Former NFL coach Jimmy Johnson has reportedly traded the football field sidelines for Survivor's Tribal Council.
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Survivor: Nicaragua -- Survivor's 21st edition -- began filming in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua last month and is the first of two seasons CBS is filming back-to back at the location this summer (the second, which will feature a still unclear format, will air in early 2011).
Given the filming schedule, Johnson's Survivor participation is not expected to interfere with the two-time Super Bowl-winning coach's current position as an NFL analyst for Fox.
Johnson has been with Fox since 1999, when he resigned as Miami Dolphins head coach after four years with the team. Prior to the Dolphins, Johnson also coached the Dallas Cowboys -- whom he won back-to-back Super Bowls with in 1992 and 1993 --from 1989 to 1993.
Survivor: Nicaragua is reportedly not the first time the 67-year-old has attempted to compete on the long-running CBS reality competition.
Last year, the Miami Herald reported that Johnson -- an alleged big Survivor fan -- had been selected to compete on Survivor: Gabon in 2008 but was dropped after he failed a pre-show physical due to blocked arteries.
While Johnson will be the first ex-NFL coach to compete on Survivor, he will not be the first castaway that previously competed in the football league.
In 2005, former NFL quarterback Gary Hogeboom competed on Survivor: Guatemala. Hogeboom -- who claimed he was a landscaper named "Gary Hawkins" and attempted to keep his NFL career secret but was immediately recognized by some of his fellow castaways -- finished seventh and survived 30 days in the competition.
Hogeboom was drafted by the Cowboys in 1980 and played ten years with the Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts, Phoenix Cardinals, and Washington Redskins.
In addition, Tamara "Taj" Johnson-George, the wife of retired NFL star Eddie George, competed on Survivor: Tocantins, which filmed in late 2008 and aired in early 2009. She finished fourth and survived 37 days in the game, resulting in George visiting his wife -- who had disclosed his identity to the rest of the cast early in the competition -- during the season's traditional "loved ones" reward challenge.
Survivor: Nicaragua will air Wednesdays at 8PM ET/PT this fall (a change from its longtime Thursday time period).
About The Author: Steven Rogers
