John Cochran (Survivor contestant)

Last updated

John Cochran
John Cochran Survivor.png
Cochran in 2013
Born
John Martin Cochran

(1987-01-17) January 17, 1987 (age 37)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Education Columbia University (BA)
Harvard Law School (JD)
Known for Survivor: South Pacific
Survivor: Caramoan (winner)
Television The Millers (writer)
Kevin Can Wait (writer)
Star Trek: Lower Decks (writer)

John Martin Cochran (born January 17, 1987), also known by just his surname Cochran, is an American television writer, and former reality television personality. He first appeared on the 23rd season of Survivor , Survivor: South Pacific , and came in eighth place. He returned for the 26th season, Survivor: Caramoan , and ultimately won the title of Sole Survivor and the $1 million prize. He later went on to become a writer for various CBS sitcoms, including The Millers, Kevin Can Wait , and more recently Star Trek: Lower Decks.

Contents

Personal life

Cochran was born in Washington, D.C., to a Jewish mother and a non-Jewish father. [1] [2] He was raised in Oakton, Virginia, and attended Columbia University and Harvard Law School. [3] Even at a young age, Cochran was already a fan of Survivor, following the show since the very first season, [4] even writing a law school paper comparing the jury system of Survivor to the American jury system. [5] During high school, he handed out Survivor newsletters, wore a Survivor-style buff on his arm when the show was airing, [6] and chose his senior year quote as "The tribe has spoken." [7]

Survivor

South Pacific

Cochran was originally placed on the Savaii tribe and ended up receiving at least one vote in every Tribal Council that Savaii attended, with one vote in their first, second, and fourth Tribal Councils, and two votes in their third Tribal Council. In the last episode before the merge, returning player Ozzy Lusth, in an effort to end the winning streak of Christine Shields-Markoski on Redemption Island, asked his tribe to vote him out, saying that he would tell Shields-Markoski that his elimination was caused by Cochran using a Hidden Immunity Idol. Lusth subsequently gave Cochran the Immunity Idol he had found, making him promise to return it when he came back to the game. [8]

When the merge finally came, Cochran returned the Idol and then pretended to be the outsider of his former tribe when speaking to the other returning player, Benjamin "Coach" Wade. However, Wade quickly realized Cochran's intentions and instead decided to persuade Cochran into voting with the former Upolu members, promising him that he would outlast all of his former tribemates. When the vote that night came down to a split vote and the contestants had to vote again, it was Cochran who switched his vote and sent home former tribemate Keith Tollefson. He was immediately criticized by all of his former tribemates, but the former Upolu members, including Brandon Hantz, came to his defense. [9]

Soon afterward, all other former Savaii members were voted out in succession, with Lusth, Jim Rice, Dawn Meehan, and Whitney Duncan all being sent home. However, once Cochran was the last Savaii member left, the former Upolu members turned on him and voted him out by a vote of 5–2, with only Cochran himself and former Upolu member Edna Ma voting for Rick Nelson instead. After losing the Redemption Island duel to Lusth, Cochran came in eighth place, having lasted for 31 days; he became the fifth member of the nine-member jury. [10] In the final Tribal Council, Cochran voted for Wade to win, along with Nelson and Ma. These three votes made Wade the runner-up to Sophie Clarke, who received the other six votes. [11]

Caramoan

Cochran returned for the 26th season, the second season to be subtitled "Fans vs. Favorites," and was placed on the "Favorites" tribe, Bikal. He was joined by fellow South Pacific contestants Brandon Hantz and Dawn Meehan. Cochran once again aligned with a majority of his tribemates, under the alliance "Stealth R Us," named by the unofficial tribe leader Phillip Sheppard. Even after the tribal swap in Episode Six, Cochran remained on the Bikal tribe, along with Sheppard, Meehan, fellow returning player Corinne Kaplan, and newcomers Julia Landauer, Matt Bischoff, and Michael Snow. The new Bikal tribe focused on eliminating the new players on the tribe, successfully voting out Bischoff and Landauer before the merge. However, when Sheppard was eliminated due to a blindside by Malcolm Freberg, Reynold Toepfer, and Eddie Fox, Cochran became the default leader due to being viewed as Sheppard's right-hand man.

