Strap in for a wild ride.

Survivor 50 star Coach goes deep on evolving from an ‘arrogant ass’ to the newly christened Tide Walker

Strap in for a wild ride.

By Dalton Ross

Dalton Ross is a writer and editor with over 25 years experience covering TV and the entertainment industry. *Survivor* is kind of his thing.

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February 2, 2026 9:15 a.m. ET

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Iron sharpens iron, a wise, ponytailed reality television contestant once opined. And that contestant, Benjamin “Coach” Wade, believes he has finally sharpened his game after three unsuccessful attempts at the *Survivor* crown and that he will finally slay the game when he hits the beach for *Survivor 50* (premiering Feb. 25 on CBS).

Coach transformed himself from something of an eccentric cartoon character on his first two outings (*Tocantins*, *Heroes vs. Villains)* to a legitimate powerhouse who made it all the way to the end of *South Pacific*, where a jury of peers he burned along the way awarded the $1 million to Sophie Clarke instead. (Of course, Coach remains Coach — a true reality TV renaissance man, as stories of his *Survivor 50* preseason antics have already become the stuff of legend.)

But the 54-year-old Coach insists he has learned from his past and is ready to bust out a brand new persona for his fourth try at the title — the Tide Walker! Who, or what, is the Tide Walker? Coach told us when he spoke with ** in Fiji just days before *Survivor 50*, and we’re *still* not entirely sure!

But we do know this: If you want to enjoy a deep-dive interview with a *Survivor* legend who calls himself a selfish egomaniac who almost went off the deep end for what he mistakenly perceived as preferential treatment for Mike White and openly brags about ignoring his non-disclosure agreement, then you have come to right place. He may also have some breaking news about a certain infamous jury house rock band. Consider yourself slayed.

*(This is one of 24 deep-dive, on-location interviews with the *Survivor 50 *cast. Links to the other interviews will be posted at the bottom of this article as they become available.)*

Benjamin 'Coach' Wade of 'Survivor 50'.

Robert Voets/CBS

**: What have you been up to since you last played *Survivor?* **

**BENJAMIN “COACH” WADE**: I'm a married man. I've retired from college soccer coaching. Now I'm content to coach all my kids' sports teams and I am actually a music teacher now. So that's what's new in my life: three kids, married, new job, new profession, all rolled up into how I'm going to play this game.

**Why are you here, Coach?**

Great question. I feel like I've said no so many times. It felt so right to say yes this time, but it didn't come easily. It was about a week from being officially asked a month ago, and I called [executive producer] Matt Van Wagenen and I said, “I don't think I'm going to do this, man. There's just too much riding on me at home.” He said, “You're going to regret it the rest of your life. I know you. It's your choice, man. I'll support anything.” And I really appreciate him saying that.

That fear of regret is a big motivator in my life. It's very powerful and I don't usually live with a second of it, but the times that I have regret, it gnaws around my subconscious telling me lies — should have done this, could have done this. The regret of not being out here, that was number one.

I'm in such a different place now than I was last time, 13 years ago, that I want to share that with the world. I'm so happy. I wake up every morning and I'm just like: God, how could you actually bless me with this kind of life? I don't deserve it. I certainly wasn't a great man when I was on *Survivor* — egomaniac, selfish, and wanted to lead from the top. And so that was another part of it, is just to kind of share that message with the world, those fundamental truths that I feel like I've discovered.

And also, I want to win! I'm out here to win this time. And I've not ever been in that mindset. I'm going to play the game, I'm going to try to win. That's definitely one of the three motivating factors for me being out here.

Benjamin 'Coach' Wade on 'Survivor 50'.

Robert Voets/CBS

**You saying how you are a different man when you played the last times, when you look back on those seasons, what don't you like in what you see?**

The first season, it was a great chance to look in a mirror, which *Survivor* does if you let it, and say, “Oh man, am I really that arrogant ass? I mean, I can't be that pompous, am I?” And to say, “Let me temper that down a little bit and not take myself so seriously. That's a turn off. I might have a loyal core, but I’ve got to be turning people off” — which I'm sure I still do.

The second time taught me the greatest gift, man: Don't give a rip about what other people say or think about you. And it happened after I was watching that season and I thought: I don't care henceforth what other people say or think about me.

