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Malcolm Freberg is a contestant from Survivor: Philippines and Survivor: Caramoan.

He is known for being likable, excelling at challenges, and being a very good strategic player. On Survivor: Caramoan, he was known for finding and using many Hidden Immunity Idols without clues. On both of his seasons his fellow contestants considered him a very big threat which led to him being voted out before he had a chance to get to the final three. He is also considered one of the most popular players to ever play Survivor as he won the Fan Favorite Award for Survivor: Caramoan.

Profile

Philippines

Retrieved from CBS.com
Personal Claim to Fame: In college, I helped to organize and run a program that paired varsity athletes with underprivileged children in a free-to-join sports league. It still exists today. 
Inspiration in Life: O.J. Simpson before the legal drama. When he was a kid, he had rickets. For his birthday, when he was still young, his father took him to a signing to meet Jim Brown and O.J. hobbled right up to him and told him he was going to break all his records which he eventually did. I’m a sucker for underdog stories. 
Hobbies: Exercising, writing/reading and partying. 
Pet Peeves: Dumb people. 
3 Words to Describe You: Charming, brilliant and cocky.
If You Could Have 3 Things on The Island What Would They Be and Why?
1) Hair ties – I can’t see anything without them.
2) Book of puzzles – Your mind is a muscle and needs to be kept in shape.
3) Whiskey – to unwind after a hard day of challenge domination and competitor manipulation. 
SURVIVOR Contestant You Are Most Like: I think I will play most like Russell Hantz. You can control and rule with an iron fist. You just have to be clever enough for them to thank you for it in the end. I’ll run the show from Day 1 until I’m handed an oversized check with my name on it. 
Reason for Being on SURVIVOR: I’ve been watching Survivor since I was 12 years old. Some kids grow up watching baseball on TV and dream of getting their chance to play in the big leagues. I grew up watching and dreaming about playing Survivor. 
Why You Think You’ll “Survive” SURVIVOR: I’m smart, I’m athletic and I’m nice to look at. 
Why You Think You Will Be the Sole Survivor: There’s no reason to play the game if you’re not playing to win. I’m not trying to see ‘if I have what it takes’ or ‘how far I can make it.’ The best thing I have going for me is my single-mindedness to be the champion.

Caramoan

Name (Age): Malcolm Freberg (25)
Tribe Designation: Bikal, Gota, Enil Edam
Previous Season: Survivor: Philippines – 15th castaway voted off/8th Jury member
Current Residence: Hermosa Beach, Calif.
Occupation: Bartender
Personal Claim to Fame: Once I spent over a month with Abi-Maria Gomes, and I'm still considered legally sane by the state of California.
Inspiration in Life: O.J. Simpson before the murder trial. When he was a kid he had Rickets. For his birthday when he was still young his father took him to a signing to meet Jim Brown and O.J. hobbled right up to him and told him he was going to break all his records which he eventually did. I’m a sucker for underdog stories.
Hobbies: Exercising, writing/reading and partying.
Pet Peeves: Ex-TV stars.
3 Words to Describe You: Charming, brilliant and slightly-less cocky than the last time I did this.
If You Could Have 3 Things on The Island What Would They Be and Why? 1) Soap - Not for me; for whoever I end up cuddling with at night 2) Book of puzzles – Your mind is a muscle and needs to be kept in shape. 3) The Hidden Immunity Idol I never played in the Philippines - Early advantage. Seems obvious.
SURVIVOR Contestant You Are Most Like: This feels like a trick question.
Reason for Being on SURVIVOR: I'm a super-fan of the show. Getting to do it once was incredible. To get a second chance… How could anyone say no?
Why You Think You’ll “Survive” SURVIVOR: Experience plays a huge roll in any situation in life. I made it through 38 days the first time so I have to like my survival odds the second time around. Oh, and I'm also smart, athletic and nice to look at.
Why You Think You Will Be the Sole Survivor: You play the game to win the game. I'm not on Survivor to “have a life-changing experience” or “grow as a person” or “see how far I can make it.” Those things may happen, but that's not the reason I'm out there. The best thing I have going for me is my single-mindedness and focus towards a single goal: a seven-digit bank account.

