| After months of painstaking challenges and | | | | many things in common with him, both of them |
| strategic alliance formations, | | | | respected each other, which played a very |
| Survivor: Fiji finally found its winner in the form of | | | | important role in their friendship. |
| Ear Cole, the first African-American male to win | | | | But despite the bond forged between him and |
| Survivor and the first to win the crown with a | | | | Yao-man, Cole still had to strategize his moves in |
| unanimous vote. In an interview with BuddyTV, | | | | order to win Survivor. And since Yao-man was |
| Cole talked about his Survivor journey. | | | | very visible, he was eventually voted off the |
| Initially, he was cast for another reality program | | | | game that led to Cole being up against Cassandra |
| called Amazing Race. But after discovering his | | | | and Dre, which became highly advantageous for |
| partner, he decided to decline his participation. | | | | Cole. In the end, Cole claimed that it was every |
| Fortunately, there was a spot available for | | | | man for himself and that he had to play smart in |
| Survivor, which he obviously took. | | | | order to end up as the sole Survivor. |
| Upon joining Survivor: Fiji, Cole did not have a | | | | Cole, a 35-year old native of Kansas City, had |
| game plan in mind. And since he wasn't really a | | | | worked as an advertising executive prior to his |
| fan of the show, he just took his time in | | | | inclusion on Survivor. Previously, he studied |
| observing and examining the people and how the | | | | business at the University of Washington and was |
| game flowed. Nevertheless, he was able to | | | | awarded with a National Scholastic Achievement |
| perceived each person very well, labeling who was | | | | Award. As a musician, he also became exposed |
| dominant, lazy, smart, and so on. | | | | to different instruments and various genres of |
| As far as alliances are concerned, Cole became | | | | music. |
| very close to Yau-Man. And apart from having | | | | |