Third season, that was the softening of everybody's perception of me. So I'm grateful for that, but I was very selfish. I was not married. I was living for myself. I really thought the meaning of life was if I can build up enough championships on the soccer field, if I can start enough symphonies, be the best at everything that I do, I'm going to leave an awesome legacy. And that's just not true.

Nobody cares what I did on the soccer field anymore. I changed some lives for sure, and I'm grateful for that. Nobody talks about that those days anymore. But they're going to talk about my children's lives and they're going to talk about the music program that I'm cementing right now and how it's changing a community. That's generational legacy, not just personal bulls--- that we all get caught up in. And so that's something that's very different about me now.

**So how does that change the way you play?**

So I was very rigid in the past, very much pigeonholing honor and integrity. At times it was really honest. I mean, I did pass up a million dollars. Cochran and Edna came to me and said, “Hey, you won the game. Congratulations. We'll never flip on you. Just take us to the end.” Edna said, “I'm a coattail rider,” and Cochran said, “I'm a flipper. They won't vote for me.”

And at the end of the day, I turned down a million dollars to stick with my word and say, “No, I gave these five a promise and I gave these two a promise that we'd make it to the final three.” And I did that on day 1 and it happened, but I was hypocritical in the fact that I just didn't own it. And that is the one regret in the game that I have is that I just didn't say, “Hey, you know what, guys? I did lie to you. I was dishonest when you were voted out and I needed to be honest about that and I wasn't.”

So this time around, above all, I want to be fluid. I'm used to waking up every morning and putting myself on the bottom of the totem pole and I freaking love it. There's no resentment in my heart when I'm the guy that packs the lunches, goes shopping, I work all day long, I come home and I start cooking dinner. I cook dinner every night. And I love doing that. And so there's no resentment there, but I lead from the bottom. And the only way that I used to know how to lead, and it's really cool because I'm transparent out here what I'm doing in real life — college soccer coach, a pastor of a church — the third time around people called it a cult. It wasn't. But we have that in common. So I was leading a little bit through religion.

Benjamin "Coach" Wade on 'Survivor: Tocantins'.

Monty Brinton/CBS via Getty

**And this time?**

This time, I'm leading from the bottom, and I can do that and I feel comfortable doing that. There's a really cool term in Portuguese that the soccer players used to tell me, and it's the *Malandro*. And the *Malandro* is the guy that is not the man, but he makes everybody around him be the man. So I want to be that. I want to be leading sometimes from the bottom, not always on top. I want to be able to be fluid. I want to go up to people who voted against my wishes in Tribal Council and be their friend.

That's the game today. It is a much softer game. And I think that they appreciate authenticity now more than ever. And so I'd like to use that to my advantage with the honorable people. Joe did a great service to me in 48 when he actually played that type of game with the values that I hold dear. But I think that sets the table for an alliance of me and Colby and Joe and maybe Jonathan and Stephenie, but that's not going to get me far.

There is an ancient Chinese proverb that says: A snake that does not shed its own skin must die. And if I don't shed the skin of my past exploits, I'm not going to make it to the end. So I have to adapt and I have to pick those people like Aubry or Kamilla or even somebody like Kyle. The winners don't scare me. I've played with winners before. I've got to play with people that I wouldn't normally align with — weaker if you say physically, but stronger strategically. That's always been my weakness.

And that was one thing that really helped me in the last time around was being with Sophie. People don't give her enough credit. I know people message me every freaking day, “You should have won *South Pacific*, blah, blah, blah…” But Sophie was a very underrated player and I wouldn't have made it to the end without her. She was a great strategist that sharpened daily with our rhetoric.

Benjamin "Coach" Wade on 'Survivor: Tocantins'.

Monty Brinton/CBS via Getty

**Your arc on *South Pacific* is so fascinating. You're seen as this super eccentric character, but then you come in, you run the game, you get denied at the end. I know you're a competitive guy, so how does that loss sit with you?**

The day after I lost *South Pacific*, I started playing this game. I didn't think I was going to come back, but in the chance that I was going to come back here, every single interview I've ever given, I’ve sandbagged it, saying “I can't win this game,” while at the same time thinking about the mistakes that I made and how I could play this game differently, I've never stopped playing.

