'Survivor' Season 41: Deshawn Radden studied show like he studied in medical school

Deshawn Radden feels he is the perfect mix of 'social, mental and physical skills' and believes he can win the game
Deshawn Radden, a contestant on 'Survivor' Season 41 (CBS)
Deshawn Radden, a contestant on 'Survivor' Season 41 (CBS)

The time has finally arrived for the fans to switch on their TV screens and welcome back their favorite reality TV show with a bang. Yes, ‘Survivor’ is back with its 41st season and everyone is excited to see the new things that the show will offer this time around.

For the uninitiated, the show revolves around 18 castaways living in the jungles of Fiji and adapt to the harsh conditions. They are given tasks every day and they need to do them in order to remain safe or they can be voted out. Jeff Probst will be returning to host the show while all the 18 contestants will be hoping to annihilate the competition with their determination and mental strength.

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One of the contestants entering the show is Deshawn Radden. So, let’s take a look at the participant and how he intends to win the competition.



 

Who is Deshawn Radden?

A podiatric medical scholar and social media butterfly, this is how Deshawn Radden introduces himself to everyone. He loves to be on social media and to his followers, he is known as “#DeviousDRad”. According to CBS bio, Radden labels himself as “charming, devious, resilient.” On the other hand, he gets really annoyed when someone tells him what to do. And I believe, that might be a problem for him in the game when others will tell them to do some work during the stay.

His bio also states that his parents are his hero. Talking about his family, Radden revealed that his parents came from a challenging background and did everything to make his life smooth. He said, “But above all, I find it most heroic that they are and somehow raised five genuinely good human beings, with good hearts and strong moral compasses. That can be hard to come by these days.”

Radden is ‘street smart’ and prepared for the game

Contestants would have to be street smart and mentally strong to win the game. They would be dealing with a lot of situations that will test their patience, endurance, and even social skills and this is where Radden feels he is strong. Also, he feels that living in a place like San Bernardino, California, has taught him how to be ready for the game.



 

During an interview with Parade, Radden revealed that the place “that’s a little bit rougher,” has taught him how to be street smart, which means he won’t ever show his full cards. Radden added, “You’re not just trusting everybody readily. Moving around a lot also helps. So I’ve moved around for school from California to Arizona to Washington, DC to Florida. I’m really good at interacting with different people and coming across as a very easy-going guy. I have like the street smarts, the book smarts, and the social skills. And I think that those are going to suit me pretty well in this game.”

‘Social charm’ is his strength

Living with 17 other people can be really tough, but a person needs to have some sort of social skills to talk and build an alliance with some people or someone. So that he or she could stay in the game. Being an extrovert, Radden stated that he will be using social skills to get ahead in the game and believes that he doesn’t have to change anything about himself the game is very social.

“So I’m just going to be me; everything that you see right now is what you’re going to see. But I just plan on going out there and being the fun, witty, and outgoing guy,” Radden said.

He studied ‘Survivor’ as he studied in medical school

According to Radden, a player needs to have the perfect balance of “social, mental and physical skills” to win the game and he is the only one to have all of them. Radden opined that if someone needs to win the game then he would have to use all three of these qualities at various points of the game. Talking further, he has made it clear that he will be good at challenges and will always be ready to help the team in any given situation.



 

He added, “I studied the game of "Survivor" as I would study for a medical school test and what I have found is that in order to outwit, outplay and outlast, you must have all three skills and these skills must work harmoniously together and shine at different points in the game. I am persuasive but non-threatening. I have street smarts and book smarts and am empathetic enough to be read as trustworthy. I truly feel like I have the recipe to win!”

‘Survivor’ Season 41 will be premiering exclusively on CBS on Wednesday, September 22, at 8 pm EST.

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