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James Clement IV is a contestant from Survivor: China, Survivor: Micronesia, and Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains.

James is regarded as one of the physically strongest contestants ever to compete and became one of the most popular contestants to date during his run in China. After a blatant strategic error infamously cost him the game in his first season, he struggled with injuries and interpersonal conflicts in his latter two appearances.

In China, he was a key member of the Fei Long Alliance, having both of the game's only two Hidden Immunity Idols in his possession, which also made him the biggest target after this fact became public knowledge. He was blindsided by his own alliance at the final seven after failing to play either of his idols.

He returned in Micronesia, he immediately integrated himself into the Malakal Couples Alliance, forming a particularly close relationship with Parvati Shallow. However, he lost all leverage in the game after the merge when Parvati's betrayal of their alliance brought the Black Widow Brigade to power, leaving James on the outs. He was ultimately medically evacuated at the final seven due to an infection in his finger.

James' heroic reputation took a turn for the worse in Heroes vs. Villains. Although he was placed on the Heroes tribe and became part of the majority Heroes Alliance, his frustration with the tribe's losing streak in the early part of the game boiled over and carried into Tribal Council, where he was noted for berating Stephenie LaGrossa. He later suffered a leg injury during a Reward Challenge, and once Candice Woodcock won Individual Immunity, his alliance was forced to vote him out in 14th place, to ensure he would receive immediate treatment for his leg injury.

Profile[]

Retrieved from CBS.com

James Clement owns a burial service and works as a gravedigger. In addition, he works security at nightclubs and weddings and bartends on the side. His hobbies include watching television and surfing the Web. He enjoys sprinting, weight-lifting and playing football.

Clement describes himself as athletically gifted, socially adaptive and physically attractive. He is proudest of carrying on the family business. He feels he'll do well because he considers himself to be physically and mentally adept, adventurous and able to adapt to new environments and situations.

Clement currently resides in Lafayette, Louisiana, with his pit bull, Brently. His birth date is March 9, 1977.[1]

James Clement owns a burial service and he is a gravedigger. In addition, he works security at nightclubs and weddings and bartends on the side. His hobbies include watching television and surfing the web. He enjoys sprinting, weight lifting and playing football.

Clement describes himself as athletically gifted, socially adaptive and physically attractive. He is most proud of carrying on the family business. He feels he'll do well because he considers himself to be physically and mentally adept, adventurous and able to adapt to new environments and situations.

Clement currently resides in Lafayette, Louisiana, with his pit bull, Brently. His birth date is March 9, 1977.[2]

James Clement (32)

Tribe: Heroes
Hometown: Lafayette, La.
Current Residence: Malibu, Calif. and Lafayette, La.
Personal Claim To Fame: "Continuing the family business."
Inspiration in Life: "My dad."
Previous Finishes: China: 10th out, 4th Jury Member; Micronesia: Injured, 4th Jury Member
Favorite Past Moment: "All the challenges."
Previous Survivor He Respects Most: Amanda Kimmel (China, Micronesia)
Previous Survivor He Respects Least: "No comment."

Why Did He Come Back? : "To prove to myself I can get further in the game."[3]

Survivor[]

China[]

After the welcoming ceremony at a Buddhist temple, James was placed on the Fei Long tribe. James immediately proved to be a hard worker for his tribe. However, after a conversation with Leslie Nease, James revealed in a confessional that his biggest obstacle was the social aspect as he prefers to be by himself. Fei Long proved to be the more dominant tribe in challenges, developing a winning streak over their rival Zhan Hu tribe over the first six days.

The tribe lost their first challenge, a Reward Challenge, on Day 7. Zhan Hu was able to kidnap Fei Long's Leslie Nease as part of their reward, and James and Jean-Robert Bellande talked loudly back at camp about who to vote out next in an insulting manner before settling on Leslie. The men failed to notice that Courtney Yates and Todd Herzog were only a few yards and were annoyed with them and wanted them out. Fei Long lost its first Immunity Challenge on Day 9, and at Tribal Council, Leslie was voted out over Jean-Robert. The tribe was then able to bounce back, winning the next two challenges.

On Day 13, two Chinese men came with a note asking Fei Long to pick Zhan Hu's two strongest members, who would then become members of Fei Long. The tribe speculated that the note meant that two Fei Long members were being transferred to Zhan Hu as well; Fei Long eventually chose Frosti Zernow and Sherea Lloyd to transfer from Zhan Hu. Jean-Robert warned James that if Zhan Hu received the same note, then James would be going Zhan Hu. Sure enough, two different fishermen came with a note revealing that James and Aaron Reisberger would be transferred to the Zhan Hu, joining the majority Zhan Hu Alliance alliance of Erik Huffman, Jaime Dugan, and Peih-Gee Law. At the first Immunity Challenge following the switch, James became frustrated with Jaime and Peih-Gee when he noticed that the women were botching the puzzle while cracking jokes. Zhan Hu ended up losing the challenge after the women threw it in order to vote out either of their two new members. At Tribal Council, James became incredulous when he learned that the women threw the challenge. However, James was spared as the Zhan Hu Alliance decided to eliminate Aaron instead.

