Spencer Bledsoe

Spencer Reiman Bledsoe is a contestant from and .
In Cagayan, Spencer repeatedly found himself in the role of underdog. He started on the dysfunctional Luzon tribe, before gaining temporary control of the game after the Tribe Switch. His luck soured once again after the merge, after the betrayal of his ally, Kass McQuillen, which eventually left him and his Aparri Alliance at the bottom. However, Tony Vlachos, a member of the majority Solana Alliance, was willing to work with Spencer on three occasions to take out threats in his own alliance, helping to advance Spencer to the final four. After failing to win immunity at that stage, he was unanimously voted out for being seen as the biggest jury threat.
Returning in Cambodia, Spencer experienced something of a reversal of fortune after a rough start and narrowly making it to the merge. From that point, he was not only absorbed into the Bayon Alliance, but often found himself in a position of power due to his sub-alliance with Jeremy Collins and his Cagayan ally, Tasha Fox. This and his impressive challenge performances took him to the Final Tribal Council. However, his perceived arrogance and his error in aligning with the extremely popular Jeremy caused him to lose the title of Sole Survivor to the latter in a unanimous vote.
==Profile==
Retrieved from CBS.com
<tabber>Cagayan=
Name (Age): Spencer Bledsoe (21)
Tribe Designation: 
Current Residence: Chicago, Ill.
Occupation: Economics Student at the University of Chicago
Personal Claim to Fame: Captain of my high school cross country and track teams, Georgia's 2009-2010 High School Chess Champion, tying for 1st at the World Open Chess tournament for a prize of $6,609 and becoming a U.S. Chess Expert.
Inspiration in Life: The former governor Mitt Romney has been successful in everything he's ever attempted, be it private equity, business/law school or running the Olympics. He has accumulated enormous wealth in starting several successful business ventures and constitutes the perfect embodiment of capitalism.
Hobbies: Chess, ultimate frisbee and partying.
Pet Peeves: People who are stupid but still voice their opinions, incompetent leaders, those who don't respect intelligence and those who expect handouts in life.
3 Words to Describe You: Brilliant, competitive and arrogant.
If You Could Have 3 Things on The Island What Would They Be and Why? A chess board – with a chess board present, I know I have the ability to impress whoever I'm with. Regular practice is also important. The American Flag – perhaps my biggest source of pride is being an American; and The Economist – This is my preferred news source (despite the fact that it's perceived as "snobbish").
Survivor Contestant You Are Most Like: The cleverness and strategic planning of Stephen, but the personality of Marty. Like Marty, I am a natural leader and can come off as pompous or bombastic. Also, I shared Marty's disdain for Jane on S21.
Reason for Being on Survivor: The competition. I'm insanely competitive in chess, pursuing a career in investment banking, and everything I do. I want to play the game of Survivor for the challenge, the competition and the chance to prove myself in such an epic game, under such trying circumstances. Also, the money. The expected value of playing Survivor is, monetarily alone, worth more than most peoples' salaries. I love $1,000,000 almost as much as winning.
Why You Think You'll "Survive" Survivor: I'm a strong leader despite my young age, and have worked well in a team in a number of different academic, athletic and chess-related capacities. I'm also extremely competitive and would be a large asset to a tribe in puzzles and endurance-related challenges, as well as strategic competitions.
Why You Think You Will Be the Sole Survivor: I'm the chess expert who can plan my victory 10 moves in advance. I can use economic game theory to know the incentives of those around me. I'm the only guy who has these skills and is still personable enough to win. Think of me as a John Cochran who doesn't suck.
Do You Consider Yourself a Brain, a Beauty or a Brawn? A Brain, in both life and Survivor super fandom. I've seen every episode. I know the game inside and out. I'll know what I'm doing in camp life; I could probably even build a shelter just using rocks. When my body is withered and I'm left with only my t-shirt and tighty whities, I won't be a little boy out there. I'll rely on my mind.
