S10: Palau
S20: Heroes vs. VillainsChallenges: MPF percentile
97%
Seasons: 2 | Days: 53 | Wins: 1 | Jury: 0
- Survivor 10: Palau (2005) - Winner, six jury votes.
- Received six jury votes to win (6-1) in Episode 14, "The Ultimate Shock" (Day 39).
- Survivor 20: Heroes vs. Villains (2010) - 16th place, 5th out.
- Voted out in Episode 5, "Knights of the Round Table" (Day 14).
Tom Westman on social media: None found
| Challenge stats | Tribal council stats | Jury stats | Overall stats | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | ChW | ChA | ChW% | VFB | VAP | TCA | TC% | wTCR | JVF | TotJ | JV% | SurvSc | SurvAv |
| S10: Palau | 6.66 | 13.60 | 0.49 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 0.86 | 6.00 | 6 | 7 | 0.86 | 2.20 | 17.81 |
| S20: Heroes vs. Villains | 0.23 | 1.03 | 0.22 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 0.46 | 1.56 | - | - | - | 0.68 | 1.78 |
| Career | 6.89 | 14.62 | 0.47 | 8 | 5 | 11 | 0.72 | 4.38 | 6 | 7 | 0.86 | 1.62 | 10.40 |
Tom Westman - Performance ranks
Tribal: VFB% percentile
87%
Tribal: rVAP percentile
92%
Challenges: MPF percentile
NA
Tribal: VFB% percentile
46%
Tribal: rVAP percentile
40%
Performance ranks are a quick visual measure of the contestant's season vs. historical data from all prior contestants, in three basic (scorable) categories:
1. Performance in individual challenges (MPF), as a measure of "physical game";
2. Ability to vote people out consistently (VFB%, or VFB/TCA), or "strategic game"; and
3. Ability to avoid being voted against (rVAP, or TCA-VAP) - which scales better than a percentage would - for "social/strategic game."
See also: Full glossary for all these abbreviations.
Tom Westman - Challenge record
Tribal/team challenge record (8-for-15; 4 sit-outs):
- Palau Ep. 1 RC/IC: "Supply Dump" - Crosses obstacles, paddles, and Koror wins.
- Palau Ep. 2 RC: "Gauntlet Dash" - Swings the sandbags, but Koror loses, 10-3.
- Palau Ep. 2 IC: "Heads Up" - Dives, hauls the crate, helps with the puzzle; Koror wins.
- Palau Ep. 3 RC: "By Any Means Necessary" - Loses vs. Jeff; Koror loses big.
- Palau Ep. 3 IC: "Hot Pursuit" - Stays in until the end, and Koror wins.
- Palau Ep. 4 RC: "Build a Better Bathroom" - Koror does indeed, and wins a shelter.
- Palau Ep. 4 IC: "Sumo at Sea" - Scores twice vs. Bobby Jon; Koror wins, 6-5.
- Palau Ep. 5 IC: "Sea Salvage" - Retrieves a bottle, pulls the rope, and Koror wins.
- Palau Ep. 6 RC: "Shooting Gallery" - Hits on one shot, but Koror loses, 8-7.
- Palau Ep. 6 IC: "Build It Up, Break It Down" - Sits out, as Koror wins.
- Palau Ep. 7 RC: "SOS" - Sits out, as Koror wins again.
- Palau Ep. 7 IC: "Sea Stars" - Sits out a third straight time, Koror keeps winning.
- Palau Ep. 8 RC: "Cool Hand Balut" - Beats Bobby Jon in balut-eating finals, Koror wins.
- Palau Ep. 8 IC: "Under Current" - Sits out, as Koror wins again.
- Palau Ep. 10 RC: "Water Tower" - Carries and builds the tower; light-green team wins.
Individual challenge record (5-for-10): (Mean % finish: 81.6%)
- Palau Ep.1 ind. IC: Middle of the pack, but ahead of Jonathan (tie-2nd/10).
- Palau Ep. 9 IC: "Perch" - Lasts over three hours, and Tom wins (1st/9).
- Palau Ep. 10 IC: "Last Gasp" - Holds on for over an hour; Tom wins (1st/8).
- Palau Ep. 11 IC: "Kamikaze" - Breaks two of his own tiles, has one broken (tie-2nd/7).
- Palau Ep. 12 RC: "First Quencher Q&A" - Second person eliminated (5th/6).
- Palau Ep. 12 IC: "Second Chance" - Loses to Ian in the final round (2nd/6).
