S42 Mike Turner

[Whimsy]

CBS bio

Name: Mike Turner
Age: 58
Hometown: Hoboken, NJ
Current Residence: Hoboken, NJ
Occupation: Retired Firefighter

Favorite Hobbies: Working out, sports, and watching great movies

3 Words to Describe You: Loyal, loud and fair

Pet Peeve: People ripping open cereal boxes and leaving them open. People who are late.

What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Easy! Raising my children! I know it’s cliché, but it’s true. I come from the projects, not a very good home life, and I didn’t know how to be a father. But I watched other good fathers, learned and raised two amazing kids and I’m very proud.

What is something we would never know from looking at you? I’m sensitive. I care. I get my feelings hurt. I’m smart (at least I think so). My heart hurts for the less fortunate. I love learning. I’m a straight arrow.

Who is your hero and why? Not sure if I have any heroes, but I have people I looked up to and who taught me about life, how to be a father, a hard worker, honest, and loyal: Capt. Stankiswiez, John O’Brien, Aunt Ruth and Uncle David.

Which past Survivor will you play the game most like? I would love to play like Boston Rob. Not sure it will work out that way but I really believe that I have all the great attributes of all the great players.

Why do you believe you can be the Sole Survivor? I honestly think I can be the final Survivor because I possess all the attributes needed. I’ll be a beast in challenges, a worker in camp, yet I’ll make people believe I’m not a threat until it’s too late. I also have the gift of gab! People will like me (even Jeff).

 

 

[iMonrey]

Quote

Mike was a Firefighter. He had to memorize a lot of technical details regarding fire, safety equipment, life saving techniques and the like and be able to use them in a moments notice. He seems to be a straight shooter with limited filter but he made a career in a hard field that requires a good amount of specific information and knowledge. 

At the top of the first episode, when Vati came back from Tribal, Mike demanded to know why Chantelle wrote down his name. She tried to explain but he kept interrupting her saying he didn't understand why she would write down his name. And she actually said "I'm trying to tell you but you keep interrupting me." And still he interrupted her. 

Just based on what I've seen of him, based on conversations he's had, based on the way he talks, he just doesn't seem that bright to me. And being in a certain profession is not a measure of one's intelligence. That's painting jobs with an overly broad brush. There are good doctors and there a really, really bad doctors, just to name one example. Just because you passed some tests doesn't automatically mean you're smart. Where were those tests taken? They aren't universal everywhere. Some locations just have to fill a number of spots. I guarantee you, there are firefighters that simply aren't very bright, just like in any other profession.

Edited April 15, 2022 by iMonrey

[LadyChatts]

I was more amused by his notion about sticking with Jonathan because the strong men never win anymore.  Since S30, our male winners have been Mike, Jeremy, Adam, Ben, Wendell, Nick, Chris, Tommy, and Tony.  While these might not all be considered strong men in terms of alpha male challenge beasts, most of them are on par with Mike.    

[treeofdreams]

9 minutes ago, LadyChatts said:

I was more amused by his notion about sticking with Jonathan because the strong men never win anymore.  Since S30, our male winners have been Mike, Jeremy, Adam, Ben, Wendell, Nick, Chris, Tommy, and Tony.  While these might not all be considered strong men in terms of alpha male challenge beasts, most of them are on par with Mike.    

During their conversation I was amused that Mike saw himself on the same level as Jonathan/Hercules.  But then I saw them in the challenge, and Mike was pretty impressive for his team, so I forgive him.

[violet and green]

He's fifty-eight. (That's twice Jonathan's age!) Seems pretty strong to me. I find him very likeable.

[ljenkins782]

20 hours ago, treeofdreams said:

During their conversation I was amused that Mike saw himself on the same level as Jonathan/Hercules.  But then I saw them in the challenge, and Mike was pretty impressive for his team, so I forgive him.

That challenge performance was seriously impressive. I was cringing so hard watching people pulling on his legs and arms, I was waiting for a knee to blow out, but they got it done and he seems no worse for wear. I am curious to see Drea's legs after that challenge, it looked like she was just scraping along the ball.

I think Mike's accent hurts him in terms of intelligence perception. It's another stereotype, but that thick NJ/NY accent puts one in mind of a Jersey Shore type lunkhead.

Quote

Pet Peeve: People ripping open cereal boxes and leaving them open. People who are late.

I kind of love him now for this, this is a HUGE pet peeve of mine. Cereal, crackers, etc, in my house, I find the bag ripped open not at the glue sealed part, but like halfway down the bag and just left open to go stale. It makes me crazy and no amount of education seems to get the message across. 

Also, lateness is something that runs in my family, but I also hate it. The only time I'm late is in the morning because I can't get up, any other time of day, I try very hard to be on time and people who don't try get on my nerves. Including my entire extended family.

[treeofdreams]

30 minutes ago, ljenkins782 said:

That challenge performance was seriously impressive.

That was a rough challenge.  I wonder what they would have done if they hadn't had a Hercules and a semi-Hercules on each team, with no one who could do what they did.

[ProfCrash]

4 minutes ago, treeofdreams said:

That was a rough challenge.  I wonder what they would have done if they hadn't had a Hercules and a semi-Hercules on each team, with no one who could do what they did.

They did it last year and I don't think any of the players were even close to Jonathon. Danny was closest to Jonathon but I don't think he was nearly as dominant as Jonathon was.

