S31: Terry Deitz

[Jersey Guy 87]

I read that Terry said there was a limit as to how much they could say while cameras were rolling because of HIPAA laws.  Not sure if it was because Danny's doctor couldn't tell Jeff much because of HIPAA, and therefore Jeff didn't have any details for Terry, or if Jeff did know, but they couldn't talk about it on camera without Danny's or Terry's written permission.

 

Danny's doctor couldn't tell anything to Jeff/Survivor without express permission.  Trish, on the other hand, could tell Jeff/Survivor whatever she wanted.  If Jeff had information there's no law that would stop him from saying anything he wanted to Terry - Jeff is not a medical professional and therefore he's not bound by HIPAA regulations.

 

That said, I'm sure Terry's wife said very little other than there's an emergency, Danny is in the hospital, Terry needs to come home.  And that was more than enough to get Terry to come home.  The other details could be provided after Terry had left Survivor and no longer had a camera crew following him.  That's certainly how I would like to think I would have handled it if I were in a similar position.  Also, if I were CBS I would have told Jeff to not say a word beyond the bare minimum if they did have more information.  While they are not bound by HIPAA* they showed good instincts in how to behave responsibly and ethically.

*As an example, Jason Pierre-Paul of the New York Giants blew his finger off on July 4th with fireworks.  A reporter for ESPN tweeted or posted (I forget which) his medical chart from the hospital.  The reporter did not violate any HIPAA regulations because he was not a medical professional.  Whoever provided him with the details almost certainly did (unless it was JPP who provided the info).  Although the reporter didn't break any laws he did catch considerable grief for posting a picture of the medical chart and later agreed that he shouldn't have ethically done that.

Terry saying that HIPAA prevented

[Hera]

I think the lack his questioning might have been due to his pilot training. During an emergency pilots are taught to cut any chatter and deal only with the immediate -- salient information only. For Terry, the salient information was both his wife and he doctor said come home. Other information could be relayed later. Probably knowing his son had been feeling under the weather was enough. Think how many times you've heard pilots sound calm and composed under intense pressure. It's a learned response to emergency. That is how I took Terry's demeanor during his leave taking.

Interesting; I didn't know this. I think the others didn't question as much as they might have because it was so late—it seemed like they were all sleeping and Probst had to wake them up. Plus, if something is serious enough to pull someone out of the game, but none of the key players (Jeff, Terry, and whatever producers are around) is offering details, I think most people would feel awkward asking for them, even if you manage to wonder about them while in a groggy haze.

[Nashville]

Danny's doctor couldn't tell anything to Jeff/Survivor without express permission.  Trish, on the other hand, could tell Jeff/Survivor whatever she wanted.  If Jeff had information there's no law that would stop him from saying anything he wanted to Terry - Jeff is not a medical professional and therefore he's not bound by HIPAA regulations.

 

That said, I'm sure Terry's wife said very little other than there's an emergency, Danny is in the hospital, Terry needs to come home.  And that was more than enough to get Terry to come home.  The other details could be provided after Terry had left Survivor and no longer had a camera crew following him.  That's certainly how I would like to think I would have handled it if I were in a similar position.  Also, if I were CBS I would have told Jeff to not say a word beyond the bare minimum if they did have more information.  While they are not bound by HIPAA* they showed good instincts in how to behave responsibly and ethically.

True to all the above - especially the part I bolded. Never mind doctors, Production, Probst, etc. - if HIS WIFE is telling him an issue with HIS CHILD is serious enough for him to pull out, better believe Terry's knocking Jeff out of the way to get on that boat doubleplusquick.

[Vicky8675309]

I don't understand all the dislike for Terry. IIRC he is doesn't lie (not in Panama and I don't think he has this season) so I'm not sure why people are doubting him.

I get that he may not play the best social game (season 12) but I don't think he was that inept the first time around. Aras's tribe was just really tight and Terry had already shown himself to be a threat in challenges. Sure he could have played a better social game but it wasn't horrible. Overall he didn't try to ruffle feathers and downplayed some of the rewards. He was in the numbers minority, couldn't effectively sway the other tribe members (probably because he refused to lie), dominated in challenges…great underdog story just like Mike from last year. Hell, he made it to #3 and would have won if he had made it to F2 (if Danielle hasn't gone back on her promise).

