Yahoo Lifestyle Meet the 'Survivor 48' Cast! Fire Captain Joe Hunter Is Playing For His Late Sister (Exclusive)
For Joe Hunter, family is quite literally the DNA of his Survivor experience. He applied for the show as a tribute to his late sister, carrying out her long-held dream. He credits becoming a dad for teaching him how to identify and accommodate his own weaknesses. And the 45-year-old is used to building a group from all different walks of life, having served as a captain with his fire department for the past 18 years. Joe had a rather unorthodox method of preparing for the game, watching a new era edit of only challenges and Tribal Councils to become a "superhuman" player. But despite the new-school binge, his approach is surprisingly old school: Be a loyal guy who took his on-island family to the end.
Read on for my interview with Joe, and check in with Parade.com daily for interviews with this season's contestants and other tidbits. Survivor 48 premieres on Feb. 26 with a two-hour premiere on CBS.
Related: Meet the Full Cast of Survivor 48
Interview with Joe from Survivor 48
To start, give me your name, age, and occupation.
My name is Joe Hunter. I'm 45 years old, and I am a captain with the fire department.
How long have you quite literally been putting yourself into the line of fire?
So I've been doing that for about 18 years. I really got into that after I did sports. I went to UCLA for football and track and field, and that was a great experience. And then, really, I just wanted to have a really big impact on life. So then I've been doing that for 18 years now.
Did you always have firefighting as an option in your head? Or was there one particular thing that brought you to the job?
That's a great question. Really what it came down to is, unfortunately, I've had a lot of loss in my life. And what I realized is, when it's all said and done, and you think about athletics, for me, in the main point, you come and go with the season. You're in, and you're out, and then that time is over. And typically, it's at a young age when it comes to athletics. And I realized when it was all said and done, what [do] I want my mark really to be? How do I want to have an impact on this world? I truly mean that. And I couldn't think of a better way. When I would watch these individuals, you get to affect change in somebody's life almost every day. And so when it's all said and done, if I've affected one person's life in a positive way, that's all I could ask.
So then, what was the process of you rising through the ranks to captain?
Oh my goodness. So that took some time. I didn't really promote till about 16 years in. And it's just really what it takes, beyond just what it says on paper, which is a written test. And you have to go through a series of obstacles to get the actual title. Really, what it is, is a lifestyle. It's just a way of engaging in the job, trying to make yourself hard to kill. And that way of just constantly training, constantly evolving, constantly adapting to the new things that could take your life or someone you care about, and then applying that to the job. And then when you're ready, you'll know, and then you gotta take that test and move forward to help the department.
And that position must come with a whole host of skills as well. Because now you're not only making decisions to save the lives of others–and your own–but also looking over an entire group of firefighters to make sure they're safe.
It does. It affects it dramatically when you think about the responsibility of others next to you. But it's also about their family. I mean, you want to make sure that someone goes home peacefully, but it's also that mental and emotional stability you want to provide and the growth of them as a person. So it's not just about bringing them home physically. It's about making sure, when they go home, they're gonna be the best version of them, and trying to lead them basically on and off the job.
So what brought you from fighting fires to making them at the Final Four? Why Survivor?
Survivor, for me, really came about from my sister. Unfortunately, I lost my sister to domestic violence a couple of years ago, and she really was the driving force in this. She watched from the first season of Survivor. And she actually wanted us to both try out for this. And to be honest, I didn't think we could. And I kind of just brushed it off and said there's no way we could. And unfortunately, we lost her pretty quickly. And I look back on that, and it took me years to really recover from that. And I said, "You know what I'm gonna do for my sister? This is something she always wanted to do. I never had the courage to do it. But this is part of the healing process. "This is for Joanna. And I'm gonna be out here as Joanna's voice. And I think she'd be proud so far.
That's incredible. So have you been watching from the first season as well?
She dragged me into it. And I didn't know what I was getting into. And at first, it was such a different game from season one to now. And so I was very excited about how are these people going to behave, almost like this social experiment. Then I backed away from it for a little bit when she passed, because it was kind of the thing that her and I shared. And then, kind of just getting out of that bad place, I said, "You know what I'm gonna start doing? I'm gonna start watching again. I'm gonna start doing this for her. I'm gonna start being a part of this culture again." And it was hard at first, because when you share a bond with somebody doing that, it's hard to kind of transition to a new phase of that. And so I just couldn't think of a better way to do that and honor her name to be out here and try this now.
Give me a winner and a non-winner who you identify with the most.
