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Who is Shanel Smith? 'Survivor' star on Season 41 was separated from mom as a kid

A peek into Shanel's not-so-pretty life, relationships and career choices

Shantel "Shan" Smith is one of the contestants for 'Survivor' Season 41. She is 34 years old, Canadian by nationality and currently resides in Washington, DC. Smith currently works as a Pastor at the Emmanuel Brinklow SDA. Her Instagram account has about 63.7k followers. Shan's hobbies include acting, running and, dancing.

In an interview with CBS on her thoughts about her chances on the show, she said, "I believe I have what it takes to win. I think living on the streets, developing a strong work ethic, practicing excellence in all that I do and put out into the world, having a high threshold for pain and suffering, endurance, perseverance, knowing that nothing comes easily but everything must be earned and worked for, rigorous self-examination, zero entitlement, trusting that self discipline is self love, believing in others and making them feel capable of accomplishing anything, my interpersonal skills, my wit and my grit, my reverence for God in others, my heart to serve, and an attitude of gratefulness and celebration for the small wins all make me believe that I will be the final Survivor".

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Early life and education

Shantel didn't have an easy life. As a kid, she was taken by Child Protection Services and separated from her mother. Eventually, she was constantly on the move from one foster home to another and, didn't have a guardian figure in her life for the longest time. During her time living unanchored, she'd watch 'Survivor' a lot to pass her time. 

Career

Smith currently works as a pastor, preaching about God. According to her profile on LinkedIn, she is a Pastor at Emmanuel Brinklow SDA. Here's a video of her sharing her knowlege at a church.

Personal life

For Shantel, her biggest support system and role model is her mother; she taught her to be tough. With regard to her dating life, her Instagram posts make it obvious that she is in a loving relationship with a handsome man, whom she also considers her best friend. Shantel is yet to disclose his name to the public but hopefully, we get to know more about the details as the show continues.

Catch the premiere of 'Survivor' Season 41 on September 22 at 8/7c on CBS, the CBS app and Paramount+.