Rupert Frederick Boneham (; born January 27, 1964) is an American
mentor
Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...
for troubled teens, who became known to
reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
audiences in 2003 as a contestant on ''
Survivor: Pearl Islands'' where he placed eighth. He later appeared on the ''
All Stars'', ''
Heroes vs. Villains'', and ''
Blood vs. Water'' seasons of ''
Survivor'', placing fourth, sixth, and 20th, respectively. He was ultimately a fan favorite among ''Survivor'' viewers, who voted him a million-dollar winner on ''
Survivor: America's Tribal Council'', a special episode of ''Survivor: All-Stars''. The prize was awarded after a nationwide popular vote in which Boneham received 85% of the votes cast. Boneham and his wife Laura later competed on the
31st season of ''
The Amazing Race
''The Amazing Race'' is an adventure reality game show franchise in which teams of two people race around the world in competition with other teams. The ''Race'' is split into legs, with teams tasked to deduce clues, navigate themselves in forei ...
'' and were the second team eliminated.
Boneham was the 2012
Libertarian
Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...
nominee for governor of Indiana, losing to Republican nominee, and future Vice President of the United States,
Mike Pence
Michael Richard Pence (born June 7, 1959) is an American politician who served as the 48th vice president of the United States from 2017 to 2021 under President Donald Trump. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 50th ...
.
''Survivor''
''Pearl Islands''
During ''
Survivor: Pearl Islands'', Boneham quickly became one of the most popular ''Survivor'' contestants, and was well known as a "gentle giant" for his distinctive appearance, which included a huge beard,
tie-dye
Tie-dye is a term used to describe a number of resist dyeing techniques and the resulting dyed products of these processes. The process of tie-dye typically consists of folding, twisting, pleating, or crumpling fabric or a garment, before binding ...
shirt and large size, as well as a boisterous, friendly-but-focused personality.
[''Reality Stars: Where Are They Now?'' VH1; Viewed January 4, 2010]
Boneham was a preselected member of the Drake tribe, before his arrival on the island for ''Survivor: Pearl Islands''. For the first three episodes he was part of an alliance with
Sandra Diaz-Twine
Sandra Diaz-Twine (born July 30, 1974) is an American television personality who became known for her appearances on the reality game show '' Survivor''. She won the first two seasons she appeared on, '' Survivor: Pearl Islands'' and '' Survivor ...
, Christa Hastie, and Trish Dunn. In episode four, Boneham's tribe lost immunity, but he was kidnapped by the Morgan tribe and did not attend Tribal Council. He temporarily looked after a
sea snake
Sea snakes, or coral reef snakes, are elapid snakes that inhabit marine environments for most or all of their lives. They belong to two subfamilies, Hydrophiinae and Laticaudinae. Hydrophiinae also includes Australasian terrestrial snakes, wher ...
named Balboa, who became the namesake of the merged tribe. In Episode Six, Drake lost their third immunity challenge, and Dunn conspired with Diaz-Twine,
"Jonny Fairplay" Dalton, and Shawn Cohen to vote out Boneham, but he was saved by Diaz-Twine and Cohen, sending Dunn home instead. After the next Tribal Council when Cohen was voted out, Burton Roberts from Drake and Lillian "Lil" Morris from Morgan returned to the game, as part of the Outcast twist, and both joined the Drake alliance at the merge. After two Morgan members had been eliminated, Dalton, Roberts and Morris sided with Darrah Johnson and Tijuana "Ti" Bradley from the Morgan tribe and successfully voted Boneham out on Day 27, in a vote of 5–2–1. That night he became the tenth contestant voted out of the competition (eleventh overall) and the second member of the jury. On Day 39, Boneham cast his jury vote for Diaz-Twine, who would be named the winner of the season.
