11 Survivor Opponents Who Had A Following Earlier than The Present

Discover out what these gamers had been identified for earlier than the present…

Previous to collaborating in Survivor: Tocantin, the present’s 18th season, Taj Johnson-George had made a reputation for herself as a singer and rapper. She was a member of lady’s R&B group, Sisters With Voices, which discovered reputation and had a sequence of hits within the ’90s. Wanting again, Taj admitted that Survivor was truly simpler than a few of her music trade ventures — particularly citing the truth present SWV did with XSCAPE.

“I’d moderately do Survivor than do a Season 2 [with XSCAPE],” Taj advised The Each day Dish. “You go on the market they usually actually drop you off with completely nothing and inform you to make it to the top. Then you’ve gotten people who find themselves actually, their lives rely on this as a result of they’re attempting to get that million {dollars}, so if meaning stabbing you within the again and consuming your meals earlier than you’ll be able to eat it, so be it. Good factor for me, I went on the market with a aim to reduce weight, so I used to be giving my meals away. They beloved me.”

Ashley Massaro was a contestant on Survivor: China however previous to her debut on the truth competitors present, she had a profession as a WWE star. In 2005, she received the WWE Diva Search and later went on to develop into a radio host, an actress and mannequin for Playboy. Whereas she didn’t final lengthy on the present as a result of an sickness setback, she says her expertise within the WWE helped her out.

“I’m in a state of affairs with WWE the place I’m bodily coaching on a regular basis. So the bodily components, the challenges, there was one problem that was proper up my alley, ? Minus the mud and the garments ripping off,” Ashley advised IGN.

She continued, “After which additionally being within the WWE Divas locker room, I work very intently with lots of people who all have the identical objectives in thoughts and we’re on the street all 12 months collectively. I journey quite a bit and I believed that might give me a profit too…After which I used to be considering with 1,000,000 {dollars} at stake, it is like the identical factor because the WWE Ladies’s Title; it’s not precisely the identical factor, however we have got to make issues work to get there.”

Lisa Whelchel had a profitable profession as an actress and musician earlier than showing on Survivor: Philippines. She was most well-known for her function on The Info of Life however she additionally appeared on reveals like The New Mickey Mouse Membership and The Love Boat. Lisa additionally obtained a Grammy for her Christian album, All Due to You.

Whitney Duncan was a contestant on Survivor: South Pacific however previous to the present, she had a profession as a rustic artist and even appeared on Nashville Star, the place she positioned fifth. Because the present, she’s continued to pursue a music profession and has launched extra music, together with a tune that ended up on the Footloose soundtrack.

As for what her followers considered her look on the present, Whitney stated, “My followers, they know who I’m. I’m a pleasant particular person, however I’ve slightly hearth in me and I get slightly spunky generally. I feel they acquired a kick out of seeing my mood come out. They acquired a superb snicker out of it. My household too, they’ve seen that aspect of me too.”

Mari Takahashi appeared on Survivor’s thirty third season, Millennials vs. Gen X. Previous to the present, she was referred to as a YouTuber {and professional} video gamer. She appeared on sketch comedy channel Smosh, internet hosting the Smosh Pit Weekly sequence, and later turned an authentic member of Smosh Video games.

“What makes Survivor the perfect sport ever — and I play a whole lot of video games! I play a whole lot of video games the place mendacity is the way you succeed, and there are a whole lot of nice board video games on the market the place you’re presupposed to misinform win the sport, and on the finish of it, it’s like, ‘Yay! You’re so good!’ However on the market, it’s a lifestyle. You’re so secluded. You’re thus far eliminated out of your lifestyle that in some methods, the road is blurred between actual life and video games. It turns into your life,” Mari advised Parade.

John Hennigan appeared on Survivor: David vs. Goliath in 2018 however earlier than that, he had a profitable profession within the WWE underneath the title John Morrison — in addition to quite a lot of different stage names. He wrestled within the WWE constantly between 2002 and 2011 earlier than shifting on to the impartial circuit after which on Lucha Underground and Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide.

“I left for Fiji 36 hours after we wrapped Lucha Underground season 4. The producers of Lucha Underground needed to bend over backwards to get me wrapped out of the season to go away for Survivor. So it was uncommon for folks to chop it that shut…I simply actually needed to do it so was completely satisfied they had been capable of make it work,” John advised Leisure Weekly.

