RHAP: We Know Survivor - Survivor 48 Pre-Game Day 6: Kevin Leung & Mary Zheng

Episode Date: February 6, 2025

Survivor 48 Pre-Game Day 6: Kevin Leung & Mary Zheng Rob Cesternino (@RobCesternino) and Mike Bloom (@AMikeBloomType) are here to share with the listeners their reactions to the cast reveal of Survivor 48! Join us to learn a bit about the 18 new castaways to be tested on the islands of Fiji Survivor 48 premieres […]

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at 1-866-531-2600. BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. Hi everybody, and welcome to RHAP Survivor 48 pre-season interviews, day five. Top five, baby. My name is Mike Blub, and we shall see if the two people I am talking with today will make the Top 5 of Survivor 48 or even go beyond that. I

am talking about Kevin and Mary. Of course, if you missed it, I already kicked off our Vula Tribe cast interviews yesterday with Cedric and Justin. And if you did miss it, big mistake. Alleviate that mistake. Make sure you subscribe to our podcast at WeKnowSurvivor.com and to our videos at RobHasAWebsite.com slash YouTube. So you have a little bit of the visual to fit the audio. Up first today, We have a Kevin Lang Kevin is 34 years old originally from Fremont, California currently living in Livermore

California and he is a finance manager But as Kevin himself would tell you while he has a nose for numbers His brain is maybe a bit more on the chaotic side. So let's get into everything that he is bringing into the game of Survivor in my interview with Kevin. Give me your name, your age, and your occupation. I'm Kevin, I'm 33, and I'm currently a finance manager. Okay, so is that something you've always wanted to work

in crunching the numbers? So I was never really a business finance person when I was growing up. My parents are both engineers and they really were like, you're either gonna be a doctor, lawyer, or engineer. And I was like, okay, what's the- None of the above. Yeah, I was like, what's the least amount of school?

And they said, probably an engineer. So I was like, okay, what's the easiest engineer? And they said, civil engineer. So I was a civil engineer for a little bit. Wow. And then I was like, I's the easiest engineer and they said civil engineer so I was a civil engineer for a little bit. Wow. And then I was like I just can't work in AutoCAD and drawings all day like it's it's not my vibe. I'm much more of a people person and I like talking so I went to business and then now I'm in finance so. Wow. Just kind of pivoted careers. So what does that involve for you? Is it managing assets or? Yeah so I I work for a tech company, so it's forecasting, budgeting, return on investments.

We have product launches. And I'm the guy who always crunches the numbers and is like, is this good? Like, can we make money off this? Well, it's interesting because I feel like so much of that is probably forecasting trends, trying to look ahead. And not to say you should be trying to predict too much about what this game is gonna throw you,

but from a strategic perspective, I'm sure there's a lot of applicable stuff, right? Of like, if I make this decision now, how is that investment going to pay off on day 26? That's exactly right. I mean, even before the game has started, I've already been calculating, like there's 18 people on the cast. There's probably no way that the three muscle heads that are on the beach are going to be

in the same tribe. So like, how do we break up the tribe? So it's about like making sure like there's a stereotypical muscle meathead shield. Then there's a really smart middle-sized person like me. Then there's the really skinny athletic girl who's killing it at all sports. So when I was doing all the permutations and combinations, I'm like, okay, here's other people who I can probably interact with and maybe most likely will be on the beach with me. Well then let's talk about what brought you out to this assessment perspective in the first place.

Why Survivor for you? Yeah, I always watched Survivor when I was younger. However, growing up, my parents, since they're both immigrants from Hong Kong, they worked really really hard to get themselves through college. They had to work like two, three jobs just to get by, pay themselves through college just for me and my brother to have a successful career or just even a better life. And growing up, my parents both had to work on weekends and even on late nights.

So I was put into after school programs a lot and nothing bad about after school programs but I always wished that I could play sports after school or I always would see parents pick up their kids and they're going to like, I don't know, some extra cook their activity and either walk home or take the school bus home and I just always was like man how come I'm so different you know like I want to experience things and I want to try new things but I'm just either brought up differently or just don't have the same opportunities one night my parents also were really strict on TV because they wanted me to do well in school right so

they're like you can either watch the news when I'm watching it I was like but it's in Chinese and I can't even understand it. Plus like how old are you? I'm like 10. I need to sit down and watch the news. Yeah so I watch the news with them and then I would do homework and my dad would watch it downstairs. My dad would watch TV downstairs and my mom is upstairs kind of like getting ready for bed because she has to sleep so early. And she'd be like no TV and I'm like okay like no TV. And then one night I just heard the intro sound to Survivor Australia, and my dad was

actually asleep, and it was like the... And I was like, oh my gosh, what is this? So I actually went downstairs to turn off the TV for my dad, but when I went there I was encapsulated because I saw Colby Donaldson and Cheri, and I was like, something's happening. And then I had to silence it because I was afraid my mom was going to it. Oh my god. And I was like what's happening why is there fire you know like why is someone jumping in the water and that's kind of how I first saw Survivor. I watched it many seasons because my mom would do the same it's the same ritual. She'd go to sleep, I'd go downstairs, watch it without any noise.

I not understand what a tribal council was. Wait so were there any subtitles? So you're just watching it without any audio. No audio. I mean, do you know how to read lips now at this point? Are you studying in it? I should, honestly. But I just noticed people were talking together. There's all these different tribe names,

and then they would go to tribal council, and then I know it was a number one person would leave, and I'm like, okay, this is a vote someone out kind of situation, and it wasn't until I was in high school where I was able to watch Yul Kwan season season 13 Yeah, and when I first saw Yul Kwan and the Pukka Pukka tribe I was like, oh my gosh, like someone like me looks you know, like they're on the tribe and they're doing so well

Like they're not the stereotypical smart person like Yul is not just smart. He's strategic. He's athletic. He's social and I was like This is someone that I aspire to be like, and I was like, wow, I would love to one day be on Survivor, but I don't have that physical aspect of Yule or anybody else to make it out here alive, so I spent many years trying to bulk up and gain a lot of weight, so I'm like, okay, I'm smart, that's like one part, and I'm social,

because I love to talk to people, but I lack the physical aspect, so I'm like, okay, I'm smart. That's like one part. And I'm social, because I love to talk to people, but I lack the physical aspect. So I think I'm ready now. Yeah, so you talk about your long history with Survivor, be it nonverbal or verbal. I mean, you shout out the freaking Pukatri, which is like a deep, deep cut. So if you could pick one winner and one non-winner,

who you identify with the most, is Yule in that category? Are there other people you're picking? So Yule is in that category just because of representation. But I don't fit my personality. Me and him are totally different. He's methodical. He waits on options. He's more quieter. I'm just kind of chaotic and a little bit disheveled. Some of my friends call me chaotic friendly. So I love to smile. What an alignment. I love to laugh, but sometimes I just like my brain is like firing at all cylinders of my thoughts. So I would like to say that I really like the David try

for Dave and Goliath. That's actually the reason why I started applying like consistently after watching Dave and Goliath. Really? Because I was like, there's David's. Like I feel like a David. I feel like a David. And there are people here who aren't the best at one thing.