It's a great question. Gabler is the person I would say as a winner. And the reason why I say that is he is an older player. I'm older; I'm 45. He kind of struggled in the beginning, came back from that. Played an outstanding game, I think, in the second half, which is difficult to do, which is what I hope to do is be consistent with the ups and downs. And then his intelligence level, I mean, to be a surgeon, to be involved in the medical field, to have the background that he did, to be humble enough to also he wasn't so off-putting. I mean, that's quite a prestigious job to hold. And for him to do that and come on a winner. And then the way he handled it when he won, to donate the winnings, to be that selfless and not just say it as an act. And you could feel his emotion through the screen. I felt that he he genuinely believed in that cause I'm like, "Man, that is nobility at its finest."
Then I would say the non-winner would be Cody. And I say that because I was a little torn on that at first because you don't know how you respond once you're in the situation. But as I go back to all the seasons, there's a lot of players where I go, "Ooh!" Believe it or not, even Dee recently, there's elements of that where I go, "Man, I really respect a lot of these players." But when I think about them as a whole, from what they presented, he seems like the guy that he was fun, he was loving, he seemed genuine. He built some genuine bonds. He seemed like he was a pretty loyal cat. And I thought, man, to take that is kind of what I want to play with, but also win. That's kind of where I was at when I look at all the seasons.
What's your favorite moment in Survivor history?
Another outstanding question. Okay, so I'm tying it off between two of them. When it was Heroes vs. Villains, in that entire season, I want to say that in the very beginning. Just the combination of just true hate for each other, and this kind of villain versus hero [narrative]. I had never seen something unfold almost so naturally that was genuine between so many different players. And every time I watched, there was another soap opera within that season specifically. Especially in the beginning, some of those challenges, I couldn't believe how physically demanding they were.
Yeah, they were breaking toes and dislocating shoulders!
Exactly! And [Rupert] was gonna be one of my top two also. That season is pretty epic, and then [Millennials vs. Gen X]. Because I've always battled that "old generation versus new generation." And then to see it play out and go, "Okay, well, let's see. Have those discussions, have it outright." I thought that was intoxicating. It was intoxicating to me because it's a sensitive subject. And then, when you put it in an environment like this, it's a perfect amount of drama with suspense and then adversity.
What's one life experience you feel has prepared you most for the game?
I would say losing my sister. But honestly, the biggest impact would be being a great dad. I think having my kids, and this is why I say that. I think that the difference between a good and a great player. People don't really analyze as much when they sit in this seat. And I think the main difference is a lot of people come into the game thinking about other players. "How am I going to respond to these other players? This player will do this. This player is going to do that. What if I do this or this or this?" But instead, you really need to analyze yourself. You need to come into this game first, knowing your strengths and, more importantly, your weaknesses. And what parenting does is exploit those weaknesses immediately, and you have to really work on that to be a better person, to be the best version of your kids. And in that process of becoming a great dad, which I think I am, I think it's made me a better person that's focused on those weaknesses. So I can play this game strategically, intellectually, and socially better than anybody else.
So when it comes to the Survivor family, are you going to try to be an on-island dad?
No, absolutely not. And Bruce has helped me with that significantly. Love you, Bruce. But I've realized by watching enough seasons that the last thing you want to do is say that you're the dad. The last thing you want to do is bring up your age. I think the way that you do that is just like you would with kids, is that you just do that through action. You do that through knowing when to talk, knowing when to listen, knowing when to shut up, knowing when to act. And so that's that's gonna be my goal is to never be the dad. Never be the dad. That's target number one.
How do you think you're going to be perceived? Your physicality definitely precedes you. In that something you plan to steer into?
These are excellent questions, by the way. So the reality of it is, I think that when it comes to how I'm going to be viewed, that is such a difficult question. Because it really starts here in this Ponderosa and this pregame. I think that first impressions are huge. And I can't really say, but I've tried to do a really good job of being approachable just by demeanor. I think your demeanor, without saying a word, you can come across as approachable. And I am really going to try to lean into the more aggressive athletic stance in challenges, and significantly back off of that when it comes to gameplay. Because I'm trying to recognize that not someone may have never played sports, but [be] great at puzzles and vice versa. And so I really have to temper that side of it and really work on knowing when to use that and know when to sit back on it.
Give me your biggest superpower and your biggest piece of kryptonite when it comes to this game.
You're crushing it. I would say my superhuman strength, just from my life experience, from the job. From not getting much sleep, not eating, having to think in critical situations, having loss, going through a divorce, coming back from that. I would say my superhuman strength is truly my mental toughness. I feel because I test it daily, I try to improve that daily. I feel that mental and physical toughness is my super strength. I really do. I think that people say that, but I've tested it. So I think that mentally I'm going to be really strong coming into this game.
