Isamu "Shimada"

Isamu Shimada, most often referred to by surname, is a consistent contestant on Survivor: REM. He has 6th casting priority, and thus is guaranteed to appear in every season.

In Borneo, as a likeable leader and strong survivalist, who refused to join alliances, Shimada was remembered for being the victim of the first major blindside in the history of the series. This would set up the modern game where people are voted out for strengths over weaknesses after the merge.

Borneo
From the beginning, Shimada was second-in-command in Pagong. Takeo Hamasaki became the tribe's leader due to his work ethic. Immediately following Takeo's elimination, Shimada took over the leadership position over the Pagong tribe. His first move was to create a new shelter because the hut that Takeo made beforehand was deemed uncomfortable to sleep in. Despite some misunderstandings, Shimada's leadership was more well-liked and accepted than Takeo's abrasive personality. This was also in part due to Shimada knowing how to pace himself whereas Takeo worked too hard, ultimately leading to his near unanimous vote out at Pagong's first trip to Tribal Council. Shimada would see himself remain in a comfortable position for the entire pre-merge, as some of his tribemates, particularly Isao Amano, were seen as weaker links, along with Komako Noguchi and Annaisha Hattori making themselves targets through their sexist behavior.

After the Day 20 merge, Shimada was pleased to have the opportunity to meet the Tagi members. He entered the merge firm in his belief that he wanted to get far in the game through his merits rather than alliances. Tsutomu Wada was intrigued by his stance, similar to that of Kishou Yamaoka, to which Tsutomu replied in confessional by saying playing this game with alliances has nothing to do with morals. After Mikihiro Yasutake won the Immunity Challenge, the majority of the Rattana tribe went into Tribal Council with various individual agendas. Shimada cast his vote for Kaori Funai, citing some personal issues. However, he fell victim to the Tagi Alliance of Tsutomu, Kaori, Midori Harada, and Shieri Yasude. They deemed him as a threat to win the game, and since he was the leader of the Pagong tribe, Shimada was ousted from the game after a capricious 4-1-1-1-1-1-1 vote.