- Palau Ep. 13 RC: "Raft Rally" - Gets all 5 bags, but not fast enough (2nd/5).
- Palau Ep. 13 IC: "R.A.M." - A few wrong answer checks, but Tom wins (1st/5).
- Palau Ep. 14 F4 IC: "Tower of Domination" - Gets the right combo; Tom wins (1st/4).
- Palau Ep. 14 F3 IC: "Bob-Bob-Buoy" - Lasts 11 hrs, 55 min. before Ian cuts a deal and steps down, and Tom wins (1st/3).
Hero challenge/ duel record: (0-for-0)
- Palau: None.
Tribal/team challenge record (2-for-8):
- Heroes vs. Villains Ep. 1 RC: "Battle Dig" - Parvati dislocates Stephenie's shoulder, but Heroes win, 3-2.
- Heroes vs. Villains Ep. 1 IC: "Lock & Load, Light" - Helps build a lead for the Heroes on the boating leg, which they promptly blow on the puzzle. Heroes lose.
- Heroes vs. Villains Ep. 2 RC/IC: "A Crate Idea" - After failing to follow James' idea of "one voice," the Heroes lose again.
- Heroes vs. Villains Ep. 3 RC/IC: "Sumo'an Mud" - Beats Russell, and Heroes win, 8-0.
- Heroes vs. Villains Ep. 4 RC: "Slip, Slide & Score" - Loses vs. Coach, and Heroes lose.
- Heroes vs. Villains Ep. 4 IC: "Roll With It" - Gets rolled in the ball; Heroes lose.
- Heroes vs. Villains Ep. 5 RC: "Schmergen Brawl" - Scores no points; Heroes lose, 3-0.
- Heroes vs. Villains Ep. 5 IC: "Blind Cube Crisis - Paired with Colby; Heroes lose.
Individual challenge record (0-for-0):
- Heroes vs. Villains: None.
Hero challenge/ duel record (0-for-0):
- Heroes vs. Villains: None.
Career totals - challenges
| Wins: | 10 |
| Played: | 23 |
| Win%: | 0.44 |
| Sat out: | 4 |
| Wins: | 5 |
| Played: | 10 |
| Win%: | 0.50 |
| Mean % Finish: | 81.6% |
| Wins: | 0 |
| Played: | 0 |
| Win%: | -- |
| Mean % Finish: | -- |
Tom Westman - Tribal Council record
Idols held/played (0/0):
- Palau: None.
VFB - Votes for the person booted (6/7):
- Palau, Ep. 5: Willard Smith (voted out, 8-1).
- Palau, Ep. 9: Coby Archa (voted out, 7-1-1).
- Palau, Ep. 11: Stephenie LaGrossa (voted out, 6-1).
- Palau, Ep. 12: Gregg Carey (voted out, 4-2).
- Palau, Ep. 13: Caryn Groedel (voted out, 4-1).
- Palau, Ep. 14 (F3 vote): Ian Rosenberger (voted out, 1-0 or 2-1).
VAP - Votes against (0):
- Palau: None.
Jury votes received (6/7):
- Palau, Ep. 14: Received six jury votes, from Janu, Stephenie, Gregg, Caryn, Jenn, and Ian, to win, 6-1.
Idols held/played: (1/1; 3 votes voided)
- Heroes vs. Villains, Ep. 4: Finds the Heroes' idol (Day 10).
- Heroes vs. Villains, Ep. 4: Plays his idol for himself, voiding three votes and avoiding a tie (Day 11).
VFB - Votes for the person booted (2/4):
- Heroes vs. Villains, Ep. 1: Sugar Kiper (voted out, 9-1).
- Heroes vs. Villains, Ep. 3: Cirie Fields (idoled out, 3-[0]-2).
VAP - Votes against (4):
- [Heroes vs. Villains, Ep. 4: Three votes, from Candice, Amanda, and Cirie; all voided by Tom's idol play.]
- Heroes vs. Villains, Ep. 5: Five votes, from Rupert, Candice, Amanda, J.T., and James (voted out, 5-2).
Jury votes made (0/0):
- Heroes vs. Villains: None.