Survivor: Philippines

Malcolm started on the Matsing tribe. Due to his physical ability and his personality, he started out in a good position and made friends quickly, most notably with Angie Layton, Denise Stapley, and Zane Knight. After observing Russell Swan's actions around camp, Malcolm was the first to bring up potentially voting him off, but added that it had to be at the right time, since on paper Russell did bring some useful qualities to the tribe. Matsing lost the first Immunity Challenge and Malcolm was tempted to vote Russell off but Zane told the tribe that he felt he was at fault in the challenge and Russell had to drag Zane through most of it, so Zane deserved to go. However Zane didn't really want to go, which made the decision a bit more difficult. Malcolm along with the rest of the tribe voted Zane off. Malcolm and Angie began cuddling more and more and Roxanne Morris noticed this and targeted Angie. Malcolm was hoping Denise would realize there is no more between him and Angie than there is between him and Denise, and Denise did realize this and helped him in sending Roxanne out of the game on Day 6. The tribe morale was pretty low in This Isn't a 'We' Game since they were already down to four members as opposed to the six on Tandang and six on Kalabaw. The alliance of Malcolm, Angie, and Denise seemed confident Russell would go next if they lost again, but after losing their third Immunity Challenge and seeing both Angie and Russell struggle, it was a tough decision and Malcolm decided to vote against Angie, sending her home. In Create a Little Chaos, Russell spent a lot of time looking for the idol which concerned Malcolm. Matsing lost their fourth and what turned out to be last challenge on Day 10 and Malcolm and Denise stuck together and voted Russell off after he failed to find the idol. This left Malcolm and Denise with little hope and a big mountain to climb.

Before the Reward Challenge, Malcolm and Denise thought there was a chance of a tribe absorption so they looked for the idol and Malcolm found it first so even though they were in an alliance, it became Malcolm's idol. At the Reward Challenge, Malcolm was separated from Denise and he was absorbed into the Tandang tribe. Malcolm contributed to the Reward Challenge win and received a warm reception from his new tribe. For the next few days, Malcolm enjoyed being on a strong tribe where he made zero enemies and he helped them dominate in challenges, seeing Kalabaw's numbers shrink from seven to four, with Matsing ally Denise managing to stay strong.

Malcolm made the merged tribe Dangrayne and the then-dominant Tandang alliance led by Pete Yurkowski and Abi-Maria Gomes decided to target the returning players Michael Skupin and Jonathan Penner, as well as R.C. Saint-Amour, who appeared to be Michael's biggest ally. Malcolm didn't appear to be in any immediate danger despite being a physical threat except for when Lisa Whelchel accidentally discovered Malcolm's Hidden Immunity Idol when she was doing laundry, forcing them to align with each other. Malcolm voted for Jonathan, although Penner cancelled his votes with his Hidden Immunity Idol, which eliminated RC instead. Due to the antagonistic natures of Abi, Pete, and Artis Silvester, as well as the amount of control they had, Malcolm became part of a new alliance with Jeff Kent, Carter Williams, Penner, and Denise. They needed either Lisa or Michael to flip but Tandang remained strong and voted Jeff out in a close vote on Day 22. That same Tribal Council, Malcolm revealed his Hidden Immunity Idol to his whole tribe, putting a real target on his back for the first time but also gaining the trust of his allies. In Little Miss Perfect, Malcolm's alliance targeted Artis for being the least likely recipient of Abi's Hidden Immunity Idol (revealed on Day 22 along with Malcolm's) and they fortunately convinced Michael to flip to their side and Artis was blindsided.

In Whiners Are Wieners, Lisa decided to abandon the doomed Tandang alliance giving Malcolm's alliance enough numbers to split the votes between Abi and Pete as they flushed Abi's idol and eliminated Pete. In the final 7, Lisa and Michael approached Denise and Malcolm (after being denied by Penner) to make a final four deal, in which they accepted. This new core alliance was put to the test when the intended target, Abi, won immunity. The four stuck together and got rid of the perceived biggest threat Penner. Abi was spared once again after Carter was voted off since he was a physical threat, and then Abi was finally voted off after pretending to have an Immunity Idol.

At the Tribal Council where Abi's elimination took place, Malcolm and Denise were called out as threats to win, which concerned Malcolm. Both Malcolm and Denise felt that going to the end with each other was risky and they would have a better chance of winning if they went with Lisa and Michael, who each backstabbed a lot of people to get to the final four. Malcolm won the reward on Day 37 which was an advantage at the Final Immunity Challenge. Even with his advantage though, Malcolm was the first person eliminated from the challenge. Since Michael won immunity, Malcolm still had a chance if he could convince Lisa and Michael to take him to the end over Denise. Ultimately, Malcolm was seen as the bigger threat and was voted off 3-1.

