‘Survivor’ Winner: Tori Is a ‘Halloween Costume of a Therapist’

YouTube Tori Meehan in episode 4 of “Survivor 42.”

Four episodes into “Survivor 42,” it is possible that a villain has already emerged: 24-year-old Tori Meehan of Ika has already dodged two Tribal Councils in which she was one of the primary targets, largely by throwing her closest allies under the bus.

Much to the surprise of many fans, Tori is actually a therapist back home in Arkansas. This led “Survivor: South Pacific” winner Sophie Clarke to comment on her and her profession, describing her as a “halloween costume of a therapist.” Here’s what you need to know:

Sophie Thinks There’s ‘Something Weird’ About Tori

Getty“Survivor: South Pacific” winner Sophie Clarke at the premiere of “Survivor: Winners at War” in California in February 2020.

In episode 4, Tori caused another upset at Tribal Council when she successfully lobbied Drea Wheeler and Romeo Escobar to eliminate 19-year-old Swati Goel over herself. “Isn’t there something weird about Tori?” Sophie Clarke said in a podcast with The Ringer on Thursday while discussing the episode. “Like, what is that? What’s going on?”

When co-host Riley McAtee added that she seems to have very little self-awareness, especially as a therapist, Sophie emphatically agreed. “She’s like a halloween costume of a therapist or something,” she replied. “I feel like she’s the kind of person who if you have an inside thing with, she’d be like, [loudly] ‘okay!’ She’s very loud in the way she does everything. Even when she’s trying to be under-the-radar, she does it in an incredibly loud way.” Sophie also described Tori as being very “heavy handed with her attitude.”

Sophie added, however, that she was impressed by the way Tori handled Rocksroy Bailey in the same episode, even though Rocksroy did end up voting for her at that night’s Tribal Council. “I was slightly impressed, although I thought it was a little over the top, because everything she does is over the top, but I was at least impressed that she was able to withhold her ego enough to placate Rocksroy on that walk,” Sophie explained. “She was doing a good job of kind of agreeing with everything.”

Sophie went on to say that although Tori “lays it on a little thick,” that kind of technique may work best with Rocksroy, since he is “ready to receive that kind of thickness.”

Tori Is a ‘Certified Life Coach’

According to her website, Tori, now 25, is a “certified life coach” who specializes in eating disorders. She plans to obtain a PhD in counseling and psychology in the near future.

In addition, Sophie is not the only winner to mention Tori in their dissection of the game. Kim Spradlin, who won the season after Sophie’s, “One World,” said about a week ago that Tori gave her “a little bit of a backstabbey vibe,” though added that that could be entirely because of the edit. “It feels a little bit like she’s overtly like, ‘I’m gonna do this,’ and ‘I’m gonna do that’!” Kim said while explaining why she felt she and Tori were different. “I never felt like I was doing that, I don’t think. I was just trying to not get voted out.”

Will Tori manage to dodge elimination yet again, should Ika lose immunity next episode? How long will she be able to last? Tune into “Survivor 42” Wednesdays at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific on CBS to find out. The finale airs Wednesday, May 25, 2022.