Survivor 47 player claims to have a 'nerdy brain in a frat bro body'

You’ve already met the cast for Survivor 47, which premieres Sept. 18 on CBS. But while the contestants battling it out for the million dollars may look and a sound a bit like players from the past, each of them has something that makes them truly unique and different from everyone else. Or so they say. What is that thing that makes them special? Before the game began, we posed that very question to the 18 hopefuls — even the guy who claims to have a “nerdy brain in a frat bro body” — and they told us.

Terran "TK" Foster

My mentality! I truly live every day like it’s my last. Due to my illness at a young age, I lost that feeling of immortality that many teenagers have — creating this sense that I must take advantage of every day that I have. That makes my approach to most things different than most people. Every opportunity I have on that island will be my most important one.

Tiyana Hallums

Something that makes me unique is my magnetic personality. People tend to open up to me easily and feel comfortable sharing very intimate parts of their lives… even if we just met! I have a special gift in effortlessly building genuine relationships with anyone I talk to. I feel like my ability to do that will lull people to sleep and allow them to let their walls down so I can see their strategy and get to the truth.

Teeny Chirichillo

I spent my entire childhood dressing like a boy. And choosing to stand out in that way easily could have drawn negative attention to me. I was never going to compromise the comfort in presenting how I did, but I was also never going to let that be something I was made fun of for. So I learned young how to invest in other people, how to provide value to others, listen, laugh, etc…. I was the talent show emcee, the facilitator of first kisses, and went on to be high school class president, dubbed “the Mayor” of my college — and to now still carry that confidence but also feel pride in my identity is awesome.

Solomon "Sol" Yi

Helping people with neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s disease is one of my passions. As a deep brain stimulation therapy representative, I see tears of joy on a weekly basis. I absolutely love my job and am blessed to be reminded constantly how great I have it.

Sierra Wright

I’ve experienced a lot in this short 26 years of life! Between being a Phillies ball girl, competing at Miss USA as Miss Delaware USA, to being a news reporter, then working in the neuro ICU as a nursing assistant, to now a registered nurse. I’d say those experiences and exposure armed me with some key qualities to become your next Sole Survivor!

Sue Smey

I’m a sigma female. A loner/introvert. I’m powerful, but don’t require the applause like an alpha female. I’m successful in all I do. But again, I don’t need to brag. I am humble and kind, but in the same breath, I have a powerful force inside me ready to attack/protect me at all costs.

Sam Phelan

As a sports reporter, I’m a professional at ego-stroking, asking leading questions, forming relationships, and capitalizing on information. Also, my obsessive passion over niche topics. Nerdy brain in a frat bro body.

Rachel LaMont

I’m a pretty open book and people tend to meet vulnerability in kind. People tend to tell me things with little to no prompting. The number of times I’ve heard “I don’t know why I’m telling you this, but…” or “I’ve never told anyone this before…” is innumerable.

Kishan Patel

I pride myself on my emotional intelligence. As an ER doctor, I can go from caring for someone with a stab wound to someone with a stubbed toe, and it’s my responsibility to navigate the emotional whiplash and treat every person’s concern as my top priority. I quickly make good rapport with folks and get them to trust me with their life, almost instantly. This all requires me to pick up on subtle social sues and seamlessly navigate any demanding situation.

Kyle Ostwald

I am a self-taught construction worker that has built everything from sheds and decks to vans and my very own house using nothing more than experience I’ve picked up over the years and my own two hands.

Jon Lovett

Having the experience I’ve had in politics and comedy. When I was a speechwriter, I had the chance to work on pretty serious topics when the stakes were very high. As a podcast host, I get to travel the country with Pod Save America and Lovett or Leave It, which mix politics and comedy. Both are ultimately about understanding and persuading people.

Rome Cooney

I fully tore my Achilles, which made my threshold for pain way higher than most. Some people believe they can handle pain. I know I can. I can see myself being the next host of Survivor.

Gabe Ortis

I’ve grown up in a very diverse, multi-cultural life. From my household, to my schools, and neighborhood, I have connections with people from all walks of life — young or old, rich or poor, any ethnic background. I’ve been extensively exposed.

Genevieve Mushaluk

I’m not really a unique, cool snowflake of a person. Picture your typical Type A, older sister character who feels it’s her obligation to take care of all her loved ones and simultaneously puts extra pressure on herself to achieve perfection in her career, relationships, and self-wellbeing…. I think there are lots of us out there. (But if I’m the only one, send help!)

Caroline Vidmar

I’m incredibly comfortable in the water. I grew up playing water sports like water polo, swimming, scuba diving, surfing, and kite surfing.

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Aysha Welch

I skipped the first grade. I know this sounds inconsequential, but it made me a natural overachiever. Since I was always the youngest in my class, I worked extra hard to excel. Even now, I did one escape room and loved it, and now I’ve done over 60. I wanted to learn how to play drums, and ended up taking lessons for five years. I wanted to be loyal to my first full-time job, and stayed for 10 years.

Andy Rueda

I would just say my brain. It’s not the best at everything, but I’ve studied in both the arts (NYU film school) and sciences (big tech), and I don’t think I’ve met anyone who tackles problems in the same way I do. The only thing on my Survivor bucket list besides winning is to make a brand-new move on the fly that no one’s ever thought of before. Bonus: I can name every Survivor tribe name. Unique? I don’t know. Rarefied air? Definitely.

Anika Dhar

I thought really hard about this question, because I think by nature everyone experiences life differently. So, essentially, not one thing, but the culmination of every aspect of my life is what truly makes me unique. Therefore, my worldview — and, as cheesy as it is to say — my personality are two parts to me that have developed based on my how I have experienced life so far that are unlike anyone else’s.