They're just here to prove themselves and to show that they didn't have to grow up. I grew up really skinny, really small, I had glasses, braces, was you know, made fun of at school for you know, like not being good at sports or just like other things. And I just tried really hard to get like, I don't want to feel that way ever again. So I'm at this tribe, Christian, Davey, Nick, the David tribe itself is someone that I really like to be. And also Caleb from season 45,

he's someone that I was like, okay, he's a social player, he's a smiley guy, so I'd love to play like him, but not be too much like him, because I think he was perceived a threat really early on. What's your favorite moment in Survivor history? My favorite moment, I mean, going back to season 37, when they used their advantages together. Yeah, the whole John Hennigan, minority vote split.

Minority vote split. The Goliaths just sounded so confident. They thought they had this in the bag. Dan had two idols. I mean, I also really liked the Goliaths too, like Alec and Dan and everyone. But the Davids just banded together. They trusted each other. And it was mostly about idols.

It was an idol nullifier. It was like a steal a vote. And then it was just like, and I like to have, forgot one of the one guy who was like, bing. Carl, yeah, yeah, yeah. Carl, like right when it, and I was like, oh my gosh, if I could be on the island, I would rally the Misfits together.

And we would join together and be like, let's take down these big guns because there's some pretty big people here on the island right now. So interesting, yeah. So from your own perspective, what's one life experience you think has prepared you for this considering how long you've been watching for?

Yeah. Something interesting that it might not look like just from me, but after I started working out and kind of I changed my hair, I got better skin. I just was like, I want to look better. You sheathed all that yourself. Yeah. I sheathed all that myself. I actually was recruited by Abercrombie to be a greeter slash model in their front store in California.

And I was like, this is better than getting an MBA. This is better than graduating college. Just I don't care about any of those things. Working at Abercrombie is the highlight of my life. Because I was like, that is I think we need to like bottle them, like paint it out the front of their store. Yeah, because I was like, oh, what a success story. Like, I cannot believe I never thought that I would be even working at Abercrombie to begin with, someone like that looks like me or just like has a vibe or just, but then the manager was like, okay,

your job is to charm people, like make people feel like a million dollars when they come into the store, you know, like recommend different items, say this looks great, you know, do that, be hospitable, be friendly. That really trained me really well to talk to so many people and charm their socks off. I feel like that's kind of how it got me in life. Like I got through MBA, I was number one in my class. Oh my god. I work in tech now, like a really big tech company. Working there for six years.

Yeah. And I feel like all of it is how to charm people. Like it is smiling, make them feel like they're like a million bucks, talk to them about what they like, you know, ingratiate myself and like their life be a family member like just like that kind of stuff I think that's gonna help me in this game would you say that's like your biggest superpower from your life that you're bringing into the show I think so I think that bringing in the socialness and characteristics of smiling laughing charming also there's

another part of me that has a lot of grit that's because when I was like I got excited when I was younger, I really wanted to play sports. And my dad was like, okay, let's play tennis. Like basketball, football, and baseball were out of the question. I was like four feet five. So there's no way, and like very small.

And my parents were like, you just can't compete with the boys. So tennis is like, you know, one of the few things that doesn't require, it's not, height isn't the only thing to win So he was my dad was like, okay, let's try tennis and he noticed that you know, even though I was small I had a lot of work ethic and I had a lot of drive to win so my first tournament that I played at and it's kind of going into why I want to do survivors because

The first time I attended I was 10 12 years old and I played kids that were six feet Tall and I was like, this is impossible. How are these kids so huge and it was at a country club I went in there and me my dad felt like outcast immediately. I didn't have a tennis bag I didn't have like nice outfits. I didn't have good shoes I just had a racket that my dad got for me at I think Target or a big five and I just felt so out of place and we would get looks and people would look at us and they would snicker they would say like oh yeah you're playing my son like that's that's not right are you sure you're not in the 10 category or the 8 and my dad just told me he's like don't listen these people

like you yeah show them they're wrong show me wrong and like it's okay that you're not you know the biggest person or strongest person but you have grit you can run fast and I think that moment when I saw my dad, he was watching me from the sidelines. He wouldn't even watch with the parents because he didn't want to interact with them. And he didn't want to get looks from them. So he would watch from the side.

And I actually won that tournament against those people. And I looked to my dad and I gave him a fist pump. And I was like, dad, and he was like, you can do anything. Oh my God. I think if I go on Survivor, oh, I am going on Survivor. I really want to like win a challenge and like do a fist hump and it would be for my dad and say like yeah.

Oh that kills me I love that that's a beautiful story. So now moving to the other end, what is your biggest piece of kryptonite you think? Okay my biggest piece of kryptonite is fairly obvious I'm not that outdoorsy. I love to backpack and I love to hike but that's about it. I mean I do care about how I look. I wanted to make sure my hair is like done every morning and I want to like do all that. I'm like okay this island it is not the place for that. Yeah you're gonna be like Jeff can we trade in a flint for a mirror? Yeah. I need to like take a look at myself right now.

Yeah it's like well everyone's gonna be idle hunting and I'm gonna be like hold on I'm gonna make a gel and have some coconut mash and some seawater and let me get ready for the day. So I think my base group today is honestly surviving. The challenges part, like I'm physically ready, I work out, I feel really fit. I also have been fasting quite a bit, so it's like, okay, I can go on a couple days without eating water, but the challenge is the puzzle part I'm really excited about. The challenges I'm excited about, it's the physical aspect. It's like the other 23 hours of the day.

It's like how do I survive? But you know what? I got grit, so I'll be able to do this. And hopefully you have some people maybe on your side that can take care of that stuff for you. You build the shelter, I'll sleep in it. Yeah, yeah, you build the shelter, I'll look for an idol, I'll share it with you, you know, this is how it works.

Symbiotic relationship. I mean, speaking of that, I'm sure you've been sitting around making assessments, eyeballing people. Let's start with the positive side here. Describe to me some people that you have great vibes for, that it's like best case scenario, you hit the beach day one, this is a ride or die for me. Okay. The biggest person that I've already have a good vibe with already is the mom.

I think it's the, I don't want to say elder, she's older, she looks like a mom. We're both going for the ranch and we both grabbed it and I looked at her and I was like, final three, final three with my eyes. That is a literal meet cube. I'm pretty sure I watched a rom-com in the 90s that was like love over the ranch. Yeah, and she was like, are you going to use it? And I was like, huh? I was sorry. I was trying to like eye her and I was like, work with me, like, come on, she was like, what? And I was like, I can't do this.

