Survivor Tocantins | Survivor’ contestant goes from a battalion to a tribe

Survivor’ contestant goes from a battalion to a tribe - Charlotte Observer

February 12th, 2009 | by cwalton |

Quoting from By Mark Washburn

Season premiere at 8 p.m. Thursday.

Jerry on Survivor Tocantins
Jerry Sims has one of those jobs that prepared him well for “Survivor.”

Sims, 49, of Rock Hill is one of 16 contestants on the popular CBS reality series, which returns for its 18th installment Thursday.

He’ll mark 27 years of service in the S.C. National Guard this year, an experience that he says came in handy during taping of the show, set in the Brazilian highlands.

“The military teaches us a lot of outdoor survival skills and I’ve developed a skill to relate to anybody,” says Sims, a first sergeant in the 1222 Engineering Battalion in Rock Hill.

Sims says to be successful in “Survivor,” which offers a $1 million prize to the winner, you need physical ability, mental strength and social skills.

“You can be a Hulk Hogan-type person, but if you don’t have social skills, you’re not going to last too long.”

Sims, a native of York, S.C., grew up on a chicken farm, one of 10 children in his family. He graduated from York Comprehensive High School in 1978. He and his wife of 25 years, Valerie, have two grown children. His full-time job is operations specialist at Duke Energy’s Catawba Nuclear Station.