was unfortunate that I ended up being the main pony in that first race. I painted [the target] on day one. As soon as it was over, I remember going, “Damn it. Why did I just do that?” But at the same time I was like, “Man, I smoked that puzzle!” [Laughs] Everyone at home is going to eat that up when we’re sitting at home, watching. I’m going to play it up like I lost the first challenge and all of that. It’s so fun.
I don’t know if it was in your head at all before you went out there, thinking about pulling some punches for these challenges. But is that option off the table, after a performance like your fist challenge?
Yeah, that option was definitely off the table. And the problem, too, is the only time you get to interact with the other tribes in the first half of the game is at challenges. The only thing you get to see is from that. You’re watching everybody. You’re seeing, “Who is strategizing? Who is taking the lead? Who looks like a physical threat? Who is a threat? Who’s good at puzzles? Who’s not?” Everyone’s making their own observations naturally. I was target number one on my own tribe. It was what it was.
Really, you felt like you were target number one on No Collar?
You know, from the Vince side of it… I know we were butting heads. I remember feeling it, feeling a little uneasy. I hunted, I got crab for everybody, I overexerted myself at camp, doing too much. I put myself into a provider role, so I never thought I was really in danger. But there’s still that little bit of thinking, “I have seen some crazy things in Survivor when people think you’re a threat.” Just look at Vince. He wanted me out. He was like, “Joe’s a threat. He’s helping us now, but maybe we should just blindside him now.”
Was there another way to go with Vince? Once Will flipped on No Collar at the merge, did any part of you wish that Vince was still around instead?
You went through every single scenario, every single decision. If I’d had it my way, I would have liked it to have been myself, Vince, and the girls. Unfortunately, Vince was just playing too hard, too fast. He wanted to make a move, and there’s only six people. He was rubbing people the wrong way. We had to get rid of him for the sake of sanity versus sacrificing for the sake of strength. Who knows? Maybe if we keep Vince, we don’t suck at challenges, and I establish more trust, and I don’t have Will flipping at the merge. Still, knowing what I know, I think Vince would have already flipped.
Before the game began, just on looking at your bio, seeing that you’re a jewelry designer, I said to myself, “Okay, so this guy is going to make a fake idol. This is a thing that is going to happen. It’s inevitable.” Did you come into the game knowing that you were going to make a fake idol at some point — and if so, why not make it earlier?
Yeah, I knew since forever that I would make a fake idol. If I ever got on Survivor, I was going to make a fake idol; that was happening. I didn’t really have the tools to do it in the first half of the game. In the second half, I was so preoccupied on strategy that I didn’t really think about it. Once the merge happened, and I got the reward clue, I was being watched like a hawk. I never had time. Literally everywhere I went, I was either followed by Dan, Sierra, Mike, Tyler… someone had eyes on me all the time. I never had the opportunity to go work on it. I knew I was going to make it, I knew I needed to make it, but I couldn’t get away from them — until the eleventh hour. I whipped up something just to show to them. If I’d had more time, maybe I could’ve made something better. But… I thought it looked okay?
It looked great! It wasn’t a Bob Crowley, but it was very good!
No, it was not a Bob. Bob’s the man, he’s the master. But it was okay. If it would’ve worked, it would’ve been even better.
You didn’t want to give the idol to Mike before Tribal Council; you wanted to give it to him the next day. We didn’t get to see how it wound up in his hands before Tribal Council. He ends up flashing the idol before everyone votes. Can you talk me through your side of the play, and your interpretation of Mike’s side of the play?
I was pulling for straws at this point. I made the idol, I flashed it to Carolyn, Will, Shirin, just real quick to say, “Look what I’m playing tonight.” They saw a little corner sticking out. And then I went and had a conversation with Mike. I said, “Here’s the deal. If you vote me out? Awesome. Well, I have this idol I’ll play tonight, and I’ll still be here tomorrow. But if you vote me out the next time, they are coming after you. Let’s use this idol for both of us. Let’s work together and go to the end. I’ll give you my idol. I don’t want to waste it. I know you’re splitting the vote. I know what’s going on.” I was just playing it like I really had an idol. Mike’s a smart player. He’s seen fake idols. He knows the game. But he still wasn’t sure. I think I made him think about it, or else he wouldn’t have asked Jeff if it was real. Tough play. Maybe if I give it to Rodney, it’s a different Tribal Council.
Doesn’t help that Mike already had an idol, and knew what it looked like.
That definitely doesn’t help. But I already assumed Mike had the blue idol from the original three tribes. Everyone was looking for an idol at some point, they probably found it, and now we have a merge idol. That was my thinking. I didn’t know that Mike had it for certain.
Mike gets the blue idol. Is that the idol you had the clue for, or is there another idol floating around out there at the point you’re voted out?
The clue was for the blue idol. That’s how Mike knew, or at least when he went through the check list in his head of, “Is this real or not?” The clue led him to the blue one, so if I had the clue and I had this one, then it’s probably [not real]. But maybe there’s another one out there. Look at Tony’s season. How many crazy idols popped up out of nowhere? Hard to say. But I made him think about it, at least for a second.
A lot of onlookers, myself included, have been describing you as an Ozzy/Malcolm hybrid. Is that an annoying comparison? Is it fun?
It’s funny, because I put that in my bio. [Laughs] It asked, “Who are you going to play the game like?”
Well, look. You own a mirror, Joe.
I mean, I look like the guys. But as far as… I mean, I’m honored. What a freaking cool compliment. Guys I looked up to. These guys are awesome. It’s cool. It’s still surreal. I don’t think this has even hit me yet. I’m Average Joe, you know? It’s cool. I’m honored.
Josh Wigler is a writer, editor and podcaster who has been published by MTV News, New York Magazine, Comic Book Resources, Digital Trends and more. He is the co-author of The Evolution of Strategy: 30 Seasons of Survivor, an audiobook chronicling the reality TV show’s transformation. Josh hosts podcasts about film and television on PostShowRecaps.com.
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