So her I'm really good vibes with. I know that there'll be one really, really buff muscle head on the beach, like at least on my try, there has to be, I can't beat a buff as one. There's three people that I already see. I call them Captain America, there's Hulk, and then there's Falcon. So part of the Avengers, and I'm Spider-Man, so I'm like their friend, but I'm like not the-

But you're off doing your own stuff. New York City needs to be policed. Yeah, New York City needs to be policed. I got to see Zendaya, like I'm just Tom Holland right here. But one of those three are going to be on my tribe no matter what, because there's no way that they can't be. And I've been getting good vibes from them. They're very fit and very athletic, so I've been trying to do like puzzles and brain teasers next to them to be like,

hey, you know, like every Batman needs a Robin. Like, you know, like I'm smart. I can do this, but I don't want to show that I'm really smart. Although I think people can probably either assume or maybe they can tell like, OK, this guy is a little bit of a brainiac. So those people I want to I feel good about. Now, let's go on the other side here. Who are some people that you're maybe not

getting some good vibes from or you can't read at all? Okay, so overall everyone has good vibes. But I think the people that are really expressive. So there's some people out here who are already showing leadership qualities. They're like, oh, can I go to the bathroom? Oh, first on the bus. Like those kind of, I'm like, okay.

These people here know what they want. They're, they're, you know, they're assertive. They're not wavering. Like these people are going to be not hard to work with, but they're just going to be like the ones I have to look out for because they're going to want to make sure that, you know, people listen to them and that they're going to be dominating like the, you know, the conversations and stuff. So for me, I, oh, I had this game plan already and I mapped it out.

It's called the Family Tree, Kevin's Family Tree. Okay. So what I'm gonna do is I already worked on my, I got like a whole tree and I'm right here and everyone that I meet, I'm gonna like make myself a family member to them. So either like if they're older than me, they're my mom, they're my dad.

If they're like a little younger to me, they're my little sister, little brother. If they're like really, really talkative, my best friend sister a little brother if they're like really really talkative my best friend So for me the family tree is going to evolve I'm gonna make myself a family member to them and therefore it has some kind of connection Compatibility, I think that would serve really well Yeah And then also listen if you're talking from like the top of the tree down you can lop off some leaves

You can lop up some branches much harder to get rid of the trunk or bright the roots right? I'll be yeah I'm the root. I gotta play a really strategic game of not being so social because I think people can already see that I'm kinda smiley and really friendly, which means if I do that with everyone, like, oh, he's just doing that, like, he's a threat

because he's actually making the same loyalty and alliance to everyone that they see. So for me, it's all about numbers. I love numbers, I love kinda calculations and logic. Six people in a tribe, I have to find a meat shield first. So the two guys, we have to be together and say like, hey, they're gonna come after us. If we don't stay together,

they're gonna come after the physical threats. Then I gotta find a girl. The girl to ensure that they don't have a girl's alliance. And if they do have a girl's alliance, I'm the fourth guy here. Like Charlie. Yeah, yeah, Charlie. Bring me in here, get the fourth alliance. But if that guy can find a girl and I can find a girl,

that's our floor right here. And we just don't talk that much. We just mingle. We meet, we tell other people, the other two, like, hey, it's gonna be that person. It's gonna be you. But that's how I'm gonna survive the first couple of tribals, get through the merge.

And I kind of want to go to the merge without a big shield because when like kind of like the season 44, when the Tika 3 came in they were weak. They were weak and they were disheveled and they were a Kerala was off doing whatever and Kerasen was like scheming and plotting everything but they came in and the Ratu tribe and the Soka tribe went after each other and I think that's what I would love to do is go in take so pre-merge I have to vote out one of the like the meat shields. Alright so you want you want to go to

Travel Council pre-merge? At least once. Okay. At least once because I think going into the merge with six people is gonna be just death and they're gonna See us and we're gonna get picked off pretty easily because the other two tribes are gonna combine and take out us So I think going to the merge with four is ideal I have to go back to what you said before about your chaotic mind and how it works I mean, how is that gonna translate for you into the game? Is this just a natural state for you to consistently be running through a bunch of ideas and how tough is that going to be to like focus in on what to do in that moment? You know? Yeah, it's going to be really tough because back at home, like this is crazy that I'm

actually out here playing a game that it's not real life because at home I'm so calculated. Like during NBA, I was voted best negotiator in one of the classes and one of the reasons I know I actually really, really like Angelina, even though she played a third game, I was voted best negotiator in one of the classes. And one of the reasons... Okay, Angelina. I know. I actually really, really like Angelina, even though she played a certain game. I really like Angelina because she came in with confidence. Absolutely. She was like, this is how it's done.

And then everyone was like, we're voting her out. She's like, I did not know that. And then I also will ask someone for the jacket. I'm very cold at night. So Natalie, I don't know, there's a Natalie out there. I need your jacket. Also you'd be like, listen, I was in Abercrombie, front store person. I can wear it well.

Absolutely, a dress, skirt, whatever, just give it to me, I don't wanna wear it. But the part of negotiation is, okay, what's the biggest risk in take? And for me, back at home, it's calculated. Everything has a benefit and a negative association, but you can make the most calculated risk to where it's the most logical,

it has the most benefit to taking well, or it's not taken well because of the fact that there's a lot of constant. In this game, I'm so paranoid and I'm just like a paranoid person in general that I can't make a calculated risk because I don't know all that information. I'm going to be hearing like random things that people are going to be saying. I'm going to be lying to people, they're going to be lying to me. So for me, that's where it's going to be in my head a lot. Like I already know I can't sleep that well, like normally. So in my head, up at night, I'm just going to be lying to me. So for me, that's where it's gonna be in my head a lot. I already know I can't sleep that well normally.

So in my head, up at night, I'm just gonna be running through scenarios. I will need someone who's really chill. Yeah. Hopefully a meat shield. Or hopefully one of those bigger guys to be like, hey, what do you think? Calm me down a little bit.

What's the scenario plan? So I think someone to help me calm me down, that'll be a good alliance member. So when it comes to probably things that might keep you up at night even more are the ideas of idols, advantages. you know, these are assets perhaps. How much are you incorporating that into your financial plan for Survivor? Yeah, honestly, the idols, beware advantages, steal of votes, bank of votes, knowledge is

power. All these different advantages play a huge role in my strategy because you can't come in with a whole game plan. It's not going to work because someone might have a bank of vote or steal of vote and then your vote taken away and your numbers Aren't gonna work. Yeah for me I'm gonna plan it all out in my mind every day and go and say okay These are the numbers if no one has an idol or no one has an advantage now who might have an idol And you might have an advantage that's where I'll come into play

Okay If this person might have an idol then how does this play out should we put one vote on them to flush it out? You know or two votes on them and then two votes on somebody else to flush out the idol? That's gonna be how it works, but I wanna be the brainiac if I tried, but in a very subtle way. Well, clearly, you're very strategic,

as you said, outside of the game. I'm intrigued, what was the cover story you gave to your job? What do they think about what you're doing for the next month? So they know that I'm out on a month. They said, okay, where are you going? And I was like, I'm just traveling.