IMO, in Panama he didn't come off as misogynistic. Instead he seems logical and tried to align with people who were showing cracks in their alliance. Also pre-merge he tried to keep his tribe strong which lead to some of the weaker women being voted out. I just finished re-watching S12 Panama/Exile Island and didn't see any sexist comments/behavior except maybe when giving examples of treating women right he used flight attendants (or stewardess) as an example but even that isn't sexist since men and women can be flight attendants and he probably picked that example because that is who he interacts with at work (he's a pilot). I really doubt he has issues with women pilots. He could have used them as an example but he probably interacts more with his crew, hence the use of flight attendants as examples of women he treats correctly.

Anyway, Aras is a bitch! out of his tribe I only liked Circe (Shane could be entertaining but I didn't "like" him).

I liked Terry again this season and I'm glad his son is doing well. What a good looking kid!

Edited November 1, 2015 by Vicky8675309

[LadyChatts]

I always found Terry arrogant, and not as great at this game as he apparently thinks he is (I fully believe he just took it for granted that Ta'Keo would either keep winning or would keep him over Kelley).  I don't believe his strategy during Panama was all that great, especially since he was keeping the weaker Ruth Marie and Dan around over a stronger girl like Misty.  He got lucky with both the immunity run and having the idol.

[ByaNose]

I don't think he got lucky in his II run. The dude was a challenge beast & awesome shape. That's why I liked him. He was such a challenge competitor and never gave up. Granted, he did whine during the Final 5 Challenge (I think it was then) but all in all I thought he was & is awesome. Personally, I was really bumbed that I didn't get to see him get all greased up during the slip n slide challenge. Yes, I'm 13 years old. Tee-Hee!!!!

[fishcakes]

Arrogant is how I most often hear Terry described, but I've always been puzzled by that. I think Terry's kind of a clod, but he never seemed that arrogant to me. When I think of arrogant players, I'm more likely to think of Russell, Sophie, Tyson his first season, Coach his first and third seasons, Corrine, Ami, Savage, James after his China season, and probably half of the Nicaragua and Worlds Apart casts -- players who are  openly dismissive of or even outright nasty to those they don't like or think they don't need. And then to a lesser degree, people like Hatch, Lex, Shii Ann, Stephenie, and Rupert, who are mostly pretty nice to everyone, but who have a way overinflated sense of how good they are at Survivor. Honestly, I don't think Terry was even the most arrogant person in Panama; that would have been Aras, who told the two older, out-of-shape women that one of them was getting voted out at the next TC and he didn't care which one because they were both equally useless. Fortunately for him, it was Melinda voted out instead of Cirie, whose coattails Aras rode all the way to FTC and a win. Even Bob Dog and Shane were more full of themselves than Terry was, but Shane was entertainingly crazy and Bob Dog irritated the crap out of Courtney and Danielle, which made them both fan favorites.

Edited November 2, 2015 by fishcakes

[BigRedCheese]

 

I don't think Terry was even the most arrogant person in Panama; that would have been Aras

 

I agree with that, I think out of most of the people in Panama, Terry was the most likable, except maybe for Bruce, Aras has always seemed like a jerk to me. I know Cirie is popular, but I never really cared for her, she just kind of rubs me the wrong way.

 

I also don't think his immunity run can be called luck.

[ByaNose]

Aras also said he (Aras) was a jerk & it was the rilvary between him and Terry that made him popular. Aras said he was actually a boring winner & the Terry storyline made Panama more memorable. It's too bad Terry left the game. I was really hoping to see him play with Vytas & compete against Savage. I just wonder how it would have played out. Unfortunately, we'll never know.

[kikaha]

 It's too bad Terry left the game. I was really hoping to see him play with Vytas & compete against Savage. I just wonder how it would have played out.

Especially since he looked like a lock to make merge, in a wild, free-wheeling game where the alliances made till now may not matter much, and which is filled with other great challenge players.  This post-merge looks to be the most competitive from a challenge standpoint in Survivor history.  That actually should be good news for the challenge beasts.  No one of them stands out, for the others to gang up on, target and clip as soon as he/she loses. 

 

But as you said, we'll never know. 

[NutMeg]

I found him arrogant the first time because he never ever considered that he would not be the last one on his tribe, and he seem to expect his tribe mates to just bow to his awesomeness and let themselves be voted off just so he could win it all. Which is why it probably never entered his mind that instead of relying of his challenge strenghts, he could use his II to save one from his tribe and destabilise Casaya.

 

Same thing happened this season - he seemed truly convinced his position was going strong while all the other tribe mates were allying and he was the odd man out. So different an attitude from that of his tribe the first season, when they were happy to sacrifice themselves...