Now alone and on the bottom of his new tribe, James felt that the best thing for him to do was to do the work at camp to keep Zhan Hu rested so that they would have no excuse for losing the next challenge. Despite this Zhan Hu was still set on throwing the challenge and voting out James. Zhan Hu lost the next Reward Challenge on Day 17, but James was chosen to be kidnapped by Fei Long, joining his old tribemates on a trip to a Chinese tea house. While at the reward, Todd Herzog told James to share the container with him once James had opened it. When he did open it, James learned that it was a clue to the Hidden Immunity Idol. James gave the clue to Todd, who later returned with the idol and gave it to James. Todd asked James to throw the next Immunity Challenge so James could use the idol to vote out Jaime. James felt that it would not be too hard as Zhan Hu was going to throw the challenge anyway. Unbeknownst to James, the Zhan Hu Alliance had figured out this exact plan and resolved to compete to win. Despite James' best efforts at throwing the challenge, Zhan Hu won when Denise Martin was unable to eat a balut, costing Fei Long the challenge.

Back at camp, Peih-Gee tried to convince James to join them after the merge, pointing out that they sacrificed one of their allies to save him, but James was not interested. Based on where Todd told him where the idol was, James went to retrieve the other idol at Zhan Hu's camp. James pulled both plaques down and rushed to place the idol in his bag. He later noticed that the blank plaque was gone and wondered in delight if Jaime had taken it thinking it was a Hidden Immunity Idol. On Day 20, the tribes merged into the Hae Da Fung tribe and enjoyed a feast with entertainment provided by Chinese performers. At Tribal Council, James' suspicions were confirmed when Jaime attempted to play her idol, only for it to be revealed to be fake and she was voted out in a 7-3 vote.

James felt that he was in a good position because his Fei Long Alliance got along despite the differences. However, Todd and Amanda Kimmel began targeting James because of him having both idols, as well as being a physical threat. At the Reward Challenge, Jean-Robert picked James, Amanda, and Todd, and they won a trip to a 1000-year-old village. Over the next few days, James clashed with Jean-Robert twice, first when it to James eating more rice and second was when the latter interrogated the former about the idols. Jean-Robert then began targeting James after discovering that he was in possession of both idols. At Tribal Council, however, James was spared and Jean-Robert was voted out in a 5-3-1 vote.

James was shaken by nearly getting voted out. Denise also came to James about being left out of the Jean-Robert blindside because she felt like she was on the outside. James' team lost the next Reward Challenge on Day 26, and James and Peih-Gee argued about the reason for their team's lost. When Peih-Gee won the next Immunity Challenge, however, the Fei Long Alliance chose to target Frosti, sending him to the jury.

Over the next few days, Erik tried to convince James to form a final four alliance with him, Denise, and Peih-Gee. James was not interested, feeling secure in his Fei Long Alliance and likened flipping to eating the apple in the Garden of Eden. However, Amanda deemed James the biggest threat and felt that this was the best chance to blindside him if he did not win immunity. At the Immunity Challenge, James made it to the final round but failed to score, with Erik winning immunity much to the relief of Amanda, Courtney, and Todd. Although James was set voting out Peih-Gee, he was blindsided by his own allies at Tribal Council; James did not use either of his idols and was eliminated in a 5-1-1 vote.

At the Final Tribal Council, James congratulated the finalists and told them that he was not upset with them for blindsiding him. James asked Courtney about one good time on Survivor. Courtney answered the first challenge of the season because she claimed that the pole was heavy and that she was excited when they won because she was not going to be the first person voted out of the season. When asked by host Jeff Probst why he asked that question, James claimed it because he wanted to give the finalists an easy one. In the end, James voted for Courtney to win, who lost to Todd in a 4-2-1 vote, placing second.