They're like, where? And I was like, you know, something warm. I'm out on a month. They said, okay, where are you going? And I was like, I'm just traveling. They're like, where? And I was like, you know, something warm. Like, I'm just feeling like, and they're like, you never do this. Like, you don't just take vacation ever. And a month is crazy. And also, you're not telling me where you're going. And I was like, oh, it's c'est la vie, you know?

Time to enjoy. Bye. And then my boss was like, you're way too neurotic and paranoid and like, you know, like time to enjoy. Bye! Yeah, and then my boss was like, you're way too neurotic and paranoid and you're really good at your job, so what are you doing? And I was like, trust me, I will explain everything later. Yeah, when I have a million dollars to spend.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'll shush you up with a Moscow Mule, I'll go to a bar and I'll just be like, you know what? Here's $10. Oh my God. Yeah, they don't know, I think they they have a hint They're like, are you crazy? Are you doing something? Insane and I was like I had me something insane. Yeah, yeah, absolutely So I feel like the past couple of seasons of the new era have definitely

Taken things in a different direction 45 46 and I'm sure as you were finding out you were coming out here You probably had one eye on those seasons being like are there some takeaways I can incorporate into my own game? What were some of those takeaways? Yeah, so for 45, Austin and D, poor Austin, also not poor Austin because you know he played the game, but Austin fell in a show of man's, but he trusted people so much that it ruined his own game. I think that right there is knowing like for 45,

there was Julie, there was D was Julie there was Dee there was Jake there's Katura. Katura making a mistake of not voting out Dee in that moment like trusting her gut I think 45 Dee trusted her gut the entire way lied to Austin about not not you know telling him about Mama J about the vote so I think like that's where I learned in 45 was like okay if you have an instinct go for it do not waver in your emotions you can waver in your gameplay as a gameplay evolves but you can't waver in your emotion like if you have an instinct, go for it. Do not waver in your emotions. You can waver in your gameplay as the gameplay evolves, but you can't waver in your emotion. If you have a game plan and you're sticking with this person, don't make things crazy

and don't try to rock the boat. 46, I think this game is going to change a lot for 48 because we've all seen 46. No one used her idol. So my take is that if someone has an idol, they're going to use it immediately because they're so scared of going home. Now that is actually like reverse psychology because everyone thinks that and now it's like, okay, now that they think that, let's not vote them out and vote someone else out and make them waste their idol. I know, it's a little bit of like the princess bride, right? It's like using that double, triple,

you know, negatives to try to figure it out. So yeah, it's a little bit like meta gaming the meta game. Yeah, so I mean, I think that's where all my calculations come into play. And it's kind of crazy because things don't make sense. I'm like, statistically, I'm going to go out there and be like, what am I doing? You know, like I need to find someone to talk to, no one's talking to me. Like, but I think in my head, the best way to prepare is to be as laid out as possible, have a game plan going into it. And if things change, it's OK.

Like things will change. It's OK. I'll be left out of the vote. I have to be left out of the vote eventually I can't be you know driving the whole tribe the entire game I would love that to happen but I don't know if that will like probability wise happen but it's okay like just play because they everyday wake up and say okay it's a new game and just and just hope for this and also at nighttime look for idols like I'll be up anyway yeah I'll be up I have a game plan too okay I drink

a lot of water naturally because I like to work out, but also just like, I think I'm just really talkative and always thirsty all the time. So I'm like, okay, great. If I go to the water well a lot, and not because I'm like looking for idols or like, you know, like talking to someone, I'm just so thirsty.

Yeah. And the canteen's always empty. But you're thirsty for something else. I'm thirsty for some idols. I'm thirsty for some conversations. Yeah. So my goal is to keep using the water well as a passageway to be like, ugh, water again, like here I go. And if someone's like, oh, I'll go with you, I'm like, oh, okay.

Like they're sensing me an opportunity to talk to me, or I'm sensing an opportunity to talk to somebody else, and therefore it could be natural. No one will sense that we're working together. What is your hottest survivor take? What would you say is your most controversial opinion about a player or a season or the show in general? Oh, well, I don't know if this is controversial because Q, I think Q has, Q's polarizing. You either love him or you like don't like his gameplay.

Yeah. It's kind of like Liz. You either like Liz because she's so crazy and chaotic or you don't like Liz because she does outbursts and all, or Venus. Same thing, like Venus is cute. I really like those characters. I like characters who bring their charm, pizzazz, but also they're not afraid to showcase who they are. And I think for me, I play it so safe at home, and I'm just such a normal guy. I really do think I'm just a normal guy. Maybe I'm not, actually.

But I think I'm normal back at home, but here it's like, okay, Kevin, it's time to be diabolical. Time to utilize everything that's in your head for the last 10 years and all the circumstances I've been through in life, all the shortcomings and use that fire and passion and yeah, play aggressively. Play day one. Don't be afraid to hold back. So that's my hot take, that people who play hard is not necessarily a bad thing. It's actually their character and's they're very real about that

So, you know how I close out these interviews if you could bring a celebrity or a fictional character out as a loved one for a Loved ones visit who would it be and why? Okay, so my favorite tennis player growing up is that Maria Sharapova. There we go. Yeah Yeah, and it's because like her, she came to America with her dad, her dad only had like $700 in his pocket. Oh wow. Worked really hard and she got to number one in the world and so successful. She was kind of like my crush growing up.

I really liked her. I had posters everywhere. Yeah, you had the poster on the wall. Yeah, I was like, Maria, wow. I actually named my goldfish after Maria too. So Maria's at home, my goldfish. Oh nice. And I'd bring the real Maria over here

The island because I just love her tenacity and her grit and I think she would do well in this game, too Oh, yeah, so yeah, all right Well, let's talk about the ace you'll serve up in this season because we know that 50 is around the corner and we know it's gonna Be returnees. How are you gonna make your mark in season 48 so that we're gonna be talking a year from now back out here Yeah, I mean I hate to say, you know, I haven't been thinking about 50 at all, but it really is, it's like, well 50 is a gigantic opportunity for all the best players to come back. I gotta play like it's the last time I'll ever come out here. I gotta make big moves, and the worst part is like, I can't make big moves if I'm not at the end, like towards the end of the game. If I make it towards the beginning,

it's gonna be, oh okay, so what? He's not an idol, he didn't use it. Or he used the idol incorrectly because he was so eager to use the idol so quickly. So for me, it's about getting my personality out. It's about getting my charm, getting people to like me, being social enough, getting it through the merge,

and then at the merge, getting enough numbers to play. I wanna control the merge at the end. That's when the family tree grows. That's when the family tree grows. That's when the apple starts falling, chop this person off, chop that person off, and then at the end, I think to make a big move is at seven or six.

To get you to be returning back at season 50 is eight, seven, and six are the times when you really start driving the game. The beginning, it's all about surviving. I am not here to be the biggest threat out there. I'm here to be the best friend, the little brother. Like, any person I'm seeing, I'm like, oh my gosh, do you like ranch? I love ranch. Like, you like bacon? Like, bacon, me too, right here, let's go.