 

But to be fair, I owe a lot to Terry and his tribe in EI - if he had played a cleverer game, if they had not been sheep happy to walk (run?) to slaughter, I'd have seen less of Casaya, which to this day remains one of my favorites tribes ever, it was such a fun mix of oddball personalities who somewhat worked extremely well together when it counted, spend their time viciously arguing most of the rest of the time, and seemed real people rather that screen time hogs, each and every one of them.

 

Then again, maybe I don't like Terry because HE was the screen hog that season. Not his fault, I know. But he got shoved down my throat when I wanted more of Casaya, damnit!  

[peachmangosteen]

players who are  openly dismissive of or even outright nasty to those they don't like or think they don't need.

 

I think this basically describes Terry tbh. He actually told Kelley and PG they could be at the bottom of his alliance!

 

He seems almost like cluelessly arrogant to me. Like he doesn't even understand that acting like everyone should just let you win is arrogance.

[fishcakes]

Telling Kelley and Peih Gee they'd be number six and seven or whatever it was, again seems more cloddish than arrogant to me. He did the same thing with Cirie when he invited her to join his alliance and relax for the next however many days it was until all of her current allies had been voted out. He didn't specifically say, "and then you'll go," but obviously that was the plan. I think that's him being stupid, but I don't see arrogance there.

 

Like he doesn't even understand that acting like everyone should just let you win is arrogance.

 

This is what I'm not seeing. I have seen that with other players. Rupert, for example, who literally cannot grasp the idea of anyone wanting to vote him out; Nurse John in Marquesas who gave that hilarious TH about how Paschal was a great guy because he was really supporting John's success in the game; and Lex in both his seasons who flipped the fuck out every time he got a vote. But, in Panama at least, Terry understood that people were gunning for him and that he'd have to fight to win; I didn't see him act like anyone should lie down and let him win. Even his ham-handed attempt to get Cirie to flip seemed to be based on his mistaken belief that she was at the bottom of her alliance. And we didn't see very much of his game this season, except his acknowledgment that his social game was crap and that he'd need to change that. I think he was mistaken all along about being safe this season, but I genuinely don't see why that's arrogant instead of just being wrong. Pretty much everyone who's in an alliance but gets voted out has been wrong about how safe they were.

[Guest]

I never saw much arrogance with him, either.   And that's a little surprising because I know several pilots and I think they often do run arrogant.  He seemed especially down-to-earth getting the news about his evacuation.  I'm not arrogant but I think if Jeff suggested we film a scene with me telling my tribemates I was leaving under conditions like Terry's, I'd be tempted to say, "Fuck that.  You tell them however you want later.  Right now get me moving and to a phone."

[choclatechip45]

I find Terry very arrogant he talks down to people and comes across that he thinks he's better than everyone else.

[ProfCrash]

Read the following post as a break down of a specific stereotype which I find applies to Terry. There are massive generalizations below. Knowing that before you read will probably help.

 

Terry is an Alpha Male who plays the game like an Alpha Male. I tend to find their games boring. There is an air of entitlement, "I am providing food, I win challenges, and I can do all this so you must respect me." which drives me nuts. I tend to find that the Alphas rarely have great social skills or strategic sense, which describes Terry.

 

Terry and Andrew are the opposite of Stephen and don't understand the Stephen's of Survivor. They expect that their muscles and challenge prowess will guarantee their safety so they come across as condescending and arrogant. They have no clue how someone like Stephen can play the game because he is not good at challenges and they see the strategic element as being shady and dishonorable.

 

And they come off as dismissive. We didn't see Terry's comments to Kelley and Peih Gee but we know from a series of interviews that they happened. And it sounds like the way that it happened was not exactly smooth.

 

It is not that the Alphas are bad people but that they are used to getting things their way. They tend to be the past athletes who have stayed in great shape and are good looking so that life has probably been a little easier for them. They don't seem to understand the value of other folks who are not great athletes and good looking and have probably had to work harder for what they have.

 

And the show loves them and hawks them because it is what they think the viewers want. So nerdy, smart Stephen is portrayed as inept at challenges and over strategizing, probably fairly, but it is with comical music and clearly portraying him as failing. Andrew and Terry get magical music as they go out and do their thing. They are providers and gatherers and are carrying their tribes. Jeremy can provide young, nerdy, naive Spencer with life advice and comes off as noble. It is ok for Jeremy, an Alpha, to fool Stephen with the idol chase. You can bet that if Stephen had done the same thing to Jeremy there would have been evil, mustache twirling music behind him.

