Portrait of Coach Wade

Coach Wade

You, my friend, are the dragon, and I am the dragon slayer. Survivor 18, E9
Legend

Played on

112 days played

Game record

Vote alignment74%of 27 ballots

62nd percentile of 423 castaways

Immunity record2career immunity wins

88th percentile of 751 castaways

Jury vote share33%of 9 jury votes

54th percentile of 125 finalists

Occupation at casting Soccer Coach/Musician Hometown Susanville, California

Played with 68 castaways across 4 seasons See every connection ↓

Wade has shared a beach with sixty-eight castaways, more than all but five players in the show's history.

Biography

Benjamin "Coach" Wade, the self-proclaimed "Dragon Slayer," is one of Survivor's most colorful and quotable characters. Debuting on Survivor: Tocantins (Season 18) with tall tales of jungle adventures, the eccentric soccer coach became an instant lightning rod, then evolved across appearances on Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains (Season 20) and Survivor: South Pacific (Season 23).

On South Pacific, Coach reinvented himself as a loyalty-preaching leader and reached the final Tribal Council, finishing runner-up. His fourth appearance came on Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans, where he reached the jury and placed twelfth; he did not compete on Winners at War.

Grandiose and theatrical, Benjamin Wade is a four-time player whose "Dragon Slayer" mythology made him one of the show's most enduring characters.

Get to know Coach Wade

Born in Knoxville, Tennessee The hometown on their cast bio, Susanville, California, is where they were living when they were picked for the show.

Coach Wade's own answers from the pre-game cast profile CBS published before the season aired.

Claim to fame
Holding the World's Record for "Longest solo kayak trip 6,132 miles."
Inspiration
"Composing classical music for the Susanville Symphony."

Alliances fans have named

Survivor never names an alliance on screen. These names, and who counts as a member, are how the fan community records the game rather than an official record of it.

Birthplace, pre-game profile and alliance facts adapted from Survivor Fandom and Wikipedia, retrieved 2026-07-21. Licensed CC BY-SA.

Fan poll Players

Survivor Hall of Fame: is Benjamin Wade in or out?

Tap to vote and see what fans think

Seasons

Season Result Days Tribes Votes against Confessionals
Tocantins Season 18, 2009 11th voted out Timbira Forza 6 58
Heroes vs. Villains Season 20, 2010 9th voted out Villains 4 32
South Pacific Season 23, 2011 Upolu Te Tuna 0 78
In the Hands of the Fans Season 50, 2026 12th voted out Kalo Mergatory Manulevu 11 29

Castaway network

Coach Wade’s connections

The strongest overlaps are surfaced first; every castmate is organized by season below.

68
castaway connections
41
tribemates
6
repeat castmates
12
winners

Connections worth exploring

Repeat pairings, other-show overlaps, tribe overlap, winners and Survivor veterans rise to the top.

Survivor 18 & 20

J.T. Thomas

3 Survivor seasons

2 seasons together Winner

Every castaway, by season

Open a season for the complete cast list and the context behind each connection.

Tocantins Season 18, 2009 15 castaways 2 winners 3 returning players View cast

Explore the full Tocantins cast →

Heroes vs. Villains Season 20, 2010 19 castaways 6 winners 19 returning players View cast

Explore the full Heroes vs. Villains cast →

South Pacific Season 23, 2011 17 castaways 2 winners 5 returning players View cast

Explore the full South Pacific cast →

In the Hands of the Fans Season 50, 2026 23 castaways 4 winners 23 returning players View cast

Explore the full In the Hands of the Fans cast →

Explore Coach Wade in the graph → Find a path from Coach Wade Show me another castaway