Career totals - Tribal Council
| Idols found: | 1 |
| Idols played: | 1 |
| Votes voided: | 3 |
| VFB: | 8 |
| Tribals: | 11 |
| VAP: | 5 |
| Made: | 0 |
| For winners: | -- |
| Received: | 6 |
| Total jurors: | 7 |
Tom Westman - Pictures
-
Palau intro shot -
Palau intro shot -
On the big rowboat, Day 1 -
Listening to Probst describe the opening challenge -
Almost there... -
The race begins in earnest -
Not wanting to get wrangled into making fire, that's a loser job -
Day 1 alliance with Stephenie -
Time to pick tribes -
Ulong and Koror, freshly sorted -
Pre-challenge lineup, Ep1 RC/IC -
Gathering items -
Koror, leading -
Ulong, going the wrong direction -
Koror wins immunity -
Picking "new adventure" (a new camp) -
Things are going swimmingly -
Talking about capsizing -
Arguing with Caryn about the new camp choice, Ep2 -
Pre-challenge lineup, Ep2 RC -
Swinging sandbags -
Talking about Koror's quest to retrieve the flint -
They did it! -
Pre-challenge lineup, Ep2 IC -
Swimming out -
Hauling the crate -
Working the puzzle -
Koror wins! -
Talking about the need to improve the camp, Ep3 -
Pre-challenge lineup, Ep3 RC -
About to lose a point to Jeff -
Killing a snake -
With Ian, hunting sharks with sticks -
Pre-challenge lineup, Ep3 IC -
In Hot Pursuit of Ulong -
Still going... -
Koror wins! -
Koror picks a representative, Ep4 -
Building the bathroom -
Watching the judging -
Koror won the new shelter! -
Pre-challenge lineup, Ep4 IC -
Battling Bobby Jon -
Chatting with Gregg about Willard's work ethic, Ep5 -
Pre-challenge lineup, Ep5 RC -
Starting line -
Koror wins again -
The decision has been made -
Heading to Tribal -
Koror, Ep5 Tribal Council -
Listening to Ian -
Eating beef stew, watching Ulong's Tribal -
Pre-challenge lineup, Ep6 RC -
Making a shot -
Giving Janu a pep talk -
Pre-challenge lineup, Ep6 IC -
Watching from the sit-out bench -
Koror wins again -
Tom catches a shark, Ep7 -
Talking about the shark hunt -
SOS reward feasting -
Concerned that Gregg and Jenn are getting too close -
Pre-challenge lineup, Ep7 IC -
Yay, Koror wins again -
Pre-challenge lineup, Ep8 RC -
Facing off vs. Bobby Jon, final round -
Tom/Koror wins! -
Decreeing that the new shower can only be used for drinking water -
It's just common sense -
Pre-challenge lineup, Ep8 IC -
Koror wins again -
Stephenie joins Koror, Ep9 -
About to get some fishing lessons -
Fishing with Joe and Edwin -
Success -
Sort-of-merge feasting -
Telling Stephenie not to worry -
Pre-challenge lineup, Ep9 IC -
Perch-ing -
Still going... -
Tom wins his first immunity -
Safe at Tribal Council tonight -
Koror, Ep9 Tribal Council -
Listening to Katie -
Pre-challenge lineup, Ep10 RC -
Building the tower -
Almost there... -
The light-green team wins! -
Appreciating the village feast reward -
Reward feasting -
Bringing back leftovers -
Pre-challenge lineup, Ep10 IC -
Last Gasp-ing -
Outlasting Ian -
Tom wins immunity! -
Listening to Janu's Exile report -
Koror, Ep10 Tribal Council -
Listening to Stephenie -
Trying to assure Stephenie they would have voted Janu anyway, Ep11 -
Asking not to be voted out -
Pre-auction sitdown -
Enjoying his very expensive letters from home -
Talking about keeping Caryn in the loop to prevent an all-women's alliance -
We should watch each other's backs -
Pre-challenge lineup, Ep11 IC -
About to accidentally give Ian the win -
Caryn reports the women are plotting against Tom -
Koror, Ep11 Tribal Council -
Listening to Stephenie -
Checking treemail with Caryn, Ep12 -
Pre-challenge lineup, Ep12 RC -
Answering questions -
The non-rewardees conspire back at camp -
Pledging to go to rocks -
Oh great, their loved ones are back at camp now, too -
Reading treemail -
Pre-challenge lineup, Ep12 IC -
Starting line -
Made it through the balut stage -
Getting swept by Ian in the tile-shooting stage -
Gregg was reassuringly okay with voting Caryn -
Koror, Ep12 Tribal Council -
Listening to Probst -
Convincing Caryn she'd be #3 with the women, so it's a bad deal, Ep13 -
Telling Ian whoever wins reward needs to take a woman with them -
Pre-challenge lineup, Ep13 RC -
Starting line -
Racing Ian -
...and Ian picked Tom to join him -
That was a mistake, Ian -
Caryn sort of says the women are plotting against them, maybe -
I tried to let Ian fix it, now I have to -
Telling Katie if she votes him or Ian off, she won't get his jury vote -
Starting line, Ep13 IC -
Memorizing symbols -