''All-Stars''
Less than a month after Boneham returned home from the competition, he returned to compete in the ''All-Stars'' season, the only player from ''Pearl Islands'' to do so, and thus the first contestant in ''Survivor'' history to compete in two consecutive seasons. Boneham went on to finish fourth, being voted out in Episode 15 and being the fifteenth person eliminated. After ''All-Stars'' ended a special aired called ''
Survivor: America's Tribal Council'', in which viewers were given the opportunity in a contest called "America Votes" to select one of the 18 contestants to win one million dollars. The finalists were Boneham,
Colby Donaldson
Colby Donaldson (born April 1, 1974) is an American television personality. He became the runner-up of '' Survivor: The Australian Outback'' (2001). He then competed on two more ''Survivor'' seasons, '' Survivor: All-Stars'' (2004) and '' Survi ...
, "Big Tom" Buchanan, and
"Boston Rob" Mariano. Boneham won the million dollars, receiving 85% of the 38 million votes cast. He spent his prize money on his family's debts, a college fund for his daughter, a new house for his family, and the creation of his charity,
Rupert's Kids
Rupert Frederick Boneham (; born January 27, 1964) is an American mentor for troubled teens, who became known to reality television audiences in 2003 as a contestant on '' Survivor: Pearl Islands'' where he placed eighth. He later appeared on the ...
, which mentors troubled children.
[
After ''All-Stars'' ended, he appeared in national promos for '' Survivor: Vanuatu''. Boneham also made an appearance in the third season of the Israeli version of ''Survivor'' in September 2009 as a part of a reward in a reward challenge.
]
''Heroes vs. Villains''
Boneham returned to participate in the '' Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains'' as part of the Heroes tribe. He was a part of the Heroes alliance which consisted of himself, J. T. Thomas, Amanda Kimmel, Cirie Fields, James Clement and Candice Woodcock. The alliance successfully eliminated Stephenie Lagrossa and Tom Westman, however, Fields was blindsided on Day 11, and they voted Clement out on Day 15 because his knee was injured. After Clement's elimination, the Heroes were down to five members, however, they won the last three immunity challenges.
The tribes merged with ten players remaining: five Heroes and five Villains. The Heroes thought that Villain member Russell Hantz
Russell Dennis Hantz (born October 10, 1972) is an American television personality, best known for his appearances on the U.S. reality show, '' Survivor.'' was on their side. However, Sandra Diaz-Twine
Sandra Diaz-Twine (born July 30, 1974) is an American television personality who became known for her appearances on the reality game show '' Survivor''. She won the first two seasons she appeared on, '' Survivor: Pearl Islands'' and '' Survivor ...
warned Boneham that Hantz was not with them, which concerned Boneham. At Tribal Council, the Heroes voted against Villains member Jerri Manthey
Jerri Lynn Manthey (born September 5, 1970) is an American actress and television personality. She was a contestant in ''Survivor: The Australian Outback'', where she placed 8th, ''Survivor: All-Stars, All-Stars'', where she placed 10th and ''Su ...
while the Villains voted against Thomas, However, Parvati Shallow
Parvati Shallow ( ; born September 21, 1982) is an American television personality and was the $1 million winner of the reality television series '' Survivor: Micronesia — Fans vs. Favorites''. She had previously competed in '' Survivor: Cook I ...
used one of her hidden immunity idols on Diaz-Twine, and used another idol (originally Thomas's immunity idol, which he gave to Hantz right before the merge, and which Hantz eventually gave to Shallow) on Manthey, whose votes were negated by the idol, therefore blindsiding Thomas and putting the Heroes in the minority. Woodcock flipped to the Villains alliance at the next Tribal Council so Kimmel was voted out. After Shallow won the next immunity challenge, Boneham put a rock in his pocket which made Hantz believe it was a hidden immunity idol. So the Villains decided to split their votes between Boneham and Woodcock. Due to Boneham and Colby Donaldson
Colby Donaldson (born April 1, 1974) is an American television personality. He became the runner-up of '' Survivor: The Australian Outback'' (2001). He then competed on two more ''Survivor'' seasons, '' Survivor: All-Stars'' (2004) and '' Survi ...
voting against Woodcock, she was blindsided thus sparing Boneham. He was spared again at the Final Seven Tribal Council, due to Hantz and Manthey siding with him to get rid of Danielle DiLorenzo.
