Yau-Man Chan
Encyclopedia
Yau-Man Chan was the fourth place finisher in the reality television series Survivor: Fiji. He returned to the show in Survivor: Micronesia
, where he was the third contestant to be ousted. He was born in Hong Kong
to ethnic Chinese parents and raised in Sabah
, North Borneo, Malaysia.
He is the Chief Technology Officer for Computing Services, Network Services, and Telecommunications at the University of California, Berkeley
's College of Chemistry and a champion table tennis
player. Chan was also the 2005-06 Northern California
Division Director for the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association
. He has a Bachelor of Science
(physics
) from MIT and a Masters from UC Santa Barbara
.
In the polling at the official Survivor website, Chan was voted as being the favorite survivor of the Fiji season, with a 65.5% popularity rating. The second-most-popular, Earl
, only had 10%.
Jeff Probst
called Chan an "unlikely hero." There are just some people who have a way about them - instantly charming - that makes you want to pull for them."
to win the game and one million dollars.
An atypical Survivor contestant, he achieved much success through his knowledge and utilization of basic physics. This was evident from the first episode. After the repeated efforts of much more muscular contestants, he was the only one able to open a box of supplies the tribe received.
While others had used various brute force methods to open the box, Chan simply dropped it on its corner onto a rock, opening it immediately. In this way he was also able to beat younger, fitter and theoretically stronger players in challenges. While not shown on the series, he was also instrumental in the creation of fire using spectacles (something not normally possible with concave lenses).
Chan also used his smarts to find the Hidden Immunity
Idol. While Earl kept the tribe at bay, Chan found the idol. It was shaped like a turtle
. Immediately after, he created a false idol. This way, if anyone found where the idol was, they would not suspect that he had in fact found it. He constructed the false idol out of coconut
shell and painted a face on it. He also painted the letters "I.I.," for Immunity Idol.
Chan was noted to be part of one of the largest controversies in Survivor history. In a challenge where the reward was a new truck, Chan won, and immediately offered a deal to Dreamz. He would give Dreamz the truck if Dreamz, should both he and Chan be in the final four and the former won individual immunity, would give his immunity to Chan, securing a place for him in the final three.
Dreamz accepted, and Chan sent himself to Exile Island, the first to do so in Survivor history. Chan said in a confessional during the episode that it was because "Cassandra would never survive, and there was no one else to send."
After two more people were voted out, the exact conditions of this bargain were set up, with Dreamz winning immunity in the final four. However, Dreamz reneged on the deal and Chan was voted off. In the reunion after the finale, it was revealed by the members of the jury that Chan might have won with six out of nine votes had he made it to the final three. He has stated that he holds no grudge against what Dreamz did, as it was a risk he took.
, which is the sixteenth season of Survivor and began airing on February 7, 2008. On the first episode of the show, he formed a loose alliance with fellow favorites Jonathan Penner
, Ami Cusack
, and Eliza Orlins. Chan joined the rest of his tribe in voting Jon Dalton
off the island during that episode.
As aired in episode three, the Favorites lost the immunity challenge and Chan was targeted by Survivor: Panama
favorite Cirie Fields
, the swing vote for the two alliances (the other consisting of Amanda Kimmel
, Ozzy Lusth
, Parvati Shallow
and James Clement). Fields targeted him because of his reputation as an intelligent player, and she was scared of what would happen if he found the Hidden Immunity Idol again. Despite Penner's attempts to persuade Fields to join their alliance, Chan was eliminated and became the third person voted off the island.
However, additional footage released on the official Survivor website revealed another side to these events. Fields, who was one of the first people to visit Exile Island in this season, had shared all the clues to the location of the hidden immunity idol that she had gathered with Chan, with the understanding that the two of them would share the idol in a similar manner to Chan and Earl. After this information exchange, Chan suggested to the tribe that if they won the next reward challenge, instead of following the tribe's earlier procedure of drawing lots to determine which of their own number went to Exile Island, Penner would be sent. Upon hearing this, Fields drew the conclusion that Chan had given Penner the clues she had just shared, and that the two men were in an alliance that excluded her. That conclusion was another factor in Fields' decision to eliminate Chan. Post-elimination interviews of Jonathan Penner have told a similar story.
.
(of the Skeptoid
podcast) and producer Ryan Johnson (American Dragster).
The show will be a reality TV series that investigates the paranormal and fringe science
from a skeptical scientific point of view.
Another Skeptologists cast member, Dr. Steven Novella
, heads the podcast The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe
, on which Chan is interviewed in the April 12, 2008 episode.
On May 29, 2011 Chan lectured on "Reality of Reality TV" at the 2nd annual SkeptiCalCon event held in Berkeley, California
.
.
Survivor: Micronesia
Survivor: Micronesia — Fans vs. Favorites is the sixteenth season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor, being the show's third to include contestants from past seasons, after the all-returning contestant pool from Survivor: All-Stars, and Survivor: Guatemala in which...
