RHAP: We Know Survivor - Survivor 49 Preseason Interview: Jawan Pitts

Episode Date: August 21, 2025

Mike Bloom kicks off the Survivor 49 preseason interviews with Jawan Pitts, a 28-year-old video editor from New Jersey now living in Los Angeles. Jawan's journey from superfan to contestant is highlighted, including how RHAP interviews helped him prepare for the casting process.

Hi everybody, Mike Bloom here, and welcome to the official kickoff of our Survivor 49 preseason interviews here on RHAP, day one, or should I say day Jawan, as I am kicking off the interviews I got to do out in Fiji with the cast of a Survivor 49. with the Uli tribe, starting with Joanne Pitts. I'm very excited to have you listen to all of these interviews, which will be coming out on a daily basis. This season, we are releasing one interview every day. So we are going to go through the entirety of the Uli tribe over the first six days before then Rob and I will get together and talk through not only our thoughts on each castaway from the interviews,

but also how we think this tribe will have. fair how they'll mix and mingle we've got a lot of content coming your way in the preseason so make sure you don't miss a second of it right here at the top of it all we know survivor dot com will get you all of the podcast in our survivor specific feed and if you want to watch the video versions of these interviews go to watch rhap dot com or search for rob has a podcast on youtube now since this is the debut of our season 49 preseason interviews. I want to just give a quick couple of disclaimers at the top here for the uninitiated. So for those who don't know, I had the absolute pleasure of getting the experience to go out to Fiji on the set of Survivor 49 to conduct these interviews.

I always have so much gratitude in my heart to CBS, Parade, and RHAP for giving me the support to be able to do these. These are interviews conducted with the cast a day or two before the game begins. They have been in Fiji for a little bit of time, sitting on their hands, waiting to talk to somebody, anybody, and that somebody is ya boy. So these are all the thoughts they had about themselves, the game they were going to play, their competition before their feet touched the sand, and they started their 26-day adventure. I mentioned this on our kickoff special, which you can check out right now that Rob and I did on the day of the cast release. But, of course, we know now that two members of this cast from season 49 will also be on Survivor 50.

I want everybody to know that for those who wish to remain unspoiled as to who their identities are, anything that is talked about in terms of preseason discussion is based solely on the Survivor, interviews that we conducted. You do not need to worry about being spoiled about anything around Survivor 50. We're focusing only on Survivor 49 when it comes to these particular players. This will be the last you'll hear from Mike from the editing room. So just to set up tomorrow, we will be talking with former MCU producer Nate Moore. So again, first thing in the morning in your podcast feed, 10 a.m. Eastern on YouTube.

you should expect interviews throughout the preseason. Again, don't miss a second of the coverage. We've got going on. Got a lot of fun stuff in my bag of tricks to keep your appetite satiated before the premiere of Survivor 49 on September 24th. So we know Survivor.com to subscribe to our Survivor-only podcast feed or go to watch rhap.com or search Robb has a podcast on YouTube

to get the video versions. and video is the major medium of work for the guy we are talking today to kick off our interview series. Joanne Pitts. Joanne is 28 years old, originally from Salem, New Jersey, but during the pandemic, he made the move from coast to coast, as I talked to him on the Fijian coast. He currently lives in Los Angeles, California, and is a video editor. Even though Joanne is giving a lot of game face in his cast photo, I think you'll find that energy is quite the opposite in our chat as he is very excited to not only be there,

getting to experience the dream of a lifetime in playing Survivor, but in talking with me for this very podcast. So let's not Terry any further. Enjoy my interview with Joanne. My name is Joanne Pitts from Salem, New Jersey, 28 years old and I'm a freelance video editor interesting so is that something you've always wanted to get into yeah yes and no so I went to school for video production um I went to Ruckers Newarkerick I know I know it well yeah um are you from uh so I live I live in northern New Jersey right now