But I think to get to the merge at 8, 7, or 6, like to find an idol, to play correctly, to be able to mislead somebody to voting the wrong way, to lie, to deceive. That's how a good player becomes a great player. Parvati, Robb, Tony, these people did not waver in their gameplay. They had a game plan going in. Parvati at Micronesia, she was like, I'm getting this girl's alliance and I'm going to ride it to the end. So I think for me, that's how you go from good to great to the best. Yeah, Yoppo writes this attitude of to the best. Yeah, it's Yopo, right? It's this attitude of make the best of the time you have now.

It'd be great if you get another one, but don't guarantee that. Make use of the investments you have in the moment, and then if something pops into your bank account and interest gets accrued, that's great. Also Liz in 46, she had this grand story to tell during final travel council but she never got the opportunity to use like to say it because she got voted out during fire or she didn't make fire yeah so I think for me like you can have a great story you can have a great game if you're not there at the end to tell it there's no point in in doing all these things like you're here to make it to final travel council so in the beginning I'm okay with not playing that flashy in my head I'm

like okay what's the strategy? The strategy is to survive with the numbers going in, with the people that you trust going into the merge. So as long as I can do that, then I can really unleash it during the post-merge and the very end of the game. It'll be as unruly as your hair probably at that point. Yeah, I just feel bad because I'm trying to look as clueless as possible. Even when people are reading, I'm just staring into space.

They're gonna think you're some sort of robot in a space. I'm like, they're just like, they're gonna think you're some sort of robot. Yeah, and I'm like, good. Yeah, and I'm like, people know I spend a long time in the bathroom trying to get my hair ready, my skin ready, and I'm like, this is good. I want them to think that I'm a clueless idiot

who just came out here to look good on the beach, and that's good. That's all I want them to think that I am, and that's hopefully it'll be good. There you have it, my interview with Kevin, and he gave us a lot to drink in. I'm feeling as full of information as Kevin's bladder will probably be by the end of the game. If he decides to Institute his strategy of drinking so much water to disguise

his attempts for idle hunting, but had a great time hearing Kevin's story, how he fell in love with the show and prepared over all these years to be ready for it to feel like this is his time. Well, this is the time we are going to take a break. But when we come back, we will go from our number one interview in so many ways to our second interview of the podcast as I talk with Mary. What's behind the Blue Cow Quality Milk logo? Proud Canadian dairy farmers.

Is Canadian milk produced to high standards? You bet. And what about sustainable farming practices? It's our commitment. We're behind the Blue Cow logo. Dairy farmers of Canada. Alright, our second interview of the podcast. Fourth member of Vula.

You hopefully won't be saying who about her at the end of this. It is Mary. Mary Jung. Mary is 31 years old, originally from Montgomery Village, Maryland. Currently living in Philadelphia. And she is a social worker, specifically a substance abuse counselor. And as we get into, I think Mary's charitable nature, her ideas of wanting to help others come down from her parents and their very storied political history, but how much will

it carry over into the island? We talk about all that when I thought was a really great conversation that I'm excited for you all to check out with Mary. Your name, your age and your occupation. My name is Mary Jung. I'm 30 years old and I'm a social worker. You're a social worker. Interesting. So what does that capacity involve for you? What do you work specifically with? Right now I'm working with substance abuse counseling.

Wow. But I've done a lot of crisis intervention. for example, working at crisis hotlines, working in emergency departments, working in winter time emergency homeless shelters. So yeah, but right now working with substance abuse counseling in Philadelphia. So talk to me about the process that got you there. Is this something you've always wanted to do? I feel like I was always called to do social work. I didn't realize it though until one year I spent hitchhiking, backpacking alone around the Mediterranean and every country that I went to there were people

who told me their secrets and then ended up saying, wow you know I've never told that to anybody I feel so much better now. And me thinking like you know what I feel great too that was such an experience for me So I came back from that and I realized you know I think a therapist gets to get paid to do this To like listen to people's secrets and help them see their strengths. Yeah So then I you know Did Peace Corps and some other things that I wanted to do before launching into my career You really checked off like Commandatarium bucket list.

I did AmeriCorps as well. Wow! Yeah, yeah. So I've kind of been doing social work way before I got my masters in social work. Yeah, so then what has that process been like? Have you always worked in substance abuse counseling or any other subjects? Substance abuse counseling is new for me. I started that right after grad school, but I have had personal experiences

with people that I've cared about who have suffered from substance abuse. Wow, and so yeah, I think you're able to, as you know, you try to be as objective as possible in the work that you do, but I would imagine you sort of have that personal touch as well, especially probably the loved ones of those that have gone through that experience.

Yeah, yeah, definitely. I mean, I know what it's like when they're talking about, yeah, I was doubled over in pain, it's the worst thing that when they're talking about like, yeah, I was doubled over in pain It's the worst thing that you could ever imagine. I'm like I was on the other side. Yeah Yeah, so then let's talk about habitat from humanity to building a very different type of habitat with a different type of humanity Let's talk about survivor. Yeah, what brought you out here? So I you know Was looking for a way to make money because my mom was really stressed, really, really

stressed about money so much so that she didn't want to attend happy family gatherings because she wasn't in the mood. She was stressed because my parents are political asylees and forced to immigrate to the US. Wow. Yeah. But anyway, well, to supplement that, I was looking for a way to make money, but also I love the show. Yeah.

Yeah. I was going to say there are easier ways to make money. There are easier ways to make money for sure, but I mean, you factor that in the, you know, the necessity to make some money. But then also my love for adventure and love for the show and the way that this game is so... Wait can I cuss? Please.

It's so fucking crazy. It's like both like exactly like real life and exactly... and like real life amplified like times 101. Uh huh. Like in real life if you don't have connections you're not gonna get anywhere. And I don't just mean career wise. I mean in terms of satisfying your soul and finding meaning, right?

It's all about connections. And it's like that on the island. But also, out here, the name of the game is Deception, and I don't lie at all in real life. Like at all. That shit lowers your energy so much. I made a rule to not even try to white lie, but out here, it's the exact opposite.

So I'm so fascinated by this game and the ways that it is so much like my normal life and exactly opposite and like nothing that I could ever experience other than coming out here and playing it. And I've done a lot of crazy stuff in my life, but not for a while. I mean, I went to grad school, I started setting down roots in Philly, and it's really been

a while since I've gone out there, done something that's scary and challenged myself. And that's another reason why I'm out here is because I feel like, unlike my parents, I don't have a communist regime coming after me. I've never faced incarceration. I'm not facing any oppression from the government. And I want to be pushed to see what my limits are. Interesting, yeah, to be able to explore a new side of yourself, especially someone who probably felt like there was a routine that you were getting settled into lovingly.

So sometimes it's always good to shake things up a little bit. You need to shake it up. I need to shake it up. I give you that appreciation as well for the routine that you're having when you come back to Philly. So you talk about having this fasc well for the routine that you're having when you come back to Philly. So you talk about having this fascination for the game. How long backs does that stem? What's your history with watching the show?

