Grant Mattos
Born: March 12, 1981
Hometown: Mountain View, California Occupation: Ex-NFL PLayer Seasons: Redemption Island Placing: Eighth (Redemption Island) Tribes: Ometepe; Murlonio Total Challenge Wins: 6
Days Lasted: 36 Votes Against: 10 Awards: Bamboozled (Redemption Island) |
Survivor: Redemption Island
Grant quickly established himself as one of the strongest physical presences on the Ometepe tribe, and was often their key piece in the teams pre-merge challenge wins that allowed them to gain the numbers advantage at the merge. He also was in the majority alliance within the tribe with Rob Mariano, Natalie Tenerelli, Ashley Underwood, Andrea Boehlke, and Matt Elrod to begin the game. Matthew would be blindsided by the alliance on Day 5 however due to his showmance with Andrea, and would be replaced in the 6-person alliance by Phillip Sheppard. This alliance of 6 would remain intact and dominant the remainder of the game. Grant and Rob gained a particularly close bond early on, and consulted one another in strategic decisions throughout the game.
Immediately after the Merge Grant was the first targeted by the opposing Zapatera tribe as being seen as possibly the strongest physical threat on the Ometepe tribe, and also tribe leader Rob's main ally. Mike Chiesl would write a note to Matthew (just now back from Redemption Island), promising him Final Three if he and Andrea flipped sides and voted off Grant. Matthew would refuse to flip, and be conned by Grant and Rob into going along with a false plan to vote off Steve Wright instead, thus preventing a possible tie in votes between Grant and Matt. Grant thus narrowly escaped in the first vote after the merge where he received 5 votes to 6 for Matthew (Steve receiving the other from Matthew).
He would remain safe for quite awhile after this. The Ometepe 6-person alliance picked off the Zapatera tribe one at a time, with the Zapatera tribe members trying in vein to get Grant and the female Ometepes on board to vote off either Rob or Phillip. As the final Zapatera members fought to save themselves, Steve gave an ominous warning to Grant about what happens to Rob's friends when he no longer needs them, referencing his betrayal of Lex van den Berghe on Survivor: All Stars. He also warned all Ometepe members about Rob wanting to take Phillip all the way to the finals. Grant remained unconcerned and trusting in his alliance with Rob. Once finally down to the Ometepe Six, things started out well for Grant as he did not seem to be a major target at first. He was part of the decision to vote off his friend Andrea, who he viewed as one of his toughest competitors of the alliance in a jury vote and in physical challenges towards the end. However, with only 5 people left, and seemingly in a secure spot to go right to the end and quite possibly win the game, he would be blindsided after primary target Ashley saved herself by winning immunity. The tribe thereafter scrambled and his closest ally Rob (along with Ashley who had argued the idea to Rob days earlier) would orchestrate the blindside, as he viewed Grant a major threat to get the jury votes to win the game, and believed his chances of winning would be much higher against Natalie, Phillip, or Ashley. Rob had Grant firmly convinced that Natalie was going home that night, and had considered voting her out as well to break up the potential girls alliance, but ultimately he and Phillip decided on voting out Grant instead.
He had one final shot to return into contention to winning the game, but came last in the final Redemption Island duel against Mike, Matthew, and Andrea, dropping his final placement down to 8th. He had previously been critical of the Redemption Island format and twist.
Grant would be upset with Rob as he had believed all along Rob would take him to the Final Three. At the Final Tribal Council, Grant would ask both Natalie and Rob about the nature of their alliance, pointing out he also had an alliance with Rob that he had felt was strong until being blindsided by Rob. Natalie answered the alliance between Rob and Grant was probably similar to Rob's and her own, but that Grant was a major threat. Rob then told Grant he had been in an alliance with Natalie since Day 1 and that they felt they could trust each other, and that he also believes Grant would have won the game had he taken him to the end, and that is why he felt he had to vote him out. Grant would still would vote for Rob to win the game, as he felt he played the best game of the Final Three, and because Rob had explained his game far better than the other two finalists who mostly just credited Rob for their games.
At the Reunion Show, fellow alliance members Andrea Boehlke and Ashley Underwood have confirmed that Grant would have almost certainly won a jury vote against any combination of members of the Ometepe 6 (Rob, Natalie, Phillip, Andrea, and Ashley) alliance had he reached the end.
