Meet the 'Survivor 48' Cast! Mitch Guerra Makes History as the First Player with a Speech Impediment (Exclusive)

Mitch Guerra admits growing up with a speech impediment had him learning about resiliency and empathy the tough way. But, days before the game, the 34-year-old speaks to me with full confidence, knowing this is his moment to make his mark. His appearance in Fiji marks a decades-long dream, from finding inspiration in old-school player Christy Smith to his ten years of applications. Mitch comes to Survivor 48 in the best shape of his life, a marathon and Ironman competitor. But the P.E. coach is looking to fill out a beachside gym class, hoping to surround himself with big targets to avoid getting singled out as a physical and social threat.

Read on for my interview with Mitch, 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 Mitch from Survivor 48

To start, give me your name, age, and occupation.
My name is Mitch. I'm 34 years old, and I'm an elementary school P.E. coach from Waco, Texas. This is my fourth year at the current school that I'm at.

Is that something you've always wanted to do?
Honestly, it's been something I've always thought about doing. But I honestly didn't ever know if anyone would actually hire me. I'm a person who stutters, so I just wasn't ever sure if anyone would take a chance on me.

Talk to me about that. What has life been like for you for the past 34 years?
Yeah, growing up with a speech impediment was definitely challenging. I remember, as early as kindergarten and first grade, hating going to school every morning. I would get sick to my stomach most days, just because I was anxious. The idea of just walking down the school halls and someone asking me, "Hey, how are you today? What time is it?" Simple, everyday things would make me anxious. So it taught me so much about just kind of hanging in there. And obviously, as a person who stutters, I got picked on a lot just because I didn't speak like everyone else. So you stick out. So it forced me to be really resilient. And it also taught me to be super empathetic to other people. So definitely had some hard moments. But also really taught me so many other things as well.

And now you get the chance to work with kids. And maybe they're ont in the exact position as you, but you're able to look at their experiences through your own. And I think that's such a noble pursuit.
Thank you. Yeah, at the end of the day, each of us has a stutter, but they just look a little different. Each of us, we have something we might be insecure about, or  something we're self conscious of, or something that we like bring to the table that has maybe played a big impact on us. So, unfortunately, sometimes I can't hide it, and it's in your face. But I have really figured out, "Hey, this is a part of my story. It doesn't define me. It doesn't limit me". It might make things more challenging or hard in some moments, but it doesn't mean it's not possible.

So talk to me about how you got to Survivor. Because I imagine, when you talk about realizing what's possible, this experience is a big part of that.
Yeah, I remember falling in love with Survivor, watching Africa with Ethan and Tom. These incredible personalities. Growing up in Waco, Texas, the idea of traveling and playing at some exotic place was something I always dreamed about. And I remember watching Survivor: The Amazon, and there was a contestant named Christy out there who was hard of hearing. And it was like, "Wow, I can see someone who also struggles with something, and is not like everyone else." And watching her have to overcome that, she wasn't able to read people's lips in the evening, and was still able to do really well in that season. [That] just encouraged me of like, "Hey, like, maybe one day too, I could go out there and play Survivor. So it's been a crazy journey just to get out here. I've been applying since 2014.

A literal 10-year journey.
A 10-year journey. I feel like it was in this toxic relationship that I just like couldn't get out of. Every year I would apply, one of the casting directors would call me, "Mitch, we like you." And then I'd get absolutely ghosted. I applied for years, and I would get some calls. And then the last few years, I was like, "Listen, it just isn't meant to be." So I took a break from applying. It was like, "I'm gonna go and do things I've always dreamt about doing." So the past year and a half, I started running, and I did my first half marathon and a full marathon and a half Ironman. And I was like, "Well, maybe I should try and become a teacher and a coach." So I quit my job during the global pandemic and decided to take a part-time teaching job, and got hired on full-time, and they offered the update for my teacher certification. So just a lot of the things the last few years are things I've always dreamt about doing. So I started just going after some crazy opportunities. And look at me now. I'm here, Fiji, about to play Survivor!

So it's clear you're a decades-long fan of the show. Give me one winner and one non-winner who you identify with the most.
I haven't said this yet, but I think the winner that I resonate with a lot could be controversial. But Season 15, China, I'm gonna say Todd. Played a really good game. He played a super strategic game. He built really good relationships with people, and he used those relationships to his advantage. And then he was really good about stroking people's egos, and had some really big blindsides that season. He did a really good job at final Tribal Council stroking some egos, which helped him out. So yeah, I would say Todd.