so I got a couple friends that work in Rutgers Jersey so there we go yeah Rutgers Newark graduated in 2020 and you know bad timing the world stopped a little bit and then you know I had a choice when I went back home I was like all right I can either stay in New Jersey with this degree that doesn't really mean much where I can take this leap of faith and move to LA because my cousin she's a screenwriter and she was like all right I'm going I was like I guess I'm going too so it's been a journey um but yeah what's it been like for you so far any major projects you're you're proud to have done in the past five years yeah yeah one of my first projects by the end of my first year 2021 i was working on transformers which was pretty dope it was pretty

cool i was working on their previs team do you know what previs is but i've heard the name before but nothing like absolutely specific about it yeah so previs for people that don't know it's like a rough janky uh animatic of the film so we're basically making the film before you know it's like a storyboard you know so that was really dope well let's talk about the storyboard of your time here leading you out to this beach yeah talking about making big moves you literally did so talking about your history with survivor and what brought you out here in front of me today this I'm sorry to you off this just feels so like weird to me like this feels weird as like a R-H-P like patron like see now you can talk about this is weird now you finally got me in front of you be like

I got some shit to say. Bro, like, I'm going off on a tangent here, but your videos help me get on the show, actually. These interviews, I'm being so serious. So a little bit about my casting process. I applied for six years, bro. Got no call for six years. Legit, even, you know, this cycle, I put in two tapes, crickets.

It wasn't until one day I was on Reddit. I was scrolling, right? And there was like an open call, Survivor open call. I was like, you know, this is my last chance. I'm a little prayer, my little shot in the dark. I'm going to go. I'm going to be unfiltered, nothing to worry about, you know. And so I did it.

And long story short, I got a call back. And they're like, all right, we need to work on your video. I was like, all right, I need to perfect this. So what I did was I was watching all of your videos. Since, like, Survivor 41, like the way you asked your questions, I basically had my cousin be you. It did like this. So this is like trippy. So thank you again.

I know that was way off topic. I appreciate you so much. And that, honestly, that means the world. So thank you. Thank you so much. Happy to have your cousins fill in for me as well. I'm sure of a much of a version of myself. So yeah, talk to me about that.

So was this something that you fell in love with since the first opportunity? What caused you to put in that six-year journey to finally get out here? So I first fell in love Survivor Gabon. So what a wacky season, right? I was at a friend's house. We were eating tacos. and they throw it on. I'm like, what the hell is this janky show?

You know, the cast is so crazy. And then I went back home, and I just couldn't stop watching it, you know? It really wasn't until Survivor's Second Chances, and Jeremy Collins, and the way that he fought for his family, I was like, yo, I want to do that. I can do that. So Jeremy Collins definitely kind of paved the way for me. So was it that family element? Was it something else with Jeremy that just really had you?

Yeah. Yeah. You know, I grew up in a single parent household and I'm an order to five kids. So I spent a lot of time at home babysitting those knuckleheads. And it was kind of challenging though, too, like trying to be a man without having like a male role model in my household. So my outlet was watching movies and TV and Survivors. So something about seeing Jeremy Collins. It was kind of cool. It was getting exposed to something that I haven't experienced. So that's, was when the seed was first planted. Well, let's talk about the gardeners that have come before you in that way. Give me one winner and one non-winner who you identify with. I know these questions. I was going to say, this is so hard for me.

I'm like, he already knows the answer. Right, right. I'm trying to be as natural as possible. I'm like, this is the point. It is when he's going to ask me. You got so many bullets lived in the chain at this point. That's like, all right, let's say, let me just go through the roll.

Right, right. Here's this one. So winner, non-winner. Can I do? that's a tough one man you do multiple if you want to yeah can i do like two hell yeah can i do two new era too old era sure okay listen it's a 25 year franchise i imagine you got a lot of yeah i feel like marian if i like i love marian yeah i feel like we're cut from the same cloth like you know two black nerds like i love i love that like she's like truly 100% authentic

Even when she's playing like blood on the clock tower, which you guys, like she's a nut. And I'm like, I can relate to that, you know? Also from the new era, I know he's not a winner, but Jesse Lopez. And similar to Jeremy, the way that he was like really playing hard, taking big swings, doing what he had to do to really, like, if he sat in the final three, I think he had that. So that's what I want to do. I really want to make my mark and make big moves. Be smart, but make big moves. and old era.

