Though not officially revealed as a castaway, MMA fans may have spotted Bi Nguyen in the Survivor: David vs. Goliath preview video.
Even when Survivor Game Changers revealed part of their cast during the Millennials vs. Gen X finale reunion, only Michaela of Michaela and Zeke (players on both seasons) was revealed as part of the cast. It’s a lot harder to hide the players of a season like David vs. Goliath when public figures are involved, such as when you show director/producer Mike White but highlight Jonny Mundo instead.
Fans of women’s MMA might have recognized Bi Nguyen during the preview, too, as she took a break from training to compete for a million dollars fighting as an underdog on the “David” tribe. She still had a fight to promote this past July (she lost, unfortunately), so she opened up a bit about her motivation to play in several interviews.
The first in-depth interview came with MMA Oddsbreaker on YouTube, with Bi Nguyen saying her casting agent first got her lined up for a dating show (in which she passed up). She was then told about Survivor, watched some of the show, got hooked and went to casting. It was a whirlwind week for her, as she got word of her father’s passing, went to his funeral, flew into casting, flew into a weigh-in for her February 17 match, cut weight and won her match.
More of that process is discussed in her interview with MMA Junkie, talking about how the decision to say “yes” to casting was minutes from one of the hardest losses in the family one could have. It also dives deeper into her advantage on Survivor, as every single MMA fighter has to cut weight drastically, not eat food and compete in a drained physical state.
With a season as narratively molded into an identity as David vs. Goliath, it makes sense why Bi Nguyen was cast as someone performing in the underdog role; she will have a lot to fight for when her adventure begins. The first episode of the season will air on September 26 from 8-9:30 p.m. ET.