Challenges: MPF percentile
16%
Seasons: 1 | Days played: 37 | Wins: 0 | Jury: 1
- Survivor 18: Tocantins (2009) - 4th place, 13 out - 6th juror.
- Cumulative totals: In-game - 30 days; Exile Island - 7 days (4 visits).
- Voted out in Episode 13, "I Trust You, But I Trust Me More" (Day 37).
| Challenge stats | Tribal council stats | Jury stats | Overall stats | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | ChW | ChA | ChW% | VFB | VAP | TCA | TC% | wTCR | JVF | TotJ | JV% | SurvSc | SurvAv |
| S18: Tocantins | 0.93 | 11.37 | 0.08 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 0.69 | 1.78 | - | - | - | 0.77 | 2.71 |
| Career | 0.93 | 11.37 | 0.08 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 0.69 | 1.78 | - | - | - | 0.77 | 2.71 |
Taj Johnson-George - Performance ranks
Tribal: VFB% percentile
72%
Tribal: rVAP percentile
71%
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.
Taj Johnson-George - Challenge record
S18:
Tocantins 
Tribal/team challenge record (5-for-12; 1 sit-out):
- Tocantins Ep. 1 RC/IC: "A River, Run Through It" - Works the stair puzzle (with Sandy); Jalapão reaches the final table maze first, then loses.
- Tocantins Ep. 2 RC/IC: "Beach Brawl" - Competes, guards, passes, and Jalapão wins.
- Tocantins Ep. 3 RC: "Blind Leading the Blind" - Paired with Sandy, Jalapão wins.
- Tocantins Ep. 3 IC: "A Crate Idea" - Rolls crates, and Jalapão wins (barely).
- Tocantins Ep. 4 RC: "Shoulder the Load" - Holds 100 pounds, outlasts Debbie and all the men, as Jalapão wins.
- Tocantins Ep. 4 IC: "Try Any Angle" - Sits out, but Jalapão loses.
- Tocantins Ep. 5 RC: "Dizness As Usual" - Loses to Tyson in her match-up, but Jalapão wins, 3-1.
- Tocantins Ep. 5 IC: "Water Mortar!" - Scores no points, and Jalapão blows a 4-2 lead, and loses (5-4).
- Tocantins Ep. 6 RC: "When Pigs Fly" - Initial thrower, but Jalapão barely loses (14-13).
- Tocantins Ep. 6 IC: "Sandstone Shootout"- One of several "active" people who have no tasks; Jalapão loses.
- Tocantins Ep. 8 RC "Rock Block" - With Coach & Tyson, part of the first team eliminated.
- Tocantins Ep. 9 RC "Swiss Cheese, Please" - With Coach, Stephen, Sierra, her team loses big.
Individual challenge record (0-for-10): (Mean % finish: 43.0%)
- Tocantins Ep. 7 IC: "Get a Grip" - Fourth person to drop out (7th/10).
- Tocantins Ep. 8 IC: "Rope-A-Dope" - Second-to-last in the first round (8th/9).
- Tocantins Ep. 9 IC: "Tocantins Shuffle" - Not among the late-game leaders (tie-4th/5).
- Tocantins Ep. 10 RC: "Jalapowed" - Barely loses to Stephen, who takes Taj and JT along (2nd//7).
- Tocantins Ep. 10 IC: "Snag, Drag & Bag" - Only retrieves on bag in the first round, does not win (tie-5th/7).
- Tocantins Ep. 11 IC: "Propellerheads" - On her second trip to memorize when it ends (tie-4th/6).
- Tocantins Ep. 12 RC: "Blind to Reason" - Fourth to exit the maze, does not win (tie-3rd/5).
- Tocantins Ep. 12 IC: "Chimney Sweep" - Third person to drop out, at circa 30 minutes (3rd/5).
- Tocantins Ep. 13 F4 IC: "Tarantula" - Third to get all three bags, passed on the puzzle (4th/4).
Hero challenge/ duel record (0-for-0):
- Tocantins: None.
