'Big Tom' Buchanan was Africa's gruff, goat-farming heart — a Virginia cattle-and-goat man whose thick drawl, blunt humor, and earthy camp competence made him an instant fan favorite. Equally at home butchering dinner and cracking the tribe up, he rode the dominant Boran alliance alongside Ethan Zohn and Lex van den Berghe to a fourth-place finish.
He came back for All-Stars and went deeper into rougher water, until his habit of floating between sides spooked his closest ally: Rob Mariano stopped trusting him and engineered the blindside that sent Big Tom out in fifth. Equal parts comic relief and loyal competitor, he's one of the early era's most beloved characters.