And my kryptonite, oh, there's many things, my friend. There's many things. I would say my biggest kryptonite is I wear my emotions on my sleeve. People could say that's a good thing. But in this game, it could be a huge kryptonite. Because, in the moment, my initial reaction might be one that's not pleasant. It might be either sadness, that's a weakness. Or my facial expressions. Those emotions, if used in the right way, are great. But most of the time, they're not, and they just fly out of me. And they don't normally come with words; it's just my body language and facial expressions. Anyone that knows me will tell you that.
You talk about how valuable preseason perceptions are. Let's get your perceptions of the competition. Who are you picking up good vibes from right now?
Okay, so, good vibes. The muscular dude, bigger dude, I'm getting good vibes from him. The guy that has kind of the longer black hair. He has a lot of facial hair too. He has the full beard. They seem like they're gonna be some good cats that I can really dig in with, and just their vibe. And then…she has the blue top on. She looks a little older. In my head, I'm calling her "Mama Bear." Absolute good vibes from those three. Aand it's hard to describe. I feel that they are good people. And I know that sounds weird because I've never spoken to them, which sounds crazy, I know. But it's a vibe, and I'm going with my gut.
What about the other side? Any red flags from anyone?
Full [tattoo] sleeve, hair pulled back, female. Hard to read. Can be stone cold or not. And then everyone else, they're sitting solid neutral. They're doing a good job of keeping it neutral. It's hard to say.
What's the core tenet you value in an alliance partner?
You need to go on Oprah! [Laughs.] I mean, you're ready. You're ready with these types of questions. So I'm gonna say the core piece in an alliance, honestly, it's twofold. And I know you mainly want one. I'm saying loyalty with being able to be still, meaning trust in that loyalty. That sounds so simple, "loyal, loyal, loyal." But loyalty only matters when it's tested. So, the one thing I would want out of an alliance member is trust in the process. If we have loyalty and we have an alliance, be still. When it's hectic, just like at work, when it's chaos around us, be still. Fall back on what we believe, which is in each other. Don't let the noise upset that. Be still.
I'm intrigued. What did you tell the people at the firehouse when you were about to go away for a month?
Oh, man. Actually, at first, I was like, "Man, what do you say?" Cause you can't tell anybody. So then I had to get the powers to be and say, "Hey, I gotta let my boss' boss know." Since everyone's gonna see this, I hope, that are fans. We gotta get permission, like, "Are you good with this?" And my department did an excellent job. My chief and the deputy chief, specifically, the two of them did an excellent job of supporting me. And then I was able to get it covered with my own hours. So we have vacation, we have things that we can use out of our own time. And that's what I did. And thank goodness they supported it. And so I had to ask permission. Can I let these two know? And they signed it, and they're good with it. So for now, that's all who knows.
Related: Everything to Know About Survivor 48
How much will you incorporate idols and advantages into your game?
Again, when you think about this new generation and idols and Beware Advantages and how much that is a factor now in this game, I'm going to use it to my advantage in a different way. I feel that, as these seasons continue to build, it's almost becoming this point where, if you watch now, some don't even want it. Some will come across that Beware Advantage. "I don't even want it." Others will say, when they get it, they're so concerned with, "Now, do I tell anyone? Or do I not?" Where before, they would tell their alliance member, or they would just pick somebody and go. Now it's almost become this monster in the corner of the room that no one wants to talk about.
I mean, the new era is a monster in and of itself!
Exactly. And so my plan is this. To face it head-on by taking away the power of the idol based on the vibe of the room at the time with my players. So, depending on the alliances that I have, instead of making it this massive thing that we all have to be afraid of, or what's gonna happen, just keep it simple. Say, "Hey, we have this," or keep it to myself. But without overthinking it, overplaying it, and making it this monster, take away some of that power and go. I'm either gonna use it to my advantage right now by telling people or not, and I'm gonna swing for the fence. Keep it that simple and not, "Oh my gosh. What do I do?" Just go be calm, Joe. You got two options. Based on the Intel that I have in front of me, strike and make the best decision you can.
What's your main takeaway from Seasons 45 and 46 that you're bringing into your gameplay?