Career totals - challenges
| Wins: | 5 |
| Played: | 12 |
| Win%: | 0.42 |
| Sat out: | 1 |
| Wins: | 0 |
| Played: | 10 |
| Win%: | 0.00 |
| Mean% Finish: | 43.0% |
| Wins: | 0 |
| Played: | 0 |
| Win%: | - |
| Mean% Finish: | - |
Taj Johnson-George - Tribal Council record
S18:
Tocantins 
Idols held/played: (1/0)
- Tocantins, Ep. 5: With Stephen, finds Jalapão's hidden idol. Lets Stephen pocket it and never play it.
VFB - Votes for the person booted (7/10):
| Tribal | Voted | Boot (totals) | VFB? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ep1 | Carolina | Carolina Eastwood (voted out, 7-1) | Yes |
| Ep4 | Joe | Sandy Burgin (voted out, 5-1-1) | - |
| Ep5 | Spencer | Spencer Duhm (voted out, 5-1) | Yes |
| Ep6 | Sydney | Sydney Wheeler (voted out, 3-2) | Yes |
| Ep8 | Brendan | Brendan Synnott (voted out, 4-3-2) | Yes |
| Ep9 | Tyson | Tyson Apostol (voted out, 5-3) | Yes |
| Ep10 | Debbie | Sierra Reed (voted out, 4-2-1) | - |
| Ep11 | Debbie | Debbie Beebe (voted out, 4-1-1) | Yes |
| Ep12 | Coach | Coach Wade (voted out, 3-2) | Yes |
| Ep13 (F4) | Erinn | Taj Johnson-George (voted out, 3-1) | - |
| 10 | TOTALS | 7 | |
VAP - Votes against (7):
- Tocantins, Ep. 5: One vote, from Spencer.
- Tocantins, Ep. 6: Two votes, from Joe & Sydney.
- Tocantins, Ep. 11: One vote, from Coach.
- Tocantins, Ep. 13 (Final four vote): Three votes, from J.T., Stephen, and Erinn (voted out, 3-1).
Jury votes made (1/1):
- Tocantins, Ep. 13: Voted for J.T. Thomas (who won, 7-0).
Career totals - Tribal Council
| Idols found: | 0 |
| Idols played: | 0 |
| Votes voided: | - |
| VFB: | 7 |
| Tribals: | 10 |
| VAP: | 7 |
| Made: | 1 |
| For winners: | 1 |
| Received: | - |
Taj Johnson-George - Pictures
S18:
Tocantins -
Tocantins intro shot -
Tocantins intro shot -
Day 1, on the truck with Jalapao -
Opening sequence head shot -
Fresh off the truck, Day 1 -
Sizing up Jalapao's haul from the truck -
Sorry, Sandy! -
Listening to Probst explain what the vote actually meant -
Finally arriving at camp -
Day 2, time to get to work -
Where *did* Sandy go? -
Pre-challenge lineup, Ep1 RC/IC -
Starting line -
Starting on the stair puzzle -
Placing planks -
Watching Spencer and Sydney on the table maze -
The losing Jalapaos -
Post-IC discussion with Stephen and Carolina -
Not seeing why Sandy is the one that should be going -
Jalapao, Ep1 Tribal Council -
Waiting for the votes to be tallied -
Ep2, just told her tribe she's married to 'football analyst' Eddie George -
Pre-challenge lineup, Ep2 RC/IC -
Listening to Probst -
More listening to Probst -
Just allowed Candace to score -
Challenge won, but heading to Exile with Brendan -
Thinking it's good Exile allows her to form bonds with the other tribe -
Finally getting Brendan to divulge his clue -
Trying to catch bait fish, early Ep3 -
Thanking JT and Stephen for catching fish, early Ep3 -
Pre-challenge lineup, Ep3 RC -
Listening to Probst -
Pre-challenge lineup, Ep3 RC -
Starting line -
Jalapao wins reward! -
Heading out to Exile again (with Brendan) -
Opening urns again -
Sharing the second clue with Brendan -
Excited at the prospect of a cross-tribal alliance -
Cross-tribal alliance officially formed -
Pre-challenge lineup, Ep3 IC -
Starting line -
Working on the staircase puzzle -
Jalapao wins! -
More cheering (seated) -
Excited about the alliance with Brendan, but she still needs to fill in Stephen. Early Ep4 -
Telling Stephen about the cross-tribal alliance -
Pre-challenge lineup, Ep4 RC -
A camp raid sounds fun -
Holding some weight, Ep4 RC -
Jalapao's hopes for reward: down to Taj -
Jalapao wins reward! -
Heading off to Exile with Sierra. Some reward. -
Choosing urns -
Well, I do get to connect with Sierra on the cross-tribal alliance -