And a non-winner, I really loved Kaleb from Season [45]. He's honestly the reason I'm kind of out here, really. So the casting director who picked him, he was the same guy who called me a couple years ago. And he made an Instagram story post about, "Hey, you played a great game" about Kaleb. So I just like commented on his story. I was like, "Oh my gosh, he was awesome out there." And then the next thing you know, he's like, "Hey, Mitch. I'm still working for Survivor, if you want to have another follow-up conversation." And then the next thing you know, I'm out here in Fiji. So I appreciate Kaleb a lot, because without him getting asked, who knows?

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What's your favorite moment in Survivor history?
I'm gonna give you two. I think when Kelley Wentworth played her idol, and she didn't go home, and it ended up sending Savage home. One hell of a move. That was crazy. And then a move that was honestly just really heartbreaking to watch was in Game Changers, when everyone played their idols, and Cirie went home. From the first time she played, I loved her. But watching her handle going out that way, to me. I would have probably had an emotional breakdown in that moment, because she was playing such a good game; nobody voted for her. Oh my gosh, it was tough.

Talk to me about your prep for this. Because you're someone who is clearly in great physical shape. What was your training to get to the island?
I'm honestly in the best physical shape that I've ever been. This last October, just doing a half Ironman was super big, and just giving me a lot of confidence. I feel a lot more confident swimming. But over the last few months, I've just been a lot more disciplined in eating and doing a lot of CrossFit. And I'm still doing so much running as possible. But I definitely was not trying to do as much so I could put on as much weight as possible. So over the past few months, I put on 15 to 16 pounds. Honestly, I feel so heavy. But honestly, like I feel as good as I've ever felt before. I had a good buddy of mine whose sister was on Season 36, Ghost Island.

Oh, who's that?
Libby. So over the last three or four years, we've become super good family friends with all of them. So over the year, so I've just had a lot of hypothical questions with her of like, "Hey, whatever experience you want to give to me in case I wind up playing." So I got a lot of really good conversations with her in the previous couple of years. I stopped drinking caffeine for about a couple of months now. And I've been drinking a lot of coconut water. Anything I could do to help.

Give me your biggest superpower and your biggest piece of kryptonite when it comes to this game.
I think something I just naturally do really well is, I love people. So I'm a big people person. I do good at building relationships with anyone and everyone. So I think, for me, that's the biggest thing I'm hoping to use here. But on the the other side of that, I just don't want to be too trusting. There's already been moments where I'm like, "Oh, I want to work with this person. Oh, I really like these people already." I'm like, "Okay, this is a game for a million dollars, Mitch. Yes, it's great to build relationships. But at the end of the day, you're playing for yourself. These people don't care about you. We're out here to play a game. I'm sure once we leave Fiji, we're all gonna hang out and stuff. But right here, these people are in between you and a million dollars."

Let's talk about some of these people. Because, as you mentioned, you're already making assessments of who you may want to work with. Who are you picking up good vibes from?
There is this girl. She has a sleeve tattoo, her hair slicked back. She's pretty tall, athletic-looking. You can tell she has a big personality, very flirty. Gives off really confident energy. Definitely someone I'd want to work with there. This is a guy that has a full beard, looks just so excited to be out here, too. Definitely have been making some eye connections and stuff like that. He's somebody I want to work with. But overall, a lot of the guys out here are pretty physically fit. Honestly, I would look forward to working with all of them.

Interesting. Are you seeking out some meat shields to form your own Survivor PE class?
100%. If there's one thing I know about me, I love talking. I kind of love being the center of attention, unfortunately. So, [I'm] trying to build a group of people around \ me who also have big personalities, who are also talkative. if you look at the past six seasons, none of the winners have been huge physical threats at all; a lot of them are unexpected. And I want to do whatever I can to keep around some big personalities out here.

What about on the other side of things? Anyone giving you red flags?
Yeah, there are a few of the ladies out here who won't give me anything. Just very calm, reserved, don't really give you a lot of smiles, or just not making an effort to give you anything. So for me, if we're at the merge together, well, I am probably gonna go before all of them. I think I come off as a physical threat and a social threat. So unfortunately, those quiet players just make it through ten out of ten times, and nobody really wants to take them out, because no one's really concerned with them. But in my opinion, in the end, everyone out here is a threat. And oftentimes, the people you don't suspect to be a threat to win the game are the people who are going to end up there.