Episode Tribe
Affiliation
Challenge Challenge Type Sit-Out? Result
1 Fei Long Dragon Dance Reward/Immunity No Won
2 Chinese Checkers Reward No Won
Gatecrasher Immunity No Won
3 Clear the Deck Reward No Lost
Blade Runner Immunity No Lost
4 Great Balls of Fire Reward No Won
Warrior's Duel Immunity No Won
Switched Tribes, Day 13
5 Zhan Hu Plunge, Pull, Pop Immunity No Lost
6 Search and Decode Reward No Invited
Survivor Smorgasbord Immunity No Won
Tribes Merged, Day 20
7 Hae Da Fung Memory Feast Immunity Lost
8 The Bucket Stops Here Reward Won
Dragon Rider Immunity Lost
9 Drum Roll Reward Lost
Chinese Zodiac Symbols Immunity Lost
11 Confucius Said Reward Lost
Star Struck Immunity Lost
Voted Out, Day 30

Episode James's
Votes
Voted Against
James
1 Fei Long Tribe Immune
2 Fei Long Tribe Immune
3 Leslie -
4 Fei Long Tribe Immune
5 Peih-Gee Aaron
6 Zhan Hu Tribe Immune
7 Jaime -
8 Jean-Robert Erik, Jean-Robert,
Peih-Gee
9 Frosti -
11 Peih-Gee Amanda, Courtney,
Denise, Erik, Todd
Voted Out, Day 30
Voted for
Sole Survivor
Courtney

Micronesia[]

James returned as one of the ten favorites who would compete against a tribe of die-hard Survivor fans. James quickly sparked a relationship with Parvati Shallow. They rallied in another couple, Ozzy Lusth and Amanda Kimmel, to form an alliance, and soon recruited Jon Dalton as a fifth member. Losing the first Immunity Challenge, Malakal was sent to Tribal Council first, where Dalton shocked everyone by requesting that they vote him out so that he could be with his expectant girlfriend. In return, James and the rest of the Favorites unanimously sent the villain home.

James' couples alliance faced opposition from an alliance consisting of Yau-Man Chan, Ami Cusack, Eliza Orlins, and Jonathan Penner. The two factions tried to secure the trust of Cirie Fields. Any strategies were put on hold, however, as the tribe of Favorites secured victory in the second Immunity Challenge.

After losing the third Immunity Challenge, Cirie agreed to join the couples alliance if they helped her eliminate her biggest threat, Yau-Man. At Tribal Council, James's alliance followed Cirie's lead, sending Yau-Man home. James and Ozzy immediately regretted voting off Yau-Man instead of Eliza, who started to get sick.

James would be safe for the next cycle, as Malakal won the fourth Immunity Challenge. Ozzy revealed that he had successfully obtained the Hidden Immunity Idol, bringing forth a higher degree of power to the alliance. However, the celebration was short-lived, as the alliance was split in half during a tribe switch, which sent James and Parvati to the rival Airai tribe, while Amanda and Ozzy stayed as Malakal members.

The new Airai tribe managed to win all of the Immunity Challenges leading up to the merge, only losing Jonathan Penner and Kathy Sleckman. Penner was medically evacuated over a severely infected wound, and Sleckman quit due to depression and boredom.

When the tribes merged on Day 22, the couples alliance regrouped, but Parvati had plans to form an entirely new alliance consisting of herself, Amanda, Cirie, and Fans Alexis Jones and Natalie Bolton–the "Black Widow Brigade". At the first Dabu Tribal Council, James voted with the majority to eliminate Eliza Orlins, who was on the outs.

With nine remaining, Jason Siska was assumed to be the next to go. However, the Black Widow Brigade (minus Amanda) and Jason blindsided physical threat Ozzy, who left with an idol in his possession.

Following Ozzy's elimination, the Black Widow Brigade decided it was best to split the vote between Jason, who was in possession of a Hidden Immunity Idol, and James, just in case Jason played the idol. At Tribal Council, James cast his vote towards Parvati, disappointed with her betraying the couples alliance. Jason ultimately did not play his idol and was sent to Ponderosa.

On Day 31, James was examined by the medical team for a cut finger which had become infected. On the grounds that the infection could spread and cause severe damage to his joints, James was pulled from the game, placing in 7th and as the 4th jury member.

As a juror, James cast his vote for Amanda to win the game, who lost to Parvati in a 5–3 vote.

Episode Tribe
Affiliation
Challenge Challenge Type Sit-Out? Result
1 Malakal First to Shore Immunity1 No Lost
Reinventing the Wheel Reward/Immunity No Lost
2 Smash and Grab Reward/Immunity No Won
3 Beach Bash Reward No Won
Nut Bucket Immunity No Lost
4 Diver Down Reward No Won
Crosswalk Immunity No Won
Switched Tribes, Day 13
5 Airai Cat and Mouse Reward No Won
A Stone's Throw Immunity No Won
6 Build It Up, Break It Down Reward No Won
United We Stand Immunity No Won
7 Money Roll Reward No Lost
What-er Drag Immunity No Won
8 The Gauntlet Reward/Immunity No Won
Tribes Merged, Day 22
9 Dabu Last Gasp Immunity Lost
10 Bai Bai Reward Lost
When It Rains, It Pours Immunity Lost
11 Survivor Auction
Pool Party Immunity Lost
12 Body Slam Reward Lost
Evacuated, Day 31
Notes:
^1 This challenge was played for individual immunity at each tribe's first Tribal Council.

