Tommy Sheehan (Survivor)
Tommy Sheehan (Survivor)
Personal Life
Tommy Sheehan was born in Bayville, New York to a loving and supportive family. His father is a 6 '6, 260 pound powerlifter who used to coach college basketball. His mother was an undercover detective who survived a brain tumor and later became a nurse. [3]
Tommy lives in Long Beach, New York and teaches fourth grade at Floral Park-Bellerose Union Free School in Floral Park. Sheehan is a big fan of surfing and other sports like basketball, volleyball and football. He also collects Disney mugs. His favorite Disney character is Buzz Lightyear. [1][3]
Tommy grew up watching Survivor as a family ritual. He later had the chance to compete on the show and won $1,000,000. Sheehan is an avid traveler, sporting photos from places like Spain and Switzerland on his Instagram. [3]
Tommy Sheehan proposed to his fiance Nicole Badillo on April 30th, 2019.
Education
Tommy Sheehan graduated from SUNY Cortland in Upstate New York and played on the school’s basketball team. [2]
Career
Tommy Sheehan is a dedicated fourth grade teacher at Floral Park-Bellerose Union Free School in Floral Park. He finished his administration program in hopes of becoming a principal or superintendent. [1]
Survivor
Tommy Sheehan grew up with a family ritual of watching Survivor, even getting to stay up past his bedtime to do so. He eventually wound up on the show himself and took home the $1,000,000 prize. His favorite Survivor participant was fellow teacher Ron Clark. Sheehan shared that Clark was a huge inspiration to him: [3]
"Ron Clark has always been an inspiration to me.
All through college, I read his book and watched his movie, and we currently follow his rules.
I have his book on my desk.
When the Edge of Extinction cast was released, I was at work and got a missed call from my girlfriend.
She told me he was on and I was like, “Holy [expletive]!” But I have that same philosophy.
His three things are to make it fun and exciting, high expectations, and have relationships.
That’s what I strive to do.
I want all 23 of those kids to feel like they’re the most loved in the world.
Because you don’t know what’s going on at home.
Every day I go in and not only do I enjoy it, but I embrace the opportunity to change 23 lives."
Tommy shared that even though he is a nice guy, he came to win and his strategy is cutthroat: [3]
"I wasn’t going to come out here if I couldn’t lie, cheat, or steal.
I remember looking at my kids and thinking, “They’d be madder if I didn’t lie, cheat or steal!” It’s a way to show them there are different avenues and ways to look at life.
Growing up, my dad always told me with every sport I played, “You are the nicest guy off the court.
When you step on that line and you’re on the court, give ’em hell.
Once the buzzer rings and the game’s over, you go back.”
That’s how I’m going to play.
Once I step on that sand, I’m going to give them hell, then apologize after."
After being encouraged by friends and family, Tommy put together an audition tape and heard back within an hour of sending it.
Strategy And Victory
Tommy Sheehan won the $1,000,000 prize for lasting through Survivor's 39th season. He beat out the runner-ups Dean Kowalski, Noura Salman, Lauren Beck and Janet Carbin. Sheehan started off rocky, accidentally leading Kowalski to uncover the first immunity idol. He later formed a bond with Carbin, which was dubbed "Tommy and the mommy", however he identified her as a threat and helped remove her from the show. Sheehan won through strategic playing, he convinced other contestants that he couldn't make a fire early on, so when the time for the fire-making challenge came he was prepared. [4]
Records
Tommy is the only contestant since Natalie White to become the Sole Survivor without winning an individual Immunity Challenge or or using a Hidden Immunity Idol. He is the youngest winner in Survivor history and he is also the 5th consecutive male winner in a row. [5]