Coach Jimmy Johnson entered season 21 of Survivor as a student of the game.  Armed with his leadership skills, a sound strategy, and a deep knowledge of the show's history, he appeared poised to go far.  But for all his preparations, it was his celebrity status and unfailing desire to tell the truth that were his undoing.  Here he chats about his time on the show and why he had yet to secure an alliance when he was sent packing.



At tribal council, from a strategy perspective, why did you admit that you were the weakest player?

Well, I was just being honest, you know. I didn't say I was the weakest; I said I was one of the weak players. And the reason being is, you know, I'm 67 years old. I think the wear of the game, the no sleep and no food and no clean water, it probably had more of an effect on someone of my age than someone younger. I thought really the weakest player was Daniel. But I was just being upfront with everybody and being honest that I've got to be considered one of the weaker players, but I didn't think I was the weakest.

If you felt Daniel was a weak player, did it ever occur to you at tribal council that you should point that out to people? That maybe it could have saved you?

I didn't think that I needed to because I think everybody pretty well knew that. I mean, he pulled himself out of the first challenge and he sat that one out. He volunteered to sit out. And there was always concern about his knee on any kind of challenge where there was any kind of running or moving around. And around camp, you know, he really didn't do a lot around camp. I'm not trying to trash Daniel, I'm just trying to be upfront about who was contributing on our tribe.  But I didn't realize Daniel had an alliance with Marty and Jill. See that was a surprise.  The first time I realized that was when I watched the episode.

Speaking of alliances, did you ever try to approach anyone while you were out there and try to set something up?

No, I didn't.  And I talked to Jane and to Holly, and I told them that I wouldn't vote them off.  I said that at that time I wasn't locking in any strong alliance. And I eventually would have gotten to that. But I wanted to see who I could bond with and who I could truly trust. I didn't want to do like what Wendy and Holly did initially. They made an alliance and then broke it at the very first tribal council. And so I wanted to see who I could really trust and bond with before I made an alliance and probably should have done it a few days earlier.

How difficult was it to lead a team with guys like Marty and Jimmy T. as compared to football players?

You know, I really got thrown into that role. I told them upfront that I didn't want to be the leader; I didn't want to be the boss. I just wanted to enjoy the adventure and that's the reason I was there. And I tried to convince them that, I'm not going to win a million bucks so I'm not a threat, just let me enjoy this adventure.

And then they got to arguing about building the shelter and making some decisions, they came to me and said, you know, you've got to help us make some of these decisions and the strategy for the challenges and for around camp. So I reluctantly went into that role, but in years past someone in that role is usually the guy voted out, so I didn't want that role.

Did you become aware that Marty had it out for you when you saw it on TV or did you kind of get an idea of that on the island?

No, I mean, when I watched the episode it was a complete surprise to me. I was shocked because Marty and I, I thought, really had a good relationship and I thought I had convinced him that I really wasn't at threat. I said, "Listen, I'm not a threat, no one's going to give me a million bucks, so you don't have to worry about me." And I said sincerely and I was sincere about it, I said, "I'd love for one of you to win a million bucks."  I was going to give the money to charity anyway. And so evidently I didn't do a very good job of convincing Marty that I wasn't a threat.

I'm wondering how different it was for you to actually be out in the game,having watched several seasons on television. What was the biggest wakeup call for you?

I think the biggest wakeup call was the first night. And I think the first night was probably the most difficult night of all of them because it was cold. I was soaking wet, it was a downpour of rain all night long, and I'm laying on a hard bamboo, and you're just saying, oh boy, I hope that sun comes up soon. And it was - that first night was just so difficult. And then the second night was just a little better.

Now how did you react to Jimmy T's claim that you were threatened by his natural leadership skills?

I was amused. And I think most everybody on the tribe was amused. Because, you know, there was a lot of them that wanted to vote Jimmy T out at the very first tribal council and I convinced them not to do it.

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Survivor: Nicaragua airs Wednesdays at 8.00pm on Global.