Giving Sierra the scoop on the alliance plans -
Pre-challenge lineup, Ep4 IC -
Listening to Probst -
Starting line (sitting out) -
Still watching -
The losing Jalapaos -
Hoping things improve after Tribal -
With Sandy, telling JT and Stephen they're not ready to leave -
Heading to Tribal -
Jalapao, Ep4 Tribal Council -
Early Ep5, explaining her Joe vote from the night before -
With Stephen, just found Jalapao's idol -
Pre-challenge lineup, Ep5 RC -
Starting line, ready to get dizzy -
Trying to beat Tyson (unsuccessfully) -
Jalapao wins reward! -
Poor Stephen, he just got picked for Exile instead -
Arrival at the Charmin Cafe -
Happy to be at a reward instead of Exile for once -
Enjoying coffee and carbs -
Indeed they are, JT -
Everyone reading their letters -
Pre-challenge lineup, Ep5 IC -
Starting line, trying to defend against Brendan -
Sigh, Brendan scored -
The IC-losing Jalapaos -
Unexplainedly angry about something -
Yelling at Joe -
Jalapao, Ep5 Tribal Council -
Listening to Spencer -
Thinking about maybe sharing the idol with JT, early Ep6 -
Discussing the plan with Stephen -
Pre-challenge lineup, Ep6 RC -
Listening to Probst -
Tossing pigs -
Watching Joe and Erinn leave for Exile Island -
Realizing Joe should be able to see the idol has been found -
Just made a fake idol to hide in the real hole -
There you go -
Meanwhile, JT just found the real idol in a bag. Whoops. -
Pre-challenge lineup, Ep6 IC -
Watching JT shoot -
Watching Joe get started on the puzzle with Stephen -
Sigh. Jalapao loses. -
Amused that Joe is leaving to hunt for the idol -
She trusts Stephen and JT, but anything could happen -
Jalapao, Ep6 Tribal Council -
Talking to Probst -
Reading the merge treemail, early Ep7 -
Merge feasting -
Cheers! -
With Stephen, wondering why Brendan hasn't talked to them yet -
Pre-challenge lineup, Ep7 IC -
Listening to Probst -
Merge IC, now underway -
Probst is in camp? That's never good. -
Learning Joe has been removed -
Pre-challenge lineup, Ep8 RC -
Listening to Probst -
Red team, ready to go -
Coach says he's done this before! -
Breaking tiles -
The end is nigh -
Watching Stephen leave for Exile, alone -
Brendan finally gets around to discussing the Exile alliance -
Not buying Brendan's commitment any more -
Pre-challenge lineup, Ep8 IC -
Starting line -
With the other non-winners -
Heading to the first post-merge Tribal -
Forza, Ep8 Tribal Council -
Pre-challenge lineup, Ep9 RC -
Black team, ready to go -
Watching JT, who is so fast -
Soggy pre-challenge lineup, Ep9 IC -
Listening to Probst, shivering -
Still listening to Probst -
Opting to compete -
Watching Sierra shuffleboard -
Forza, Ep9 Tribal Council -
Listening to Tyson -
Pre-challenge lineup, Ep10 RC -
Answering correctly (as did Coach) -
Watching Stephen chop her rope -
Sigh, just lost to Stephen -
Waiting for Stephen's exile pick -
Already picked for reward, Stephen gets to bring one more person (JT, obviously) -
Arrival at the reward site -
Reward feasting -
Missing her family after seeing all the children -
Discussing the Timbira boot order at The Fervadora -
Ready to watch the final round of the Ep10 IC, from the bench -
Exciting -
Forza, Ep10 Tribal Council -
All the drama reminds me how much I enjoy soap operas! -
Ready to bid, Ep11 auction -
Already emotional, as Probst describes the video from home -
Getting extra money from the others to bid for the video -
Just take it all, Probst -
Oh hey, it's NFL great Eddie George - Taj's husband -
Not quite catching the 'see you in camp' part -
Can we leave yet? -
Reuniting with Eddie on Exile -
It's kind of like a honeymoon, but with cameras, dirt, and no food -
Off for some private time together -
Pre-challenge lineup, Ep11 IC -
Listening to Probst -
Starting line -
