Read on for my interview with Omar, and make sure to check in with Parade.com every day for interviews with this season’s contestants and other tidbits. Survivor 42 premieres on March 9 with a special two-hour premiere on CBS.
Interview with Omar from Survivor 42
Why are you here on Survivor? I’m a huge fan of the show. I’ve been watching since season one. I listen to all the podcasts and read all the interviews. I’ve seen every season at least twice, if not more. It’s been a lifelong dream. And in my life, I will go forth and do my dreams. I went to vet school, which is harder to get into medical school in Canada. I wanted to be an exotic animal specialist. I went to vet school despite being afraid of dogs because I knew I wanted to practice on birds and reptiles and weird things like that. And I was one of the few lucky ones I was able to go off into a specialty for that purpose, which has a very low admission rate of 4 to 5%. So Survivor was like the big dream I had that I wanted to do. And it’s so crazy that even when I was watching as a little kid, I was like, “I know I’m going to be on that show one day. Even though I’m Canadian, I feel like, at some point, I’ll be on.” And so to be here right now, it’s super surreal. What’s your history with watching Survivor? I’ve watched since season one, episode eight. I remember distinctly because my sister had to go to work, and she’s like, “Can you tape my show for me on VHS?” So I had to watch it because you couldn’t tape it and watch a different channel. And I was captivated ever since I saw Greg Buis voted off the island. He was fake crying, and I thought it was real. And from that moment forward, I was captivated. Some of my favorite players I’m going to emulate out here like Rob Cesternino, Cirie Fields, and Tyson. I think those are the people that I’m going to play the game most like. And there are, of course, some least favorites along the way who I’m going to avoid their tactics, such as the Hantz family; not a huge fan of them. I really enjoyed Winners at War. But all my favorites went home so early that I hope that we can turn this around and make season 42 even better. Give me one Survivor winner and one non-winner who you identify with the most. I would say that the winner that I identify with the most would actually be Natalie Anderson. She’s probably not one that comes to mind a lot. But she’s Sri Lankan; I’m East Indian. We both have similar cultures. And we can both go into a situation and assess every possible scenario. She had relationships with everybody, but she didn’t go down the straight, narrow path of “this is my alliance, and I’m sticking to it.” When she saw a better opportunity, she went for a better opportunity. When she wanted to play an idol on someone else, she wasn’t afraid to do that. She wasn’t afraid to make bold moves, but not stupid moves. They were all calculated; they had a purpose. They weren’t just for flashy gameplay. They served her to win the money. And she showed a lot of determination and grit. And just that “never give up, never say die” attitude. And that’s what I’m going to follow. And far as a non-winning player, I think that’s definitely Cirie, which sounds weird because we don’t look anything alike. But Cirie is somebody who makes a relationship with every single player. She’s a really social player; she’ll find bonds to make with X, Y, and Z. And they’re all different; they don’t overlap. So people don’t feel it’s inauthentic. But she sits back and waits to strike at the right moment. She doesn’t put herself out there when she knows she can’t follow through. If she’s going to take the shot, she’s going to hit it every time. And that’s the type of player that I want to be. What’s one life experience you feel has prepared you most for the game? I think one that’s on an everyday basis is just being a veterinarian. You see people in all sorts of states. Some are happy; they’re coming in for a wellness exam, and they’re just excited to share their pet with you. Other people are in the devastating moment where they know their pet can no longer survive, and you have to actually put them down, put them out of their misery and give them some peace. And everything in between. You have people who don’t want to do any diagnostics; you have people that want to do everything, even when it’s not reasonable. You have to take your opinion and your advocacy for the animal, but then meet whoever you’re seeing on an everyday basis where they are. And that skill is going to come in super useful on Survivor because everybody’s different. Everybody has different likes, dislikes, interests, things that make them tick, things that make them calmer. And you have to identify where they are and meet them rather than have them meet you where you are. So it’s being adaptable, being moldable. It’s going to be really tough experience. One of the worst things that you could ever go through is deprivation and being uncomfortable, taken out of your normal life, and being in a very uncomfortable situation. I’ve never been camping before. I’ve never slept outside. I’ve never even slept in a tent. So this is going to be a really challenging experience that pushes me to the extreme. But I know that I’ll be able to get through it because I watched my dad, unfortunately, pass away a couple of years ago in the hospital where he was suffering from pulmonary fibrosis. Every breath that he took, every single in and out, something that we take for granted every day, was excruciating. It was so difficult. And watching him go through that trying so hard to survive, I know that I can draw on that strength and do anything myself. What do you think people will perceive you as? I think that people will perceive me in the game as a friendly, nice, goofy self-deprecating person. Somebody who’s maybe not thinking of the game, who maybe is more preoccupied with the fruit bats in the trees or the birds on the beach. Someone deeply passionate about animals and their care. And maybe they’ll forget that I’m also playing the game. I’m not afraid to make moves. I’m not afraid to make alliances; I’m not afraid to lie, cheat, steal, whatever it may be in order to win. And so I’m hoping that I have this disguise. Like a harmless bird, like a pigeon who’s cute, voluptuous, nice, kind of dumb. But really, I want to play this game almost like a predatory bird like an owl. Who hunts in the night, but you can’t hear or see it coming until you’re dead. Or Jeff is snuffing your torch. What do you desire in an alliance partner? An ideal alliance partner is somebody that is very loyal, but also somebody smart. Because they can help you make the moves that you need. If you have someone loyal and dumb, that’s great to a point. But if a hard decision has to be made and they don’t want to do it, then you come up short. On the other hand, if you have somebody really smart but not very loyal, then if they see you as a threat, they could cut you loose. So I want some allies that are stronger than me and some allies that are weaker than me. I want some allies that are more social, some that are less social. So I can kind of hide in the middle, and then cut who I need to at the same time. A lot of times, the evolution of Survivor strategy has been that you need a meat shield. But I think in the early part of the game, maybe I’m not the best swimmer. To be quite frank, I never learned until my adulthood. I want somebody that’s like a lemming shield, somebody who’s weaker than me, who I know will be picked off if that’s what the tribe chooses. What’s the best advice you received before coming out to play? Don’t be annoying! Sometimes, with my family, I can pester and tease them. And I do it just for fun. But I also know that I have a good enough relationship with them where I can do that. And I also feel that I have pretty good self-awareness. I know when I’m being too much, and I need to rein it back in. I know when I need to give a little bit more, because maybe I’m being too shy or reserved. And I know when other people are annoyed. Growing up, I was very, very shy. I didn’t want to talk to anybody or make friends. I could make friends, but I never really let them in. And to get by on a day-to-day basis, I would observe other people’s interactions and really focus on what people liked and didn’t like about other people so that I could apply it to myself so that other people would like me more. Gowing up being a little bit more insecure in that sense has matured me to really try to read social cues very well. And now that I’m secure with who I am, I think having that background will help propel me further the game. What celebrity or fictional character would you want to come out for a Loved Ones visit? That’s a tough one because I don’t really like watching a lot of stuff like that. It would be probably Olaf from Frozen, because he’s a real good time. You’re always going to be laughing, having fun. And I mean, when you’re bored on Survivor, there’s nothing better than that. When you’re at your lowest moment in the game, what’s one happy memory you’ll pull from in your time of need? It will definitely be when I was preparing for this experience. Watching the shows with my nieces, particularly my eight-year-old niece, who is always trying to give me strategy advice. She gets so excited whenever the winner is revealed. I hope that in those low moments, I can think, “How cool would it be sitting on the couch with my little niece watching me and how happy that would make her.” Next, check out our interview with Survivor 42 contestant Maryanne Oketch.
