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People seem to think the Crittendens of North Stafford have some inside information on "Survivor" this season, just because their relative is on the show.
But they don't know any more about what happens to Chad Crittenden, the castaway with the prosthetic foot, than anybody else who watches the Thursday-night show.
"I've been asked so many times, 'Do you know who wins?'" said Maddie Crittenden, Chad's half-sister. "I keep telling them, 'I don't know any more more than you do.'
"And I don't want to know," she added.
Maddie, a 14-year-old freshman at North Stafford High School, and "Survivor" contestant Chad, a 35-year-old school teacher from Oakland, Calif., have the same father: Steve.
Chad is the oldest child from Steve Crittenden's first marriage, and Maddie is the youngest from his second.
Chad grew up on the West Coast while Maddie and her two brothers, Michael and Zeph, have lived off Garrisonville Road.
Maddie's mother, Ann, is a lieutenant colonel in the Marine Corps and currently on a one-year assignment in Japan. Maddie's father is a retired Marine officer who works for a local defense contractor.
The Stafford Crittendens don't see a lot of Chad and his family because they're on opposite sides of the country.
But they're certainly rooting for him to take home the million-dollar prize--and believe he's got the mental and physical skills to win.
"He might have half a leg, but he totally makes up for it," Maddie said Thursday, while watching her brother on TV. "The shape he's in, he can outrun all those guys."
This year's "Survivor" takes place in the South Pacific, on a group of islands called Vanuatu. (That's pronounced Van-u-WAH-too.)
Chad shocked his fellow tribe members in the first episode. After the men had climbed over rocks and hiked through jungle terrain, Chad rolled up his pants to show a metal spike where his lower leg used to be.
Two years ago, he went to the doctor to remove what he thought was a cyst from his right foot, according to a Sept. 18 story in the San Francisco Chronicle.
It turned out to be a rare form of cancer--synovial sarcoma--that can spread to the lungs. To be safe, doctors told Chad he needed to have his leg amputated below the knee.
After the initial shock of the diagnosis, Chad set his mind on what needed to be done, his father said.
Within a year, Chad was competing in triathlons again, in which contestants swim, bike and run arduous distances. His father has a photo of Chad after his first event, post-surgery. He's holding up a prosthetic leg in victory and grinning from ear to ear.
"He gets that from his mother, that business of moving on and getting on with his life," he said.
Steve Crittenden has nothing but praise for his first wife and the "wonderful job" she did raising Chad.
"Chad is a really good person, strong-willed and strong physically," Steve Crittenden said. "He's one of the nicest young men you'll ever meet, and I take little credit for that."
Chad's appearance on "Survivor" has made Maddie a bit of a celebrity at high school. The freshman, who sings in the advanced chorus and plays field hockey, was practically mobbed the day her brother was mentioned on the announcements.
She got eight invitations to homecoming--some from guys she didn't know--and attracted so much attention in the hallways, she needed a teacher escort.
She got a little tired of hearing the same questions about how well Chad did, but says "it's pretty cool" to have a relative on TV.
Chad, who's back in Oakland after filming "Survivor" this summer, e-mails Maddie regularly. He's not allowed to share any details about his experience--and Maddie doesn't ask because she doesn't want him to get in trouble.
She knows there's more to surviving seven weeks on an island than what's shown on TV. And she knows her brother--who looks buff in shorts and no shirt--is in good shape from working out and playing sports his whole life.
She's clearly proud when he helps his tribe win a challenge, as he did Thursday night by practically paddling a raft single-handedly.
"He can take care of himself," she said, smiling. "I think he'll go far and do well."
To reach CATHY DYSON: 540/374-5425 cdyson@freelancestar.com