I don't like most people. I don't like Boston Rob and any of these people where this has become their identity. Their whole identity is caught up in this bulls---. So I don't like most people, but I talk to all of them because I know that it's going to give me a foothold.

Carolyn got a Cameo from me. I didn't know who she was. I didn't watch her season. I did the song for her — cheapest song I've ever written, for 69 bucks — and then actually she was like, “You’ve got to meet Ben Katzman. He's going to be on next season”. And I was like, “I'm not into meeting new people.” But she gave me his number. We started talking. I realized he was like a super freaking cool guy. And he brought me off of that mountain that I live.

I met Dee in his apartment with Wendell, didn't even know who she was. I met Kyle because Kyle came to one of his shows and had me sign his Bills jersey. I met Charlie through him. You’re the only one that knows this. Nobody else knows this. So I started putting my fingers in, and it seems a little bit predestined that this could be my shot to do it. And so it's really cool that I have enough people now that I can start to work with who maybe you wouldn't have thought that I would've worked with initially.

7:23 The Cast of ‘Survivor 50’ Reveals Who They Want to Vote Out First

**We’ve had the Coach, the Dragonslayer, and the Zenslayer. What’s your nickname going to be for season 50?**

I've come up with a bunch of nicknames for people. I don't want do the Arthurian legend stuff. I want to start picking stuff that's random, like Japanese mythology, maybe some Dungeons & Dragons. In the beginning, I've got to be a wolf in sheep's clothing and that is tattooed on my arm as far as the prophecy of the tribe of Benjamin. Don't call me that. Just kidding. I mean…it is though.

I want to play a wolf in sheep’s clothing in the beginning and then let the wolf come out. And the timing of that is impeccable and it'll determine whether I win or not. But studying these things**, **there's this water druid that's called the Tide Walker, and that's the person that can move and flow with the tide. And when they have to go around obstacles or eliminate obstacles, they do so gently.

And my mantra for this game is to hide behind the shield while I'm sharpening my sword in silence. In the past it was, I'm making war out in the open — “Here's my sword!" It's the opposite of that. I want to make war with a clean heart, which I've tried to do, but I haven't admitted that I was making war.

So those are two mantras that I think are really close to my heart that I want to play the game like that, to hide behind the shield at times and to sharpen the blade in silence and to make war, but with a clean heart and at the same time admitting that I'm making war. So maybe the Tide Walker.

Watch cast members of 'Survivor 50' vote their first players out of the game (exclusive)

On the beach for 'Survivor 50': An exclusive, all-access first look at the biggest season ever

**Have you been studying out of your famous quote book while out here to deliver some confessional gems?**

Man, you better believe it! Listen, I'm not intelligent. I can speak, I'm pretty good with words, but man, I am not smart. But you better believe I'm going to *appear* to be smart and I'm going to get a bunch of quotes ready.

Benjamin "Coach" Wade on 'Survivor: South Pacific'.

Monty Brinton/CBS via Getty

**What's your biggest weakness heading into this game as Coach 4.0?**

One weakness is not being able to read people. I'm so damn good at it in my real life, but out here, I just give people the doubt way too much. And so I'm not going to go off in camp, Tyson told me after *Winners at War*, “Do not go do Tai Chi,” which I will not do. “Do not give nicknames,” which I will. But he said, “Just sit at camp. Don't go off. Let people come to you.”

I've never been good at reading the room because to be honest, Dalton, there's a world out here of which the camera's is on me and I want to perform for it because I'm a performer! So I don't look at the stuff in camp. I've got to get my head out of my ass and look around and see who's talking to who. And these people give you clues all the time.

And what I mean is there's no idol planting. But by golly, if I'm walking this way and the cameraman stops following me, and then I turn back the other way and they start following me, then there must be an idol there. And it kind of dawned on me a little bit with questions that Jeff asked and questions that they're asking me [in confessional interviews].

And I was good at picking up on that a little bit the last time, but if a group of people are talking and they start saying something really strategic, they get swarmed by cameras. But if they are like “Oh, Dalton, let me tell you about my childhood,” the cameras are just like, whatever. So I need to recognize that. And if there are four people talking down to the beach, I got to get in and know what they're doing, not in an intrusive way.