At the Final Tribal Council, Malcolm asked Denise why she played a better game than the other two finalists. He berated her for being an appeasing therapist. Ultimately, however, Malcolm contributed towards his ally's victory by voting for Denise to win, and she became Sole Survivor by a 6-1-1 vote.

Voting History

Malcolm's Voting History
Episode Malcolm's
Votes
Voted Against
Malcolm
1 Zane -
2 Roxanne -
3 Angie -
4 Russell Russell
5 Tandang Tribe Immune
6 Tandang Tribe Immune
7 Jonathan1 -
8 Pete -
9 Artis -
10 Pete Abi-Maria, Pete
11 Jonathan -
12 Carter Individual Immunity
13 Abi-Maria Individual Immunity
14 Denise Denise, Lisa,
Michael
Voted Out, Day 38
Voted For
Sole Survivor
Denise

^1 In Not the Only Actor on This Island, Jonathan used a Hidden Immunity Idol, negating Malcolm's vote against him.

Survivor: Caramoan

Malcolm returned as one of ten Favorites that comprised the Bikal tribe. Malcolm was immediately recruited to Phillip Sheppard's second incarnation of the Stealth R Us alliance, along with Andrea Boehlke, John Cochran, Dawn Meehan, and Corinne Kaplan, receiving the codename "The Enforcer". The alliance enjoyed their majority as they voted out Francesca Hogi in a 6-4 vote at the first Tribal Council. As the other Stealth R Us members were developing close relationships, leaving Malcolm and Corrine in the outs, Malcolm and Corinne also developed a close friendship within the alliance, and even found the Hidden Immunity Idol together on Day 4. Malcolm and Corrine's close relationship led the other Stealth R Us members to keep a keen eye on them, targeting Corinne if ever they would lose the Immunity Challenge; however, the Favorites continued to dominate.

Bikal enjoyed three consecutive Immunity wins, only losing Brandon Hantz after he had dumped Bikal's rice and beans in a fit of rage after a heated argument with Phillip, which resulted in Bikal's mutual forfeit of Immunity to vote him out.

After Brandon's departure, Malcolm (along with Brenda Lowe, Andrea, and Erik Reichenbach) were swapped to Gota where they joined members Eddie Fox, Sherri Biethman, and Reynold Toepfer. On this new tribe, Malcolm enjoyed two more consecutive Immunity wins while being recruited to the Cool Kids Alliance by Reynold, who confessed he had a Hidden Immunity Idol to prove his loyalty.

On Day 20, the two tribes merged into Enil Edam, a name coined by Malcolm who wanted to name the tribe after his mother, Madeline (Enil Edam is Madeline backwards). Malcolm rejoined with Corinne, with Malcolm telling her he had Eddie, Erik, and Reynold while Corinne said she had Michael Snow. These numbers put them up to six. Corinne, however, was blindsided in a 7-5 vote after Dawn relayed information to Phillip about Corinne's approach to her about the counter alliance.

At the next Tribal Council, the remaining Cool Kids Alliance Members decided to vote for Andrea, seeing her as a strategic threat. However, a speech given by Phillip at Tribal Council began to unnerve Malcolm, who told Reynold to use his Hidden Immunity Idol on him as he was the one going home. Instead, Michael went home in a 7-3-1 vote after Andrea persuaded Stealth R Us to play it safe after catching wind of her being targeted.

Malcolm continued his luck of finding Hidden Immunity Idols as he found a second one shortly before Tribal Council, which was witnessed by Dawn and Andrea as he found the Idol in front of them. Stealth R Us had no choice but to target Eddie, the only vulnerable member of the Three Amigos. However, at Tribal Council, Stealth R Us was left stunned when Malcolm pulled out two Hidden Immunity Idols, giving one to himself and Eddie. This left Stealth R Us with no choice but to target each other. Stealth R Us stuck to their plan of splitting the votes between Eddie and Malcolm, but after they played the Idols, Phillip left in a 4-0-0 vote.

Malcolm and Reynold decided their best bet was to recruit Sherri and Erik to their alliance, which would give them a 5-4 advantage over the remaining Stealth R Us members. At the Survivor Auction, Malcolm bid $480 on a mystery prize which Malcolm could only view for 60 seconds: was revealed to be the location of the Hidden Immunity Idol. While going off later that day to find it, Andrea became suspicious and followed Malcolm into the woods to have a standoff so that Malcolm couldn't look for the Idol. At the Immunity Challenge, Cochran won, and afterwards Malcolm decided to concoct a lie by saying that he had found the Idol. At Tribal Council, Sherri and Erik stayed loyal to Stealth R Us and forced a 3-3-3 tie between Andrea, Malcolm, and Reynold. After realizing that Malcolm did not have the Idol, Malcolm was voted out in a 6-0-0 vote, becoming the third member of the jury.

