On Dec. 15, Jeff Probst declared a winner of “Survivor” for the forty first time, crowning Erika Casupanan the only real Survivor in an epic season stacked with spectacular new gamers.
Nevertheless, this season additionally marked one other entry within the increasingly long ledger of Harvard alumni who’ve competed within the iconic actuality present — critically, have they got a bunch chat?
Evvie Jagoda, a Westchester, N.Y. native and present Arlington, Mass. resident, defended their dissertation in Harvard’s Division of Human Evolutionary Biology in September and now works as a genetic researcher on the Broad Institute in Kendall Sq.. Previous to the season, Leisure Weekly author and preeminent “Survivor” reporter Dalton Ross made his conventional prediction of who would win the sport and chosen Jagoda.
Ross’ choose didn’t come to cross. Jagoda’s torch was snuffed on a shock split-tribe double elimination evening within the ninth episode and so they turned the third member of the jury. Within the episode, Deshawn Radden, regardless of a bond with Jagoda that dated again to Day 5, in the end sided together with his alliance members Danny McCray and Liana Wallace to ship Jagoda dwelling.
However for the out-and-proud Jagoda, who identifies as queer and nonbinary and rocked rainbow-print boxers on the present, the “Survivor” journey was about greater than the million.
Of their exit interview, Jagoda gave the customary reflection on their “Survivor” expertise, then added, “Any queer children on the market: Be your self. You’re superb. Love your self.” Getting these easy, highly effective phrases on air, Jagoda mentioned to the Harvard Crimson — “that’s every little thing.”
The Crimson caught up with Jagoda final month after their elimination and mentioned gameplay, the historical past of queer illustration on the present, going from Harvard to “Survivor,” turtle migrations, and extra.
The Harvard Crimson: You’ve got had a couple of months to course of your elimination at tribal. What was it like watching the episode again? Did you might have any screaming-at-the-TV moments?
Evvie Jagoda: It is fascinating since you suppose, you already know, it occurred months in the past, so it will not be emotional whenever you do watch it again. However yeah, positively, I acquired a bit of unhappy. It simply brings up quite a lot of feelings, clearly. However I used to be actually comfortable as a result of a part of me questioned, “was Deshawn ever planning on truly working with me?” And I feel it was clear from the episode that he was, in order that made me comfortable to see. I used to be screaming on the TV a bit of bit once I noticed the dialog between Danny and Xander [Hastings], the place Danny simply made it very apparent that he was not going to vote with me and Xander towards Liana. I did not learn about that dialog on the time. I actually want I did. However there’s additionally not an excessive amount of I might have finished otherwise. So it’s what it’s.
THC: What was your relationship like with Danny? I am undecided we ever noticed the 2 of you speak in that episode.
EJ: I am so glad you requested that query. Danny’s a kind of folks the place our methods have been simply so antithetical — like, he’s a giant, robust bodily man, and he is at all times going to be wanting to maintain these [kinds of] threats within the recreation as shields for him and eliminate the schemer-y puzzle folks like myself, whereas I’ve the alternative technique. However regardless that our video games have been actually reverse to one another, we truly had a very nice private relationship… We had a very humorous bit occurring the place, on the tribal council the place I did go dwelling, Jeff requested Danny a query and he answered with an prolonged sports activities metaphor. And I do know actually nothing about sports activities. So then Jeff requested me, “Evvie, what do you concentrate on what Danny mentioned?” And I used to be like, “Oh, I’d have mentioned precisely the identical factor.” It was type of a operating joke about how I do not know something about soccer.
THC: Your final phrases within the exit interview to queer children would have meant loads to me, rising up watching the present with my household, to catch on the finish of an episode. Coming into the present, did you decide to being your self and queerness was a part of being your self? Or was there a second the place you consciously determined to symbolize?
EJ: Being loud and proud and joyful about my queerness is simply 100% integral to who I’m. I actually have a tattoo that claims “homosexual” with a rainbow flag on it. As a result of that’s what queerness is to me. Like, it is not simply okay, it is not one thing I tolerate. It is one thing superb about me, that I really like about myself and that brings me a lot pleasure. A part of the rationale I wished to do the present was to have the ability to put that message on the market and be somebody that folks do get together with and wanna play “Survivor” with, and be my full queer self, sporting rainbow boxers and a bow tie. In order that was by no means in query about whether or not I used to be gonna do this… I feel that the one approach you could play “Survivor” is to go in with as genuine of your self as potential, as a result of that’s the way you join with folks and construct relationships. And I feel that is a part of why I used to be capable of have such a superb social recreation. And since I’m identical to, that is me, I need to hear about you. I am simply so comfortable they aired that remaining phrase section. As a result of I’ve heard from lots of people that it has meant loads to them. And that is why I wished to do the present, you already know. That is every little thing.
THC: There is definitely a historical past of queer illustration on Survivor that is had its ups and downs, I might say. To what extent have been you acutely aware of taking part in in a form of queer survivor lineage?