Episode James's
Votes
Voted Against
James
1 Jon -
2 Malakal Tribe Immune
3 Yau-Man -
4 Malakal Tribe Immune
5 Airai Tribe Immune
6 Airai Tribe Immune
7 Airai Tribe Immune
8 Airai Tribe Immune
9 Eliza -
10 Jason -
11 Parvati Alexis,
Jason, Natalie
12 No Tribal Council
Evacuated, Day 31
Voted for
Sole Survivor
Amanda

Heroes vs. Villains[]

Due to his kind nature and "gentle giant" persona, James was assigned to the Heroes tribe. This season, James became frustrated and angry at his tribemates overtime for their lack of teamwork when it came to competing against the Villains, and during the Tribal Council when Stephenie LaGrossa was eliminated, this sudden change of attitude was not well received.

At a Reward Challenge, James was once again injured and was treated by the Medical Team. With the tribe unaware of whether or not he'd return, several people contemplated his return to the game and whether or not it would benefit them. James returned later on that day with his leg in a cast. Although still mobile, he was weakened and could not commit to his usual work ethic.

Losing consecutive challenges, James knew he was on the chopping block, but attempted to show he was still a valuable asset by racing J.T. Thomas, though he lost badly. Ultimately, it came down to "banana etiquette" as he was voted out on Day 15 for being too much of a liability to his tribe.

Episode Tribe
Affiliation
Challenge Challenge Type Sit-Out? Result
1 Heroes Battle Dig Reward No Won
Lock, Load and Light Immunity No Lost
2 A Crate Idea Reward/Immunity No Lost
3 Sumo in Mud Reward/Immunity No Won
4 Slip, Slide & Score Reward No Lost
Roll With It Immunity No Lost
5 Schmergen Brawl Reward No Lost
Blind Cube Crisis Immunity No Lost
6 Rope-a-Dope1 Immunity Lost
Reward Yes Lost
Voted Out, Day 15
Notes:
^1 The tribes competed in separate individual Immunity Challenges where the winners from both tribes competed against each other for tribal reward.

Episode James's
Votes
Voted Against
James
1 Sugar -
2 Stephenie -
3 Heroes Tribe Immune
4 Colby -
5 Tom Colby, Tom
6 Colby Amanda, Candice,
Colby, J.T., Rupert
Voted Out, Day 15

Post-Survivor[]

JamesTheYoungAndTheRestless

James on The Young and The Restless.

  • James is a big fan of The Young and the Restless. He ended up making a cameo as a cop in an episode. After watching the series for more than two decades (and even scheduling his college classes around the show), James says he's an even bigger fan after his cameo. "Just the fact that I was there makes me relate to it and love the show more," he says. "I had a great time. I can take that off my bucket list now."
  • On January 9, 2010, James attended Survivor's 10-year anniversary party along with all of his Heroes vs. Villains castmates.
  • At the Heroes vs. Villains Reunion Show, James was nominated for the "Dumbest Move in Survivor History" for being blindsided with two Hidden Immunity Idols in his possession and not playing either of them in China. James lost to fellow Heroes tribemate J.T. Thomas.
  • James, along with Erik Reichenbach, appeared on stage at the Ghost Island Reunion.

Trivia[]