 

So Terry was portrayed as being naive and caught off guard by the strategic element of the game as he nobly provided food and challenge muscle for his tribe. They ignored the massive social blunders that helped put him at the bottom of the tribe in favor of showing the one time he did something smart, comforting Abi. Even that was prodded by Jeff, but we didn't see that.

 

And that is why the Terry and Andrew's of the game annoy me. They are nice enough guys and seem to be upright citizens but they are portrayed as freaking Captain America in all of his glory while the show goes out of its way to turn the nerds into blundering idiots.

[fishcakes]

And that is why the Terry and Andrew's of the game annoy me. They are nice enough guys and seem to be upright citizens but they are portrayed as freaking Captain America in all of his glory while the show goes out of its way to turn the nerds into blundering idiots.

 

See, to me, Terry (and Savage for that matter) have been the ones portrayed as blundering idiots, probably because when it comes to Survivor, that's what they are. Someone like Stephen and first-season Cochran have also gotten the fool edit, but in a different way. Stephen and Cochran are portrayed as physically inept but mostly strategically sound and Terry and Savage are portrayed as the exact opposite: good in challenges, strategy nitwits.

 

But I'm going to stop litigating this now before someone says, "what are you, his wife?" because I really don't love Terry or even care about him particularly; it's just that the general perception of him is so far off from my own that I don't even disagree with it -- I simply don't see it.

[Guest]

Same here.

 

Andrew and Terry get magical music as they go out and do their thing.

 

I know what you mean in general but the most hero-like music this season is backing nerdy old Spencer.  Even Stephen commented on it.

https://twitter.com/stephenfishbach/status/656989710666047488

Kimmi catches 3 giant clams. No music. Spencer spears a minnow and we break out the London Symphony Orchestra.

 

[ProfCrash]

I think they were nice to Terry this season because he is an Alpha and because of Danny. They knew he was going to be pulled for all the right reasons so there was no desire to show bad game play although they hinted at his cluelessness.

 

Terry got a more nuanced edit this season, he was the provider, challenge beast who was learning to get along with others but who was on the outside and didn't seem to really know that. He needed Jeff V to shock him into playing after the first tribal. I think he knew he was in trouble on Ta Kao 2 because he was outnumbered by Bayon 1 folks. I don't think he had the slightest clue how they had embraced Kelley or that he was going home at the next tribal.

 

We didn't see his awful game play on the first three days. We really don't know what he was doing at Ta Kao 2 other then fishing and enjoying the water sports. We didn't see how he was being guided by Jeff V. We didn't see what he was doing at Ta Kao 2 to try and save himself, other then fish.

 

We saw Spencer and Shirin get their comeuppance for their poor social play. Woo got to school them for christ sake. Abi got to school them. We see Stephen bumbling around with the physical and social game. Hell, both Stephen and Spencer have cried over how unhappy they are with their positions in the game. Nerds = inept and weepy. Terry made similarly poor social moves and could have been in trouble because of them but we don't see that.

 

I think the show tries to show them as successful and a subset of the audience laughs at the blatant editing. Andrew's Story about his wife, Terry happy to comfort Abi are great examples. We see through them but a lot of folks don't. And those moments are then framed with the great challenge moments and providing at camp moments.

 

It is insanely blatant product placement and it drives me crazy.

[Guest]

What do you mean by product placement?  That they're showing the good-looking alpha males in a more positive light?  

 

I thought they showed both Terry and Andrew in poor lights at various points this season.  Andrew looked maybe a little sweet with the love story but also kind of clueless and entitled and all his ranting about Stephen just made him look like a douche.  Terry looked like a bumbler crowing about his safe, comfy position as provider while his alliance reformed virtually without him.  

 

I think Jeremy and Joe ARE getting sweetheart alpha edits, though.  But maybe they're playing that nicely and that well, who knows.  

 

And I don't feel like they're ignoring the women.  We've seen Abi, Kass, Tasha, Kelley, Kimmi... some of them even in positive circumstances.  Kass is either being very sweet and calm overall or getting a lovely edit.  

Edited November 2, 2015 by Guest

[NutMeg]

I thought they showed both Terry and Andrew in poor lights at various points this season.  Andrew looked maybe a little sweet with the love story but also kind of clueless and entitled and all his ranting about Stephen just made him look like a douche.  Terry looked like a bumbler crowing about his safe, comfy position as provider while his alliance reformed virtually without him.

Sure, I'm with you and I get it. But the casual viewers buys into the edit and see it as Andrew, such a sweetheart, Stephen, why is he there, Terry, oh poor Terry, they're planning to blindside him! Surely he can and will prevail!

