Tyson Apostol may have proved to be the somewhat evil and improbably psychic mastermind of Thursday's episode of Survivor: Tocantins, but Ben "Coach" Wade made sure all was digested with an extra helping of samurai sayings and epic tales of integrity and brushes with cannibalism.
He didn't leave much of an impact on either of the challenges—the first won by Debbie Beebe, Brendan Synnott and J.T. Thomas and the second by Tyson, meaning the former Timbiran scored immunity for the second week in a row.
But Coach's gamesmanship is supplemented by an inimitable brand of straight-faced self-promotion that never fails to delight and amuse. (Never fails to amuse us, anyway.)
Weigh in on which Coach moment stuck out for you and see who fell prey to the best blindside of the season after the jump.
Coach's Greatest Hits Poll
They may have shared a nice whitewater-rafting trip and picnic, but J.T. and Debbie reserved no love for Brendan when it came time for Tribal Council, helping to make the 30-year-old New Yorker the first member of the season-18 Survivor jury, 4-3-2.
But it wasn't only that Tyson pictured four votes going to Brendan and three to Sierra ("I hope he goes first. I'd like a few days of bossing her around, telling her to shut up," he said.) It was that Taj Johnson-George and Stephen Fishbach, supposedly two of Brendan's hardcore allies, provided the other two votes!
As the ancient samurais said, as quoted by Coach the Dragon Slayer, who received votes from Brendan and Sierra: "If you want to win the war, you have to cut off the head of the dragon."