Over the course of the season, Cochran won three individual immunity challenges, in Episodes 8, 11, and 14. He was the only contestant in the season to win more than one individual immunity challenge. He made a major move to plot the blindside of potential threat Brenda Lowe at the Final Six. Lowe had been plotting to blindside Cochran at either Final Five or Final Four. After a win at the Final Four immunity challenge to secure his place in the finals, and with Sherri Biethman the easiest finals opponent, he debated bringing Fox or his closest ally Meehan. [12] He decided on Dawn and Sherri, realizing that Eddie, despite floating through the game, had numerous friends on the jury and was the bigger threat. [13] When it came to jury presentations, Cochran received nearly unanimous praise for the way he played the game strategically without letting emotions interfere, and for always sticking to his promises. [14]

Biethman was considered to have ridden coattails to the end, and Meehan was criticized for her emotional instability. [15] Ultimately, Cochran won a unanimous 8–0–0 vote. [4] Cochran became the third winner in Survivor history to win a unanimous vote, after Earl Cole in Survivor: Fiji and J. T. Thomas in Survivor: Tocantins . He was also the second winner to win a unanimous vote while also never receiving a single vote against him in any Tribal Council, [16] after Thomas. [17]

Cameos

Cochran showed up on the reunion show for Survivor: Blood vs. Water , the show's 27th season. Jeff Probst asked Cochran about new developments in his life, and even presented a comedy sketch starring Cochran and actor Will Arnett. [18] Cochran later appeared as a guest on the fifth episode of Survivor's 34th season, Survivor: Game Changers , where he visited exiled castaway Debbie Wanner to give her advice. [19]

Popularity

After Caramoan ended, Cochran was inducted into Xfinity's Survivor "Hall of Fame," as part of the class of 2013, alongside Kim Spradlin and Jonny Fairplay. [20] Two years later, in the official issue of CBS Watch magazine commemorating the 15th anniversary of Survivor, Cochran was voted as the seventh greatest player of all time. [21] Additionally, in a 2015 interview shortly before the premiere of the 30th season, host Jeff Probst declared Cochran to be his favorite season winner ever. [22] In 2017, Entertainment Weekly had fans rank the first 34 winners of the series and Cochran placed 11th. [23]

Television writing

Shortly after his second Survivor appearance, Probst put Cochran into contact with Greg Garcia, creator of and writer for The Millers . Garcia offered Cochran a job as a writer for the show. Cochran accepted the job, and after graduating from Harvard Law, moved to Los Angeles to begin working on the show. [24] Although the series was canceled shortly thereafter, Cochran landed another writing gig on Kevin Can Wait a few years later. [19]

Related Research Articles

<i>Survivor</i> (franchise) Reality television franchise

Survivor is a reality-competition television franchise produced in many countries around the world. The show features a group of contestants deliberately marooned in an isolated location, where they must provide basic survival necessities for themselves. The contestants compete in challenges for rewards and immunity from elimination. The contestants are progressively eliminated from the game as they are voted out by their fellow contestants until only one remains to be awarded the grand prize and named the "Sole Survivor".

<i>Survivor: Pearl Islands</i> Season of television series

Survivor: Pearl Islands is the seventh season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. It was filmed from June 23, 2003, through July 31, 2003, and premiered on September 18, 2003. The season was filmed on the Pearl Islands, off the coast of Panama, and had a pirate culture theme. Hosted by Jeff Probst, it consisted of the usual 39 days of gameplay with 16 competitors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandra Diaz-Twine</span> American TV personality (born 1974)

Sandra Diaz-Twine is an American television personality who became known for her appearances on the reality game show Survivor. She won the first two seasons she appeared on, Survivor: Pearl Islands and Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, making her the show's first two-time winner. She returned for Survivor's 34th season, Survivor: Game Changers, where she was the 6th person voted out. Along with fellow Survivor contestant Rob Mariano, she was a non-competing mentor on the show's 39th season Survivor: Island of the Idols, and subsequently competed on the show's 40th season, Survivor: Winners at War, where she was the 7th person voted out and only player to leave the game at the Edge of Extinction. Diaz-Twine is regarded among fans as one of the greatest players on the show. She also competed for a 5th time on the Blood V Water edition of the Australian Version of Survivor with her daughter Nina, which premiered in Australia on January 31, 2022.

Jeffrey Keith Varner is a former American real estate agent and television personality, a news anchor and reporter, a former entertainment reporter, and a contestant on three seasons of the CBS reality television series, Survivor: The Australian Outback,Survivor: Cambodia, and Survivor: Game Changers. Varner is most known for infamously publicly outing fellow Survivor: Game Changers contestant Zeke Smith as transgender.

Thomas "Tom" Westman is an American firefighter and television personality best known as the winner of the tenth season of the American reality show Survivor, Survivor: Palau.

