Ben: Well, yeah. Ben: So, Ill just make my bed on the couch tonight? And so he's like, "Yeah. Tribe(s) Ben is the first person to play an idol before the votes were cast under the current rules. Cole Medders (Wilderness Therapy Guide, Healers Tribe): Hes hilarious. Read More 20 years of Wrong Turn: How a movie about murderous . And with Tony and Sarah and Denise talking about enduring and let go. At Tribal Council, everyone voted against him, but he played his idol negating the six votes cast against him, and his sole vote blindsided Rimmer. Tiffany! When Levu lost the first Immunity Challenge, Ben joined the rest of the tribe in voting out Katrina Radke. In spite of this, Ben's astounding idol-finding run and his ability to beat the odds and make it to the end were preferred over Chrissy's dominance in Immunity Challenges and Ryan's subtle gameplay, and he was awarded the title of Sole Survivor in a 5-2-1 vote. Pet peeves: Whining. Show No Mercy One tribe makes a strategic decision in this weeks immunity challenge that sends another tribe to tribal council. At camp, Ben gave Sarah permission to vote him out, as he felt that his Survivor journey was complete, making the latter emotional. I underestimated what happens after you play it. $100,000 for second place? Maybe you can invite them over to help homeschool our f**king children, Ben, because otherwise, you have a lot of catching up to do after you left me home alone with our kids for 45 goddamn days TO GO MAKE FRIENDS. And hes always [polite], like, You go first. He seems kinda like a gentleman. Hometown: Boise, Id. And I want $2 million, but Tony winning the game and being perceived as the biggest target and the best one to win was factual, right? Occupation: Real estate/stay-at-home dad He was 93. It wasn't romantic or anything. Driebergen wound up siding with Lacina and voted out Stapley. My goal was to win $2 million. You asked me before the game, "Who do you want to work with?" She knew they would like me. To be able to provide for them, something that winning Survivor has ensured for me, thats an amazing feeling.. Are friends really more important than money? Ben's setback was he would have to set up a 30% longer line of blocks. I was a good Marine. While the three had their differences and trust issues on the original Sele tribe, they decided to settle their differences and use their numerical advantage over original Dakal's Sarah and Sophie. I'm humbled and grateful to be a part of a passion for everyone who has worked on Survivor and been a part of Survivor for the last 20 years. Because you werent there to oust Tony. I think she went to one more Tribal than I did. During that process, Lauren told Ben about her Extra Vote advantage, Ryan Ulrich told Ben about his Hidden Immunity Idol, and Joe Mena tried to use Ben's marine status against him. Individual wins: He remembers the woman who saved his life. What does Survivor mean to you and your family? Lets check-in and see what Bens wife, Kelly Driebergen, thinks in an imagined conversation between the two after the finale.Kelly: Did you just tell Sarah that you loved her on national television?Ben: Well, yeah. Being a good dad and husband. Ben quickly facilitated an alliance with Matty and Axel, a-b-m, which actually became one of his more . Days Lasted Youd have been in the final four, and even if youd lost the immunity challenge to Natalie, no one wanted to face you in the fire-making challenge. Nothing else can matter, no matter how much money you have, how much bank account roles or cars or whatever you have, if you have little amount like I had before, we were very, very happy. Related Story You look at what you have in your life and if you are happy with what you have in your life, then you're in a positive spot. Like, I had to do a double take. I would do anything for my friends and do anything for my family. I love you, he continues through tears. One wedding and a baby later! I call him the cowboy. "Will's case is a highly fatal case," Dr. Khan explained. Will defies the odds of survival. Natalie would have chosen you to face off against Tony, and theres about a 75 percent chance you would have beaten Tony, and in a three-person tribal with you, Natalie, and Sarah, you might have been able to win because beating Tony in the fire-making challenge would have been a good f**king story. by Michael Storey | February 27, 2018 at 1:47 a.m. Despite earning the distrust of many tribemates during the early days by unintentionally revealing secrets and plans, Ben managed to stay in the game. Fortunately he escaped elimination that night, and he was finally able to vote out Jeremy. Visiting. COVID-19 survivor reunites with doctor who saved his life. Like running through the forest after I found an idol awkwardly with Tony. Driebergen revealed on Twitter in August 2018 that he had joined a fantasy football league formed by Domenick Abbate called the Rotten Coconutz where he was facing off with Abbate, Chris Hammons, Kellyn Bechtold, Jeremy Collins, Bret LaBelle, Chrissy Hofbeck, Joe Mena, Rob Cesternino, Sarah Lacina, Rodney Lavoie Jr, and Entertainment Weekly Survivor reporter Dalton Ross. 8 min. Driebergen attended Capital High School in Boise, Idaho. Would love your thoughts, please comment. Votes Against Gene Drak and his wife Elena Drak share their harrowing story and meet Dr. Ben Solomon, who fought to save Gene Drak's life. He earned everyone's vote except Nolan, Zahalsky, and Pinto; the former two voted for Hofbeck while the latter voted for Ulrich. 