Who Do You Think Has the Best Chance in the Game of Survivor: Brains, Beauty or Brawn? What type of person excels in Survivor? The person who pushes the game forward strategically - the Rob Cesternino, Yul Kwon or Todd Herzog. A Parvati or Ozzy may slip through the cracks, but this is a brain game.http://web.archive.org/web/20230209122212/https://www.cbs.com/shows/survivor/cast/214797/
==Survivor==
===Cagayan===
Spencer started out on the Luzon (dubbed the "Brains") tribe. After the tribe lost the inaugural Immunity Challenge, Spencer joined the majority of the tribe in voting David Samson out. Following that Tribal Council, Spencer joined an alliance with Garrett Adelstein and Kass McQuillen to vote out the weakest of the tribe, J'Tia Taylor. However, after Luzon's second straight loss, Kass sided with the women, blindsiding Garrett, and leaving Spencer on the outs. When Luzon lost immunity again on Day 11, Spencer was immediately targeted by the women's alliance. However, Spencer pleaded with Kass and Tasha Fox to keep him in favor of J'Tia, who had cost them victory in almost every challenge. Despite some hesitance to do so, both women decided to keep Spencer for his strength and voted out J'Tia.
On Day 12, a tribe switch occurred, sending Spencer (along with Tasha and Kass) to the new Aparri tribe. Here, Spencer found himself in a powerful position due to the distrust between the original Solana members. At Aparri's only Tribal Council, Spencer voted out Alexis Maxwell and later made the merge on Day 18. Although the new Aparri Alliance entered the merge with six members as opposed to Solana's five, Spencer was concerned over Sarah Lacina's loyalty due to her previous affiliation with Tony Vlachos. However, Sarah stayed loyal to Spencer's alliance and joined him in voting against Jefra Bland. Unfortunately, Kass decided to join the new Solana Alliance and voted out Sarah, leaving Spencer in the minority once again.
As his allies continued to be voted out, Spencer was frequently targeted by the Solana Alliance, but he won three individual Immunity Challenges as well as finding a Hidden Immunity Idol (which he used, but ultimately wasted on Day 28). Additionally, Spencer played on Tony's paranoia, frequently pitting him against his own alliance and resulting in the eliminations of LJ McKanas, Jefra, and Trish Hegarty, allowing him to reach the Final Four. After finally losing immunity to Kass on Day 37, Spencer realized that the season would likely end in a Final Two. He told this to Tony and attempted to convince him to vote against Woo Hwang, whom Spencer believed would take Kass to the Final Tribal Council over Tony. He promised Tony that the two would go to the finals together should either of them win the Final Immunity Challenge, if he voted out Woo. In the end though, Tony stuck with Kass and Woo, unanimously voting out Spencer. He became the eighth member of the jury.
At the Final Tribal Council, Spencer criticized Woo for following Tony's every move, comparing Woo to a dog following its master, while praising Tony's game-play. In a similar manner to castaway David Murphy, Spencer pleaded with the jury to vote for Tony, whom he felt was the more deserving castaway of the million dollars and the title of Sole Survivor. He cast his vote for Tony, who won in an 8-1 vote.
<tabber>Challenge History=
Episode 	TribeAffiliation 	Challenge 	Challenge Type 	Sit-Out? 	Result
1 	rowspan=5 	Draggin' the Dragon 	Reward/Immunity 	No 	
1 	Phish Farm 	Reward/Immunity 	No 	 	
2 	Mazed and Confused 	Reward/Immunity 	No 	 	
3 	Haulin' Oats 	Reward 	No 	 	
3 	Octopus Garden 	Immunity 	No 	 	
colspan=6	 	 	 	 	
4 	rowspan=4 	Kicking and Screaming	Reward 	No 	
4 	Gate Crasher 	Immunity 	No 	 	
5 	Idol Hands 	Reward 	No 	 	
5 	Styx 	Immunity 	No 	 	
colspan=6	 	 	 	 	
6 	rowspan=14 	Bermuda Triangles 	Immunity 	 	
7 	Rise and Shrine 	Reward 	 	 	
7 	Keep on Your Toes 	Immunity 	 	 	
8 	Supertramp 	Reward 	 	 	
8 	Living Color 	Immunity 	 	 	
9 	Rove, Rove, Rove Your Boat	Reward 	 	 	
9 	Hard to Handle 	Immunity 	 	 	
10 	Survivor Auction 	Survivor Auction 	Survivor Auction	Survivor Auction	
10 	Inside Track 	Immunity 	 	 	
11 	Challenge Pitch 	Reward 	 	 	
11 	Combo Platter 	Immunity 	 	 	
12 	Mud Run 	Reward 	 	 	
12 	Jacob's Ladder 	Immunity 	 	 	
13 	Vertigo 	Immunity 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	
|-|Voting History=
Episode 	Spencer'sVotes	Voted AgainstSpencer
1 	 	
1 	 	
2 	 	
3 	 	
4 	 	
5 	 	
6 	 	
7 	 	
8 	 	
9 	 	
10 	 	
11 	 	
12 	 	
13 	 	
 	 	
Voted forSole Survivor	colspan="2" 	
 In , Spencer used a Hidden Immunity Idol, but did not negate any votes against him.</tabber>
===Cambodia===
Spencer was one of the twenty castaways chosen by the public to compete on the second chance season, Survivor: Cambodia.
