Read on for my interview with Ricard, and make sure to check in with Parade.com every day for interviews with this season’s contestants and other tidbits. Survivor 41 premieres on September 22 with a special two-hour premiere on CBS. Why are you here on Survivor? I’ve always wanted to push myself in ways that wouldn’t necessarily jive with the kind of person I am or the traits I have. I’m hard of hearing; I’m deaf in one ear. I’ve always pushed myself to do things that would be more difficult for somebody who’s hard of hearing. I used to tour around dancing; I’m a violinist. I really want to do things that take me out of my comfort zone. Being outside takes me out of my comfort zone. (Laughs.) Doing manual labor is definitely going to take me out of my comfort zone. So I really want to prove something to myself. I’ve loved the show since I was 11 years old. And I really think I have so many traits that not a lot of folks have when playing the game, about awareness with other people and their body language. I really want to see how well I can do. What’s your history with watching Survivor? So I was 10 or 11 years old when I started watching Survivor. It was definitely this big spectacle for me. I come from an all-white-passing family, for the most part. I’m the one dark brown one in the mix. (Laughs.) So I didn’t understand my race, really. I just knew I looked different. And my mom was watching this show Survivor. I had never seen it before; it was the first season. And I see all of these brown people. They actually weren’t brown people; they were just in the sun for a long time. But I was like, “Oh my god, they look like me! What is this?” So I sat down, and I started watching it. (Laughs.) And then my mom was rooting for this guy, Richard, who was gay. And I knew at the time that I was gay. I didn’t really know what the word “gay” meant, but I knew I was different. And I knew I was ashamed of being whatever that different side was. And I knew my mom would never root for me as a gay person. And yet, she was rooting for this dude; she really wanted him to win. It didn’t matter that he’s gay. She just really loved him. And as tacky as it sounds, it genuinely was one of the first moments of my childhood where I realized, “Oh, maybe my mom could root for a gay version of me.” It really stuck with me and became a passion of mine, just watching the show. Give me one Survivor winner and one non-winner who you identify with the most. One winner, I would have to say Natalie. Just seeing her first on Amazing Race and then her journey into Survivor. She started pretty slow; she wasn’t most physical. But she was endearing. She was lovely to be around, at least it seems on the screen. And then, all of a sudden, she’s this challenge beast, and everyone looks up to her. She’s so aware, and she’s so conniving, and it’s amazing. That’s really the kind of game I want to play. I really want to mimic not standing out too much being liked, but not too much. And being under the radar, and then all of a sudden, where the hell was this guy the whole time? How was he hiding how physical he is? I just really, really appreciate her game in both seasons that she was on. For one who didn’t win, I guess I would say Aubry. I really really appreciate the second half of her first season of playing. I loved her gameplay. I know she kind of struggled with the awareness part, which is what I mentioned will be my strength, I assume. But I really love her character. I love her energy, and I always root for a nerd. What’s one life experience you feel has prepared you most for the game? Truly anything. Being a flight attendant and being able to be kind to people that are absolutely awful to me. Being able to read lips on board the airplane when I really can’t hear what most people are saying to me, and being able to read lips on the island when people are chit-chatting in the bushes and trying to be sneaky and pull a fast one on me. Circling back to my job, the fact that when I get on board an airplane, every single flight that I go on, I’ve never met these people before. These are new flight attendants that I have not flown with before. And yet most people think that we’re all best friends. We’re all hanging out and getting cocktails, and we’ve known each other for years. But we’re really able to blend into a space with a lot of different personalities. And I really think that’s going to transfer over into this game with all these different people. What do you think people will perceive you as? The way I think I’ll be perceived by the castaways has changed now that I’ve seen the cast. Even though we haven’t interacted with one another, I kind of assumed I would either be the one Hispanic guy, the one gay guy, or just one of the stronger folks. But now I’m seeing, with how diverse the cast is, that they might just see me for me. And that’s really, really cool. Where I’ll struggle is I’m really funny. And I wrote myself a letter before I came here saying, “Do not make too many jokes, do not make too many jokes, do not make too many jokes.” (Laughs.) I really need to tone that down and let people see my very deep side and the fact that I really enjoy listening to you; I really enjoy connecting with you. I think they’re going to see me as a friend and a real long-term companion. And I hope that’s what sticks. And not just, “He’s the funny guy. He makes people laugh too much, and he’s too likable.” And I guess we’ll see if I’m able to balance that. What do you desire in an alliance partner? I really hope I have someone that I can just rely on to tell me how it is. I don’t anticipate going into this game with someone who’s going to go to the end with me just because we said we were going to do that. I would much prefer a very deep emotional connection. Where, as we’re getting towards the end, if one of us is going to vote each other out, maybe we’ll have the love and compassion there to tell each other that we’re about to backstab each other. (Laughs.) Not just, “You have to take me because we made this promise.” I don’t really think that’s how the game should go. I saw it happen with Jeremy and Tasha in their season together. And I don’t think it helped Tasha at all, just going to the end with somebody just because they agreed to do it. What’s your current game plan for when you touch down on the Survivor beach? My biggest game plan for right when we get to the beach is to be a light. I want people to see my smile; I want them to see my joy, compassion, and love. I’ll give everyone a hug who wants a hug. And really just work my ass off. Work as hard as I can around camp while trying to stay under the radar. I also really want to touch base with everyone. Not just create a quick alliance, segregate myself with my little group of people, and keep people on the outs. I also really want to try to focus my attention on people I would never feel comfortable talking to in the real world. And that’s mostly going to be the bigger straight guys. I don’t feel as comfortable talking to straight people. (Laughs.) Mostly because I feel like I have to change myself to blend in. And I really don’t want my experience on the island to be a fake version of me. So I’m gonna really go outside my comfort zone and make friends and tight alliances with people that aren’t like me as much as I can. What’s the best advice you received before coming out to play? The best advice I received before coming out here is just to remember why I’m here. It’s very easy for me to get distracted or forget the simplest inspiration on playing a really good game and really embrace the fact that I am getting to do this phenomenal thing. Right now, I’m surrounded by people, and I’m not wearing a mask. Right now, I get to sleep at night without having to wake up and feed my baby. I really just want to embrace every single moment I have out here because I really will not have it again. A week after I get home from filming this season, I have a second baby due. The due date is the week I get home! (Laughs.) And so, I really need to take advantage of this opportunity. Next, check out our interview with Survivor 41 contestant Sydney Segal.