Benjamin "Coach" Wade on 'Survivor: South Pacific'.

Monty Brinton/CBS via Getty

**So how much pre-gaming did you do, Coach? It's a question for all the returning player seasons with everyone DMing and texting and what have you.**

This s--- here [at Ponderosa] wouldn't have flown with some of the old schoolers. They would've been like, “F---this. We're talking.” And then they would've shushed us. It was a war at times. Yesterday, I said out loud to the handler, “Has anybody ever just gone f---ing crazy and just run out of the tent?” We were there for 11 or 12 hours. Man, this is not fun. And I have a hard [time] sitting still anyway.

I feel like I'm about ready to just walk out of the tent. And everybody just had their head down, they're little lambs, and I was looking at everybody. There were times when we were on seasons and me and Boston Rob and Tyson, we'd be like, “F--- that. Open the door. We got to go pee. This is bulls---!” Maybe they are being good, but I know that there's just a lot more networking. So it's like, what are they really doing? Are they obeying the rules? Are they not?

I did do a little pre-gaming. I reached out to Colby, and I just said, “Hey, let's go out there and play honorably.” I had met Jonathan through Mike [Turner] a while back, and I just said, “Let's do it if you want to do it.” So there really wasn't a lot. Cirie followed me one day and I was like, “Hey, what's up, legend”? And she was like, “Yo, Coach, what's up?” And so really, that's kind of the extent of it.

Benjamin "Coach" Wade of 'Survivor 50'.

Scott Duncan/CBS

**Was there a lot of pregaming before *Heroes vs. Villains*? And if so, did it end up matching up to what actually happened when you guys got out there?**

It was a disaster. I didn't play with anybody. I was on the wrong tribe. People can say what they want to about Coach’s game and that I've never really been a good player, but *Heroes vs. Villains* could have been completely different. Pre-game, Colby was wetting himself to play with me. I talked to Rupert. I know that Stephenie was wanting to play with me. I talked to two or three people on that *Heroes* tribe that were desperate like JT, although he was full of s---.

But JT was like, “Coach, it's your time to win, man. Let's get you to the end.” And I don't believe that, but I believe that he was sincere and seeing me as a real person. Tom Westman was another one, He said, “I don't want a pre-game, but by golly, Coach, we see it the same way.” And I hid behind a wall and talked to Rupert. And so there was this huge contingency on the Heroes tribe. And in my deluded mind, I think if I would've been on *Winners at War*, I think that the old school would have looked so much more secure. I think I could have managed a better job than Boston Rob trying to bully everybody into submission.

So I essentially backed the wrong horse. Randy came up to me at the finale of *Tocantins* and said, “If we make an alliance, nobody would know about it.” Tyson flew out to my house and we trained together. But my mistake that I made in *Heroes vs. Villains* is that I always let Tyson do the talking to Courtney, and I let Boston Rob do the talking to Sandra. So this time around, I want to pollinate everybody. Big mistake I did at *Heroes and Villains*. I didn't make that mistake in *South Pacific*, and I won't make that mistake here.

I want to meet people where they're at. I want to take it to the next level. And I've prepared opening introductions for everybody. Almost like when you're that single guy and you're unsure what to say when you're meeting a girl at a club and you've rehearsed a few lines beforehand.

Benjamin "Coach" Wade on 'Survivor 50'.

Robert Voets/CBS

**Hit me with some examples.**

So Kamilla, for example. I just want to tell her thank you. I want to tell her thank you for keeping me relevant and for being that person that's still keeping the hope of the Dragonslayer alive. Joe, I want to tell him thank you for setting the table and preaching about qualities that I hold near and dear to my heart.

Somebody like Mike White, I love it when people say, “Oh, I don't watch *Survivor*.” Neither did I when I first was on the show. So for Mike, “Hey, man, I don't care too much about *The White Lotus*. I'm certainly not trying to be here to get on that show.” Wink, wink, nod, nod. Subconsciously I'd go for cameo, but actually, “Mike, what I am here for is fun and you're the only person out here really that has come out here and been like a kid again and been true to heart and running around just trying to have fun. I want to have fun with you.”