My history with watching the show is not as long as some people's, but it started during COVID. I started watching during COVID. I mean, quite literally better late than never. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. And I can't say that, you know, I don't't really watch TV but when I am watching TV it's Survivor because I feel like I want to be living my life out there Yeah, not in front of a screen and so yeah, I'm not ashamed to say that

I'm not out there watching TV all the time, but when it when I am watching TV, it's Survivor and initially what I loved about the show was, well what made me think that I could do it was I was watching all the water challenges in Heroes vs Villains and I thought to myself, you know what, what are these people, they're like choking out there. I feel like I could do so much better. I love this idea of like, yeah some of the greatest players in Survivor history, god they're terrible sw history, god, they're terrible swimmers. I should beat them.

Yeah, they're terrible swimmers. They're amazing strategists. But with swimming, like, yeah, with swimming, I feel like I could beat them. And so that was initially what sparked my, I guess, interest in, it's not what sparked it, but it made me think, you know, maybe I could do it. And then as I watched more of the show I realized It's about reading people as much as it is about getting people to trust you and I'm really good at both Hmm so then looking back through survivor history

I'll be ones that you've watched recently give me one winner and one non winner who you identify with the most personally or strategically I Really identify with Ben Ben Ben last or strategically? I really identify with Ben. Ben? Ben from last season or Ben Dreberg? No, uh, Ben Cowboy Hat. Oh, Cowboy Hat, yeah, Ben Dreberg. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Um, Ben Dreberg? Dreberg. Ben Dreberg, okay, yeah. Um, I really identify with him because he was just always on. Like he had this fierce desire to win at all costs and I feel like that is what I'm going to be like when I'm out there playing. Is that just like, yeah, I'm going to be sleeping, but like, am I really sleeping or am I like dreaming of strategies? And also, um, I'm hoping that I get to play like him in that I am a spy. Oh, interesting.

Yeah, I wanna do some espionage. What about a non-winner? A non-winner. Who do I really like or identify with as a non-winner? I mean, Caleb's time was cut way too short. But I feel like I would be someone like him on the island where everybody would just be like, damn, she's kind of like friends with everybody. Because I feel like that's one of my powers is that I can turn even enemies into friends.

Just give me long enough. What is that? Is that power persuasion? Is it charm? I think it's honestly killing it with kindness and persistence. Persistently like showing love and being kind so that whatever this person's got going on with them they realize that like oh, you know what she did remind me of somebody that I hated but actually she's really different and She's nothing like what I expected and I'm down to give her a chance.

So if I were to ask you your biggest piece of kryptonite in different and she's nothing like what I expected and I'm down to give her a chance. So if I were to ask you your biggest piece of kryptonite in contrast to your super power, what would it be? I think my kryptonite with this game is also my strength. My strength and my weakness are one and the same. It's that I play a really good social game and that is going to be, people are going to smell that like from a mile away. Yeah.

Is that the saying? Smell it from a mile away? I think you can do any sense from a mile away. Okay. As long as you're not tasting like from a mile away. Is that the saying? Smell it from a mile away? Or? I think you can do any sense from a mile away. Okay. As long as you're not tasting it from a mile away. Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah. That would be maybe if you were afflicted by COVID still. Like at the opposite of COVID.

Yeah, interesting. Well, talk to me about that because obviously you have done so many things that have been to benefit other people. And that does work to obviously a certain extent in Survivor, but do you have that individualism as well to be like listen I love you but I gotta cut you if it's the difference between me and a million dollars yeah yeah that's something that I've been working on for maybe about

like four or five years Wow which is learning how to say no to other people so that I can say yes to myself I love that yeah yeah because yeah I mean both my parents are like pretty much like, my dad's a political martyr, my mom is the sole breadwinner for our family. They're both putting themselves last, and of course, that's how I grew up, thinking that it's good to eat last.

That's what you should do. But I've done things for people that, you know, because I didn't wanna hurt their feelings, for example, this one girl in in Morocco I love her so much she welcomed me into her family but I spent like $3,000 helping her with an illegal abortion and I only had like $9,000 out for myself traveling and by the end of that I feel like I kind of became like her like protector and like her her bank and everything all rolled in one and it really tarnished our relationship and I realized like you know what Mary you

can't you can't give endlessly you have to learn to give to yourself as well and so I've been trying to yeah put myself first when I can in real life for a while now and I feel like this experience is going to be the ultimate test. You want, yeah, you want to open doors for other people but you don't want to be the doormat. Exactly, exactly, exactly. And, you know, I want to open doors but I also want to learn how to shut them too and

just be like, you know what, this is my room. This is my space. Sorry, you can't come in because I need to be in here if I want to win a million. What's your favorite moment in Survivor history? Oh my gosh, um My favorite moment in Survivor history. What the heck that is a crazy question. I know there's a lot to pick from yeah Do I get time to think you can take as much time? Okay, okay, okay, okay? My god Okay, okay, okay. I'm gonna think. Oh my God, there are so many moments to pick from.

Wow. Okay, I'm thinking, I'm thinking. Oh my god, okay, yeah. Yes, this was wild. When Denise got Sandra out, that was fucking crazy. That was fucking crazy. And then afterwards, when Sandra was offered the chance to stay and play the game she was like I'm good. Yeah.

I don't have anything to prove. I am the queen and I know my worth and I'm going to leave this game for people, for my predecessors to pick up. Yeah. The whole thing was just crazy. I mean like Sandra had I feel like an uncharacteristic moment of weakness in which she led with her heart rather than her head and Denise just snuck in there and just decimated her like that. Yeah, for Sandra to be so uncharacteristically emotional, for Denise to sneak in at the perfect moment,

and then for Sandra to just so gracefully accept defeat. I think that was one of the best moments, greatest moments on Survivor. What's one life experience you feel has prepared you the most for this experience? I think volunteering at a crisis hotline where 25% of the calls were suicide related really prepared me because you have to make connections like that and it's not

sorry it's not connections it's trust you have to get someone to trust you within moments of speaking to them for the first time and you also never know what's gonna happen what call you're gonna get you don't know if somebody has already spot like swallowed two bottles of That's nothing that people's Benadryl a Benadryl Wow Benadryl Or if they have a gun to their head that was one of the first calls I got for my training this guy I was like, how are you? And I'm like good and he's like I'm like

How are you? And he's like I got a gun to my head I'm like, all right, why don't we just put that down on the table? So you have to keep your calm. You have to be able to pivot and embrace chaos. And yeah, yeah, I think that helps keep me grounded. Well, I think there's also this idea of kind of handling people that are in a state of emotional turmoil. Yeah. Where their feelings are winning out perhaps over logic.

And that is such a thing in Survivor with the deprivational elements, with personal emotions involved too. Yes, yeah, definitely. I'm already imagining myself talking an Alliance member off a cliff and being like, we don't need to do that. Yeah, exactly. We can wait. Revenge is best served cold. You wrote in your bio, you have a hunger for control. I need to hear more about this.