Related: Everything to Know About Survivor 48

How much are you incorporating idols and advantages into your game, considering you're talking about already being pegged as a physical threat?
I don't necessarily want to go looking. I don't want to paint a big target on myself; I probably already will have. But I want to know who has them. How can I get people to do my dirty work out here? And just really hoping to use my relational skills to find out who has what and how can we use those to our advantage.

What's your main takeaway from Seasons 45 and 46 that you're bringing into your gameplay?
I think the biggest takeaway from Seasons 45 and 46 are you can still play this game with a group of people. You can still build enough trust where, even if you don't vote together on one vote, you can still come back together and work with each other. Honestly, I'm gonna have those conversations. I really loved watching Season 45; I want to find people that I can work with through this whole game.

That's the dream!
It just seems like the best chance to make a deep run at this game. Honestly, watching Season 46 scared the shit out me, because you never knew he was going home. Everyone wanted to vote someone out, and everybody was ready to pull the trigger on anyone and everyone. And unfortunately, when you do that, you're gonna end up getting the trigger pointed at you too. And you look at all those big players, Soda and Tevin and Hunter, at some point, you gotta be like, "Listen, how about we not take each other out, and let's get rid of some of these other people?"

So I want to try and keep as many big threats around me as possible. I'm sure at some point after the first few Tribals, there's gonna be these conversations of like, "Hey, if I'm sitting at the end, I have this incredible story." The first person who stutters, who gets to come out here and play Survivor. So, I'm definitely trying to hype up everyone else around me of like, "Each of us has a story. It's not just me." There were thousands of thousands of people who applied to be out here. Just because I stutter doesn't mean my story is any more important or dramatic than anyone else's here, right? So just trying to bring everyone else along with me of like, "Hey, it's fine!" [Laughs.]

[Laughs.] Well on that note, I'm really intrigued to find out how you think you'll be perceived. Because first impressions can be made. And, like you said, there is the inevitably of your story and the idea of if that would get you votes in the end.
Totally. I have been dreaming about this for years and years. Like, "Mitch, am I gonna have these conversations with people?" Honestly, the first day we get out there, I'm gonna be open about it. I'm gonna be like, "Hey, my name's Mitch, and I stutter. And this is what it means, and this is what it's gonna look like, and this is what would be the most helpful thing for me. It's not a big deal. It's just the way I speak sometimes. And if you have questions, we can talk about that later." But try and blow it over as smooth as possible.

I want people to feel a deep connection with me. And I think because I am so willing to talk about my struggles, it creates an environment where other people want to tell me stuff, too. And I'm just hoping that, if I can build this relationship with someone and be like, "Hey, I want to play with you, and I'm going to do whatever I can for both of us to make it far," I'm really hoping that if I can get my feet under me, and I can help us stay out of a few Tribals, that I will be able to go from there.

What's your hottest Survivor take?
I think Boston Rob is extremely overrated. He played four times with a bunch of scrubs. Of course, he was gonna win! It's like, "Listen, Jeff. We know that he's a great storyteller." But whenever you put them head to head with Russell Hantz, who everyone hated already, it just made him look that much better. And, yes, he did an awesome job out there. I don't know how he was able to stay that long in the game, and nobody even tried to make a move. But I don't think he's one of the best to ever play, because he's been given so many opportunities. It's like…eh.

What celebrity or fictional character would you bring out for a Loves Ones visit?
Honestly, because I'm a big competitor, I would probably have to bring out Serena Williams.

Yeah, you're a tennis guy, right?
There is just something about her. She knows how to get it done on the tennis court. She plays a very big, emotionally driven game. She knows how to dig deep. So I think just having her out here to be like, "Hey, let's go. This is what you've been waiting for" would be incredible.

Lastly, how are you going to make your mark on Survivor 48 to make sure you return for Season 50?
The idea of coming back a year from now is definitely up here. [Points to head.] I think the way that happens is I just gotta come out here, I gotta be myself, I gotta play hard. And I think of who they get to come out here for 48, there is no reason that I won't be back out here for Season 50. So we're gonna play a big game. We're going to be a little bit dramatic out here. Probably not in front of anyone. I just know that I'm extremely competitive. I hate losing more than anything. So I promise you that I'm going to do anything and everything to stay here as long as I can.

Next, check out our interview with Survivor 48 contestant Kyle Fraser.