Survivor: South Pacific - Meet John

Name: John CochranAge: 24Tribe designation: SavaiiCurrent residence: Washington, D.C.Occupation: Harvard Law StudentPersonal claim to fame: I won the Dean's Scholar Prize at Harvard Law for an essay I wrote on the Survivor jury system. It was one of the few times in my life where my personal interests and academic obligations coincided perfectly.Inspiration in life: My family.Hobbies: Guitar, trivia and studying the music and history of The Beatles.Pet peeves: People who think or act like they are smarter than they actually are and people who don’t have a sense of humor.3 words to describe you: Neurotic, insecure and brilliant.Survivor contestant you are most like: I have some of the humor of Rob Cesternino, the candor of Jonathan Penner and the intelligence of Yul Kwon.Reason for being on Survivor: My respect and admiration for Survivor and my desire to make it even better. My secondary motivation is to experience some adventure and excitement in my life during a time when I otherwise feel like I'm on autopilot.Why you think you'll "survive" Survivor: I have a strong sense of humor that can defuse tense situations and an ability to listen to conflicting viewpoints and devise a rational compromise that is satisfying to all parties involved. I also have a slender frame that doesn’t take up much space in a crowded shelter.Why you think you will be the sole Survivor: I understand other people and how they function. Sure, I'm bright and have an extensive knowledge of Survivor, but none of that does any good unless you're able to figure out the reasons why other people do the things they do. Not only can I do that, but I'm also confident that I can leverage their desires and motives in a way that best serves my game.
He's a long time fan of Survivor and he defines himself as a student of the game - someone who knows how to play no matter the circumstances. He admits that winning involves not only how well he plays, but also who he plays with, and if he has the ability to read people, than he will go far. John is obviously smart, an Ivy League law student, but not very athletic. he's fun (I've seen some forum posts he wrote a while back) and I love it that he was involved with Survivor Sucks at one point. I also love it that he doesn't compare himself with David Murphy, who was a douche and made all lawyers look bad.He won't be seen as a threat at the beginning, but depending on the relationships he manages to build with the others and how well he does in challenges, he can either be booted early, as someone who doesn't contribute much to the tribe winning immunity, or be kept around because he's a fun guy who's not perceived as a danger to the others.My take: yey!If he plays like Rob Cesternino and Stephen Fishback, he has my vote of confidence. I love two kinds of men on Survivor: the very athletic ones (like Ozzy or Grant from RI) and the strategic likable guys (with the accent on likable), and he falls in the latter.