After the loved ones challenge, Hantz plotted with Boneham and Donaldson to get rid of Shallow and they agreed. This plan was foiled when Shallow won immunity which surprised all three. At Tribal Council, Boneham and Donaldson voted for Diaz-Twine, but she used her hidden immunity idol, however, it only negated Boneham and Donaldson's votes as they were the only one's who voted against her. The four villains voted for Boneham thus eliminating him from the game. He was once again the fifteenth person eliminated, came in sixth place and was the seventh member of the jury. At the Final Tribal Council, Boneham, along with Courtney Yates and fellow Heroes tribemates Thomas, Kimmel, Woodcock, and Donaldson, voted for Diaz-Twine to win again, which she did by a 6–3–0 vote over Shallow and Hantz. At the reunion show, Boneham narrowly lost the fan favorite award to Hantz.
''Blood vs. Water''
Boneham and his wife Laura competed in the show's 27th season, '' Blood vs. Water''. This made him the second contestant in the history of the program to play the game four times, following Rob Mariano
Robert Carlo Mariano (born December 25, 1975), known by the nickname Boston Rob, is an American television personality, known for appearing in the CBS reality show '' Survivor''. He placed 10th in the show's 4th season '' Survivor: Marquesas'' ...
. On Day One, Laura was the first member of the Tadhana tribe to be voted out. However, Rupert traded places with her and sent himself to Redemption Island in her place in order to give Laura a chance at playing the game. This sacrifice allowed Laura to play the game on the Galang tribe. Rupert ultimately lost the first duel at Redemption on day four, and became the first person eliminated from ''Survivor: Blood vs. Water'', finishing in 20th place.
Other appearances
Shortly after his ''Survivor'' appearances, Boneham briefly appeared at charity events sponsored by the Indiana Ice
The Indiana Ice was a Tier I junior ice hockey team and member club of the United States Hockey League (USHL) that was formed in 2004 when the Danville Wings were purchased and moved from their location in Danville, Illinois, to Indianapolis, I ...
and Hardee's
Hardee's Restaurants LLC is an American fast-food restaurant chain operated by CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc. ("CKE") with locations primarily in the Southern and Midwestern United States. The company has evolved through several corporate owne ...
. In 2004 he appeared as a stable hand named Paul in "The Big My Little Pony Episode", the third-season premiere of the TV series ''Half & Half
''Half & Half'' is an American television sitcom created by Jeffrey Klarik that aired on UPN from September 23, 2002, to May 15, 2006. The show focuses on the lives of two paternal half-sisters in their twenties who were estranged throughout t ...
''. In 2006, he appeared in the independent movie '' Open Mic'rs''. He also made a cameo appearance as a homeless man in "The Radford Reshuffle", the sixth-season premiere of the show ''Yes, Dear
''Yes, Dear'' is an American television sitcom created by Alan Kirschenbaum and Gregory Garcia, that aired on CBS from October 2, 2000, to February 15, 2006, with the total of six seasons and 122 episodes. It starred Anthony Clark, Jean Louis ...
''. Boneham also makes an appearance as an extra in the bar fight scene in ''A Million Ways to Die in the West
''A Million Ways to Die in the West'' is a 2014 American Western dark comedy film directed by Seth MacFarlane and written by MacFarlane, Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild. The film features an ensemble cast including MacFarlane, Charlize Theron, Am ...
''.
In 2016, Boneham appeared in a special episode of ''The Price Is Right
''The Price Is Right'' is a television game show franchise created by Bob Stewart, originally produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman; currently it is produced and owned by Fremantle. The franchise centers on television game shows, but also inc ...
'' which featured multiple former ''Survivor'' contestants competing on the show. The episode aired on May 23, 2016.
Boneham and his wife Laura competed on the 31st season of ''The Amazing Race
''The Amazing Race'' is an adventure reality game show franchise in which teams of two people race around the world in competition with other teams. The ''Race'' is split into legs, with teams tasked to deduce clues, navigate themselves in forei ...
''. They were the second team eliminated.