  • James was cast on the show at the advice of Boo Bernis from Fiji. James and Boo are both natives of Lafayette, Louisiana, and played football together[citation needed] at the University of Southwestern Louisiana. They had known each other for about 10 years.
  • James has played all three seasons on the same starting tribe as Amanda Kimmel, and she has placed higher than him all three times.
    • He and Amanda are the only contestants to be on the same original tribe in back-to-back seasons.
    • In their profiles for Heroes vs. Villains, both James and Amanda listed each other as the previous Survivor castaway they respect the most.
    • They are one of three pairs of contestants to appear in three seasons together, along with Jerri Manthey and Colby Donaldson, and Sarah Lacina and Tony Vlachos.
  • James and Frosti Zernow are the only contestants to be members of all three China tribes.
  • James is the first contestant to be in possession of two Hidden Immunity Idols at the same time. He would later be followed by Parvati Shallow, Malcolm Freberg (who did so twice), Tony Vlachos, Jeremy Collins, Tai Trang, Dan Rengering, and Kellee Kim.
  • James is the first contestant voted out while having a playable Hidden Immunity Idol in his possession.
  • James is the first African-American man to return for a second season of Survivor.
  • Having finished 7th in his first two seasons, James is the first contestant to finish in the same position twice. He would be followed by Candice Cody, Sandra Diaz-Twine, Jonathan Penner, Erik Reichenbach, and Tony Vlachos.
    • After finishing in 7th place twice, he was the 7th person voted out of Heroes vs. Villains.
    • Coincidentally, James placed 14th in Heroes vs. Villains, the same number as his first two placements combined.
    • James was the 4th jury member both times he finished in 7th place.
  • James is first contestant to win the Fan Favorite Award award twice. He would be followed by Russell Hantz and Ozzy Lusth.
    • James is one of two contestants to win the Fan Favorite Award in consecutive seasons, with the other being Russell Hantz.
  • Both times James was on the jury, he voted for the eventual runner-up.
  • James, along with Amanda Kimmel, Stephenie LaGrossa, Cirie Fields, and Parvati Shallow, are the first castaways to play in a season with all new castaways, a season with both new and returning players, and a season of all returning castaways.
  • James is the first evacuated contestant to play another season post-evacuation and one of the seven contestants to ever do so.
  • James's luxury item in Heroes vs. Villains was one of the two idols he did not use in China.
  • Despite his being regarded as one of the strongest players to play the game, James never won an individual challenge of any kind.
    • James is one of six contestants to play at least three times and never win individual immunity; the others are Jeff Varner, Cirie Fields, Sandra Diaz-Twine, Tina Wesson, and Sarah Lacina.
  • Two of James's three eliminations involved injuries. He was medically evacuated from Micronesia and was voted out due to his leg injury in Heroes vs. Villains.
  • James wore seven buff colors during his three seasons and never the same color twice.

References[]

Survivor: China Castaways
 Aaron
Fei Long
S15 aaron t
 Amanda
Fei Long
S15 amanda t
 Ashley
Zhan Hu
S15 ashley t
 Chicken
Zhan Hu
S15 chicken t
 Courtney
Fei Long
S15 courtney t
 Dave
Zhan Hu
S15 dave t
 Denise
Fei Long
S15 denise t
 Erik
Zhan Hu
S15 erik t
 Frosti
Zhan Hu
S15 frosti t
 Jaime
Zhan Hu
S15 jaime t
 James
Fei Long
S15 james t
 Jean-Robert
Fei Long
S15 jeanrobert t
 Leslie
Fei Long
S15 leslie t
 Peih-Gee
Zhan Hu
S15 peihgee t
 Sherea
Zhan Hu
S15 sherea t
 Todd
Fei Long
S15 todd t
Survivor: Micronesia Castaways
 Alexis
Airai
S16 alexis t
 Amanda
Malakal
S16 amanda t
 Ami
Malakal
S16 ami t
 Chet
Airai
S16 chet t
 Cirie
Malakal
S16 cirie t
 Eliza
Malakal
S16 eliza t
 Erik
Airai
S16 erik t
 James
Malakal
S16 james t
 Jason
Airai
S16 jason t
 Joel
Airai
S16 joel t
 Jon
Malakal
S16 jon t
 Jonathan
Malakal
S16 jonathan t
 Kathy
Airai
S16 kathy t
 Mary
Airai
S16 mary t
 Mikey B.
Airai
S16 mikeyb t
 Natalie
Airai
S16 natalie t
 Ozzy
Malakal
S16 ozzy t
 Parvati
Malakal
S16 parvati t
 Tracy
Airai
S16 tracy t
 Yau-Man
Malakal
S16 yauman t
Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains Castaways
 Amanda
Heroes
S20 amanda t
 Candice
Heroes
S20 candice t
 Cirie
Heroes
S20 cirie t
 Coach
Villains
S20 coach t
 Colby
Heroes
S20 colby t
 Courtney
Villains
S20 courtney t
 Danielle
Villains
S20 danielle t
 J.T.
Heroes
S20 jt t
 James
Heroes
S20 james t
 Jerri
Villains
S20 jerri t
 Parvati
Villains
S20 parvati t
 Randy
Villains
S20 randy t
 Rob
Villains
S20 rob t
 Rupert
Heroes
S20 rupert t
 Russell
Villains
S20 russell t
 Sandra
Villains
S20 sandra t
 Stephenie
Heroes
S20 stephenie t
 Sugar
Heroes
S20 sugar t
 Tom
Heroes
S20 tom t
 Tyson
Villains
S20 tyson t
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