Digging deep -
Memorizing symbols with Coach, as Stephen struggles on the balance beam -
Getting the scoop that Coach and Debbie have been gunning for her -
Forza, Ep11 Tribal Council -
Listening to JT -
Pre-challenge lineup, Ep12 RC -
Starting line, shackled -
Going through the maze, far behind JT -
Working on the sticks -
JT, about to win -
With the other non-winners, hoping to avoid the final Exile -
Coach was a baby for playing up his probably fictional ailments to avoid going to Exile -
Reassuring Erinn that she wasn't out of line for calling out Coach -
Pre-challenge lineup, Ep12 IC -
Ep12 IC, now in progress -
Eliminated, watching Coach battle JT -
Helping a collapsed Coach back to the bench -
With Erinn, planning to vote Coach -
Heading to Tribal -
So long, Coach -
With Stephen, thinking maybe voting JT?... nah. Early Ep13 -
Not liking the looks of that spider-shaped treemail -
Pre-challenge lineup, F4 IC -
Listening to Probst -
Starting line -
Everyone working the puzzle -
And... JT wins again -
I trust JT and Stephen -
Taj: We're voting Erinn, right? Stephen: If not, it's me, so I hope you are. -
Forza, Final 4 Tribal Council -
Jalapao's been together since Day 1, so it should Erinn tonight -
...and the sixth member of our jury -
Snuffed, Day 37 (Episode 13) -
Jury debut, F3 Tribal Council -
Full jury, final Tribal Council -
Listening to Stephen's opening statement -
The way I was blindsided seemed so unnecessary -
At the reunion show, waiting for the final vote reveal -
Full cast, reunion show
Taj Johnson-George - Interviews
S18:
Tocantins Pre-game interviews
- Andy Dehnart at Reality Blurred (2/6/09): "Taj Johnson-George: 'I'll [be nurturing] while I stab them all in the back; they'll love me for it'"
- Jeff Probst's Tocantins pre-season cast assessment.
Post-game interviews
- Andy Dehnart at Reality Blurred (5/20/09): "Survivor's runners up: Erinn's changed life, Taj's hurt feelings, and Stephen's effective losing strategy"
- Eric Goldman at IGN.com (5/20/09): "Survivor: Tocantins Interview: Taj"
Thanks to Muneeb Khan (@MUK734) for his help in compiling these links.
Taj Johnson-George - Bio
S18:
Tocantins From her official CBS Survivor: Tocantins cast bio page (1/27/09):
"Tamara "Taj" Johnson-George already has a lot on her plate, but can't wait to add Survivor contestant into the mix. A Grammy®-nominated singer, successful author, wife of a former NFL pro and mother of two wonderful boys, Taj believes she will be the "most underestimated player" in the game.
A Grammy®-nominee for her soul group SWV ("Sisters With Voices"), Taj says "her group was the one to beat." Selling over six million records, her time as a singer has prepared her for the spotlight.
In addition to her music career, Taj is also an accomplished writer. The author of “Player HateHER: How To Avoid The Beat Down And Live In A Drama Free World," she tries to practice what she preaches as her true pride and life’s focus lies within her family. The wife of Heisman Trophy winner and former Tennessee Titan running back Eddie George, she warns all opponents, "I'm not the average NFL wife and mother."
Growing up in Brooklyn, Taj overcame both physical and mental abuse in her life. With her background, it's no wonder she says she's "naturally distrustful." Taj goes on to say "I am literally, truly a survivor, who has survived more things you can ever imagine." She is used to beating the odds and plans to do it again.
In her free time, Taj says she is very physical and likes to workout, running, swimming and doing yoga and kickboxing. Taj is the total package built around strength and street smarts and will be a fierce competitor in this game.
Taj currently resides in Nashville, Tenn. Her birth date is April 29."