Spencer was initially placed on the Ta Keo tribe. After they lost the season's first Immunity Challenge, the tribe immediately went to Tribal Council where Spencer joined his alliance mainly consisting of the new-school players, plus Jeff Varner and Peih-Gee Law, to blindside Vytas Baskauskas. However, after Ta Keo lost the second Immunity Challenge, both Spencer and Shirin Oskooi became the targets for playing too hard thanks to seeds that Varner planted within the rest of the tribemates. Despite their damage control efforts with Abi-Maria Gomes and Woo Hwang, Spencer and Shirin were forced to vote against each other. Luckily for Spencer, Shirin was voted out and his second chance continued.
On Day 7, a tribe switch occurred. Spencer and Kelly Wiglesworth switched to the Bayon tribe where despite being in a 4-2 minority, he bonded with Jeremy Collins. Bayon finally lost their first Immunity Challenge on Day 13. Spencer appeared to have made more connections than Kelly, but due to Monica's insistence on making an all girls alliance in the future, Spencer was very much a target still. At Tribal Council, Spencer and Kelly voted against each other, but Monica Padilla's plotting backfired as she was blindsided due to Jeremy, Kimmi Kappenberg, and Stephen Fishbach voting against her.
On Day 14, another tribe switch occurred, with Spencer and Kelly switched back to Ta Keo. Spencer and Kass were placed on the same tribe together for the first time this season, and despite his (few) efforts to mend that fence, it remained awkward between the two. In fact, Kass was very eager to send Spencer home next provided she had the numbers. After they lost the Immunity Challenge, Andrew Savage planned to blindside Spencer by telling him that Ciera Eastin was the target. However, Ciera believed that Andrew was too closely aligned with Woo and convinced Kass McQuillen and Abi-Maria to save Spencer and blindside Woo. Kass alerted Spencer about the plan, but was still of two minds as to who of her Cagayan frenemies to blindside. At Tribal Council, Spencer, Kass, Ciera, and Abi-Maria successfully blindsided Woo, leaving Savage in shock as well.
On Day 17, the tribes merged into the Orkun tribe with 13 players remaining. Spencer, Kelley Wentworth, Abi-Maria, and Kelly were the only original Ta Keo members to make it to the merge, and Spencer was the only original male Ta Keo member remaining. Spencer, along with Joe Anglim and Keith Nale, were the swing votes between the Bayon Alliance lead by Savage and Jeremy and the . Ultimately they sided with the former, sending Kass to the jury. Despite a then 9-3 advantage, the next few votes were anything but simple thanks to idol plays and voting blocs leading to a series of blindsides. At the climax was Spencer trying hard to convince Jeremy to vote out Stephen, to no avail as Jeremy protected Stephen with an idol to seal Ciera's fate. Despite Joe finally losing immunity on Day 29 (with Spencer winning his first individual Immunity Challenge despite several close finishes), Spencer took a gamble on keeping Joe in the game to use his vote to finally successfully eliminate the Tocantins finalist.
With 8 players remaining, the contestants met their loved ones. Spencer met his girlfriend, Marcella, and told her he loves her for the first time. After Kelley won the Loved Ones Challenge and chose Joe, Abi-Maria, Keith, and Kimmi and their loved ones to join her, Spencer, Tasha, and Jeremy made a final three deal after Spencer successfully achieved damage control after the Stephen blindside. They were in agreement that Joe had to go next, with Spencer hoping that he didn't let his only opportunity to take out Joe slip in the previous Tribal Council. Despite rumors of an all girls alliance, this trio maintained control along with Kimmi to vote out Joe and Abi.