Let's go old era. Let's go old school, baby. I feel like we already talked about Jeremy Collins, the way that he fought for his family. But underrated non-winner, who needs to be back for 50. Drum roll. Sean Rector.

Hell yeah, man. You know you're speaking in my language, you know season four. Oh my gosh. I think one of my favorite moments in Survivor history is when he goes on that reward challenge with Pascoe and he's on the donkey. Yeah.

I love that. And that's what like, I just, I don't know, I appreciate, you know, people. That's why diversity is so important, you know, because, like, that's what got me into the show, like, seeing them, man. I'm like, oh, we're, we're the same, you know, so. And the wild thing about Sean, too, is, like, he was such a great representative, especially in those early seasons of just being so out of your league, right?

School teacher from Harlem. Yeah, fish out of water. Riding a horse, getting his nuts crushed. But at the same time, like, this is a guy that realized that all he brought to the game was himself, you know? And so he was able to say, yeah, this is an environment that I've never been in before, but, like, there's only one person I can be. And so let me bring that into everything I do.

And it leads to him being this incredible, incredible character. Facts, bro. So let's talk a bit about your own prep coming into this experience. Because, yeah, suffice it to say, this is something that you've had in the mind for a while. So once you actually did get that call, what was the work like to get out here? Etsy shot. Puzzles. I was just really, like, leaning into the puzzles because I think I'm naturally in shape.

I do like half marathons. I run, I swim so I knew I had those things checked off but I really tried to focus on puzzles and fire like I don't want to be the guy that gets to the end and can't make fire I love you Jesse Lopez

but I don't want to be I don't want that to be me but the hard thing about practicing fire in downtown L.A. is we recently had wildfires so and you know there was some jokers actually making fires you know they were like you know

So I'm like, I don't want to get, I could just see it on the news already. Local black guy starts fire. Says he's practicing for. He says he's going to be on Survivor. Yeah, sure. Yeah. So that was the hardest thing, was trying to find ways to practice fire. But what would you say, even outside of that literal prep, is one life experience that has

prepared you the most for what you're about to hop into? Yeah, definitely moving from L.A. to, sorry, moving from New Jersey to L.A. You know, in the height of the pandemic, it was just the fact of the, it was just a first time I got to really just bet on myself, man, you know, $4,000 in my pocket, just me and my cousin, bumming it out. But I think that really just showed me that, like, you know, anything is possible. And I'm such a people pleaser, Mike Blune. I don't know if you can relate to this, too, just being, you're speaking my language. Yeah, I just want to make sure everyone's okay. And in 2020, before I left, my family, my friends, because this is a small town environment,

no one really leaves. And that was the first time I really was met with, like, They're like, oh, what are you doing? It's COVID. And I was really scared to make that leap of faith. But I'm so grateful I did because I've got to do so many dope stuff. And, yeah, I think that experience is going to help me take big swings out here, you know? Yeah, I think it's this idea of like, granted, you've seen so much and you've seen so many possibilities that could unfold in the past. But, like, once you get out here, you never really know until you try.

Like, as tried as that is, to be like, I'm sure. Living out in L.A. has, like, even defied the expectations that you had moving out there. And so a lot of it is like, oh, do I want to move out there? What could it be? But it's like, you don't know what it could be until you actually see it in front of you. The unknown. And I think that's what survivors all about, right? Just taking those chances and just betting on yourself, you know? Yeah. So speaking of that, people pleasing maybe. Yeah. Give me your superpower. Give me your kryptonite. Yep, yep. So my superpower is definitely also my weakness, too, and it's my vulnerability. I feel like I love this.

I love, like, chopping it up. talking about what makes us the way we are, which is like our childhood and, you know, past experiences. So I think, you know, my superpowers, I think I'm going to make friends really easily. Not to brag. I think I want to really be able to make dope bonds. But on the flip side of that, by being like an open book and making these bonds, am I going to be willing to cut them when I need to? Yeah. And that's going to be my biggest struggle. I would love to sit up here and lie. I'm like, oh, I'm going to backstab, do this. But at the end of the day, I really care about people, too.