Rupert's Kids
In 1983, before appearing on ''Survivor'', Boneham worked with mentally handicapped children in Abilene, Texas
Abilene ( ) is a city in Taylor and Jones Counties in Texas, United States. Its population was 125,182 at the 2020 census, making it the 27th-most populous city in the state of Texas. It is the principal city of the Abilene metropolitan statis ...
. He then moved to Indiana to work with troubled young adults. In 1991, he purchased an abandoned house and converted it into a vocational training center for young adults who had been expelled from school.
After being awarded one million dollars on '' Survivor: America's Tribal Council'', Boneham used a large percentage of his winnings to establish Rupert's Kids, to help "at-risk teens". The organization joined with the City of Indianapolis to create the Park Adoption Program.
2012 gubernatorial campaign
On August 30, 2011, Boneham announced that he would consider running for governor of Indiana
The governor of Indiana is the head of government of the State of Indiana. The governor is elected to a four-year term and is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of the functions of many agencies of the Indiana state government ...
. He launched his campaign on October 22, declaring that he would seek the nomination of the Libertarian Party
Active parties by country
Defunct parties by country
Organizations associated with Libertarian parties
See also
* Liberal parties by country
* List of libertarian organizations
* Lists of political parties
Lists of political part ...
. He won their nomination and ran against Republican nominee Mike Pence
Michael Richard Pence (born June 7, 1959) is an American politician who served as the 48th vice president of the United States from 2017 to 2021 under President Donald Trump. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 50th ...
and Democratic nominee John R. Gregg
John Richard Gregg (born September 6, 1954) is an American politician, businessman and attorney who served as the 85th and longest-serving Democratic speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives from 1996 to 2003. He served in the Indiana Ho ...
. Incumbent Republican Governor Mitch Daniels
Mitchell Elias Daniels Jr. (born April 7, 1949) is an American academic administrator, businessman, author, and retired politician. A Republican, Daniels served as the 49th governor of Indiana from 2005 to 2013. Since 2013, Daniels has been pr ...
was term-limited.
Boneham wrote on his official website, "I have spent my entire adult life serving my community and I see an opportunity to make a difference for Indiana", referencing his troubled-youth charity, Rupert's Kids. "While surveying the current choices for our next Governor, I do not see anyone that has an understanding of what daily life is like for many Hoosiers nor anyone who appears to understand the harm that misguided government policies are doing to our communities. It is obvious that career politicians are not the answer because they are often the problem. I will be evaluating whether or not hardworking Hoosiers are ready for a new voice with new ideas." He states that he has been a Libertarian for more than 20 years, but did not become active in the party until 2012.
Boneham and running mate Brad Klopfenstein received 101,868 votes, 3.95 percent of the total.
Personal life
As of ''The Amazing Race 31'' in 2019, Rupert and Laura have been married for about 21 years, and have a daughter, Raya.[
In 2021, Rupert revealed that he had undergone two surgeries for throat cancer.]
Filmography
Television
See also
* List of libertarians in the United States
This is a list of notable libertarians in the United States. It includes people who have identified themselves as members of the Libertarian Party or with Libertarianism in their political or social philosophy.
A
* Max Abramson, State Repres ...
References
External links
Official page
Rupert Boneham biography
for '' Survivor: Pearl Islands'' at CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
.com
Rupert Boneham biography
for '' Survivor: All-Stars'' at CBS.com
Rupert Boneham biography
for '' Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains'' at CBS.com
Rupert and Laura Boneham biography
for '' Survivor: Blood vs. Water'' at CBS.com
Rupert and Laura Boneham biography
for ''The Amazing Race 31
''The Amazing Race 31'' (also promoted as ''The Amazing Race: Reality Showdown'') is the thirty-first season of the American reality television show ''The Amazing Race''. It featured eleven teams of two, each consisting of former contestants from ...
'' at CBS.com
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boneham, Rupert
1964 births
Living people
American people of Syrian descent
Candidates in the 2012 United States elections
Indiana Libertarians
Television personalities from Detroit
People from Indianapolis
Survivor (American TV series) contestants
The Amazing Race (American TV series) contestants