, where he was the third contestant to be ousted. He was born in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
to ethnic Chinese parents and raised in Sabah
Sabah
Sabah is one of 13 member states of Malaysia. It is located on the northern portion of the island of Borneo. It is the second largest state in the country after Sarawak, which it borders on its southwest. It also shares a border with the province of East Kalimantan of Indonesia in the south...
, North Borneo, Malaysia.
He is the Chief Technology Officer for Computing Services, Network Services, and Telecommunications at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
's College of Chemistry and a champion table tennis
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
player. Chan was also the 2005-06 Northern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
Division Director for the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association
National Collegiate Table Tennis Association
The National Collegiate Table Tennis Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting competitive table tennis at the collegiate level in the United States and Canada...
. He has a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
(physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
) from MIT and a Masters from UC Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
.
In the polling at the official Survivor website, Chan was voted as being the favorite survivor of the Fiji season, with a 65.5% popularity rating. The second-most-popular, Earl
Earl Cole
Earl Cole is the $1,000,000 winner of the reality television series Survivor: Fiji. He is an entrepreneur, producer, philanthropist and former California advertising executive.-Survivor: Fiji:...
, only had 10%.
Jeff Probst
Jeff Probst
Jeffrey Lee "Jeff" Probst is an American game show host, executive producer and a reporter. He is best known as the host of the U.S. version of the reality show Survivor.-Biography:...
called Chan an "unlikely hero." There are just some people who have a way about them - instantly charming - that makes you want to pull for them."
Survivor: Fiji
Yau-Man Chan appeared in the reality television series Survivor: Fiji. He finished fourth and was the last person to be voted out. He appeared on the jury at the end of the season and voted for Earl ColeEarl Cole
Earl Cole is the $1,000,000 winner of the reality television series Survivor: Fiji. He is an entrepreneur, producer, philanthropist and former California advertising executive.-Survivor: Fiji:...
to win the game and one million dollars.
An atypical Survivor contestant, he achieved much success through his knowledge and utilization of basic physics. This was evident from the first episode. After the repeated efforts of much more muscular contestants, he was the only one able to open a box of supplies the tribe received.
While others had used various brute force methods to open the box, Chan simply dropped it on its corner onto a rock, opening it immediately. In this way he was also able to beat younger, fitter and theoretically stronger players in challenges. While not shown on the series, he was also instrumental in the creation of fire using spectacles (something not normally possible with concave lenses).
Chan also used his smarts to find the Hidden Immunity
Immunity (reality television)
Immunity in reality television is a concept that is widely used in weekly elimination-type reality television shows by which a contestant participating in such a show may not be "kicked off" or eliminated from competition in a particular time period...
Idol. While Earl kept the tribe at bay, Chan found the idol. It was shaped like a turtle
Turtle
Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines , characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield...
. Immediately after, he created a false idol. This way, if anyone found where the idol was, they would not suspect that he had in fact found it. He constructed the false idol out of coconut
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
shell and painted a face on it. He also painted the letters "I.I.," for Immunity Idol.
Chan was noted to be part of one of the largest controversies in Survivor history. In a challenge where the reward was a new truck, Chan won, and immediately offered a deal to Dreamz. He would give Dreamz the truck if Dreamz, should both he and Chan be in the final four and the former won individual immunity, would give his immunity to Chan, securing a place for him in the final three.
Dreamz accepted, and Chan sent himself to Exile Island, the first to do so in Survivor history. Chan said in a confessional during the episode that it was because "Cassandra would never survive, and there was no one else to send."
After two more people were voted out, the exact conditions of this bargain were set up, with Dreamz winning immunity in the final four. However, Dreamz reneged on the deal and Chan was voted off. In the reunion after the finale, it was revealed by the members of the jury that Chan might have won with six out of nine votes had he made it to the final three. He has stated that he holds no grudge against what Dreamz did, as it was a risk he took.
Survivor: Micronesia
On January 3, 2008, Chan was announced to be among the favorites in Survivor: MicronesiaSurvivor: Micronesia
Survivor: Micronesia — Fans vs. Favorites is the sixteenth season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor, being the show's third to include contestants from past seasons, after the all-returning contestant pool from Survivor: All-Stars, and Survivor: Guatemala in which...
, which is the sixteenth season of Survivor and began airing on February 7, 2008. On the first episode of the show, he formed a loose alliance with fellow favorites Jonathan Penner
Jonathan Penner
Jonathan Lindsay Penner is an American actor, writer and film producer known for starring in The Last Supper and the television series Rude Awakening and The Naked Truth, as well as for appearing on the television show Survivor.-Life and career:Penner was born in New York City...
, Ami Cusack
Ami Cusack
Ami Cusack was a contestant on Survivor: Vanuatu and Survivor: Micronesia. She is the former Charitable Director of Experimental and Applied Sciences . Cusack is a model/barista who posed for Playboy magazine in 1996....