At Final Tribal Council, Malcolm would give his jury vote to John Cochran who would win unanimously 8-0-0 over Dawn and Sherri.

Voting History

Malcolm's Voting History
Episode Malcolm's
Votes
Voted Against
Malcolm
1 Francesca -
2 Bikal Tribe Immune
3 Bikal Tribe Immune
4 Bikal Tribe Immune
5 Brandon -
6 Gota Tribe Immune
7 Gota Tribe Immune
8 Sherri -
9 Reynold -
10 Phillip Cochran, Phillip1
11 Andrea;
Ineligible
Andrea, Cochran, Erik;
Brenda, Cochran, Dawn,
Eddie, Erik, Sherri2
Voted Out, Day 30
Voted for
Sole Survivor
Cochran

^1 In Zipping Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Malcolm used a Hidden Immunity Idol, negating 2 votes against him.
^1 In Come Over to the Dark Side, the vote ended with a 3-3-3 tie between Malcolm, Andrea, and Reynold, forcing a revote. Brenda, Dawn, Eddie and Sherri changed their votes to Malcolm on the revote, eliminating him from the game.

Post-Survivor

  • After his first appearance on Survivor aired, Malcolm briefly made a guest appearance on one of CBS's hit daytime shows, The Bold and the Beautiful, as a designer also named Malcolm.[1]
  • In July 2014, Malcolm hosted an online travel series with 20 episodes around the U.S. called Wayfaring.[2]
  • In August 2014, Malcolm won the award for Hottest Male in the Reality Awards category.
  • On October 9, 2014, he filled in for Jeff Schroeder as host of Survivor Live, interviewing John Rocker; a week later on October 16, he would again fill in for Jeff while interviewing Drew Christy.

