In the end, Tom Westman wanted $1 million dollars. Ian only wanted to be liked by his friends. And they both got what they wanted.
After hanging on (literally) during the longest immunity challenge in the show's history, the 41-year-old New York firefighter also made it through the jury vote to defeat Katie Gallagher at the live finale of "Survivor: Palau." And with a shave and a hair-cut (see photo), he manages to look a stunning 41 again, instead of a grizzly old 60...
"When I saw how young the cast was, I thought, 'This is gonna be perfect,'" Westman said of the game. "They're not going to know I'm a physical threat until it's too late for them. I didn't get to play that game. I played it hard. I played it as myself. While some people think that may not be too bright strategically, it did work out for me."
, And it worked out well since he only had to outlast Ian "try not to be stupid again" Rosenberger who gave up in the final test after sitting on a metal disk for 11 hours and 55 minutes. But, so stupid he was! Prior to that, his big mouth got him into trouble as usual when he said, "I win the challenge then Tom goes home. I don’t win the challenge then all of a sudden Tom’s my best friend again." Some things are just better left unsaid.
In a difficult immunity challenge, everyone had to climb a tower, swim, and figure out the combination to a lock. Tom wins again. Tom told Jenn that he was staying loyal to his friend Ian, but Ian opens his mouth and tells Tom that it would have been a tough decision if he had won the immunity challenge. Tom then questions himself as to why he is being loyal to Ian.
Jenn was a goner in the first tribal council which ended up in a 2 to 2 split between she and the teary-eyed Ian who just can't get his stories straight, as noble a friend as he tries to be. They went through a fire-building challenge which Ian won. Bu-bye Jenn!
The final immunity challenge required the players to stand on a buoy for as long as they can and no one is gonna beat Tom at endurance. Katie lasted all of 5 hours which is nothing in this type of test. Tom and Ian stand for nearly 12 hours – making it the longest "Survivor" challenge ever -- before Ian finally wilts – after Tom promises to take Katie to the final two. Ian plays the integrity card and forfeits a shot at the $1 million prize by saying that Tom and Katie's friendship is more important to him than winning. Ha! Like the skinny idiot will be invited to hang out with millionaire Tom after all this is over? Not! Even Tom was surprised, saying later that he was about to fall off the post giving Ian the win.
So Ian bags it and Tom and Katie face the jury. Right away, the 7 jurors make the obvious note that Katie was not exactly the a personal of value to her tribe. She was a do-nothing who didn't contribute and therefore didn’t deserve to get the grand prize. Tom wins in a landslide, with only Coby, the first member of the jury, casting a ballot for Katie. He gets a shiny new truck in addition to his $1 million, which he says will take care of college tuition for his kids.
"I still have physical effects," he says of the final immunity challenge, which took him 12 hours to outwit and outlast Ian. "The feeling of numbness in my legs is still there. It was brutal. But my only shot of winning was to win that challenge."
Congrats to Tom who definitely gave it his all and deserved to win.
And it worked out well since he only had to outlast Ian "try not to be stupid again" Rosenberger who gave up in the final test after sitting on a metal disk for 11 hours and 55 minutes. But, so stupid he was! Prior to that, his big mouth got him into trouble as usual when he said, "I win the challenge then Tom goes home. I don’t win the challenge then all of a sudden Tom’s my best friend again." Some things are just better left unsaid.
In a difficult immunity challenge, everyone had to climb a tower, swim, and figure out the combination to a lock. Tom wins again. Tom told Jenn that he was staying loyal to his friend Ian, but Ian opens his mouth and tells Tom that it would have been a tough decision if he had won the immunity challenge. Tom then questions himself as to why he is being loyal to Ian.
Jenn was a goner in the first tribal council which ended up in a 2 to 2 split between she and the teary-eyed Ian who just can't get his stories straight, as noble a friend as he tries to be. They went through a fire-building challenge which Ian won. Bu-bye Jenn!
The final immunity challenge required the players to stand on a buoy for as long as they can and no one is gonna beat Tom at endurance. Katie lasted all of 5 hours which is nothing in this type of test. Tom and Ian stand for nearly 12 hours – making it the longest "Survivor" challenge ever -- before Ian finally wilts – after Tom promises to take Katie to the final two. Ian plays the integrity card and forfeits a shot at the $1 million prize by saying that Tom and Katie's friendship is more important to him than winning. Ha! Like the skinny idiot will be invited to hang out with millionaire Tom after all this is over? Not! Even Tom was surprised, saying later that he was about to fall off the post giving Ian the win.
So Ian bags it and Tom and Katie face the jury. Right away, the 7 jurors make the obvious note that Katie was not exactly the a personal of value to her tribe. She was a do-nothing who didn't contribute and therefore didn’t deserve to get the grand prize. Tom wins in a landslide, with only Coby, the first member of the jury, casting a ballot for Katie. He gets a shiny new truck in addition to his $1 million, which he says will take care of college tuition for his kids.
"I still have physical effects," he says of the final immunity challenge, which took him 12 hours to outwit and outlast Ian. "The feeling of numbness in my legs is still there. It was brutal. But my only shot of winning was to win that challenge."
Congrats to Tom who definitely gave it his all and deserved to win.