EJ: That is a superb query. LGBTQ contestants on Survivor go all the best way again to the very first season with Richard Hatch, the primary winner, who was a homosexual man. And I used to be very acutely aware of being in that historical past. Particularly, the illustration of non-men queer gamers is only a lot much less. I imply, there’s not that many queer gamers generally, and particularly non-men. I take into consideration folks going again to, like, “Survivor: Vanuatu,” the place you might have Ami Cusack and Scout [Cloud Lee] and extra lately, Elaine Stott and Lyrsa [Torres] on latest seasons, so there’s some nice queer non-men gamers that I simply actually wished to emulate and hopefully — particularly in comparison with the gamers who performed way back — be like an up to date model to a point. I really feel like lots of people round my age or youthful, like in Gen Z, current nearer to how I current, or there’s lots of people that do use the phrase queer, are much more gender-fluid, and issues like that. And that is type of who I’m. So it is cool to have the ability to current that model of a queer participant and LGBTQ participant on this season, particularly with it being essentially the most various season of “Survivor” ever. It was actually, actually particular to be part of that.
THC: You have been a PhD scholar right here [at Harvard]. You talked about your “anthropologist mind” in a short second on the present, however I am curious what components of your expertise in grad college got here in useful on the present.
EJ: One of many essential issues that we talked about in my division is power conservation and sources and distribution of power and the way that impacts evolutionary methods and issues like that. So for instance, there was a second when both we might have fishing gear or we might have a giant plate of fruit. And regardless that it would look like the fishing gear was the best way to go, we had so little power and it is gonna price a lot power to get again a small return of fish… that in that second I used to be saying, I feel we have to get the fruit as a result of we simply haven’t got the power to spare to realize again what power we might get from the fishing gear. Additionally simply with the grad college expertise generally, you work together with different grad college students, with undergrads working within the lab, with professors, journal editors, in order that additionally ready me for a recreation the place you are going to be interacting with folks throughout the age spectrum, with completely different views, and should work collectively.
THC: Has something you skilled on “Survivor” entered into your analysis mind? Has it knowledgeable any of your questions in any respect?
EJ: Not a lot, simply because I am centered rather less on evolutionary questions and extra doing major genetics analysis. However it’s simply actually eye-opening, to see what it’s prefer to type of survive in that approach. And one other factor is likely one of the chairs of the HEB division, Joe Henrich, research cultural evolution. The thought is {that a} major human adaptation isn’t just our intelligence, it is the truth that we’re capable of develop cumulative tradition. That is the factor that truly permits us to outlive and thrive all through the world. And I feel you possibly can type of see that in my season. Like, yeah, we’re a bunch of homo sapiens, we must always be capable to survive in any atmosphere. However the one one that was truly capable of thrive on the market was Naseer [Muttalif], one in every of my castmates who grew up in an island atmosphere far more much like Fiji than any of us. He had these culturally gathered abilities of the right way to dwell on the market. So it simply actually was an ideal illustration of that concept.
THC: Can I ask you rapidly in regards to the turtle metaphor? Did that genuinely occur the best way we noticed on TV, like Tiffany [Seely] noticed the turtles, and then you definitely all went to the seashore? Or have been the producers form of pushing you there, saying there is a migration taking place?
EJ: That occurred precisely as you noticed it on TV. I used to be truly type of annoyed with [Tiffany] at that second, as a result of it was like, we’re all so drained. And she or he’s operating round wanting as a result of she thinks she noticed a candy potato plant at one level. We’re like, Tiff, there’s no candy potato plant. Then she’s like, everybody has to return fast, I noticed one thing loopy. And there have been tons of of child turtles. You could not seize the magnitude within the TV shot, as a result of they simply had no concept that was coming. It was really a magical second, like being in a David Attenborough documentary or one thing. However it simply was so apparent to me that that was the Yase tribe. We have been this small group that was doing horribly within the recreation. And but, we have been beginning to persevere. Regardless that we have been a bit of small, we have been capable of overcome quite a lot of challenges. So to me, it simply made sense that we have been the turtles and so they have been us. I am pondering my subsequent tattoo is perhaps a sea turtle, we’ll see.
THC: The cinematography was actually lovely in that second.
EJ: Yeah, the “Survivor” crew is unbelievable. And that is a second that they clearly had no concept was coming. They rock.
THC: As a superfan, what was the craziest second of “Oh, I am truly right here” that you simply skilled on the present?
EJ: I imply, like actually all of it. It is simply loopy. You are in “Survivor,” you already know. Most likely the very first second getting on the marooning and seeing Jeff Probst speaking to you. You may see whenever you watch the present again that each time we are available in, I am at all times like, “Hello Jeff!” It is so cool. Like, he is good there. You simply get to speak to him. And possibly the primary tribal council, whenever you stroll on the market and you are like, I’m in my TV proper now. That is tribal council on “Survivor,” and I am a part of it. It is actually actually cool.
— Workers author Amelia Roth-Dishy might be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter at @scallionshmear.