Mike did a great job and lead his team well. He didn't get down on anyone and looked for solutions that worked. It was a great performance. But the teams last year completed it as well. 

[LadyChatts]

Mike's interview

https://ew.com/tv/survivor-42-mike-turner-finale-interview/

-Lost 32 lbs during the show, but jokes he gained 15 of it back by eating the pizza.  And it was a pineapple pizza, which he says as a Jersey guy you don't eat, but couldn't get enough of it

-Believes he got overconfident and let his guard down after winning fire, thinking he had it.  He does give MaryAnne credit for her FTC performance

-He blames himself for his FTC performance, and says he should have been more prepared.  Didn't expect the line of questioning he got and sounds like it was moving so fast he couldn't keep up or think fast enough for a proper response

-He doesn't really believe that the people who claim they weren't locked in to voting for MaryAnne really weren't going to vote for her, says they may have just raised their hands to look good.  I tend to agree with Mike on that

-He was most surprised not to get Lindsay's vote, and thought he could possibly get Rockroy's and Omar's

-Believes he would have won in a final 3 of Romeo and Jonathan, as he knew Jonathan wouldn't likely get votes from the girls, and Romeo didn't play much of a game

-If Jonathan made it to the final 3 instead of him, he would have gotten his vote.  Said Jonathan was honest with him from the beginning and told him about Omar's nullifier (which also clued him in that Lindsay wasn't being honest with him, either).  Mike says that's why he didn't give her the idol at the final 5, because of honesty

-He knew how to make fire but was purposely trying to hide it because he didn't want people to know he was good at it.  Said at Vati no one knew how to make fire so he had to step up and make it quickly, but said he didn't want to have to be in the position again

-Would also play again in a heartbeat

His take on Omar's lie and finding out about it on TV:

Quote

I spoke with Hai and he said he didn't even know the true depths of Omar's lie to you about Hai saying he was controlling you like a puppet until he saw it on TV. When did you find out and what was your reaction?

I was watching that with my brother and his family, and my wife and kids. It was such a happy moment, my family visit, "Oh, look at my kids, look at this." And then Omar says that, and I go, "Oh, my God! Omar helped me out, he was good to me." And then he goes, "It was a lie." I literally fell over.

Everybody looks at me, I go, "I had no idea." It was shocking. You can get mad at that, or you can run with it and go with it. And I felt to say, "Omar, good move, you made me look very gullible there." But I'd rather be the guy who's gullible and believes in people than to be the guy to question everybody, which I started to [do] after that. I started to question everybody that talked to me, that it was a lie.

So in Survivor, you just have got to be ready for everything. It could have been the truth. Jonathan told me the truth about the nullifier and the Knowledge is Power, which we never heard of before. And I trusted Jonathan because I believed in him, that it was real, and I was right. So it was right to give Omar the idol, because I knew he had to give it back because of the nullifier. So it helped me to believe in people on some hand, but on the other side, it may have hurt me. And that's the beauty of the game though, right?

And finally, here's how Mike explains his FTC angle on integrity and how it went wrong in front of the jury:

Quote

It looked like you went into final Tribal on the integrity platform, and then once the jury kind of called you out on that a little bit that you lost your footing in terms of presenting your case. Did it feel that way to you?

Yeah, that's exactly what happened. Because mentally, I should have been prepared to say, "You're right. Hai can say, 'Oh, you said you're with me, and then you blindside me.' Omar [can go], 'You're my friend, and then you go against me.'" And, in my mind, I had all great reasons why I did. I still think I had to do it. I don't think I would've went to the end unless I took them out. But maybe I shouldn't have based my whole platform strictly on the integrity of it.

Again, we're playing Survivor, so I just maybe misunderstood how they would take it. And I thought they would look at me more as, "Hey, Mike is a guy of integrity, but he's also playing a game." I equate it to when I play poker, if I have a pair of deuces and another guy has a full house, and I bluff him with deuces, he's pissed. Equally, he's pissed at himself too. And he looks at me and says, "I'm really pissed Mike, but I got to say, you got me good." And then we become friends. And maybe that's not how they perceived it. I should have looked at it from their side of the coin.

[ByaNose]

8 hours ago, Brendan Birch said:

What kind of shocks me is that Omar never even admitted after the game was over that he lied about Hai!  I'd think that the cast would've compared all notes after everything was over!

Well, Omar admitted that lie in a confessional. Of course, he said that in front of Lindsay but she was only in jury a day or two and probably didn’t even remember it that far back to even bring it up. Also, Mike was in the Final 3. Unless, Mike brought it up at that final Tribal Council then no one would have known. So if Mike only found out watching it on tv then Omar really kept it on the down low. I think the 29 Day cycle almost helps people out because it’s so rushed and no one has time at Ponderosa to discuss much in between all the drinking and eating. LOL!!!!

[LadyChatts]

I think it just shows that this cast didn't really talk after the season.  Hai admitted he had no idea the extent of Omar's lie until watching it back, so maybe he heard something from Mike, but clearly had no idea what he was talking about (since Omar made the whole thing up).  And if it was explained to Hai, who knows to what extent.  Mike could have simply said 'Omar told me you were out to get me', and Hai denied it.

And several contestants said they had no idea how good of a game Omar was playing until watching it back.  He had the wool pulled over everyone's eyes.