2 What I found really interesting is that you said at one point that you wanted to not go back home and not like the person I was. And you've been very open on the show and in talking to me in interviews, talking about your personal demons. Ida and Isidor Straus died after she gave . Im going to try to align with him because he seems big and dopey and kind of doe-eyed. I think thats why its going to be easy to pull at his heart strings. All the other contestants made it explicitly clear, though Ben continued to try to find other avenues. Early life No, not the Ben that I know. But my wife helped me out a lot, and I love her for that. And I just kicked my legs up and went head-first backwards on my back, down a slide. January 1, 1983 (1983-01-01) (age40)[1] Up first: Ben Driebergen, here for one simple reason https://t.co/Qcj5WsBpBn pic.twitter.com/4T3DP7kfR3, Josh Wigler (@roundhoward) September 3, 2017. And when I lost that challenge, Sarah and I had talked about possibly taking Tony out. Its part of you now, but it doesnt have to control you., He also wanted other veterans struggling with PTSD to know that it doesnt have to end with a bullet or with an alcoholic beverage or depression or making bad choices. So you must feel you were successful in that mission. Once you do, life is a lot better. [11], After completing his service to the Marines, Driebergen worked several regular or odd jobs around the United States. 'The Challenge: USA' Cast Revealed", "The Challenge USA: Ben Driebergen Says Production 'Saved Me From Myself', "The Challenge: World Championship releases stacked cast list and first look", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ben_Driebergen&oldid=1155788457, United States Marine Corps personnel of the Iraq War, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2018, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0. Wolnerman is featured in "A Lucky Lie," a book by. We saw that you and Jeremy having this sort of mini-feud, but we never really understood what it was about or where it started or how it happened. I love him. However, thanks to a string of challenge victories, Ben was able to make the merge where he found himself as the swing vote for the first Tribal Council, and took a leading role in the majority Round Table alliance. Tony went on to win over Natalie and Michele in a 12-4-0 vote. But people also looked at me in a different light. And I think if you and I can stick together and get to the merge, we can hook up with Tony and Sarah. Sex and the City turns 25: A conversation with Skipper, Carrie's nice-guy pal from season 1. Ill always be like, I could do that! And I'm like, "Okay. 39/39 Specifically, he took part in the documentary. And she played an amazing game as well. When did you first watch Survivor? And I won a million dollars, it was fantastic. The plan worked as his alliance and Joe and Mike blindsided JP, and Ryan and Chrissy had no idea Ben was involved. CBS. Blast from the past! On Day 31, Ben met his wife Kelly at the Loved Ones Challenge. I love him. The game was so fast. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. If you focus on negativity and hurting people, that's going to be your outcome in life. But I had to let that go and try to work with him and build that bond with him. And I remember Jeff being like, "Okay, everybody, head back to camp." Total wins: feature Ben Foster fights for his life in 'The Survivor' The drama is based on the book by Alan Haft about the life of his father, "Harry Haft: Survivor of Auschwitz, Challenger of Marciano." By Alan Zeitlin Republish this article Spread the word. How many people am I elbowing out of the way just to get to the finish line and be like, "Yeah, I won." But you have to win it.I know that no matter what happens, Ben later says in the confessional, that I can walk away from Survivor with my head held high and actually have actual friends. It wasnt romantic or anything.Kelly: Oh, I see! Watch the video below for more from Ben on why hes going to win Survivor. It's a pleasure to be here, and an honor too. He also credited Michele's win and performance this season by telling her he understood why she won as a fellow controversial winner, and asked Tony and Michele about their drive to pull off their Immunity Challenge wins. Ben says he and his wife . He finished in 5th place and became the 15th member of the jury. Sarah Lacina explains origin of her gender bias. Ben's promotional photo for The Challenge: World Championship. What's your reason for being on Survivor? [9] He made it to the finals of the season to be medically evacuated from the game because of an injury. Your spouse, children, and parents could be eligible for benefits based on your earnings. Dustin is the founder and co-owner of Pajiba. But you can't look at like you quit, and if there were seven goals on the board and if you just don't check off one of those goals, you're going to be down about it. How does that feel, Ben?Ben: Like I said, honey, having friends is more important than money. During the reward, Ben found a second merged idol (the first being in Ryan's possession). Despite the setback, Ben recovered and came close to possibly winning the challenge, but Michele ultimately won. He seems maybe ex-military. Philip got separated from his family. Carolyn Wiger, Lauren Harpe, Yam Yam Arocho, Heidi Lagares-Greenblatt, and Carson Garrett on 'Survivor 44', Kane Fritzler and Carson Garrett on 'Survivor 44', Two Dorky Magnets Tribes must snake their way toward the win for immunity and reward. And she did, she was amazing. Panicking for numbers, Lauren gave Mike half of her idol as a sign of trust. Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers Is there any sort of light you can shed on that? Like, we knew Tony was a big threat, but our goal was to get to the end. As a great man once said at Tribal: "Is the Pope a Catholic?" Ashley and Lauren considered voting Ben out before Joe, but Devon was unsure. Its totally not my style, but as long as he has a good heart? They would kick you in your shin, he says. I didnt think they were going to show that. It was a good season, but not one of its best, mostly because the biggest threats and/or fan favorites were exiled to Extinction Island early on, leaving lets face it an assortment of mediocre players in the final five, like Denise and Michelle, not to mention Natalie, a tremendously good physical player who fought her way back from Exile Island. Benjamin Russell Driebergen [1] (born January 1, 1983) is an American Marine Corps veteran and reality television personality, best known for competing on and winning Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers. And it's like, "Am I a good person?" Winning a million dollars and being on an island and living with nothing. And so I knew I was in for a hurting. That's not a lot of money, and I said it on the show, and after taxes it is not a lot of money. But what it boils down to is, it's just a game. Enlarge this image. Right. At the Final Tribal Council, Ben's argument to the jury was that he was constantly playing hard in all facets of the game, especially in finding Hidden Immunity Idols. Times sent to Exile Island: Driebergen, who suffered from PTSD from blast trauma after serving overseas, is one of the main cast members of the film alongside surfer Shawn Dollar, former Super Bowl MVP Mark Rypien, Green Beret Andrew Marr, former Naval academy cadet Annie Kendzio Nicholson, 9/11 first responder Sebastian Raspanti, special forces engineer Kevin Flike, former NFL running back Anthony Davis, gymnast Julianna Harpine, and comedian Joe Rogan. That is fine by me! Patrick Bolton (Small Business Owner, Hustlers Tribe): You know, hes an interesting character. The Challenge Wiki Ben is the second winner of a fire-making challenge to become the Sole Survivor of a season, following. Jessica Johnston (Nurse Practitioner, Healers Tribe): I think every demon needs an angel. Ben is the first castaway to play an idol at three consecutive. On Day 34, Nick used his disadvantage he got from Extinction Island to give Ben a setback in the Immunity Challenge. He said, Financial security is so important. And you gave up the opportunity for financial security for your family so that you could be friends with people you knew for 39 days out on an island that you will seldom see again. Photo: Robert Voets/CBS 2022 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Cody Assenmacher and Jesse Lopez on 'Survivor 43'. This is our second time playing. Ben however did not think Natalie had anything and did not want to vote out Densie because she was his close ally. Look at the other six goals you checked off. Im going to try to absorb everything I can. Oh, hell, dont do that! Ill coach it, he says. And to answer your question as to 35, it was like, I didn't know if I was a good person. For the last two decades of his life, . This time was short-lived as Ben became perceived as a jury threat. But, a majority of them have played at least twice. Will having friends help me and the kids get through this pandemic? On Day 27, Pinto suggested that Driebergen play double agent by voting against Mike Zahalsky while his new alliance blindsided Hilsabeck, shocking Driebergen's former allies Hofbeck and Ryan Ulrich. Driebergen also told Shrink Tank that the hardest part of being in Iraq was losing his friend and fellow soldier, Blake. Because there's things that I've done and experienced in the past that still weigh on me today. I think hes going to work himself into a hole. January 19, 2009, 10:05 AM. And it attracts me to him because of the difference we have. Let's check-in and see what Ben's wife, Kelly Driebergen, thinks in an imagined conversation between the two after the finale. Three words to describe you: Hilarious, strong-willed, and motivated. When he was about 12 years old, his father came out to the family and his parents separated. Most combat veterans have these natural reactions fear, panic, adrenaline rush all at one time.. And so this was a scene where the fire is crackling and I'm thinking about stuff. Some of the key figures in front of and behind the camera explained how it happened. He was only 80 pounds. Xavier! Pictured (L-R): Tribe Baka: Owen Knight, Sami Layadi, Mike 'Gabler' Gabler and Tribe Vesi: Noelle Lambert, Dwight Moore, Jesse Lopez, Cody Assenmacher.