<i>Survivor: Cook Islands</i> Season of television series

Survivor: Cook Islands is the thirteenth season of the American competitive reality television series, Survivor. The season was filmed from June 26 to August 3, 2006, and premiered on September 14 of that year. Filmed in the Cook Islands, it was broadcast by CBS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cirie Fields</span> American nurse and reality TV personality

Cirie Tiffany Fields is an American nurse and television personality who competed on four seasons of Survivor. She first appeared in 2006 on Survivor: Panama, finishing in 4th place. In 2008, she returned and placed 3rd on Survivor: Micronesia. She made her third appearance on Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains in 2010, finishing 17th after being targeted and blindsided early in the game. She made her fourth and final appearance on Survivor: Game Changers in 2017, where she finished 6th and was eliminated without receiving a vote. She is set to compete on her 5th season of Survivor, where she will represent the USA on the upcoming Australia V The World season of Australian Survivor, set to air in 2025.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ozzy Lusth</span> American reality show contestant (born 1981)

Oscar "Ozzy" Lusth is a Mexican reality show contestant who has appeared on several shows, including Survivor: Cook Islands; Survivor: Micronesia;Survivor: South Pacific; andSurvivor: Game Changers. He also competed on the second season of American Ninja Warrior. and the Playboy reality series, Foursome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yul Kwon</span> Winner of Survivor: Cook Islands (born 1975)

Yul Julius Kwon is an American television host and former government official, lawyer, and management consultant based in California. He first gained national recognition and popularity as the winner of the reality TV show Survivor: Cook Islands in 2006. He appeared again in Survivor: Winners at War, where he placed 14th. Kwon hosted the 2012 four-part TV series America Revealed on PBS as well as LinkAsia on Link TV.

<i>Survivor: Micronesia</i> Season of television series

Survivor: Micronesia – Fans vs. Favorites, also known as Survivor: Fans vs. Favorites and Survivor: Micronesia, is the sixteenth season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. It is the show's third season to include contestants from past seasons, after the all-returning contestant pool from Survivor: All-Stars, along with Survivor: Guatemala, in which two contestants from Survivor: Palau returned for a second chance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parvati Shallow</span> American television personality (born 1982)

Parvati Shallow is an American television personality, having appeared as a contestant on four seasons of the reality game show Survivor. She was the $1 million winner on Survivor: Micronesia — Fans vs. Favorites, competing as a Favourite, having previously competed in Survivor: Cook Islands in which she placed sixth, and later was the runner-up in Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains. In 2020, she competed on the show's 40th season, Survivor: Winners at War, in which she placed 15th. She is set to compete in her 5th season of Survivor, where she will represent the USA on the upcoming Australia V The World season of Australian Survivor, set to air in 2025.

<i>Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains</i> 20th season of the reality television series

Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains is the twentieth season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. Premiering on February 11, 2010, it was the show's fourth season to feature contestants from past seasons, after Survivor: All-Stars, Survivor: Guatemala, and Survivor: Micronesia, and was only the second season to feature a cast consisting entirely of returning players, after All-Stars. The season was filmed in Upolu, Samoa. Unlike previous seasons, the preceding season and this season were filmed back-to-back due to budget constraints stemming from the worldwide Great Recession.

Russell Dennis Hantz is an American television personality, best known for his appearances on the U.S. reality show, Survivor. He was the runner-up on Survivor: Samoa, and the second runner-up on Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains. He also competed on Survivor: Redemption Island and Australian Survivor: Champions vs. Contenders, where he was the second player to be eliminated both times.

Coach (<i>Survivor</i> contestant) American reality television personality

Benjamin "Coach" Wade is an American reality television personality best known for being a contestant on Survivor: Tocantins, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, and Survivor: South Pacific. He grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee, and later moved to Susanville, California, to conduct the Susanville Symphony and pursue "adventures" in Hollywood.

<i>Survivor: South Pacific</i> Season of television series

Survivor: South Pacific is the twenty-third season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. The season was filmed from May 30 through July 7, 2011, and premiered on September 14, 2011. Applications were due on January 11, 2011, approximately 800 applicants visited in various states, from there 16 contestants were chosen as participants.

<i>Survivor: Caramoan</i> Season of television series

Survivor: Caramoan — Fans vs. Favorites is the 26th season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. The season filmed from May 21 to June 28, 2012, and premiered on February 13, 2013, with a special 90-minute episode. As with Survivor: Micronesia, the first season to have the "Fans vs. Favorites" subtitle, this season initially featured a tribe of 10 returning contestants from previous seasons opposing a tribe of 10 new players. It was the eighth season overall to feature returning players. Production of the show took place in the Caramoan Islands in the Philippines, the same location as the previous season. Participants' applications were due on October 4, 2011, with about 800 chosen for interviews in various states. From these semifinalists, 10 contestants were selected to participate in the show as fans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elyse Umemoto</span> American dance team manager and former Miss Washington

Elyse Umemoto, is an American dance team manager and former Miss Washington in the Miss America circuit. She is known for finishing third place at Miss America 2008, and for competing on the reality competition show Survivor, following her stint as Miss Washington.

