A Super Fan has to appreciate THE Super Fan – Dalton Ross. After 30+ seasons, he brings back Survivor Talk! I absolutely loved this! It is a chance to hear questions asked that we all wanted answered as we watched the season unfold. The guest hosts were great and the humor was right up my alley. Hosting both Stephen Fishbach and Ciera Easton together was a stroke of genius. I also love that he embraced Francesca Hogi, as Survivor is about all (or most) contestants. Getting to learn that Andrew Savage admits they should have split the vote, but out of exhaustion simply did not… it shows how brutal the game is both physically and mentally, yet pushing through exhaustion is often the difference in determining a winner.
I will speak to you directly Dalton. From Survivor Super Fan Rob, you get a pat on the back and an Attaboy! dōmo arigatō misutā rosu!
So winner Survivor takes more than physical ability…more than scheming and mental toughness…more than social skills…Winning Survivor also requires a certain amount of luck. I think being cast on Survivor takes a bit of luck as well (tho I believe you need to put yourself in position to get lucky – you can’t just wait for luck). They could love an applicant, but not have the needed spot for a given season. Maybe they have too many people from California (almost a given in my opinion), too many bimbos/mimbos (less now than they used too), too many people with life experience (old people – tho age is trending higher in recent years).
One thing I enjoy (and I believe Jeff enjoys) is quick witted folks. Not only are they quick to speak and usually with humor, but they tend to speak before thinking. Think Tyson getting up to hug Katie in Blood vs. Water and instead telling her where her seat on the jury awaits. Jonathan Penner was very quick to verbalize in an intelligent way how he viewed a situation. I feel i share this “gift” or better to call it a trait, as it can be quick to bite you in the ass. I am not on the level of Mr. John Cochran, but I tip my cap to him as maybe the best orator to date.
Where does Laura M fit in? After rewatching Blood vs. Water, she was a challenge beast! While winning most competitions, she wasn’t afraid to make impulsive decisions to help determine the 2nd place winner in the duals. I see myself doing exactly that. It angered Vitas to no end, but I personally would have butted heads with Vitas from day one and would have worked to get his ass out too.
So I can cover the New England requirement (while at my true core I am always a New Yorker). Successful, father, mature in age (less so in behavior), SuperFan, athletic and competitive, sarcastic, but above all else, I play to win. As some necker race car driver once said, 2nd place is just the first loser.
I know this is a post title that may leave the younger generation scratching their head a bit, but the key I believe to being successful in the ever changing game of survivor…adaptability. I have spent many years dreaming, scheming and preparing for my chance to play the greatest game ever. I do believe my time obsessing will benefit me, but it will not allow me to enter the game with a plan that I anticipate working. At best, if lucky (luck is another key to winning), my plan will get me off on the right foot. Whether day one is a tremendous success or I am quickly on the outside of the numbers, every moment I spend fulfilling my dream will require adaptability. Today’s well laid plan needs to be evaluated, tweaked, and abandoned as the other contestants move, adjust and realign. I think this is something I bring to the Island. I believe all the preparation and study of the game will help me identify paths, pitfalls & opportunities. Sometimes being old enough to recall a famous quote from an athlete years ago can be just the advantage one needs. Everyone starts day one of Survivor with a plan…just as every fighter has a plan when they step into the ring.
Mike Tyson – “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”
This post is from what we have seen, what you can learn from Ponderosa & Survivor Talk (shout out to Dalton Ross and his umbrella!) and my experience as a Science Photographer. We have seen the nasty bites, the nasty Hobbit feet (Stephen Fishbach), and #gastrointestinaldistress. We witnessed a tremendous effort by Joe Anglim at the immunity challenge only to see his body fail him at the end as his legs gave way and he crashed to the ground. What we learned on Survivor Talk was that Joe was sick the whole day and night before. A “bug” was known to be going through camp and contestants were avoiding drinking from the same containers. While Cambodia’s beaches look stunning and pristine, it is the things you cant’s see that could ruin your game and your health.
For the past 15 years, I have taken thousands of scientific photographs with many of them being photos through the microscope. These photos have appeared in science textbooks, medical advertisements and medical journals. So how does this help me? Why should anybody care? Well, it makes me keenly aware of the risks in far flung corners of the world. It means I have a pretty good understanding of the medical risks faced when roughing it. I tend to lean a bit towards being a Germaphobe, so I would be anal about boiling the water and keeping a clean camp and eating environment. It shows I have a tremendous attention to the tiniest of details as well as the ability to recognize and opportunity (taking & selling science photographs) and the drive (15 years of technical & often tedious photography!)
