Rupert Boneham

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Survivor contestant
Rupert Boneham
Date of birth January 7, 1964 (1964-01-07) (age 44)
Resides Indianapolis, IN
Season(s) Pearl Islands, All-Stars
Finish 9th voted out (Pearl Islands), 4th place (All-Stars)
Tribe(s) Drake, Balboa (Pearl Islands), Saboga, Chapera, Mogo Mogo, Chaboga Mogo (All-Stars)


Rupert Boneham (born January 7, 1964) was a contestant on Survivor: Pearl Islands and Survivor: All-Stars, who subsequently became one of the most known stars of reality television. He was given one million dollars on Survivor: America's Tribal Council which was a special episode of Survivor: All-Stars. The prize was awarded after a popular vote in which Boneham received 85% of the votes cast for the Survivors.

During the game of Survivor: Pearl Islands, Rupert quickly became one of the most popular Survivor contestants, and was well-known for his huge beard, tie-dye shirt and size. Boneham's flawed strategy of providing food and expecting no one to vote for him earned him eighth place in Pearl Islands. Rupert remained more low-key during the "All-Star" season where he placed fourth.

Although popular, Rupert has had issues with rage on the television show. In one instance, when tribemates Jon Dalton and Trish Dunn attempted to vote him out, he verbally abused Jon and even put his hands around Jon's neck, barely being able to control himself with anger. In another, during Survivor: All-Stars, he got into a major argument with tribemate Jerri Manthey, who disagreed about digging into the beach to build a shelter for a challenge. Rupert refused to compromise, saying that Jerri did not know what she was talking about and that he had been building houses for years. As a result, the tribe lost the challenge and the shelter was filled with water during a storm. Rupert also belittled and ridiculed Sue Hawk, who felt vulnerable after a run-in with Richard Hatch at a previous challenge.

Born in Detroit, Michigan, he moved to Indiana at a young age. He attended Haworth High School in Kokomo, Indiana. After graduation, he moved to Texas to study nursing at Cisco Junior College and Angelo State University.

Boneham lives in Indianapolis, Indiana with his wife Laura and daughter Raya. Prior to appearing in Survivor, he worked as a mentor for troubled teens. He has previously worked as a gravedigger and bartender. His hobbies include scuba diving, camping, and coin collecting. His favorite sport is racquetball. In 2003, Boneham worked for ABC Sports as a camera crew assistant at the Indianapolis 500. Since his appearance on Survivor, Boneham has been a regular guest for the Indianapolis 500 pre-race ceremonies.

Boneham used his winnings to buy a home, set up a college fund for his daughter, pay off his and his mother's debts, and start Rupert's Kids, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping troubled teens, especially those mired in the juvenile court system. Since All-Stars ended, he has appeared in promotions for local Indiana businesses as well as national promos for Survivor: Vanuatu.

In 2006, Rupert appeared in the independent movie, Open Mic'rs. Rupert is a frequent guest on the Bob and Tom Show – also done in Indianapolis – and is considered a "friend of the show". He has also done commercial work recently.

[edit] Quotes

  • "I will never give up, I will never surrender, I will never admit defeat."
  • "So much for my dreams..." (confessional when voted out of Survivor: Pearl Islands)
  • "I portray a very strong and independent person. But in my head I'm that fat little terrified kid that was picked on in school all his life."
  • "When I was done with my little stint at 27 days and I had 12 days on the jury, I realized that I didn't have to be that scared little kid anymore. I realized that I didn't need to go back to the people that didn't appreciate me as much. My safety zone was opening up a little wider. I could accept people taking me as ok. This was a great journey."
  • "Throwing a challenge is the stupidest thing Drake could ever do." This is a reference to a decision made by Burton Roberts to throw an immunity challenge to rid himself of a perceived troublemaker. The end result was that he was eliminated, Rupert was chosen to spend time at the opponents' camp, and the tribe lost two more immunity challenges to pull even with the opposition at five players each.
  • "Pirates pillage...pirates steal." (confessional after stealing opposing tribe's shoes in a raft)

[edit] Survivor firsts

Rupert was the first Survivor from Indiana, the first Survivor to appear in two back-to-back seasons, and the first to appear in two seasons filmed in the same location (seasons 7 and 8 were both filmed in the Pearl Islands in Panama).

In the All-Stars season, he was the only player from Pearl Islands to be included, and he was the first (and as of 2007, the only) player to win a $1 million prize without winning the show.

[edit] External links