So if there's a way I can, like, put people to sleep in a nice way, that sounds so bad. Yeah, like, Dr. Comborchian, you're like, euthanasia. Slip something in their drink? No, like, I got to do it in a way where I can, like, you know, sleep at night. How do you think you're going to be perceived out there? That's a good question. What do you think? What do you think?

I don't know, man. I mean, the way that you come across very, I mean, you haven't really stopped smiling since the time we sat down. And I think it's that it's that joviality that I think. I imagine would help you kind of like help lift those spirits around you. But I'm intrigued, you know, how have people perceived you in your life in general? I think I do a good job putting on a mask that I'm like the lovable, sweet, nerd, goofy. You see the glasses, you see the goofy smile, not that like much of a threat, I feel like. I'm not, I don't know, I'm cool with playing the background too.

I don't always need to have the center of attention. and I think that's going to be great out here, too. I want everyone to feel like I'm their lovable little brother or something. Their right-hand man, someone that they can trust with information. I'll just keep that to myself. Yeah, you need the right-hand man, but they don't know what the other hand's doing. Exactly. I like that.

So now we turn the mirror. You know what we're doing now, because I'm sure you've been making your own assessments of these people out here. So let's start on the positive sides. You could give me initials. You could describe them to me. Who are some, like, prospective rider dies? You know, I've been thinking about you a lot during power. to Rosa. That sounds crazy. I'm sorry.

I'm gladdened. No, no. I have, I made it like a cheat shit, cheat sheet for you. So I did like, I wrote everybody's initials down. And I put, because I'm a nerd, I put all these superheroes that I aligned each person with. So top of the list, I want to work with the Punisher. So J.L. That's the tattoo guy. I'm pretty sure he's going to be on everybody's radar. And he's like the most chatty cat here. Like he's always trying to make a like a connection. so I want to work with that dude and um but I'm also going to keep an eye on him too um a d uh spider gwen the pink air yeah right she seems pretty like uh sweet kind someone I'm a little bit worried about and I just feel like because I'm going to say that she's going to be on my

tribe that's just how it works manifested yeah MC main character um she she is like Gamora from Guardians of the Galaxy she's buff, braids like Michone from the Walking Dead she's badass and I've been sitting next to her for the past three days and I'm an extrovert like I'm not trying to like hug her but I'm like

hey and she's like nothing I'm like oh she's locked in but I think you know she's gonna get used to me I think I can break those walls a little bit I think she's just really focused but yeah she's someone I'm a little bit worried about like

She's low-keyed my winner pick, other than me. Other than me, obviously, it's me. But, you know, I would rank her high in my draft draft. Who you're making the Avengers for, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Who are you putting yourself as? Did you put yourself in a superhero? You know, I thought about that.

I got to be Nick Fury. I got to be the guy that's just, you know, seeing one eye open. One eye open. I'm just the guy. They're not worried about me. I don't got no powers, but I knew everything. Yeah. So, yeah, I think this will be really fun, Mike.

So when it comes to embracing everything the new era has to offer, idols, advantages, journeys, what's your thoughts on how much you're going to incorporate that? Bro, I'm not getting on that damn boat. I'm not getting on that boat. You can't make me get on that boat. I'm sorry for screaming. I'm not getting on the boat, man. Look at Survivor. I mean, this season.

Yeah. Like, everyone that's been on that boat is kind of like the guy in the scary movie is like, oh, I'll be right back. Bro, you're not coming back. It's over. I'm sorry. So, yeah, I definitely want to find advantages, though. But my strategy, Mike, is allies over advantages. I mean, look at the rebook for, man.

That's what I want to bring to the table. They literally shared an advantage around them. Right, right. And 48 was also kind of like, it's kind of like back to the basics, like alliance. And I want to kind of have a blend of both. And I really want to do dope stuff, but I got to be smart. You know, the super fan. in me watching all the podcast.

