Read on for my interview with Swati, and make sure to check in with Parade.com every day for interviews with this season’s contestants and other tidbits. Survivor 42 premieres on March 9 with a special two-hour premiere on CBS.
Interview with Swati from Survivor 42
What’s your history with watching Survivor? So my neighbor just casually mentioned, “Hey, this is a show you should check out.” And from the moment I watched it, I was hooked. I watch every Wednesday night with my little brother and my dad. And every finale week, we would just Survivor away the tears. (Laughs.) For me, it really has become a sort of comfort symbol, a thing that I have dreamed and based dreams around. I didn’t really think this moment would ever get here. (Laughs.) I’m just praying that I don’t fade into the background of Survivor history, and I can do something worth noting that people will be excited to watch. Give me one Survivor winner and one non-winner who you identify with the most. One Survivor non-winner I really identify with is Spencer. I had a crush on Spencer for all of high school. So that might be part of why. (Laughs.) But also, he played such a strategic game. And that’s part of how I want to play, but also bringing that relationship aspect into it. And then a Survivor winner that I absolutely adore is Tony. He was so crazy and willing to try everything. And I’d like to be a little bit more understated about it. But I want to make fake idols just to have people find them! I want to give my best in the Immunity Challenges and just really play every aspect of the game. I don’t know if I have the guts to pull off a Spy Shack. But I definitely have a couple of ideas of some kooky things to try. What’s the best advice you received before coming out to play? My dad gave me the advice to not play scared. I think that’s really important. Because I mean, statistically, yes, if you don’t do something crazy to make a huge move, you will get further in the game. And I think it is important to start off a little more understated. But that being said, I don’t want just to be somebody who sits until the end of the game. There are so many things that I’ve just been wanting to try for years. And so his advice to really make sure that I go out and I do them. What’s one life experience you feel has prepared you most for the game? I feel like there are two life experiences that really prepared me. I went to a really competitive public high school. And I feel like just being in that environment for four years has gotten me ready for Survivor in ways that other people might not be. I just got out of AIT. I was at home for 36 hours, and now I’m here. Doing this initial entry training to the military is what I’ve been doing for the past four months, is something that will really prepare me. That is again being in this really confined space with people you’ve never met from all around the country. So I think in that sense, I’m really prepared for the social aspect of this game. What do you think people will perceive you as? I honestly have no idea how I’m going to be perceived! (Laughs.) Because my life has changed so much recently. I know historically a little bit awkward, a little bit dirty, a little bit ditzy. But I mean, I really don’t know. I feel like I’m part of so many communities. My family immigrated here from India, and I was raised in a very specific way with a very specific set of values. But then, I’m very immersed in the culture where I grew up, a little bit south of San Francisco. I was raised in the heart of Silicon Valley. I’m in the military. I just think that there are a lot of things that I am that have come into my life recently. So I feel a little scattered. I’m guessing that just like an awkward young woman is will come off as. (Laughs.) But I really have no idea. I’ve gotten so many different things from different people. What do you desire in an alliance partner? I would want to have an alliance with somebody I think is a really strong player. Wendell and Dom is a pair that I absolutely loved to watch. And I would love to create something like that, ideally with another female. Because I feel like we haven’t seen a really strong female partnership that succeeded on Survivor. So that would be, that would be my goal if I can make it happen. When you’re at your lowest moment in the game, what’s one happy memory you’ll pull from in your time of need? I’ve been stuck in military training for the last little bit. But right before that, on New Year’s Eve, I didn’t actually do anything crazy. One of my best friends and my two families just did a New Year’s at their house, which I’ve been going to ever since I was six years old. And we ate a lot of really delicious food. And we watched a really crappy resilient small-town show on the TV. And we played Wii, which I hadn’t touched in years. That was just really nice, bringing back my childhood memory. I think that would be one of the things that I draw on, to remember that there is a community of people who love me and are supporting me. They will see what’s happening on-screen regardless of whether I do well or not. And I really, really want them to see me do well. What celebrity or fictional character would you want to come out for a Loved Ones visit? If I could get a visit from Hermione Granger, that would be incredible. I grew up on the Harry Potter books. Behind Survivor, Harry Potter is where it’s at. Next, check out our interview with Survivor 42 contestant Romeo Escobar.