**How do you think the other players here see you?**

I would say that if you would've asked that question 10 years ago, people would've said, it's a bit of a joke, even with *South Pacific*. But I don't think that they're saying that today. And I was at Ben Katzman's apartment in Miami, and Dee and Wendell were there, and Wendell said, “These new-school people love you!” They talk about you in casting. They really revere you.”

Maybe a little bit of it was kissing my ass, but legends aren't made in one season — unless you're walking around with a dragon cane and a fake limp and doing the Exile thing like I did, and calling yourself the Dragonslayer and making up Japanese Samurai proverbs. Maybe you kind of become a legend after one season, but usually it takes two to solidify somebody's legacy. So there's really not a lot of legends out here. I know Jeff loves Cirie and she's cool, but what else is she going to bring this time that she hasn't already? What's Ozzy going to bring that he hasn't? What's Colby going to bring that he hasn't? What's Stephenie going to bring that she hasn't?

I didn't even know which one was Jenna Lewis. I thought that she was Genevieve! I never watched Genevieve play and I don't know Jenna Lewis, so I saw her and I was just like, “Oh, so that's what Genevieve looks like.” And then one day I saw her bag and it said *Jenna*. I'm just like, you moron! So I think that these people are probably not in awe, maybe a *little* in awe. They're like, “It’s really cool that he's out here and I wonder if he's for real or not.” That's probably what they're saying.

**You mentioned some of the people you want to work with. What about the people that you're most wary of?**

I'm having flashbacks of Russell Hantz being at Ponderosa [for *Heroes vs. Villains*], and we didn't know how he played. I am literally to the point of wanting to write notes to people saying, “The 49 people have got to go.” I don't know how they played. I heard that one of them won. They scare me because they have a distinct advantage on us.

They pulled Mike White yesterday from our tent when we were waiting for 11 hours and he left with two other people. And I said: *I'm going to get to the bottom of this because this s--- ain't flying! I don't care who he is! If there's anybody getting special treatment around here, it better be me.* And then they let it slip a little while ago and said, “Oh, by the way, Mike and those people, they went to the other island doing the promo shoot that you guys did yesterday.” And I was like: Okay, crisis averted. But I don't want anybody getting special treatment and [the season 49 players] are getting special treatment inadvertently.

**Is there any part of you that wants to make it to the merge and get voted out and put on the jury so you can start another incredible rock band?**

Come on now. Hell no, man! Listen, I literally take no medication. Okay, well… I brought down here something that's like Valium. I don't know what it's called. It's blood pressure medicine and sleep stuff — just in case I got voted out early and I'm sitting here saying I'm wasting my life away. I might just start swimming in the ocean. I might borrow a kayak from one of these local natives. You better freaking get back here for that. If your Coach gets voted out, you better fly back here. If I see Dalton Ross, I'm getting a kayak. I'm f---ing going, man!

It would be really hard. But I will say this, and wasn't my social media brilliant leading up into this game? People were like, “Doesn't Coach have an NDA? Isn't he signing anything?” I'm like, “F--- that, man! And Jeff was like, “What do you think about being on a legends season?” I said, “Jeff, man, you guys have tried to replicate me so many times. You failed so far off the mark. There's no way that I'm not going to be on this season.” So I was freaking abusing whatever I signed.

But people say all the time, “I will come see you on tour if you are on tour.” And we’re going to work on an album. Ben Katzman can do it in sleep. He can literally play bass, drums, and everything else and we can do a whole different album. I talked to Courtney, she's f---ing down. I don’t know what JT’s doing, but I'm sure he would be down. So dude, we're going to f---ing release it!

If it weren't for me on season 50, it would be dead in the water. I mean, it's crazy that we didn't do more after your article. That was without question my favorite article that I've ever read of anything. It was about me, of course.

***Want to be kept up with all things Survivor? Dig deep and sign up for 's free Survivor Weekly newsletter to have all the latest news, interviews, and commentary sent right to your inbox. ***

**Other *Survivor 50 *deep dive player interviews:***** • Survivor 50* star Ozzy Lusth opens up about hitting 'rock bottom of my life'** • *Survivor 50* star Aubry Bracco opens up about the 'freedom when you fall from grace' ** • Colby Donaldson reacts to playing *Survivor* for the first time without Jerri** • Angelina Keeley refused to do *Survivor 50* unless they gave her a jacket**

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