Spencer won his second individual Immunity Challenge on Day 35, and his third on Day 36. After winning immunity on Day 36, both he and Tasha noticed Kimmi strategizing with Kelley and Keith, so they believed that Kimmi had flipped, but Jeremy did not believe them. At Tribal Council, Spencer vocally announced that he, Tasha, and Jeremy were sticking together and attempted to threaten the other 3 to flip. This prompted Kelley to play her Hidden Immunity Idol, to which Jeremy replied by playing his as well. The idols both negated the three votes cast against them. In the second vote, Spencer, Jeremy, and Tasha voted for Kimmi, and the vote was tied between Tasha and Kimmi. Spencer, along with the others, told host Jeff Probst that they would not change their votes, resulting in a deadlock. Jeff tells them that if they cannot come to a decision in one minute, Kimmi and Tasha would become immune, and Keith will be eliminated by default. Jeremy and Spencer still decided not to change their votes, prompting Kelley and Keith to change their votes to Kimmi, thus eliminating her from the game.
On Day 37, the main target, Kelley, won immunity and Keith was voted out at the subsequent Tribal Council. Unbeknownst to Spencer, Jeremy stealthily misdirected Keith into targeting Spencer in case either he or Wentworth possessed an idol. Though Spencer received two votes (the first votes he received since Day 13), the trio successfully voted out Keith. On Day 38, Jeremy defeated Spencer to win the Final Immunity Challenge. Jeremy reassured Spencer and Tasha that they were safe, and Spencer confronted Kelley about the likelihood she would vote against him that night, which annoyed her. At Tribal Council, Spencer desperately told Jeremy that if he votes him out, he will vote for Kelley to win and make sure she gets enough votes to win. This caused some shock for Kelley and some of the jurors, since she was the clear underdog to survive the vote even without that plea from Spencer. Ultimately, Jeremy honored his alliance with Spencer, and Kelley was unanimously voted out.
At the Final Tribal Council, Andrew criticized Spencer for being arrogant during the final four Tribal Council, and Kimmi called him a bully for threatening Jeremy. Despite these accusations, Spencer tried to do damage control and convince the jury that he had matured and grown as a person while playing a game deserving of victory. Kass referenced his statement from Cagayan that "Kass had a 0% chance of winning the game" and asked him why she should respect him enough to vote for him to win when he showed a lack of respect toward her. Spencer again told Kass that he is not the same person that he was his first season. Despite his best efforts, Spencer ultimately became the co-runner-up of the season along with long time two season ally Tasha, losing to Jeremy in a unanimous 10-0-0 vote.
<tabber>Challenge History=
Episode 	TribeAffiliation 	Challenge 	Challenge Type 	Sit-Out? 	Result
1 	rowspan=3 	The Marooning 	Reward 	No 	
1 	Quest for Fire 	Reward/Immunity 	No 	 	
2 	Yank Yer Hank 	Reward/Immunity 	No 	 	
colspan=6 	 	 	 	 	
3 	rowspan=5 	Draggin' the Dragon 	Immunity 	No 	
4 	Stomp-ede 	Reward 	Yes 	 	
4 	Blind Leading the Blind 	Immunity 	No 	 	
5 	In the Barrel 	Reward 	No 	 	
5 	Air Raid 	Immunity 	Yes 	 	
colspan=6 	 	 	 	 	
6 	rowspan=2 	Slip n' Slide 	Reward 	No 	
6 	Cambodian Catering 	Immunity 	No 	 	
colspan="6" 	 	 	 	 	
7 	rowspan=16 	Hard to Handle 	Immunity 	 	
8 	Boats, Brains, and Brawn 	Reward 	 	 	
8 	Take the Reins 	Immunity 	 	 	
9 	Styx 	Reward 	No 	 	
9 	Bermuda Triangles 	Immunity 	 	 	
10 	Basket Brawl 	Reward 	 	 	
10 	Ballin' A Jack 	Immunity 	Yes 	 	
11 	Folklore 	Reward 	 	 	
11 	The Game is Afoot 	Immunity 	 	 	
12 	Jungle Love 	Reward 	 	 	
12 	Over-Extended 	Immunity 	 	 	
13 	Pole Dancing 	Reward 	 	 	
13 	Floatsam & Jetsam 	Immunity 	 	 	
14 	Step on Up 	Immunity 	 	 	
14 	Giant Tick 	Immunity 	 	 	
14 	Simmotion 	Immunity 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	
Notes: Spencer elected to sit out of the challenge to help his tribe win a new shelter.	Notes: Spencer elected to sit out of the challenge to help his tribe win a new shelter.	Notes: Spencer elected to sit out of the challenge to help his tribe win a new shelter.	Notes: Spencer elected to sit out of the challenge to help his tribe win a new shelter.	Notes: Spencer elected to sit out of the challenge to help his tribe win a new shelter.	Notes: Spencer elected to sit out of the challenge to help his tribe win a new shelter.
