What has made "Survivor" work over its 28 previous seasons is how ultimately unpredictable it is in terms of who will take home the $1 million.
Sometimes, it's the quiet one. Sometimes, it's the athletic one. Sometimes, it's the strategic one.
It's fair to say John Rocker - former Atlanta Brave pitcher and full-time provocateur - won't be a subtle chess player in San Juan, given his larger-than-life personality. He also brings some extra baggage to the game, which begins its 29th season Wednesday. Does that preclude him from winning? The magic of the show is no, not at all.
And this season brings back the season 27 concept of bringing in pairs who know each other. Rocker's girlfriend Julie McGee joins the 18 contestants.
"I find John Rocker a perfect fit for this show because of all the baggage he brings in," says the host. "Not only was he a big time baseball player who people assume made a lot of money and had fame. But he's also made some very controversial, polarizing comments about how he views the world. That is in its core, when you take away all the strategy and all the challenges — that is what Survivor is about. It is a microcosm. It is a social experiment. You take a group of people from all over the country, different walks of life, and you force them to work together to take care of each other and get rid of each other. So the easy answer is, if the group of people with Rocker know who Rocker is, or just don't like him as a guy, don't even know who he is, they vote him out. That's the game. Or if someone else with more power says 'I don't like him and I want to take him to the end because I can beat him,' then he'll go to the end. The rules are made by the players."
Rocker himself declined an interview with the AJC. (You can read my story here about Rocker joining "Survivor" from last month, which includes comments from his friend "Southside" Steve Rickman. )
His girlfriend McGee was happy to talk and said he was simply too busy to get on the phone with me. (Then again, I know he isn't exactly a fan of this publication.)
She is an Augusta native and UGA grad who worked in real estate for a time and has modeled for 18 years. More recently, she has run a spray-tanning business (check it out here.)
McGee and Rocker have been together for three years. They first met at a Motley Crue concert but never exchanged numbers. She vaguely knew his name but just knew he was "tall and hot." A few weeks later, they coincidentally ran into each other again at Jezebel magazine event. This time, they didn't forget to exchange digits. "We ended up staying at the party long after everybody else had left," she said. "We were at the bar, looked up and said, 'Where is everybody?' "
From then on, they've been inseparable. McGee said she was drawn not only by his good looks but his strong personality. "I'm raised in the South. My dad has a strong personality. A lot of things I love in my dad is also in John. Both are funny, constantly joking around. John can definitely play a lot of cards. He can dress up in Prada but also fish and hunt and not worry about what he looks like. I just appreciate that We can roll together."
Doing "Survivor" for her was a no brainer. "I'm fulfilled when I have a lot of stuff going on," she said. "I don't like a lot of routine. This is right up my alley." At the same time, "it's not like I like laying around starving and sleeping in dirt. I knew it would be a struggle. But I knew I could push myself and have this crazy experience."
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
She said they had the fortune of knowing they were going to be on the show six months in advance. They worked out like mad to ensure they looked good. (The photos prove that.) They also watched multiple seasons of "Survivor" to glean strategic information.
Without providing details (which she is forbidden from doing in advance of the show), McGee said she will be solid in challenges and can handle food deprivation, but her real strength will be social. Her job in spray-tanning is getting women comfortable. "I can be charming and sweet. That's my thing. I can make friends quickly and have them trust me. She said she does struggle to trust others and the game definitely messed with her brain since honest people in real life might be deceptive in a game like "Survivor."
She notes that hunger and lack of sleep makes some people agitated and aggressive and adds to the unpredictability of the program. Though she and her boyfriend were separated at first during the early rounds of the show, she said knowing he was nearby helped her mentally.
McGee said Rocker's physical strengths are obvious. "He's intimidating," she said. He could dominate team challenges. That could be a good thing or make him a target, she said.
She wasn't around when Rocker went through his post-"Sports Illustrated" struggles but she knows it still haunts him. "I just want to protect him," she said. "People that don't know him have just heard things. They judge. That's a tough thing to deal with."
Watching the show, she said, "I'm prepared to open up the wounds. We went through a lot of intense stuff."
But they are still together, she said: "We made it through." (They attended the Falcons game last Thursday and attended a Montgomery Gentry concert this past weekend.)
Here is an interview "Survivor" producers did before the game officially began:
"I definitely know what my weaknesses are," Rocker said in the video above."My biggest fear is getting voted off first."
"I was raised in a professional baseball clubhouse and still carry some of that idiocy with me," he said. "For 13 years, I'll be dropped into a professional clubhouse for 10 months. I couldn't pick my friends. I see 'Survivor" as being very similar."
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
TV preview
"Survivor: San Juan Del Sur," 8 p.m. Wednesday, starting Sept. 24, CBS
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