Although it’s not in a First One Out format, Josh Wigler is still bringing us awesome pre-game interviews of the latest Survivor cast.
It was sad to hear the news that the thrilling podcast: First One Out isn’t going to happen for Island of the Idols. That said, as long as we get insightful pre-game interviews, Survivor super fans will be satisfied! On RHAP, you can listen to Josh Wigler’s interview with five members of the Lairo tribe. The other podcasts featuring the 15 remaining newbies will be released periodically leading up to the premiere.
The first five interviews were great stuff and I urge everyone to check it out on RHAP. Here are just a highlight of some of the crazy stories these five Lairo members shared with Josh Wigler.
Dean Kowalski played basketball with Kyrie Irving
We learned in Dean’s bio that basketball is one of his hobbies, but I didn’t realize how high of a level he played at. During his senior year at Saint Patrick high school, Dean was a starter playing alongside future NBA talent including first overall pick: Kyrie Irving. Imagine getting the chance to be on the same team as one of the best NBA players in the game! That helps us to understand Dean’s athletic ability and his teamwork skills.
Chelsea Walker bought Jeff Probst a drink before getting the call!
This has to be the best pregame interview story I’ve ever heard. Chelsea is someone who’s been applying for years. She’s even made it to the final stage of casting and met with Jeff a few times, but she could never make the final cut. One day after submitting yet another casting video, Chelsea went out for dinner with her friends and noticed Jeff out of the corner of her eyes.
After her friends encouraged her to say something to him, Chelsea pulled over the waiter. She told the waiter to buy another drink for Jeff and tell him it’s from Chelsea. Upon receiving the drink, Chelsea got up and said; “Jeff, this one’s on me, you can buy me the next one at finals!” and then walked out of the restaurant. Fast forward to the casting for this season and Jeff brought up this hilarious interaction and thanked her for the drink! Now you know what you got to do to be on Survivor.
Elaine Stott is from the same small town as a Sole Survivor
From a small country town in Kentucky, Nick Wilson emerged and became a respected winner of Survivor: David vs. Goliath. Who would have guessed that just two seasons later someone from that same small town would be on the show? Although she does know Nick, she didn’t really know him too well since they have two different lifestyles and careers. We’ll have to see if Elaine carries that same champion blood.
Elizabeth Beisel is not afraid to share her Olympic status
Almost every season we see castaways try to lie about their career or downplay their position. For example, Aaron from this same tribe is planning to hide the fact that he’s the owner of a gym. On the other hand, Elizabeth Faisal, a two-time Olympic medalist for swimming is going to be very open with her fame. Her honest, genuine attitude might be just what she needs to make it through this season.
Aaron Meredith has a soft side behind his strong physique
This jacked owner of two fitness studios is more than a weightlifter. Behind the muscles, Aaron is a father deep down, which did make it tough for him to leave his 5-year-old son to play Survivor. That said, Aaron is ready to go all out, even if it means blindsiding his son’s favorite player (typically the young blondes) to win it all.