 

I seem to be making fun but of course I'm as much a victim of editing, but trying to interpret ii in a meta way, which can be both fun and rewarding (Sandra hasn't been shown much yet, maybe she'll go far?) or not (Siera? - from a recent seas? - hasn't been shown much yet, maybe she'll go far -and then one season later I'm not even sure what her name was).  

 

ETA: Funnily enough, I was a huge fan of Tom on Palau, who Terry has been compared to often. Was I just young(er) and naive or was there really something about Tom that I couldn't help but admire and be moved by? thinking back, I think Tom really saw people as fully formed individuals, and embraced them as such, while Terry sees them maybe as props? which is ironic, because people who knew Tom almost unanimously voted as mindless props, while I'still not convinced that would have been the case for Terry, had he reached FTC, despite all the later statements - there just never was THAT vibe.   

 

or maybe I'm just shallow (which should be a badge of honour here, really, seeing as it's the last name of one of the best players ever), and have always seen Tom as pretty hot but Terry not so much. YMMV etc., I know.

Edited November 2, 2015 by NutMeg

[Bryce Smith]

I think the reason that alpha males usually got positive edits is because of Colby during his Australian Outback run.  Colby was the original male challenge beast, a good strategist, and a great provider for his tribe, and so much of America was in awe of him.  So perhaps the show and its editors keep hoping to find the next Colby-like alpha male.  Who knows?  That's probably how they saw Terry in Exile Island (even though he was clearly nothing like Colby -- at least his strategies succeeded).

 

Of course, yes, there are also the Tom comparisons.  Terry was brought on so soon after Tom that he has been compared to him.  But yeah, Tom had way more strategic sense than Terry did.  He just came across as the strategic dunce he actually was.

Edited November 2, 2015 by Bryce Smith

[ProfCrash]

I think they get the good edits because it is easier for most people to relate to the people who are able to win challenges, provide for their tribe, and are genrelly good looking. There are a good number of people who do not understand strategy or the social game and who get miffed when someone wins with guile and strategy and not muscles. From a Production stand point, it is a lot easier to show the competition beasts and people fishing then it is to show Sandra's game.

 

And let's face it, society as a whole tends to know and understand what to expect from the star athletes. We are encouraged to root for them, buy their jerseys, and seem to accept that they will make millions of dollars for playing a sport. Is it s surprise that the people whole look closest to a professional athlete tend to be popular and well liked?

 

Far fewer people will appreciate the strategy and manipulation that goes into Survivor. The lying and backstabbing is something that we discourage in society. People like it when the good, honorable, upstanding, competition beast does well in the game.

 

Again, a series of generalizations but the various roles that exist on Survivor are real and they exist for a reason. Terry and Andrew fit into that Alpha role very nicely. They have their flaws, and we are seeing more of them this season then we did in their first season, but they fill that All-American, star athlete, guy who has it all role and lots of folks love it.

[Guest]

Terry never bothered me but I didn't like Tom Westman.  I feel like his manipulation of Ian, who kind of looked up to him, was over the line.  He didn't have to suggest Ian take a dive as some move of honor.  I thought that was chickenshit of Tom.  

[ByaNose]

Just thinking of Tery today reading the other heads. I have no idea why what but I was. Anyway, the one thing I really missed and was hoping to see more of was challenge beast Terry on Second Chances. We got to see a small glimpse during the Hero Challenge with Jeremy & Savage. There were so many individual challenges that came down between Joe & Keith. How would have Terry done? Granted, Terry could have been voted out before or at the merge but I wonder and think woulda, coulda & shoulda. LOL!!!

[seacliffsal]

I was concerned when I saw there had been a recent posting in Terry's thread. I thought maybe something happened to Danny. So relieved to see that's not the case. Just goes to show how much we can care about people we've never met but have watched on t.v. I hope that Terry and his family had a joyful Christmas and that you all have been having happy holidays.

[ByaNose]

I never thought that this might freak someone out. Sorry 'bout that. I'm glad everything is okay with Terry & his son. It's so crazy how it all went down and how it played out on Survivor. All of it was off screen at home and yet a few minutes of Jeff & Terry spoke volumes. The power of television.

[Star Aristille]

Terry's cousin, soap actor Mark LaMura, who played Mark Dalton on ABC's All My Children, has died.  Former co-star Susan Lucci announced it here on her Instagram.

I've never liked Terry.  But if he's heard, I wish him and his family all of my condolences.