User blog comment:Wafflefreak/16th Castaway Competition: The Search Is On!/@comment-26485526-20171113035728



Name (Age): Nelson Caldwell (41)

Hometown: Bluefield, West Virginia

Occupation: Driving Instructor

About Nelson: If you're going to describe Nelson in three words, those words would be "Patient", "Dorky", and "Competitive. This Driving Instructor from West Virginia didn't have the easiest life growing up as the 5th of 6 children in a relatively poor family. He never did have many friends in his life, although the few he did have, he's grown extremely close to. Growing up, Nelson recalls being bullied quite a bit in school for a number of things from his weight (he was actually very skinny growing up), his dorky personality, or the simple fact that his family was poor and couldn't afford nice clothes and toys. Nelson even remembers having to wear his brothers' hand-me-downs growing up as his parents couldn't afford to buy him new clothes.

Unable to afford college, Nelson became a Cashier at Walmart just prior to graduating high school, which is where he discovered that he actually is really good with people, with multiple customers citing him as their "favourite cashier." Nelson also recalls growing a very thick skin from his years of bullying in school, which allowed him to deal with "bitchy" customers very well. After 4 years as a Cashier, Nelson was promoted to the Customer Service Desk where he had a bit more responsibility. After being employed at Walmart for a total of 16 years, until the age of 33, he was ready for a change. His wife Julie-Anne, suggested he become a driving instructor due to his "incredible amount of patience." So, he took her advice, obtained his certification. He has now worked as a Driving Instructor through his local school district, also teaching the in-class portion of their Drivers' Ed. program, for the past 8 years.

Through this time though, there was still a bit of a weight on Nelson's shoulders. When he was 17, Nelson realized he was bi-sexual, although he still remained closeted for years. In fact, part of the reason he ended up marrying Julie-Anne and having his two children was to "prove his straightness" to himself. Although he did his best to maintain his happy and dorky personality on the outside, this incredible amount of stress continued to haunt him, and this stress is the main reason that his weight eventually ballooned to a peak weight of 224 pounds. It wasn't until just under five years ago that he came out to his family, and much to his relief, they are very accepting of him. He then told Julie-Anne that he wouldn't be offended if she wanted to divorce him, and she responded by slapping him upside the head because she's his wife and will always love him. Since then, he has tried to lose some of his excess weight, although the process has been quite difficult for him (this is also a minor reason he wants to be on Survivor).

Strategy: Nelson is a casual fan of Survivor and although he hasn't missed an episode in years, he doesn't know the game nearly as well as a "super-fan" would. As such, Nelson doesn't have a set strategy going in, although he does believe that his incredible patience, people skills, and thick skin will help him tremendously as he is not one to get worked up over little things. Nelson simply plans on taking the game one day at a time. The competitive person inside him will also refuse to give up at any point in the game as his goal is to take the million dollars home to his family.

Anything Else: Nelson stands at 5'6 and weighs in at 201 pounds