The bites all over Stephen’s feet appear to be from the Sandfly (Phlebotomus papatasi).
It is said they are nearly transparent (when not viewed at magnification as seen in the photograph taken by the CDC) and smaller than a mosquito. It is said their bite is slight and often you don’t even know you are getting eaten alive until 12-24 hours later when your feet erupt in sores. Not only do the Sandflies bite, they are a disease vector transmitting Leishmania parasites. Contaminated drinking water could have Giardia lamblia, a parasitic Protozoan causing nausea, fatigue and the shits.
Roundworms, Flukes and parasitic Protists oh my… Hookworms, Flukes and parasitic Protists oh my…(assuming you got the Wizard of Oz cadence… Strongyloides, Schistosoma and Trypanosoma oh my…
What about some good old fashioned malaria transmitted by the Anopheles mosquito or Yellow Fever from the Aedes argypti mosquito or African Sleeping Sickness from the Tsetse Fly.
All of this adds up to a lot of obstacles on your way to one million dollars! Maybe it means wearing your socks throughout the day and running around like a black-footed ferret (sorry, I have no ferret photos) even if it looks a little silly. It certainly means not drinking water that has not been boiled which brings us back to my ability to make fire from bamboo (see earlier post).
I thought I would post a video from my recent open casting call. 60 seconds is what is allowed so there is no time to waste in making your pitch! I would love feedback from my fellow Survivor fanatics- positive & negative. I think I was able to share who I am and what I bring to the game that will allow me to compete.
So it is 9:15PM Wednesday, November 4, 2015 and I am tired… I am sleepy and have been all day. Why might you ask? Because I woke up at 4am today. Why did I wake up at 4am? Well Lynne, because I had jelly legs! I had made it past the merge, onto individual immunity and I was racing on the beach. It was near the end of the challenge, my legs went to jelly and I lost my lead before waking with a startle. Yes Lynne, I am a (somewhat) grown professional man, and I had a “bad Survivor dream”! I did the only thing I could under such circumstances – I have no one to comfort me and hold me, and tell me it was just a bad dream. I have never been a “self soother”. Nope, I got my ass out of bed and hit the stair master! The only way to avoid my weak leg concerns is to be as prepared for that chance as possible.
Now, I have had many Survivor dreams before. First day on the island dreams (good dream!), walking into a challenge to find out it I have to cling onto a totem pole (BAD DREAM!), tribal council dreams and snakes and rats (Worst!).
Anyway, I just thought I would share. If you enjoy casting the Super Fan (Shirin, Penner, Eric), look no further. If you enjoy casting the person that will fight for every second that they are on the island, and give the game 110% even on the 5th day of rain in a row, just call me up. Who the Hell is Rob Folz? I am the guy that woke up at 4:15 because of Survivor!
You can do a lot of research to prepare for Survivor, but many have said, ”you are who you are”. They even say you are an intensified version of yourself. So going in, an advantage is to have some skills, some traits that are already you. You should go in recognizing skills that you already have, and attempt to bring them into your game play. As a sales person, something that has always come naturally to me is: “Mirror & Match”. This is when you behave in a manner that helps listeners feel comfortable, and focus on the subject matter of the message without any distraction. Think of it more like attempting to speak somebody’s native language, or observing local customs when visiting a foreign country. Mirror and matching is extending a courtesy, by acting in a way that the listener wants you to act.
Five examples are listed below:
1: Physiology – Match their posture and physical mannerisms
2: Speech Rate – Speak at a similar speed and tempo
3: Volume – Speak as loudly, or as softly as them
4: Tonality & Pitch – Make your voice sound like their voice
5: Phrase backtracking – Restate their favorite words back to them
Now the above can be done by studying this concept before you hit the island, but it could come off as fake, or robotic. But as a natural skill that I possess, I don’t think about it…it just happens. The fun part is to imagine how I would do this with a slow talking Southerner, or someone from NYC. I would not try to pull off all 5 with say… Fabio the surfer dude (winner of Survivor Nicaragua), but bits and pieces could go a long way.