|-|Voting History=
Episode 	Spencer'sVotes	Voted AgainstSpencer
1 	 	
2 	 	
3 	 	
4 	 	
5 	 	
6 	 	
7 	 	
8 	 	
9 	 	
10 	 	
11 	 	
12 	 	
13 	 	
14 	 	
14 	 	
14 	 	
Jury Votesfor Spencer	colspan="2" 	
 	 	
 In , Kelley used a Hidden Immunity Idol, negating Spencer's vote against her. In , Jeremy used a Hidden Immunity Idol on Stephen, negating Spencer's vote against him. In , Kelley used a Hidden Immunity Idol, negating Spencer's vote against her. Because Jeremy and Kelley both used Hidden Immunity Idols and negated all the votes cast at Tribal Council, a vote restart was held between all the non-immune players. This vote ended with a 3-3 tie between Kimmi and Tasha, forcing a consensus tiebreaker. Spencer did not change his vote on the tiebreaker.</tabber>
==Post-Survivor==
* Host Jeff Probst publicly apologized to Spencer during the Reunion Show for pre-judging him that he would have no chance at the game. Prior to the game, Probst wrote Spencer a note that read, "Spencer, you will not win. - Probst" (the note currently hangs on Spencer's fridge). Probst wrote an apology letter for Spencer on August 9 (around Day 15 or 16, according to Probst), which he mailed to himself from Cagayan and gave to Spencer personally during the reunion.
* Spencer was voted by fans as Mr. Survivor on Rob Has a Podcast for 2015.
==Trivia==
* Spencer is the youngest member of the Luzon tribe and the youngest man to compete on .
* Before Cagayan, Spencer applied for and .
* Spencer was a favorite of in Cagayan, a die-hard fan who suggested the "special idol" twist. Perry admitted that he hoped either Spencer or Tasha Fox would find the special idol.
* In a finale interview of with Parvati Shallow, Spencer revealed that and Caramoan castaway Phillip Sheppard nicknamed him "The Survivor Shogun".https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Axv9UHCIhos
* Spencer lost 23 lbs. (10 kg) during his time in Cagayanhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32A7ZTrUgTM
* Spencer was elected "Fan Favorite Player of the Season" for Cagayan by the audience of Rob Has a Podcast.
* Spencer is the youngest contestant to compete on .
** Spencer is currently the youngest returning player by date of birth.
* Spencer's 23rd birthday was on Day 13 of Cambodia.
* Spencer lost 25 lbs. in Cambodia.https://www.reddit.com/r/survivor/comments/43fu6f/amaaaaaa/czhvn87
* In both of his seasons, Spencer was the only man of his original tribe to reach the merge.
* Spencer won individual immunity three times in both his seasons.
* During the pre-merge stage in both his seasons, he went to Tribal Council four times and was immune twice.
* Spencer accepted an offer to play on Season 40 before the theme was changed to .https://ew.com/tv/survivor-spencer-bledsoe-cagayan-cambodia-quarantine-questionnaire/
==References==
Category:Contestants
Category:Male Contestants
Category:Youngest Contestants
Category:Contestants Appearing in Multiple Seasons
Category:Cagayan Contestants
Category:Cambodia Contestants
Category:Cagayan Jury Members
Category:Finalists
Category:Luzon Tribe
Category:Solarrion Tribe
Category:Ta Keo Tribe
Category:Orkun Tribe
Category:4th Place
Category:2nd Place
Category:Survivor (U.S.)
Category:Survivor (U.S.) Contestants
Category:Survivor: Cagayan
Category:Survivor: Cambodia
Category:1992 births
Category:Living people