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For the last couple of weeks, we've been spreading the word about local dispensary owner Jim Rice's bid for another shot on CBS's Survivor. After placing twelfth in Survivor: South Pacific in 2011 (we followed his progress before he was voted out), Rice was hoping to get enough audience votes to land in the top ten male alumni and snag a spot on Survivor Cambodia: Second Chance — a version of the survival reality show featuring twenty former contestants, divided equally between men and women, chosen to return by fans.
Rice was offering $25 eighths at both of his High Level Health locations to anyone who voted him, and he appeared on several media outlets asking for support from the Denver community after CBS announced him as a nominee, saying he'd donate some of his $1,000,000 prize to charity if he won. Leading up to the final count after two weeks of voting, Rice was feeling anxious, appreciative and vengeful all at the same time on his Twitter account.
I'm everything...nervous, excited, nauseous, happy, sad....just ready for it to be here! #survivorfinale https://t.co/tUTXQgFBB5
— Jim Rice (@jamesloganrice) May 20, 2015
Win or lose tonight, a sincere thank you to everyone who took the time to vote for me! #SurvivorSecondChance if u didn't vote for me, fuck u
— Jim Rice (@jamesloganrice) May 20, 2015
Unfortunately for Rice, when the cast was announced online Wednesday night, he wasn't part of it. As one of twenty male alumni vying for a trip to the show's filming location in Cambodia, Rice knew he was facing an uphill battle for America's attention — but he hoped he had a strong enough push from Denver voters to get him into the top ten men. "The guys I'm competing against have played more recently than I have and probably have better abs than I do. But they don't come from a city as supportive as Denver," he said before the voting started. "I think we care about our own much more than any state."
Though that support wasn't enough this time, don't count Rice out forever. Since his first <em>Survivor</em> run in 2011, he's remained in contact with the show's producer, Jeff Probst, who gave reason for optimism among this round's losers:
"Just because you aren't chosen for this doesn't mean you won't return," Probst said during the casting announcement.
Rice couldn't be reached for comment, but he thanked everyone who supported him with a tweet Thursday morning.
After a very emotionally brutal night, it was nice to wake up to all the support. Thank you! @JeffProbst #survivor #fortheloveofthegame
— Jim Rice (@jamesloganrice) May 21, 2015
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