Yeah. So that's also something that I've been working on as well because over giving is linked to a desire for control, a hunger for control. When you give and when you over give, it is, or when I would do it, it was an unconscious attempt to assert control. Because when you give, when you're the hand that feeds you, you are in power. And I feel like, I don't know, I mean, I grew up in an environment where that control from my parents was necessary. They were in a foreign land. They didn't have time to learn the language, customs, cultures, everything was different. And so I was able to learn how to keep things under control.

But because I realized that this control was kind of, you know, making me feel safe, but it wasn't actually setting me free. I decided to try to learn how to overcome that. Yeah. So that was when I set out to hitchhike and backpack, not with like a big backpack, but like a really like normal size backpack. Um, around the Mediterranean with no plans at all. Um, I got so good at it that some nights I'd be hitchhiking, end up in a city that I didn't intend to go to, where I didn't know anyone, my phone was on 2%,

and be like 8 p.m. and I didn't know where I was staying that night. So I got really good at just going with the moment and trusting that I was not gonna die. That's my bottom line, is that if I'm not gonna die, I'm good. Yeah, where did your parents immigrate like, if I'm not gonna die, I'm good. Yeah. Where did your parents immigrate from, you might ask? From China.

My parents were involved in the 1989 Tinaman Square demonstrations. They helped organize it. Oh my God. Wow. Yeah, yeah. So my mom was in charge of the press and the paper that was circulating along the square

and my dad helped lead the hunger protests. They were the older intellectuals and the paper that was circulating along the square, and my dad helped lead the hunger protests. They were the older intellectuals that were guiding the students in the student-led movement. But because of their involvement, my mom was incarcerated for nine months, and my dad, there was a nationwide search for him. He was on the most wanted list.

There were pictures of his face in every major city. So after my mom was released, she escaped house arrest and with the help of all kinds of people, like from religious people to sex workers to police, my mom and my dad were able to reunite and from there they escaped and were smuggled on a boat to Hong Kong where they then received political asylum from the US.

Wow, and so I do think it's probably, you know, it falls with this attitude in you, right? escaped and were smuggled on a boat to Hong Kong where they then received political asylum from the US. Wow. And so I do think it's probably, you know, it falls with this attitude in you, right? To like speak up for what's right from your perspective. Absolutely. And to not care what people think and then also to make something out of my life. To really to push myself and to try to squeeze every last drop out of life that I can. Yeah. And I feel like that's what I'm doing now.

Well, to that point, let's talk about some of the other fruit on the tree as you work. I'm sure you've been sitting around these past several days, you know, looking around at the people around you. Let's start on the positive side. Describe to me some people that for you, you pick up good vibe from. Best case scenario, you hit the beach on day one, this is a ride or die for you. Yeah. So there's this taller black guy with kind of like a fro, not really,

but like one, two inches or something like that, maybe one inch. And like every time the servers take his food, he says thank you and like either does like a praying motion or puts his hand on his heart. And I'm like, you know what? He seems like a very, very sweet boy. Um, and yeah, I would be, I would be down to play with him. And then who else? There is the gay guy with the mustache. He just reminds me of one of my friends at home. And I just, yeah, he's been really kind to me as well.

Because even though we can't talk, I mean, you can feel people's energy. You can feel when they are happy to see you or like find you amusing when you do something on accident, stuff like that. And who else? I would also really like to work with this one. I think he's Asian. He's Tanner. He's maybe like mid-30s or something. He and I, I think have in common that we have rich inner landscapes.

Oh, I love that term. Yeah, because everyone out here is journaling to some capacity. But when you look at most people's journals, it's like the first three pages. They literally got a journal because they were like, well, I'm going to be out here. You know, like I want to process and learn and discover about things about myself. But me and this guy, our journals are almost done, which means like we actually journal in everyday life. That's something that I've been doing since I was 17, almost every day. So I feel like if I were to work with someone like him, he'd be thoughtful.

And yeah, I think he would really think things through. And I would appreciate that, an alliance partner. Yeah, is that what you're looking for? That sort of ability to think things through from beginning to end? Is that like the main tenet in an alliance for you? It's kind of an alignment with that It's also it's also that I need someone who is going to lead with their head and not their heart. Okay, because To not be that Sandra. Yeah, you can't be that Sandra

you can't like let that moment of weakness get you because yeah, you need to you need to play with your heart, but I mean I Trust myself to play with your heart, but I mean, I trust myself to play with a balance, but I would rather trust someone else who leads with their head. Because I don't want someone blowing up our cover or spreading secrets because they're ticked off about someone and then that, yeah, blowing up our entire game.

So what about on the other side of things? Are there some bad energies you're picking up or anyone you can't get a read on? I would say that it's hard for me to get a read on this one girl who sits in front of me in the yeah she's yeah she like dark hair, a lot of hair. It's like really thick. I'm actually kind of jealous. I'm like, dang, I wish I had long hair. But it's hard for me to read on her.

She reminds me of some people who I've met in my life who judge me for being loud or chaotic and thinking that I'm only one dimensional and that I don't have deeper thoughts. Interesting. Yeah. You talk about being judged. How do you think you'll be perceived out here? Because again, you are someone who works on a day to day basis about presenting yourself

in a certain way. How much is that going to carry over to the beach? I think it's going to carry out on the beach for like one day. I think it's gonna last one day, me trying to ensure that people don't see, I guess, like all the sides of me. There are lots of sides of me. So initially, you know, I think people's perceptions of me will change

because there are so many sides of me. Initially, they might think like, oh, like she's pretty chaotic, she's pretty wild, like she's loud, she'll eat whatever, she'll say whatever. But then as time goes on, and I'm hoping that I'm gonna be able to hide this, but I don't want them to see exactly how strategic I can be. It's necessary that they see that I am capable of strategy, but I don't want them to see

the full scope of my strategy because then I feel like I would be too much of a threat and one of my One of my rules for this game is to for as long as I can Keep someone who's perceived to be weaker and perceived to be stronger around me. Okay, interesting So you're so what you want to be that that middle of the sandwich? Yeah, absolutely. Because as soon as you're perceived as the ultimate threat, you got like five guns pointed at you.

Everyone's out to get you. And then you don't want to be a liability either. I mean, I honestly, I really would respect someone who came out guns blazing the entire time beginning to end and still won. Yeah. Yeah. It's very true. Mad respect for that. I don't think that that's for me. That's not my style. But also, may I add that other than a few rules that I have for myself,

I don't even know how I'm going to play because one of my strengths is my adaptability. Yeah. The way that I play is going to depend on how everyone else around me plays. It's going to depend on the pace, on the energy, and even the culture that the rest of us unconsciously co-create. If everybody is like down to like form these deep true alliances, cool, I'm gonna form tighter alliances. But if everybody is like, hey, excuse me, like we're out here alone playing for ourselves, we might unite for this vote, but that's all. Then I'm gonna be the best lone wolf that there ever was on this island. So for me, a lot hinges upon what I see happening around me. I'm more of like a sit back and observe and then pounce, which doesn't mean that I can't

go in for the kill. It just means that I'm not going in for the kill the moment I step out on the beach. You talk about pouncing. I mean, let's talk about some things you may be able to hold in your paws to help the pounce. The new era, the DNA of it is idols, advantages, journeys. How much do you plan on incorporating that into your game? I plan on incorporating it into my game. I can't say how much because it depends on whether or not you can even find them.