<i>Survivor: Cagayan</i> 28th season of the reality television series

Survivor: Cagayan — Brawn vs. Brains vs. Beauty is the 28th season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. The season was filmed in Cagayan from July 11 to August 18, 2013, and premiered on February 26, 2014, with a two-hour episode, featuring 18 new players, divided into three tribes of six based on their dominant attribute: "Brawn", "Brains" and "Beauty". For the first time since Survivor: Thailand, the finale and reunion did not take place on a Sunday but instead aired on Wednesday, May 21, 2014, in the show's regular time slot. That night, Tony Vlachos was named the Sole Survivor by a vote of 8–1 over Yung "Woo" Hwang.

Anthony Vlachos is an American police officer, best known for competing on the reality television competition series Survivor, of which he is the second person to win two seasons. He won the show's 28th season, Survivor: Cagayan, as well as the 40th season, Survivor: Winners at War. He also competed in the 34th season, Survivor: Game Changers, where he was the second person voted out. He is set to compete for a fourth time on Survivor, where he will represent the USA on the upcoming Australia V The World season of Australian Survivor, set to air in 2025.

<i>Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers</i> Season of television series

Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers is the 35th season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. This season featured 18 new players divided into three tribes based on a dominant perceived trait: "Heroes" (courage), "Healers" (compassion), and "Hustlers" (tenacity). The season premiered on September 27, 2017, and ended on December 20, 2017, when Ben Driebergen was named the winner over Chrissy Hofbeck and Ryan Ulrich in a 5–2–1 vote.

References

  1. ↑ Zev (May 22, 2013). "Jew or Not Jew Unplugged: Jews in the News: Cochran wins Survivor".
  2. ↑ Cochran, John (December 10, 2013). "The year-round, Jewish equivalent of "Elf on a Shelf" is my mom following me on Twitter".
  3. ↑ "Around the Quads - Alumni in the News". Columbia College Today. Fall 2013. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  4. 1 2 Jackman, Tom (May 20, 2013). "Oakton's John Cochran wins 'Survivor' show, and $1 million". Washington Post . Nash Holdings LLC. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
  5. ↑ Neil, Martha (September 21, 2011). "Harvard Law Student Who Wrote Prizewinning Class Paper About 'Survivor' Is Now On the Show". ABAJournal.com . American Bar Association . Retrieved April 29, 2017.
  6. ↑ Trifone, Nicole (September 13, 2011). "Cochran Family Readies for 'Survivor' Premiere". Oakton Patch. Patch Media. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Survivor South Pacific: Meet John Cochran". CBS. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Trojan Horse". Survivor. October 26, 2011. CBS. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Double Agent". Survivor. November 2, 2011. CBS. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Cult Like". Survivor. November 30, 2011. CBS. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Loyalties Will Be Broken". Survivor. December 18, 2011. CBS. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  12. ↑ Myles, Ruth (May 12, 2013). "Cochran wins Survivor: Caramoan – Fans vs. Favorites". Calgary Herald . Postmedia Network . Retrieved May 4, 2017.
  13. ↑ Rappleye, Christine (May 13, 2013). "Utahn in final three, but it's Cochran who wins 'Survivor: Caramoan — Fans vs. Favorites' (+video)". Deseret News . Deseret Management Corporation. Archived from the original on June 9, 2013. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Last Push". Survivor. May 12, 2013. CBS. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  15. ↑ "COCHRAN WINS 'SURVIVOR: CARAMOAN — FANS VS. FAVORITES'". East Idaho News via ABC Digital. ABC News Radio. May 13, 2013. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
  16. ↑ Deninno, Nadine (May 13, 2013). "Who Won 'Survivor?' Winner Announced On 'Caramoan Fans vs. Favorites' Season Finale". International Business Times . Newsweek Media Group. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
  17. ↑ Chen, Joyce (May 13, 2013). "Survivor: Caramoan Winner Revealed: John Cochran Wins $1 Million". Us Weekly . Wenner Media. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
  18. ↑ Survivor: Blood vs. Water reunion show, CBS, December 15, 2013
  19. 1 2 Ross, Dalton (April 5, 2017). "Survivor: Game Changers recap: 'Vote Early, Vote Often'". Entertainment Weekly . Time, Inc. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
  20. ↑ Holmes, Gordon (December 12, 2013). "'Survivor' Hall of Fame 2013 Inductee – John Cochran". Xfinity . Comcast . Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  21. ↑ "Get Insider Answers in the Survivor 30th Season Extravaganza". cbs.com. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  22. ↑ Ross, Dalton (February 25, 2015). "Jeff Probst names his favorite Survivor winner, non-winner, twist, challenge, and season ever". Entertainment Weekly. Time, Inc. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  23. ↑ "Ranking every Survivor winner (from first to worst)". EW.com. December 12, 2017. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  24. ↑ Nordyke, Kimberly (May 23, 2013). "'Survivor: Caramoan' Winner John Cochran Lands CBS Writing Gig". The Hollywood Reporter . Eldridge Industries . Retrieved June 11, 2015.
Preceded by
Denise Stapley
 Winner of Survivor
Survivor: Caramoan 		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.