Who is Josh Wilder, the Cincinnati native competing on ‘Survivor’? – The Cincinnati Enquirer
When “Survivor” returns to TV screens in March, there will be at least one player we can immediately root for.
Josh Wilder, a 34-year-old surgical podiatrist, will be one of 18 contestants stranded on a beach in Fiji and fighting through challenges and strategic votes to win the $1 million prize. Wilder’s hometown is Cincinnati, according to his player bio, although he currently resides in Atlanta.
According to his player bio on Parade, Wilder describes himself as “adventurous, charismatic and ambitious.” He received a “life-saving transplant” 25 years ago that helped put him on the path to becoming a surgical podiatrist. Wilder was born with a congenital deformity called Prune Belly Syndrome, which required him to have a kidney transplant at the age of 9.
Because of the transplant, Wilder is on life-long immunosuppressant medication, which inadvertently caused him to develop stomach cancer at 25. He had a complete stomach removal because of the cancer, had to relearn how to eat and is now cancer-free.
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How does Josh Wilder plan to win ‘Survivor’?
Wilder said his experience meeting new people on a daily basis as a physician will help his social game and getting people to trust him. As “Survivor” is heavily built on players making alliances, Wilder said he values an alliance member’s “complete honesty and trustworthiness.”
His favorite hobbies include obstacle course races, traveling and tending to his houseplants, and his pet peeves are “those who mispronounce salmon,” unnecessary rudeness and people who walk slowly in front of him.
Wilder said he believes he will win the show and become the Sole Survivor because “adversity and survival have been my life,” from beating cancer to growing up as a gay Black man in Ohio.
“I also know how to communicate with many different people to establish trust and alliances to further my game play,” Wilder said in his player bio on Parade. “Lastly, I am a very athletic individual which has only come from the hard work and dedication to being healthy due to my illness. This means I can take any negative situation and flip it into a positive endeavor. This is required to outlast all the trials and tribulations of the game.”
Wilder isn’t the only contestant from Ohio this season: Matthew Grinstead-Mayle, a 43-year-old barbershop owner, will also compete for the $1 million. Grinstead-Mayle’s hometown is Pickerington, Ohio, although he currently resides in Columbus, according to his Parade player bio.
“Survivor” has had an astonishing 44 seasons and will be filming its 45th later this spring, according to CBS. Another contestant from Cincinnati, Daniel Strunk, appeared on the 42nd season, although (spoiler alert) he was the seventh player voted out.
“Survivor” season 44 premieres March 1 at 8 p.m. with a special 2-hour episode on CBS. The episode can also be streamed live on Paramount+.