But for example, I know that, and people might not like me for this, but if I do find an advantage or a beware advantage right before the day of tribal council or like right before I'm going, I'm probably gonna take it and like hide it in another spot that only I know. Cause I'm not gonna fucking give myself a heart attack and give myself only 10 minutes to like complete a task that requires at least 20.

So I'm gonna use those things for sure, like the BR8 advantage, but on my own terms. And then idols, oh my God, I love the new era, but I also love the old era where people were able to come out and bang, use two idols and just completely turn the game on its head. I feel like people don't do that anymore. I mean, people literally go home with idols.

Instead of- Quite a few do lately. Yeah, exactly. So I want to be able to display that kind of expertise with idols. So on that note of recent behavior, I imagine that as you knew you were coming out here, you had one eye on seasons like 45, 46, and looking for some takeaways to bring into your own game. What are some of those takeaways?

One of the takeaways that I want to bring with me is to really be aware of the beware advantage and to give myself enough time to accomplish the task that it is asking of, which requires hiding it, if I do find it right before tribal council. And something else is that when the merge has been announced and everybody is to pack up their things and they have 10 minutes to all go to the same island, I'm going to keep my eye out for everybody because I don't want someone pulling a hunter and using that time

to find something right before they leave the island. Interesting. Interesting. Yeah. Yeah. So you talk about this hunger for control and I noticed you wrote in your bio that you like fully produce your own music. You write the lyrics, you perform it, you edit it. Yeah.

Talk to me about this passion of yours. Yeah. Oh, well actually I don't fully produce it. I find the beats on YouTube. But... I mean, I can't see it now. Yeah. I had to find them, you know? Other than that, yeah, I write lyrics and I sing

and I do the engineering myself, that's a new thing. I've always loved singing. You can ask anyone in my life, like, I've always been a singer. My mom was classically trained in opera. Wow. Back in the day. Yeah, so I think I got some of it from her. But... What's your preferred style? I?

Think it's a really high compliment, but people say that I sound like Erica Badu I'm just gonna say more generally that it's like neo soul like my Amy Winehouse is one of my biggest influences and Lana Del Rey There we go on a girly In terms of lyricism, but I would say that it's jazzy R&B. And up, recently, you know, most of the time, it's about men who have done me dirty. So. Okay, so you're basically like a Taylor Swift version of maybe Winehouse.

Kind of, I kind of hate Taylor Swift, but that's fine. I'll accept it, because I am writing about people that I've been with. That's interesting. Who I don't like. From your own job perspective, what's the cover story? What did you tell your clients or people you were working with about where you'd be? Because I guess you could also use the out of like, oh, I disappeared again to go to someplace like Morocco.

Yeah, no, this is hilarious. Well, like I said, lying lowers your energy. So I didn't want to lie and say something that wasn't true, but I am proud of myself for what I did come up with people would be like where are you going and I was like I would be like um you know what I'm gonna go take care of some business and they were like okay okay Miss Mary how long you gonna be gone for I was like a long time longer than I'd like but I'll be back. I'll see you when I'm back. I'll call you when I'm back. I know work like a charm because the population that I work with, you know, props to them. A lot of them have side hustles that are kind of illegal. Like I've had clients before be

telling me about like how much money they're making, like selling XYZ thing that's illegal and I'm like writing in my notes and they're like talking, talking. They're like don't write that notes, and they're talking, talking, and they're like, don't write that down. Off the record. Yeah, they're like, oh, it's off the record. And so they understand what it's like to have to take care of business.

My business is just a little bit different than theirs. Yeah, I imagine they're gonna be like, that's the business? You know, next spring. Yeah, exactly. What is your hottest survivor take? What would you say is your most controversial opinion about a player or a season or the show in general? Oh my god I just thought about this earlier. My

hot take is that Applebee's isn't that great. I've never I mean I can't say I've ever eaten there but I've heard from friends that like have eaten there and like gotten sick and I'm sure I'll love it because it'll be food. That's the thing it's I from what I've seen and heard it's very any port in a storm of like all right great but yeah you're going to have a Liz-esque reaction. I'm not. Yeah, when they're like, it's Applebee's, I'm going to be like, okay, translate, it's food. Yeah, it's basic caloric consumption.

Yeah, it's sustenance for me. My family and I, we didn't really have the money to go out and eat, so I can't really say that I'm that familiar with that many restaurants. Because I just didn't go out to eat that much. Yeah. Let me describe a scenario for you. If you could bring a celebrity or a fictional character out as a loved one for a loved one's visit, who would it be and why? You did say some names beforehand. Would you bring Lana Del Rey out there? Let me think let me think let me think I would probably bring Amy Winehouse okay so that she could just talk to me in her accent and be like, you got this babe, you got it, don't worry, you're gonna kill the competition.

And just like, I don't know, I feel like she's got a lot of, I love Amy. I love Amy, yeah. And you could put like a nice buff on that giant beehive hairdo she rocks so well. Yeah, exactly. Last thing I'm gonna ask is, of course we know that Survivor 50's and the front view mirror at this point, we know it's returnees. How are you gonna make your mark on season 48

so that we're gonna be having a conversation this time next year? How am I gonna make my mark? It's hard to say because I don't like to over-promise and under-deliver. What I can say though is that I'm gonna play hard and I'm gonna play as myself. That's all I can guarantee and if you know, inshallah the stars align and like the way that my personality is, which is very obsessive and easy going, out for the kill but also very chill.

Hopefully that meshes with the people around me but I'm not gonna be focused on doing things for my resume or like trying to get a call back for 50. I mean, I'm just gonna play the game because what matters is right now. This is all we have, yeah. I know Mary talked about over giving but I really wanna thank her for giving her time and especially her story to us today.

And to her point, I am really intrigued to see how much those social skills from social work will carry over to the beach. And ultimately, if she'll be able to perfect a freestyle stroke, quite literally or metaphorically, to put even the best to shame. As we keep swimming through the Survivor 48 pre-season, tomorrow we will finish up the Vula Tribe and the Week as well with the final two interviews from the Green Tribe. I will be talking with Say and Stephanie.

Again, make sure you don't miss a beat of it. WeKnowSurvivor.com for the audio version of it and RobHasAWebsite.com slash YouTube for the video version of it. That's gonna do it for today's episode of Pre-season Interviews. Tomorrow we end the week with Say and Stephanie. Until then everybody, take care, bye bye.