It is a way to develop relationships by allowing the other person to have some source of comfort with you. On an island without your typical sources of comfort, people will take whatever little bit they can get. So employing this technique makes yourself someone that is easy to talk to, and most importantly… relatable.
What a great day! I attended my 7th open casting call in my quest to get on Survivor. Over the past five years, the lines are a little shorter (I was #96), but the idea is the same. Hopeful people of all ages, shape and sizes trying to catch the attention of the good casting folks (shameless suck up acknowledged). A few are veterans who have done this before. Many are open casting call virgins, trying for the first time to get on the show. Most make mistakes in their approach and do not have a good prepared approach. Many botch their prepared statements. A few put forth a good effort. I had a blast meeting the CBS people running the event and many of the folk in line. It is a shame if you attend a casting call and do not take the time to embrace the other Survivor geeks who are there. Treat it as you would when you hit the beach the first day. Approach people, early and often. Don’t look for someone cute in line and fixate. Mix it up and say hello to the kids, the old people, the guys, the girls, the quiet and the loud (i fall into three of those categories!).
My girlfriend joined me and got to not only see the experience for the first time, but she took a shot at it as well! Funny story – She doesn’t care for Survivor (that part is not funny), but loves Amazing Race. She had intended to do her 1 minute speech about her life experiences and what she brings to the game, and at the end say something like “so put me on Amazing Race and I will do great!”. Unfortunately, she forgot that last portion…so guess she will only be considered for Survivor!
For my part, I hit things as well as I had hoped. I delivered a well prepared speech. I did not fumble any words or forget to include any details. I felt comfortable as my speech pretty much writes itself. It is very true to who I am. Title of the speech was “Who the hell is Rob Folz???” I detailed clearly how I am a successful salesman, a former family business owner, and a student of the game. I explained how my life experience is applicable to the game of Survivor and how I think that would make me successful on the island. Thanks to my patient & supportive girlfriend. Also to my partner in this quest, my oldest daughter who lives and breathes this game as I do.
I caught up with my casting call friend Lauren that I have seen at 4 of my 7 casting call attempts.
I met every single person in line, even if only briefly. I met some good young guys that show that the next generation is now applying for this show as I think my kid will in a couple more years when old enough. So now I wait for that magic call. I am prepared as I believe the phone call is the 2nd stage of the process. I will take the call and be prepared with my excitement and enthusiasm which is easy for me when talking Survivor. I will continue the blogging efforts as I prepare for My Time.
I will end with a few shoutouts – In addition to my girlfriend, daughter and casting friend, to the people I met in line…@pickmeforsurvivor, @dylanaustinturner, @atmosephere, @pennilaneclifton, the good people I met at WGGB.
Put 20 people from various backgrounds on an island competing for 1 million dollars almost guarantees 18 of them will be lying contently. So aside from making fire from bamboo, I believe one of the next most important skills revolves around lying.
(SurvivorSuperFan Rob as Pinocchio and his girlfriend as Jasmine – Halloween 2014)
Tips for detecting a lie are as follows:
1. Behavioral pause or delay – If you ask a question and notice a delay before they reply, they may be trying to lie to you.
2. Verbal/non-verbal disconnect – A verbal “no” while nodding up and down shows their answer is false.
3. Hiding the mouth or eyes – This is the one I see most often when watching Survivor. A hand over the liars mouth, or covering their eyes…they are “hiding” the truth.
4. Throat-clearing or swallowing – If done before answering, this indicates they are likely fibbing bigtime! Though if done after the statement, it may not mean anything.
5. Hand-to-face activity – Biting of the lip, tugging on their lips, fiddling with their ears, tucking hair behind their ears…..Lies!
6. Grooming gestures – Fiddling with their buff, clothes, jewelry, hair….don’t believe what they are telling you to keep your game going.
So, to be a successful liar, learn to control the above, but a few more tips are listed here:
1. Keep it short, plausible and to the point.
2. Be Calm and confident
3. Include half-truths in your lie when possible.
4. Maintain physical closeness throughout – hand on the shoulder.
5. If accused, admit to something else to throw off the interrogator
6. Practice envisioning the “reality” of your lie. I call this the Costanza Rule….”It’s not a lie if your truly believe it!”
SURVIVOR Super Fan 