Probst checks his answer -
Tom wins immunity! -
Koror, Ep13 Tribal Council -
Listening to Probst -
Ah yes, the traditional Day 37 breakfast -
Pre-challenge lineup, Final 4 IC -
Working the grappling hook -
Starting line, final stage -
Tom wins immunity! -
Guaranteed a spot in the final three -
Sorry Jenn, it has to be you -
Irate that Ian considered voting against him if he hadn't won immunity -
Koror, Final 4 Tribal Council -
Still mad at Ian -
Burying torches at sea for Rites of Passage -
Pre-challenge lineup, Final 3 IC -
Barely started -
Still going... -
Per agreement, voting out Ian -
Final two head back to camp -
Reflecting on his game -
Burning the picnic table -
Final 2, ready to face the jury -
Stating his case -
Listening to Katie -
Reunion show, waiting for the vote reveal -
The winner of Survivor: Palau... -
Reunion show, talking to Probst -
Full cast, reunion show
-
Heroes vs. Villains intro shot -
Heroes vs. Villains intro shot -
Bonus Heroes vs. Villains intro shot -
On the chopper with the Heroes, Day 1 -
Talking about the Heroes -
The losing Heroes, Ep1 IC -
Heroes, Ep1 Tribal Council -
Talking to Probst
Tom Westman - Interviews
Pre-game interviews
- EW staff (2/26/05): "Survivor: Palau - Meet Tom Westman"
Post-game interviews
- Angel Cohn at TVGuide.com (5/18/05): "Survivor Tom's Winning Strategy"
- Georgina Brennan at IrishAmerica.com (8/05): "The Survivor"
Pre-game interviews
- Andy Dehnart at Reality Blurred (2/8/10): "Tom Westman: 'You've actually seen me be trustworthy, so I hope that counts'"
- Jeff Probst's Heroes vs. Villains pre-season cast assessment
Post-game interviews
- Dalton Ross at EW.com (3/12/10): "Latest evictee blasts James, Rupert, and those damn puzzles!"
- Gordon Holmes at MoreWhatnot.com (3/12/10): "Castaway Interview: Tom Westman"
- Rob Cesternino & Teresa Cooper at RHAP (6/6/20): "Talking with T-Bird: Tom Westman"
Tom Westman - Bios
Official CBS.com Survivor: Palau bio page excerpts (1/26/05):
"Born in Queens, New York, Tom Westman attended Archbishop Molloy High School, where he was a peer group counselor and member of the track team. In 1982, he held the school record in the pole vault, 14' 6'', which held for 20 years. He then studied history for three years at the State University of New York in Binghamton. In 1985, Westman followed his father's footsteps and joined the New York City Fire Department. He is currently a Lieutenant of Ladder Company 108 in Brooklyn. Simultaneously, he is finishing his undergraduate degree at Queens College, the City University of New York, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in history.
Westman enjoys sailing, skiing, scuba diving, golfing and cooking. He is most happy spending time with his family and friends. He describes himself as gregarious, practical and competitive. He is most proud of his department's response to the rescue efforts of September 11, 2001, and the everyday efforts to help alleviate the suffering in New York City. His hero is his daughter, Meghan, who lost her hearing to meningitis at 18 months old and, after receiving a cochlear implant at 2 years old, is currently mainstreamed and thriving in the third grade.
Westman is a member of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association and the Fire Department of New York Emerald Society. He was also a member of the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Having been recognized for his support by Disabled Sports, USA, in 2001, Westman has returned every year since to volunteer as an instructor where he helps introduce recently disabled veterans to adaptive skiing.
Westman currently resides in Sayville, New York with his wife, Bernadette, and their three children, Meghan (8), Declan (6) and Conor (4). They have one golden retriever, Guinness. Westman's birth date is January 4, 1964."
From his official CBS Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains cast bio page:
"Personal Claim To Fame: "Being a proud member of the FDNY as a Lieutenant of Ladder Co.108 in Brooklyn."
Previous Finishes: Palau: Winner
Favorite Past Moment: “Palau sunsets.”
Previous Survivor He Respects Most: Jenn Lyon (Palau)
Previous Survivor He Respects Least: “I'd rather not comment. I don't know these guys well enough to say who I respect the least.”
Why Did He Come Back? : “It was so much fun the first time around. I couldn't resist having another adventure.”"