Brandon Cottom

Brandon Tyler Cottom is a contestant from Survivor 44.

Unexpectedly acquiring a Hidden Immunity Idol on Day 2, Brandon was forced to dispense of his idol at the season's first Tribal Council to mitigate his threat level. He then helped his Ratu tribe win every following Immunity Challenge to make it to the merge, where he commandeered his four-strong Ratu Alliance into war with the Soka Alliance. After gaining the upper hand at the final eleven, his overconfidence left him oblivious to the Tika Three's gameplan of flipping between the two sides. Becoming their first casualty, Brandon found himself blindsided at the final ten.

Profile[]

Retrieved from Parade.com

Age: 30
Hometown: Newtown, Pa.
Current Residence: Newtown, Pa.
Occupation: Security Specialist
3 Words to Describe You: Easygoing, ambitious, confident
Why do you want to be part of SURVIVOR? I want to be part of SURVIVOR because it is a once in a lifetime adventure. SURVIVOR is the perfect combination of physical and mental strength. I want to challenge myself in an avenue that I really have no experience in. By no means am I a survivalist lol. I have never even been camping, so surviving in the elements will be an exciting challenge.
What's one life experience you feel has prepared you for the game? Making it into the NFL has prepared me for SURVIVOR. I had to overcome one obstacle after another to make a team. It taught me the importance of hard work and believing in yourself, even when the cards are stacked against you.
Which previous player do you identify with the most? Who do you think you will play most like? I identify with Danny the most. He knows what it is like to play in the NFL and carried a lot of those lessons into the game. I think that I will play the most like Jeremy because of his self-awareness. He knew that he would be a physical threat, so he kept other physically strong survivors around as meat shields."
What will you value in an alliance partner? I will value someone who I can communicate well with. There really is no trust in the game of SURVIVOR so I want to align with someone who is predictable.
Favorite Hobbies: Coaching at Parisi Speed School, snowboarding, enjoying any lake, cooking, grilling
Pet Peeves: Gum smacking, people eating with their mouth open
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? I am most proud of playing for the Seattle Seahawks.
What is something we would never know from looking at you? You would never know that I play the piano. I also do some pretty good magic tricks.
Who in your life is your biggest inspiration and why? My parents are my biggest inspiration because they both became successful on their terms. They taught me to always go after what you want and never take no for an answer.
Why will you be the Sole Survivor? I will be the Sole Survivor because I am the perfect combination of physical and mental strength. I am able to fit into any crowd because I have been exposed to so many different backgrounds of people. I will not be denied.^[2]

Survivor[]

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Episode	Tribe Affiliation	Challenge	Challenge Type	Sit-Out?	Result
1	Ratu	Crate Wide Open	Reward	No	Lost
1		Paradise Lost	Immunity	No	Lost
2		A Bridge You Must Cross	Reward/Immunity	No	1st
3		Box Car Blues	Reward/Immunity	No	1st
4		Air Raid	Reward	No	2nd
4		Leap of Faith	Immunity	No	2nd
5		EOC	Reward/Immunity	No	1st
Tribes Disbanded, Day 12
6	None	No Quarter	Reward/Immunity		Won
Tribes Merged, Night 13
7	Va Va	Audio Slave	Reward/Immunity	No	Won¹
8	Va Va	Eve 5	Immunity		Lost
Voted Out, Day 15
Notes: ^1 The challenge was played for reward and immunity, with the last person standing winning reward and immunity for their team. Brandon won individual immunity but not the reward.

Episode	Brandon's Votes	Voted Against Brandon
1	Maddy	~~Kane, Maddy~~¹
2	Ratu Tribe Immune
3	Ratu Tribe Immune
4	Ratu Tribe Immune
5	Ratu Tribe Immune
6	Yam Yam	Individual Immunity
7	Matt	Individual Immunity
8	~~Frannie~~²	Carolyn, Danny, Frannie, Heidi
Voted Out, Day 15
Voted for Sole Survivor	Yam Yam

^1 In "I Can't Wait to See Jeff", Brandon used a Hidden Immunity Idol, negating 2 votes against him.
^2 In "Don't Get Cocky, Kid", Danny used a Hidden Immunity Idol on Frannie, negating Brandon's vote against her.

Post-Survivor[]

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Trivia[]

Prior to Survivor, Brandon was a American football fullback, having played for Purdue University in college. He later entered the NFL, playing for the Seattle Seahawks (2015-2017), Salt Lake Stallions, and Philadelphia Soul (2019).
Brandon holds the record for the earliest time to play a Hidden Immunity Idol, playing his idol on Day 3. He is also the only person to play an idol at the first Tribal Council of the season.
- Brandon is the second person to play an idol at his first Tribal Council, after Joe Mena.
Brandon is the first person to be directly eliminated by a Hidden Immunity Idol after successfully playing a Hidden Immunity Idol in the same season.