It's easy to get overwhelmed by all this information. But if I can just focus on the people and be in the present and also kind of tap into the R-H-U-P knowledge, I'm going to be a problem. I think I'm going to be really well. So then what happens, let's say, if one does come your way? You have an advantage. Are you telling anybody?

No. No. That's like on the list of do's and do not. Like, yeah, the top of the list is like, I can't tell nobody. even if my number one, because I just feel like we've seen time after time how that can really cause problems. Yeah.

This is also a tangent, but I just started watching Australian Survivor. Hell yeah, man. Yo, I love it. Yeah? Give me your thought. What season have you been watching? So last year I did a Survivor drinking game,

and everyone there, and I did it in L.A., everyone there was talking about Titans versus Rebels last year. I was like, let me see. It was amazing. Of course. So before the game, legit, for the past, two weeks. I've been watching Brains versus Braun, the first one,

with King George. So both King George's season. So, and I'm just learning that, like, you've got to be careful if you tell about advantages. Like, look at Simon. I'm like, yo, I don't want that to be me, you know? Yeah, absolutely. So, here's a new one for you. Yes. I got, I got, of course, I'm a

curveballs your way. Let's go. Because I'm going to give you a chance to stand in Jeff's shoes for a second. Okay. If you could bring, and this could be a twist from the new era, the old era, you can even make up a twist if you want to, but you get the chance to put one twist in this season, twist or an advantage that you get to play

with. What would it be in why? Something that I can utilize in this season? Hmm. I really want to bring back the knowledge of power. I know it's like a little dicey. I really want to bring that back. And if it's not in the game, I think that's something I'm going to wave.

I'm still going to like make it up. I'm still going to scare people. If I know someone has something, I'm going to be like, oh, I think I saw them with the knowledge is power. just to spice it up a little bit. Yeah, I mean, that's what Jeff said in the past was like, oh, we could get rid of knowledge as power because now it just, the threat is always out there now.

I'm so excited. You know what they need to do? What's that? They need to put a freaking idol in tribal council. Ever since, you know, Adam Klein's thing. So I don't know if they're going to do it this season. They probably won't, but guess who's going to be looking? Just in case they do, your boy.

There we go. I'm just going to put that out here. Time stamp it. Joanne finds the idol at, you know, tribal. That would be pretty cool. Yeah, you could actually finally throw Jeff's podium in and use it as an idol. So let's go to some hot takes here, because I'm sure you got plenty about Survivor proper. Yeah.

What's top of mind? Hot takes. I'm on the Reddit pages a lot. Hmm. Hot takes. That's hard. Yeah, because you're the most. tuned into like what a hot take actually is that's the thing I know that I put these out time

after time and people are like that's not a hot take and I'm like it's more so indicative of like how tuned how tuned in they are to the terminally online fan base exactly yeah so I see the most because I'm on Reddit a lot I see players like say and Rome get a lot of heat they oftentimes they get on my nerves too like I wouldn't want to play with them but I do think that's what makes Survivor beautiful in a way you know like we need people that are from different backgrounds that are aggressive so as much as they might get on my nerves they need to be on survivor you know we wouldn't be on for 50 seasons if we didn't have people like that now watch i want to be stuck with somebody does like so how are you going to deal with that rogue element is that

something you want to get rid of immediately are you going to try to be like the genevieve and be like this is something that i want to try to utilize you read my mind i still don't know i wish i could give you an answer because i have this uh back and forth where i'm like i want to use them as a shield but at what point like if they're going to be actively targeting me like say is for cedric why would i keep that around so i probably will nip it in a bud it'll be fun tv but they're not riding with me well speaking of say and the people around her the new era feels like we see a good amount of the disaster tribes you know the ones that end up going to tribal council three four times in the pre-merge my worst nightmare so i'm unfortunately going to put you in that state here because

how would you anticipate possibly changing your game if you sort of kind of start to see the doctor strange of you will you start to see the possibilities in front of you and realize oh there's a very realistic chance that like we could get down to three two people before the merge yeah so not to keep bringing up

this survivor drinking game I did last year but we did like a Titans versus Rebel season and we lost the first seven tribal councils and it was just a fun little boot camp for me I just realized if we go down like I gotta find I think it's the first to four in this new era, you know? The first of four, you know?