, and Eliza Orlins. Chan joined the rest of his tribe in voting Jon Dalton
Jon Dalton
John Dalton, also known as Jonny Fairplay , is a reality TV participant and former art consultant from Danville, Virginia. He came in third place as a competitor on the reality TV show Survivor: Pearl Islands...
off the island during that episode.
As aired in episode three, the Favorites lost the immunity challenge and Chan was targeted by Survivor: Panama
Survivor: Panama
Survivor: Panama — Exile Island, also known as Survivor: Exile Island and Survivor: Panama, is the twelfth season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. The season was filmed in the Pearl Islands, off the coast of Panama. This location was previously used for Survivor:...
favorite Cirie Fields
Cirie Fields
Cirie Fields is a married mother of three children and a repeat contestant on CBS's Survivor television series. Fields has appeared in three seasons, Survivor: Panama, Survivor: Micronesia, and Survivor: Heroes vs...
, the swing vote for the two alliances (the other consisting of Amanda Kimmel
Amanda Kimmel
Amanda Lee Kimmel is an actress, model and former beauty queen who has competed in the Miss USA and Miss Earth pageants. Kimmel gained international notoriety as a runner-up contestant on both Survivor: China and Survivor: Micronesia. She also competed on Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains...
, Ozzy Lusth
Ozzy Lusth
Oscar "Ozzy" Lusth is a reality show contestant who first appeared on Survivor: Cook Islands. He finished as the 1st runner-up in a 5–4–0 vote to Yul Kwon. Lusth later competed in Survivor: Micronesia as one of the returning favorites...
, Parvati Shallow
Parvati Shallow
Parvati Shallow is the $1,000,000 winner of the reality television series Survivor: Micronesia after receiving votes from Eliza Orlins, Jason Siska, Alexis Jones, Natalie Bolton, and Cirie Fields. She had previously competed in Survivor: Cook Islands where she placed sixth, and later was the...
and James Clement). Fields targeted him because of his reputation as an intelligent player, and she was scared of what would happen if he found the Hidden Immunity Idol again. Despite Penner's attempts to persuade Fields to join their alliance, Chan was eliminated and became the third person voted off the island.
However, additional footage released on the official Survivor website revealed another side to these events. Fields, who was one of the first people to visit Exile Island in this season, had shared all the clues to the location of the hidden immunity idol that she had gathered with Chan, with the understanding that the two of them would share the idol in a similar manner to Chan and Earl. After this information exchange, Chan suggested to the tribe that if they won the next reward challenge, instead of following the tribe's earlier procedure of drawing lots to determine which of their own number went to Exile Island, Penner would be sent. Upon hearing this, Fields drew the conclusion that Chan had given Penner the clues she had just shared, and that the two men were in an alliance that excluded her. That conclusion was another factor in Fields' decision to eliminate Chan. Post-elimination interviews of Jonathan Penner have told a similar story.
Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains
Chan received an invitation to be a participant of Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, but had to decline it due to insufficient leaveLeave of absence
Leave of absence is a term used to describe a period of time that one is to be away from his/her primary job, while maintaining the status of employee...
.
The Skeptologists
In April 2008, Chan worked on a pilot for a skeptical reality show called The Skeptologists. The pilot is being developed by Brian DunningBrian Dunning (skeptic)
Brian Dunning is the host and producer of Skeptoid: Critical Analysis of Pop Phenomena, a weekly audio podcast dedicated "to furthering knowledge by blasting away the widespread pseudosciences that infect popular culture, and replacing them with evidence-based scientific reality." He is also the...
(of the Skeptoid
Skeptoid
Skeptoid is a weekly podcast created and hosted by American skeptic and author Brian Dunning. The show follows an audio essay format, and is dedicated to the critical examination of pseudoscience and the paranormal....
podcast) and producer Ryan Johnson (American Dragster).
The show will be a reality TV series that investigates the paranormal and fringe science
Fringe science
Fringe science is scientific inquiry in an established field of study that departs significantly from mainstream or orthodox theories, and is classified in the "fringes" of a credible mainstream academic discipline....
from a skeptical scientific point of view.
Another Skeptologists cast member, Dr. Steven Novella
Steven Novella
Steven P. Novella is an American clinical neurologist, assistant professor and Director of General Neurology at Yale University School of Medicine...
, heads the podcast The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe
The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe
The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe is a weekly, 80 minute podcast hosted by Steven Novella, MD, and a panel of "skeptical rogues". It is the official podcast of the New England Skeptical Society, and is produced in conjunction with the James Randi Educational Foundation...
, on which Chan is interviewed in the April 12, 2008 episode.
On May 29, 2011 Chan lectured on "Reality of Reality TV" at the 2nd annual SkeptiCalCon event held in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
.
Personal life
Yau-Man Chan is married and he has two children (Penelope and Ione) 3 rabbits and a dog. He currently resides in Martinez, CaliforniaMartinez, California
Martinez is a city and the county seat of Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 35,824 at the 2010 census. The downtown is notable for its large number of preserved old buildings...
.