Oh, I'll go back even farther. So I specifically went from 40 on. I started watching it religiously. And a little insight here, a little trick that I did, was I specifically watched 41 because it was the first season that did a behind-the-scenes [look]. So you can actually see how many what's the camera crew like there, what is it really gonna be like? And they give you enough glimpses. I watched it over and over. And then what I did within these to incorporate this to my game now, is I just started watching all the challenges back to back. Because when you watch them in a full season, you lose track. But if you just watch them back-to-back challenges, you can start to compare and contrast things that might be reoccurrences, things that people did as successes, what worked, what didn't, as these reoccurring challenges.
And then the last piece was every Tribal Council. I just started going back to the seasons I couldn't remember from 40 and on the details, and I just watched the Tribal Councils without watching any of the [rest of the] show. And what it did is it almost gave you a jury perspective. Because you forget, "Well, what happened to get us to this point at this particular jury?" And so what it did was give me this rawness of the show without being biased, and then it allowed me to analyze, to think, "Okay, when I step foot on this beach, I'm gonna take elements of each one of those pieces." All those challenges combined, because now I have them streaming together. I have all these Tribals together [for] people's emotions. And then I take some of the random gameplay with fresh eyes and try to make a superhuman that's gonna play this game.
The Tribals aspect is so interesting. Did you see any common tells or occurrences between watching all of these blindsides back-to-back?
You know what's very interesting when you say that is, when you watch them back to back, when you go into Tribal, you don't realize when you're watching the entire series together, you've seen that episode. So you come into Tribal with a loaded weapon. You kind of know all the drama, but the jury member doesn't. So when you just watch a tribal that you don't remember the season, what it does is it's kind of almost shocking how some people behave. And you go, "Wow, it really jumps off the page. That was a bit of an overreaction." It won't make sense when you've watched that entire season. When you look at some of those trends and everything that kind of takes place across all of those Tribals, even though they are theatre. One thing I scream at the TV, and this is what I'm trying to avoid, is you want to have an insightful, thoughtful, really impactful statement when Jeff asks you a question. But you don't want to say too much. Sometimes it's it's good to say less. And sometimes certain people were right there, and it would have been fine. So my goal is to be…[Shushes himself.]
What is your hottest Survivor take?
I look at–let's just take Dee and that season. I'm using this as an example, but it is nothing against the cast and crew. But when you watch those types of seasons, it's hard not to wonder. The controversial spin I have is, would that player have won without an Austin, without a Drew? Was their game that solid, that without that particular player who, and a little bit of a romance as an example–no hate here. But would that have translated to the same victory? Now again, you could say that with a lot of seasons. But my argument would be certain players really stand out, Boston Rob being one of them. His intellectual game and style of communication transcends a lot of those seasons. I mean, going from voted out and didn't make the jury to a well-known player. My argument to that is my controversial spin on this is, out of the new generation, really sit back and look at how many of these players truly did their own gameplay, or how much of this was those outside influences from others.
What celebrity or fictional character would you bring out for a Loves Ones visit?
Outstanding, my man! This is for you, mom. I'm gonna say George Clooney, and here's why. Here's what George does, big Ocean's Eleven fan and all the Oceans. He's the wolf to me. I feel like, if I brought him in, people would be like, "Damn, did you see who Joe brought in?! Oh my gosh, he knows George!" I call him George, you know. And it would be to settle me. And I think Jeff would be like, "Damn, that's George Clooney!" Because if I brought in a superhero, I was also thinking a superhero. But I'm like, "Damn, that might intimidate everybody. Now they're threatened. Maybe Superman will come in and laser beam them." But I'm thinking with George, the girls might woo over him. And they'd be like, "Damn, I can get closer to George, by getting close to Joe." And then the dudes are gonna be like, "Yeah, George, pretty chill. No one hates George." So I feel like in his shrapnel, I'm gonna win votes.
Lastly, how are you going to make your mark on Survivor 48 to make sure you return for Season 50?
My man. I mean, cheers to you for great questions. I feel like it's Bryant Gumbel too. These are intellectual questions. So okay, here's what my mark, I think, will honestly be, is as a dad, a true dad in the fire service, a resumé, that some have had. But be that player that I feel America goes, "Wow, this guy was the underdog in a lot of things he did." He had loss. He had some things I can relate to. Everyone's been on the bottom side of that rock where they're like, "I'm in a dark place. I'm going through a tough time." But man, parenting is so difficult done right. And when people from all those walks of life, ex-athletes, all kinds, see this in one person and go, "This guy seems like a good dude. He didn't have to stab everybody. He didn't have to play it this way. He brought back the fact that this guy was damn near straight up the entire time." A loyal guy that got to the end with a core group, that's going to be my mark.
Next, check out our interview with Survivor 48 contestant Eva Erickson.