Immediately after the Merge Grant was the first targeted by the opposing Zapatera tribe as being seen as possibly the strongest physical threat on the Ometepe tribe, and also tribe leader Rob's main ally. Mike Chiesl would write a note to Matthew (just now back from Redemption Island), promising him Final Three if he and Andrea flipped sides and voted off Grant. Matthew would refuse to flip, and be conned by Grant and Rob into going along with a false plan to vote off Steve Wright instead, thus preventing a possible tie in votes between Grant and Matt. Grant thus narrowly escaped in the first vote after the merge where he received 5 votes to 6 for Matthew (Steve receiving the other from Matthew).
He would remain safe for quite awhile after this. The Ometepe 6-person alliance picked off the Zapatera tribe one at a time, with the Zapatera tribe members trying in vein to get Grant and the female Ometepes on board to vote off either Rob or Phillip. As the final Zapatera members fought to save themselves, Steve gave an ominous warning to Grant about what happens to Rob's friends when he no longer needs them, referencing his betrayal of Lex van den Berghe on Survivor: All Stars. He also warned all Ometepe members about Rob wanting to take Phillip all the way to the finals. Grant remained unconcerned and trusting in his alliance with Rob. Once finally down to the Ometepe Six, things started out well for Grant as he did not seem to be a major target at first. He was part of the decision to vote off his friend Andrea, who he viewed as one of his toughest competitors of the alliance in a jury vote and in physical challenges towards the end. However, with only 5 people left, and seemingly in a secure spot to go right to the end and quite possibly win the game, he would be blindsided after primary target Ashley saved herself by winning immunity. The tribe thereafter scrambled and his closest ally Rob (along with Ashley who had argued the idea to Rob days earlier) would orchestrate the blindside, as he viewed Grant a major threat to get the jury votes to win the game, and believed his chances of winning would be much higher against Natalie, Phillip, or Ashley. Rob had Grant firmly convinced that Natalie was going home that night, and had considered voting her out as well to break up the potential girls alliance, but ultimately he and Phillip decided on voting out Grant instead.
He had one final shot to return into contention to winning the game, but came last in the final Redemption Island duel against Mike, Matthew, and Andrea, dropping his final placement down to 8th. He had previously been critical of the Redemption Island format and twist.
Grant would be upset with Rob as he had believed all along Rob would take him to the Final Three. At the Final Tribal Council, Grant would ask both Natalie and Rob about the nature of their alliance, pointing out he also had an alliance with Rob that he had felt was strong until being blindsided by Rob. Natalie answered the alliance between Rob and Grant was probably similar to Rob's and her own, but that Grant was a major threat. Rob then told Grant he had been in an alliance with Natalie since Day 1 and that they felt they could trust each other, and that he also believes Grant would have won the game had he taken him to the end, and that is why he felt he had to vote him out. Grant would still would vote for Rob to win the game, as he felt he played the best game of the Final Three, and because Rob had explained his game far better than the other two finalists who mostly just credited Rob for their games.
At the Reunion Show, fellow alliance members Andrea Boehlke and Ashley Underwood have confirmed that Grant would have almost certainly won a jury vote against any combination of members of the Ometepe 6 (Rob, Natalie, Phillip, Andrea, and Ashley) alliance had he reached the end.
Voting History
Episode |
Grant Voted For |
Voted For Grant |
1 |
Francesca Hogi |
--- |
2 |
--- |
|
4 |
--- |
|
8 |
David Murphy, Julie Wolfe, Mike Chiesl, Ralph Kiser, Steve Wright |
|
9 |
Individual Immunity |
|
9 |
David Murphy |
--- |
10 |
Julie Wolfe |
--- |
11 |
Ralph Kiser |
Individual Immunity |
11 |
Steve Wright |
Steve Wright |
12 |
--- |
|
13 |
Natalie Tenerelli |
|
14 |
--- |
Trivia
- Grant was friends with Survivor: Micronesia castway Natalie Bolton, who was a big part of him auditioning for Survivor.
- Grant is the fourth person in the history of the show who was affiliated with the NFL before doing Survivor, following Gary Goheboom, Jimmy Johnson, and Steve Wright. He would later be followed by Brad Culpepper, Tyler Fredrickson, and Alan Ball.
- Grant is one of the two former NFL players on Survivor: Redemption Island, the other being Steve Wright.