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

Starting off on the dreadful Matsing tribe, Malcolm quickly attached himself to fellow tribemate Angie Layton, and later on to Denise Stapley. After voting out his ally Angie, Denise and Malcolm worked together and ably pitted the remnants of the former Kalabaw and Tandang tribes against one another. This stratagem, along with Malcolm's challenge prowess and easy charm, helped him navigate all the way to the final four alongside Denise. The two were forced to turn against one another at this point, due to the close working relationship between Lisa Whelchel and Michael Skupin as well as the fact that both Denise and Malcolm recognized their biggest threat in each other. Lisa and Michael identified Malcolm as the likelier of the two to beat them in the final vote, siding with Denise and voting off Malcolm, though both would ultimately lose to Denise.

Returning as a favorite in Caramoan, Malcolm started off the game as a low-profile member of an alliance led by Phillip Sheppard. He got to the merge unscathed and, in collaboration with Corinne Kaplan and Reynold Toepfer, began laying the groundwork to turn on Phillip. This plan backfired catastrophically as Corinne was pre-emptively blindsided due to the diligence of Phillip's allies, including Dawn Meehan, Andrea Boehlke and eventual winner John Cochran. Though Malcolm's idol-finding prowess soon enabled his embattled Three Amigos alliance to eliminate Phillip in a memorable Tribal Council, he was never able to re-assert control of the game and was voted out on Day 30 for his status as a threat to the majority alliance.

Malcolm's time in Game Changers was short-lived. Despite having solidified himself in the original Mana alliance and finding himself in a good spot in the majority at the new Nuku tribe, a loss at the Day 11 Immunity Challenge sent his tribe to a Joint Tribal Council with Mana, which led to him being blindsided by Mana's idol play.

Profile

Retrieved from CBS.com

Name (Age): Malcolm Freberg (25)
Tribe Designation: Matsing
Current Residence: Hermosa Beach, Calif.
Occupation: Bartender
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. 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.[1]

Name (Age): Malcolm Freberg (25)
Tribe Designation: Bikal
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.[2]

Age: 29

Hometown: Hermosa Beach, CA
Previously played on: Season 25: Philippines, Finished 4th & Jury Member; Season 26: Caramoan, Finished 9th & Jury Member
How have you changed since the last time you played?

  1. My hair is—incredibly—even thicker than before.
  2. Rewatched an unhealthy amount of Disney movies and discovered I relate more to the villains. Gaston was misunderstood.
  3. Got a little fat.

What skills do you bring to Survivor that will make you a useful member of the group and what skills have you been learning since you last played? I can do all the outdoorsman stuff. We know this. What I’ve gotten better at is emotions, vulnerability, and feelings and stuff.
What are you most proud of from the last time? I don’t do base hits. I swing for the fences—for better or worse.
What, if anything, do you most regret? Losing. Also, wearing way too much plaid.

How will you play differently this time? Same big moves, but more finesse. I’m still going to find all the Idols, still going to wreck folks, but being a little older and a little wiser—LOL—should get me paid this time around. Please bring back the oversized checks for my coronation.[3]

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.

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: it 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 -1
10 Phillip Cochran, Phillip2
11 Andrea;
Ineligible
Andrea, Cochran, Erik;
Brenda, Cochran, Dawn,
Eddie, Erik, Sherri3
Voted Out, Day 30
Voted for
Sole Survivor
Cochran

^1 In Cut Off the Head of the Snake, Reynold used a Hidden Immunity Idol on Malcolm, but did not negate any votes against him.
^2 In Zipping Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Malcolm used a Hidden Immunity Idol, negating 2 votes against him.
^3 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.

Game Changers

Malcolm started off on the Mana tribe. After losing the first Immunity Challenge of the season, he joined the rest of his tribe in voting Ciera Eastin off first. At the second Immunity Challenge, he helped Mana make a come from behind after they failed in the first stage of the challenge. However, he could not close the victory and thus Mana returned to Tribal Council. Malcolm had formed an alliance with Aubry Bracco, Caleb Reynolds, Sandra Diaz-Twine, and Tony Vlachos prior to the vote, but because of a feud breaking out between Sandra and Tony, Malcolm ultimately defected from the alliance and joined Sandra's side of the tribe in voting Tony out.

At the switch, Malcolm was switched to the new Nuku tribe, which had a 5-1 Mana majority, leaving J.T. on the outs. Malcolm was comfortable at Nuku camp, not only because of Mana's stronghold but also because of how much of an improvement it was from Mana's inferior camp. His tribe won the third Immunity Challenge, and for the first time in the season Malcolm abstained from Tribal Council.

On Day 10, Malcolm and J.T. won the Reward Challenge for Nuku, winning coffee, cookies, and chocolate for the tribe. The pair also started to form a bond, as J.T. discussed the idea of voting Sandra off the tribe for being a major threat. The following day, Nuku and Mana lost the Immunity Challenge, which sent them to a Joint Tribal Council. Before Tribal Council, Nuku discussed who they should target on Mana. However, J.T. remained intent on voting Sandra off.

At a chaotic Tribal Council, J.T. spilled the beans to Mana, telling them that Sierra Dawn Thomas was Nuku's target. After the votes were cast, Tai Trang capitalized on this leak, and played his idol on Sierra. The 6 votes cast by Nuku against Sierra were negated, and Malcolm - Mana's target - was blindsided and voted off, 5-0, for being a challenge threat.

Voting History

Malcolm's Voting History
Episode Malcolm's
Votes
Voted Against
Malcolm
1 Ciera -
2 Tony -
3 Nuku Tribe Immune
4 Sierra1 Brad, Debbie,
Hali, Sierra, Tai
Voted Out, Day 11

^1 In The Tables Have Turned, Tai used a Hidden Immunity Idol on Sierra, negating Malcolm's vote against her.

Post-Survivor

Trivia

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
Survivor: Game Changers Castaways
 Andrea
Nuku
S34 andrea t
 Aubry
Mana
S34 aubry t
 Brad
Nuku
S34 brad t
 Caleb
Mana
S34 caleb t
 Ciera
Mana
S34 ciera t
 Cirie
Nuku
S34 cirie t
 Debbie
Nuku
S34 debbie t
 Hali
Mana
S34 hali t
 J.T.
Nuku
S34 jt t
 Jeff
Mana
S34 jeff t
 Malcolm
Mana
S34 malcolm t
 Michaela
Mana
S34 michaela t
 Ozzy
Nuku
S34 ozzy t
 Sandra
Mana
S34 sandra t
 Sarah
Nuku
S34 sarah t
 Sierra
Nuku
S34 sierra t
 Tai
Nuku
S34 tai t
 Tony
Mana
S34 tony t
 Troyzan
Mana
S34 troyzan t
 Zeke
Nuku
S34 zeke t
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