So if I realize it's a sinking ship, I got to find my people and maybe I'll start looking for an advantage, you know? Like, I really, I just wish it was two tribes of nine so I can hide a little bit, but the new era, man. Nowhere to hide. Nowhere to hide. So I might have to, like, be a little crazy. Even outside of that particular situation, what do you value in an ally?

Any specific values you're seeking out? Yeah. I think everyone says predictability, loyalty, trust. But now that I'm thinking about it, I really value, like, someone that I can, like, have a little fun with, you know? Someone that could be, like, the Batman to my Robin, you know? I think that's so hard to find. But, you know, it would be so cool to have someone that I can trust,

but I also know that they're, you know, also a good game player too, you know? It was kind of like when Ferris and Kirby kind of worked together. Those are two dominant people And it was just kind of cool to see them Like put their guns down for a second And then like put in work Yeah, that would be so cool to have that out here But I just, you gotta expect the unexpected

And I just Wrong show Sorry, my bad Thank you So let's go from the beginning of the game To the end here Something that I find so incredibly intriguing About a jury vote

Is that there's essentially an infinite list of criteria For a juror to vote for a winner, right? It could be like ability could be relationship, could be strategic, could be resume, challenge wins, et cetera. Is there a core value you have right now? If I were to ask you, like, if I'm a juror, I would vote for blank.

Fill in that blank for me. That's such a good question. Because for me, I feel like I want to be someone that is willing to take risk, willing to really kind of like step outside the box a little bit to go against the grain. So I think that's something I would value, too.

Like, what did you do to really put your stamp on the game, you know? I don't want to reward someone that just gets to the end. And, like, it's tough because it's that balance, too. Like, I say that, but, like, what if someone that did all these big moves is the A-hole? Like, you know, we've seen some people, not their own name names, but we've seen some people get to the end. They played a really dominant game. That's another spicy take for me. There you go.

Please go. Like, yeah, I feel like. Yeah, I'm in the minority that, like, I feel like Natalie White deserves that one. It's interesting how, like, over time, the fandom kind of switches a little bit. Some people really love Russell Hans, and then people hate them. Like, it kind of changes in Reddit over time. It's so interesting because it's all about, especially because we're in an era and you've experienced this now as, like, again, a very in the trenches fan of, like, when people also discover the show, too.

You know, so it's like, you have the people that were there in the moment. Russell was rob.com Then you have it sort of coming around to like, especially when he lost the second time of like, okay, clearly there's something wrong. And then you now have these people finding the show coming into and being like, what the hell happened? Russell should have won.

And it's like, we're living in a time loop. Yes, it's so interesting now. Yeah, 100%. Last thing I want to ask, well, go to the familiar. You know how it ends. And listen, you've already made your own sort of list of fictional characters to assign to the other players. Are you bringing one of those out?

Is there someone else you want to bring to the to you. I got two. There we go. I got two. Do you want the fictional character or the real character first? Let's do the fictional character first. Not to sound like a total dweeb, but I'm going to sound like a total dweep, uh, Naruto. I gotta bring out my boy, Naruto. He's just, he would just give me the most fire, pep talk. It would, it would be awesome. Now I'm just imagining when you finally decide to start looking for idols and you just Naruto run up and down the canopy.

I can see the meme. I can see the gift, And what's the other one? It has to be Denzel, Washington. He just, he just, another person that would give me, like, you know, remember the Titans, like this grand, like, believe in yourself. Like, I think that would help me make it through. For what it's worth, man, it seems like you don't need Denzel. You know, you're coming in here.

And again, I know this was a long time coming. And again, I am very flattered that I played even any part in that process. But the way you come in here is, you know, built to us. upon being so sure of yourself and what you're able to bring. And I think that speaks to what you've been through and what you're able to bring onto the beach as well. So it was such a, such a pleasure getting a chance to talk with you, man like, a dream come true.