He continued, “After which definitely I’m the Influence wrestling world champion and I had simply signed a cope with Influence wrestling on the time, they usually needed to bend over backwards to comply with let me miss two months of wrestling bookings primarily based on a contract that I had simply signed not too long ago. So two wrestling organizations each bent over backwards to make the schedule work.”

Jonathan Penner has now appeared on Survivor thrice, beginning with Survivor: Prepare dinner Islands, however previous to actuality TV, he labored as an actor, screenwriter and producer. He had roles on reveals together with The Bare Reality and Impolite Awakening and made appearances on different sequence like The Nanny, Arrested Growth and Seinfeld.

Mike White had a profitable profession in Hollywood earlier than he appeared on Survivor: David vs. Goliath. He labored as a author and producer on quite a few initiatives together with Dawson’s Creek and Freaks and Geeks in addition to movies like Faculty of Rock and Nacho Libre. Throughout his time on Survivor, Mike was unreachable to his Hollywood crew — however his brokers nonetheless tried to trace him down when a chance arose again at dwelling.

“One in every of my brokers simply by no means acquired it,” he advised IndieWire. “She was attempting to determine how they may get me on the island. And I used to be like, ‘In the event that they pull you to take a name, they’re pulling you out of the sport. It’s over.’ I acquired again and acquired these messages, ‘Tracey Jacobs virtually pulled you from the sport to search out out should you’d do a rewrite for this Paramount film.’ I’d have actually killed myself — and killed her!”

Earlier than showing on Survivor: The Edge Of Extinction, Ron Clark was a instructor who turned a notable motivational speaker and wrote a number of books about schooling. He appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Present and obtained the Disney Trainer of the 12 months award. Ron later was the topic of a made-for-TV movie primarily based on his life starring Matthew Perry.

“[I’ve been a fan] ever because the first episode. I even keep in mind seeing the previews whereas I used to be educating in Harlem. I believed, ‘I feel I’m going to look at this. That is going to be groundbreaking.’ I had slightly 16-inch TV, black and white. I had a tiny little bed room in New York Metropolis,” he advised The Atlanta Journal-Structure.

He continued, “I keep in mind watching the primary episode and I used to be hooked! It remodeled me as a result of I had by no means seen something prefer it earlier than. I knew I needed to be part of it however as a result of my life and work and dedication to my college students, I used to be by no means capable of truly apply to do it till a few years in the past. I believed, ‘You solely reside as soon as. I’m getting actually previous right here.’”

Julia Landauer was an expert racecar driver earlier than showing on Survivor: Caramoan. She was simply 21 and an undergraduate scholar at Stanford when she was solid on the present however had already been racing for a decade. Julia finally determined to maintain her identification a secret on the present, hoping it might assist her in the long term — however she solely made it midway by means of the season.

“I didn’t inform different those who I used to be a Stanford scholar. I used to be considering long-term, and if I made it to the ultimate three, how seemingly had been folks to vote for me if I used to be a Stanford-educated race automotive driver? I didn’t suppose that I’d get essentially the most votes. I used to be considering long-term. Now, whether or not or not that was the correct resolution, I’ll by no means know, nevertheless it was what I began out with, so I made a decision to keep it up,” Julia advised The Stanford Each day.

Previous to Survivor: Panama, Dan Barry was a NASA astronaut who had gone to area a number of occasions. Like Julie, he additionally selected to cover his true identification and didn’t inform fellow gamers that he was an astronaut when he arrived on the island. He ended up telling a number of contestants simply earlier than getting voted off. Whereas he principally saved his profession to himself, he says being an astronaut performed a giant function in his sport.

“It’s not concerning the particular abilities that you just carry to that sport, however what it actually boils all the way down to is the spirit. The sense of regardless of how onerous that is or no matter is happening, ‘I can do that and I can succeed at it,’” Dan shared with collectSPACE.

He continued, “The issues that you just get from the coaching to develop into an astronaut are excellent for that as a result of once you start you suppose, ‘There is no such thing as a means I’m going to study this 3-foot pile of manuals and all these abilities and issues I have to go [to space], and have a look at these folks which might be strolling round having figured that stuff out. How is that doable?’ As you undergo the coaching, you discover out that it’s doable. You are able to do it and it’s only a matter of persevering. If you happen to ask me what’s a very powerful factor to carry to Survivor, it is that sense of ‘I can do that, by no means surrender, sustain the onerous work’ kind of factor.”