The cast of Survivor: South Pacific was officially announced by CBS on August 22nd, and like last year’s cast of Survivor: Nicaragua, it includes the winner of Sears’ on-line casting contest. This time, it is Rick Nelson, the 51 year-old rancher from Aurora, Utah, who has Survivor fans to thank for helping to get him onto the show.
Who is Rick Nelson?
Utah rancher Rick Nelson has been a longtime fan of Survivor. In his Official CBS Video Profile, Nelson said that he applied 14 times for the reality competition and was granted an interview for three previous seasons: Vanuatu, Guatemala, and Cook Islands (CBS.com, August 22, 2011). Having then gone four years without receiving a callback from the show, he took to applying via the Sears casting contest in both 2010 and 2011.
In his last video, Nelson told producers that he was fed up with contestants quitting the show (as was fellow tribemate Christine Shields Markoski, who got on the show after sending an angry video to casting directors saying that they should be fired for poor casting choices). Nelson also insulted past contestant Benjamin “Coach” Wade, mocking Wade’s self-given nickname “Dragon Slayer.” Conveniently, Wade is one of two former contestants returning to the game for Survivor: South Pacific, and will be part of Nelson’s Upolu tribe.
How the Casting Contest Works
For CBS’s Sears Casting Contest, applicants upload a one-minute video to the CBS Web site, explaining why they would be the ultimate survivor. The casting panel then narrows the videos down to the Top 10 (over 2000 were submitted to the latest round), and fans must vote for the best video or the person they would most like to see on the show. The person whose video receives the most votes is invited to Los Angeles for a face-to-face interview with casting directors, producers, and CBS executives. Winning the contest guarantees only an interview rather than a place in the cast, but luckily for Nelson, 14 times was the charm and he was finally selected to be a contestant.
The Other Casting Call Applicants
Two other contestants this season applied via the Sears On-line Casting Contest: openly gay psych nurse and retired NYPD detective Mark Anthony Caruso and accomplished medical student Sophie Clarke. Interestingly, neither contestant made the Top 10 and none of the other Top 10 finalists made the show.
Survivor: Nicaragua’s Casting Call Winner: Jimmy T
The first-ever Sears casting contest winner was 48 year-old Gloucester, Massachusetts fisherman James “Jimmy T” Tarantino. Unlike Nelson who was a longtime fan and applicant, Tarantino was unfamiliar with the show and had been urged to try out for the contest by a family member. After preparing for the show, Tarantino boldly told viewers to “take notes” as he would show them how the game should be played. Unfortunately, he didn’t live up to his own hype and he was voted out fourth after being perceived as a loudmouth on his Espada tribe.
Will Rick Nelson be able to top Jimmy T’s placement in the Survivor competition? Viewers will have to tune in to find out...
When to Watch
Don’t miss the special 90-minute season premier of Survivor: South Pacific, airing on Wednesday, September 14th at 8:00 pm EST on CBS. For more on the new season, please see the show’s official Web site at CBS.com.
Sources:
- CBS.com, Survivor South Pacific: Rick Nelson’s Video Profile, August 22, 2011.
- Dalton Ross, Survivor South Pacific Cast and Twists Revealed, Entertainment Weekly, August 22, 2011.
- Video-survivor.com, August 22, 2011.
Steven Fife - I am a fourth-year university student from Ontario, who has always had an interest in writing both fiction and non-fiction. I have written ...
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