Trivia

  • Malcolm has mentioned several times on Survivor: Philippines that he was a teacher in Micronesia before becoming a bartender in Hermosa Beach, California.
  • He is the only member of Matsing to be on the jury.
  • He is the only member of Matsing to win tribal immunity during Survivor: Philippines.
  • He is the only member of Matsing to be immune from a Tribal Council more than once.
  • Malcolm is the fourth person to participate in every reward after the merge, after Parvati Shallow of Survivor: Cook Islands, Bob Crowley of Survivor: Gabon, and J.T. Thomas of Survivor: Tocantins.
    • He is the only person to do so who has never won. However, Parvati did not win until her second season.
    • He experienced 12 rewards in a row, from back to back seasons.
  • Malcolm is one of nine contestants to appear on two back-to-back seasons (the others are: Rupert BonehamStephenie LaGrossaBobby Jon DrinkardAmanda KimmelJames Clement, Russell Hantz, Joe Anglim and Shirin Oskooi).
    • Malcolm is the second person to play a second time when their first season hadn't aired yet, following Russell Hantz. Just as Hantz, Malcolm was only given two and a half week break in between seasons.
    • Malcolm is the third contestant to play two consecutive seasons in the same location. The first is Rupert Boneham and the second is Russell Hantz.
    • Malcolm is the fifth person to play back-to-back despite not making the finals in his first season. Stephenie, Bobby Jon, James and Rupert also did this.
    • Malcolm is the first to play two back-to-back seasons that both feature Returning Players.
    • Malcolm is the second player to play back-to-back seasons where both had a Survivor Auction that they competed in. The first was Stephenie. 
  • According to Jeff Probst, Malcolm was considered to be brought back for Survivor: Caramoan when Philippines was still underway, around Day 27. Immediately after his elimination, Jeff approached Malcolm, intending to ask him he wanted to compete again, only to be cut off by Malcolm, who knew what Probst was about to ask.[4]
  • In Survivor: Caramoan, Phillip Sheppard gave him the nickname "The Enforcer."
  • He is the only member of Tandang to go to Tribal Council before the merge.
  • Malcolm is the third player to find a Hidden Immunity Idol in multiple seasons, following Russell Hantz and Ozzy Lusth.
    • He is third player to find the Hidden Immunity Idol multiple times without the aid of a clue, following Russell Hantz, he would later be followed by Reynold Toepfer.
    • He is the second player to find the Hidden Immunity Idol in back-to-back seasons (following Russell Hantz).
    • Both times Malcolm found the Idol he was searching for it with a female member of his tribe; Denise Stapley in Philippines and Corinne Kaplan in Caramoan.
    • He is the third person to find the Idol twice in one season following Russell Hantz and Reynold Toepfer.
      • Malcolm is the only person to receive an idol from the person he voted for.
  • On Philippines, there were only two Tribal Councils before the merge that Malcolm wasn't present at. On Caramoan, Malcolm was only present for two pre-merge Tribal Councils.
  • On both of his seasons, Malcolm started on one tribe, was switched to another tribe, and then reached the merge.
    • Both times Malcolm switched tribes there were split into tribes of 7. He also never went to Tribal Council after a tribe swap.
  • As stated in Caramoan, Malcolm has a mother named Madeline.
    • Malcolm named the merged tribe after his mother as he requested Enil Edam; Enil Edam is Madeline spelled backwards.
  • Malcolm is the third person to possess multiple Hidden Immunity Idols simultaneously, after James Clement and Parvati Shallow, and later followed by LJ McKanas and Tony Vlachos.
    • He is also the only one of the four to possess multiple Hidden Immunity Idols on multiple occasions in the same season.
  • While Malcolm never played his Hidden Immunity Idol in Philippines, he played two Idols in consecutive Tribal Councils in Caramoan.
  • Malcolm is the one of two players to play two Immunity Idols in one season when both did not negate the majority of the vote. The other is Sandra Diaz-Twine.
  • Malcolm found three idols without a clue in his two seasons, and the fourth was given to him.
  • Malcolm was the third person (after Russell Hantz and Hope Driskill) to be voted out in the re-vote following a three-way tie.
    • Of those three, Malcolm is the first to be voted out 6-0-0 in the revote. The other two were voted out 5-1-0.
    • Coincidentally, all three ties involved two males and one female.
  • On Philippines, Malcolm helped vote out returning player Jonathan Penner on Day 30; as a returning player in Caramoan, Malcolm himself was voted out on Day 30.
  • Malcolm is the only contestant to have competed in both seasons with a Final Three/8-person Jury configuration.
  • Malcolm is the lowest placing player to win the Fan Favorite Award at the end of a season.
  • Malcolm is the only male contestant to vote against Reynold Toepfer.
  • Brian Heidik is Malcolm's favorite Survivor contestant.
  • Malcolm and Erik Reichenbach are the only two contestants to be on an 8-person jury on multiple occasions.
  • Had Malcolm accepted his offer to be on Survivor: Blood vs. Water, he would've been on Survivor 3 seasons in a row: setting a new record.

References

Survivor: Philippines Castaways
 Abi-Maria
Tandang
S25 abimaria t
 Angie
Matsing
S25 angie t
 Artis
Tandang
S25 artis t
 Carter
Kalabaw
S25 carter t
 Dana
Kalabaw
S25 dana t
 Dawson
Kalabaw
S25 dawson t
 Denise
Matsing
S25 denise t
 Jeff
Kalabaw
S25 jeff t
 Jonathan
Kalabaw
S25 jonathan t
 Katie
Kalabaw
S25 katie t
 Lisa
Tandang
S25 lisa t
 Malcolm
Matsing
S25 malcolm t
 Michael
Tandang
S25 michael t
 Pete
Tandang
S25 pete t
 RC
Tandang
S25 rc t
 Roxy
Matsing
S25 roxy t
 Russell
Matsing
S25 russell t
 Zane
Matsing
S25 zane t
Survivor: Caramoan Castaways
 Allie
Gota
S26 allie t
 Andrea
Bikal
S26 andrea t
 Brandon
Bikal
S26 brandon t
 Brenda
Bikal
S26 brenda t
 Cochran
Bikal
S26 cochran t
 Corinne
Bikal
S26 corinne t
 Dawn
Bikal
S26 dawn t
 Eddie
Gota
S26 eddie t
 Erik
Bikal
S26 erik t
 Francesca
Bikal
S26 francesca t
 Hope
Gota
S26 hope t
 Julia
Gota
S26 julia t
 Laura
Gota
S26 laura t
 Malcolm
Bikal
S26 malcolm t
 Matt
Gota
S26 matt t
 Michael
Gota
S26 michael t
 Phillip
Bikal
S26 phillip t
 Reynold
Gota
S26 reynold t
 Shamar
Gota
S26 shamar t
 Sherri
Gota
S26 sherri t
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