Despite quitting in episode 4 of Survivor 45, Sean Edwards has been a fan of the beloved competition series for as long as he can remember.
Just moments before self-eliminating, Sean shared with the brand-new Reba tribe — consisting of J. Maya, Sifu Alsup, Julie Alley, and Dee Valladares — a story about his less-than-ideal upbringing, which referenced some of the hardships and troubling times he faced growing up as a closeted gay man in a religion where homosexuality is frowned upon.
“Growing up in a very conservative world, being Mormon, was incredibly complex and challenging for me. I tried everything, everything to live a straight, faithful Mormon lifestyle, and because of those many, many years that I lost, Survivor for me was an opportunity to reclaim that lost time,” he prefaced, before explaining that he wanted to leave the game altogether.
After admitting that his true “adventure of a lifetime” is back home with his husband, Sean asked for his tribe to vote him out that fateful night, garnering a stunned reaction from longtime host and executive producer – Jeff Probst.
“I know how bad that all four of you really want this. I don’t want to take your dream away from you, because this is not mine, and I’m at peace with that, because my dream is at home,” the 33-year-old explained. “Respectfully, I would kindly ask that when you vote tonight, that you write my name down on the parchment.”
Naturally, his wish came true, resulting in his elimination at the end of episode 4.
While Sean did not take home $1 million and the title of “Sole Survivor,” he played for something so much bigger than himself – representation, making sure that viewers who may be in a similar situation as Sean was feel less alone.
In an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly, the school principal reflected on a castaway who changed his life growing up, one who had a very similar upbringing to him, deeming him as his favorite player of all time. Keep scrolling to find out who…
When asked who his all-time favorite player is, Sean revealed, “The first one that comes to mind for me is Todd Herzog from Survivor: China.”
Like Sean, Todd is an openly gay man who grew up Mormon, coming out publicly just a few months after high school. Naturally, the Utah native was able to connect with Todd through his television screen back in 2007, seeing himself within this one-of-a-kind castaway.
“Watching him play came at a very pivotal point in my life when I was going to school at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, not knowing who I am, what I wanted to do, the space I took up in the world, who I wanted to be, right? Watching him play authentic to who he is as an openly gay man [and] confident, that was everything that I wanted to be,” Sean gushed.
Not only did he look up to Todd as an individual, but he also admired his phenomenal gameplay.
“He was able to go out there and make connections with people, and then when he didn’t need them, because they didn’t serve his gameplay anymore, he tossed him out… I feel like he played a cutthroat game. I feel like he was genuine to who he is, and so I just really vibed with that,” he concluded passionately.
To see how the rest of Survivor 45 plays out, even without Sean Edwards in it, catch brand-new episodes every Wednesday at 8pm ET/PT on CBS.