Meet the 'Survivor 48' Cast! Pizzeria Manager Justin Pioppi is Hiding His Ivy League Education

Justin Pioppi proves that plenty lies underneath the crust. Though he presents as a talkative, long-haired manager of a pizzeria, the 29-year-old has a background that includes a degree from Yale and making history as the youngest legislative aide hired at the Massachusetts State House. Justin's mother's health scare brought him back to the family business at Luigi's, where he's been running the ship ever since. And it's his mom that also brings him from the fires of a brick oven to the heat of Fiji, eager to play the game she loves and hopefully bring home enough money for her to retire. With toppings that include a desire to make people happy, surprising athleticism, and tons of advantages, Justin is hoping he has the recipe for success. 

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

To start, give me your name, age, and occupation.
Justin Pioppi, 29 years old. And I am the manager of our family restaurant, Luigi's Pizza.

How long has the restaurant been around for?
Over 40 years. My parents have had it continuously. And they've owned and operated it ever since.

So how did you end up working there? Were you always intended to be the heir to the Luigi's throne?
Actually, that wasn't the initial plan. I went to school, went to college, graduated with a really great degree from a great institution. And right when I was coming out, the pandemic hit, and my mother got really sick with leukemia. She's doing much better now, thankfully, all good reports, which is awesome. But I had to step up when I needed to, and I haven't looked back since.

Talk to me about that process of stepping up. Were you familiar with restaurant management before you filled the role? I feel like the only thing we really know about it at this point is people complaining to them when they feel something is wrong with the food or service.
[Laughs.] It's been a little bit of on-the-job training. But I've been very fortunate, Mike. My family has always been involved with the restaurant. My aunt works the front; my buddies do delivery. We've had guys in the kitchen who have literally seen me grow up all through elementary school, grade school, high school, and now college. So we had a really, really tight-knit group. And I always want to be part of that. But it initially was just me helping out, like on a Friday night, just running food or taking orders on the phone. And now it's like, I'm doing the inventory, I'm helping with marketing. I'm doing the social media, websites. So, it's a little bit of a jump, but it's been something that I really enjoy doing.

So what brought you from the heat of the pizza oven to the heat of Fiji? What made you want to play Survivor?
This was always something I wanted to do. Eer since we saw the first episode, my mother and I, and I saw a bunch of guys, you know, running around naked on the beach catching rats. And I was like, "I don't know what the hell that is. But it looks really, really cool."

To be fair, a lot of Americans were probably feeling that way.
[Laughs.] Yeah. So I just said, "If I have the chance to go out there, I really want to do it." And it's something I've waited to do for a very long time. I only wanted to apply once. And I said to myself, "If this is the right fit, they'll come to me." I don't harp on anybody who keeps trying and applying. I think that you should keep doing that. But for me, it's like, with schools, with jobs, with even, like with dating, if you put yourself out there and the other person reciprocates, then it probably wasn't the right match for you.

So then what made you feel like this was the right time to apply?
And I had a few applications ready, Mike, to be honest with you. My finger was hovering over that button for many years. And every time Jeff comes on, and he's like, "Do you want to be out here and you want to compete? If you want to go on Survivor, there's that link below." And my dad would always give me the nudge, and I'm just like, "Dad, now's not the time. I'll let you know when." But when my mother really got sick, and she finally got better, I was like, "Listen, she's been working her whole life and kind of, in a way, playing Survivor." So I wanted to come out here and compete for her, basically, so she has something to watch. And then, hopefully, in the end, I'm holding that million-dollar check, and I want to retire her.

Give me a winner and a non-winner who you identify with the most.
That's a great question. Can I give you two winners? I want to say Tyson for one. He has this really unique mixture of athleticism and wit and humor and just kind of the ability to talk with people. But he's also very, very serious too. When something needs to get done, he will get it done. And I think I kind of have that same mixture; hopefully, I can emulate his success on the show. I mean, he's done pretty well for himself. But I don't want to step on any toes of any legends. But I'm a big fan. I've always been a big fan of him. And then the other one, I would say, this might be controversial, but I have always loved Fabio.

You're just picking guys with the same hair as you!
I think I have to give him credit, because it's not easy to have this out here. I'm telling you, Mike. The wind is…[Laughs.] Initially, I had a ton of sand in it yesterday. But I really liked his game. I think he played a really underrated game. People don't really give him a lot of credit for it. But I think that attitude of laying low and being cool, and just like being goofy and talking to people, I do the same thing at Luigi's. I want people to come in and feel comfortable. And then, at the end, you have more going on. There's a lot more under here than just a ton of hair. [Laughs.]

What about a non-winner?
I don't want to go on the hair trend, but I liked Malcolm too.

I mean like breeds like! Is this a style you've always had?
No, I actually haven't. And during the pandemic, you couldn't get a haircut. They shut all the barber shops down and all the salons. So, my barber, who I am totally dedicated to, I told him I would never cheat on him. Barber Gino, I'll shout him out; he's fantastic. But he's from the DR and he went back there with his family throughout the pandemic. So I didn't see him for the longest time. So we catch up, we chat. I'm like, "Gino, you home? I really need a haircut. It's getting kind of long." And then he's like, "No, I'm not home yet. I'll let you know when." And then months and months went by, Mike. And when he finally came back, he saw me, he goes, "Don't cut that hair. That looks so nice." So ever since then, I just kind of had it.

I mean, that's a loyal barber, to say, "I don't want to cut your hair."
Exactly. I mean, I still made him a pizza, Mike, to be honest with you.

So what is it about Malcolm besides the follicles?
I just think he played very honest, which is a very tough thing to do out here. Obviously, we haven't been able to talk to anybody yet. We're just kind of like feeling each other out. And you get a look or two when you head to the bathroom or to bed at night. But I think the way that he was able to carry himself through a very, very long time. And then he played a few weeks later when he was on Caramoan, and I think that was kind of something that he was able to keep able to keep up for so long. And that's something I want to try and emulate.

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What's your favorite moment in Survivor history?
I mean, there's just so many good memories to pick from. And, even just like on the show, but even like off the show, Mike. We had so many watch parties in college. We've had watch parties almost every Wednesday night, to be honest with you. There's some nights where I'd be working, and I'm like, "Listen, Dad, can I change the shift here? Because I gotta get home." [Laughs.] So we'll have our Luigi's pizza, and we'll watch it as a family. I think that's kind of my favorite memory, even though it's every week. But it's like a recurring aspect where, as a family, we know we can sit down for an hour and a half. Let's tune in to see what Jeff does this week.

You wrote in your bio that you were the youngest legislative aide hired at the Massachusetts State House. So talk to me about this disconnect with the path you were going to be on before you found your way back to the pizza place.
It was. And honestly, when I finished high school, I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do. I had a lot of friends who changed majors halfway through their college experience, and they loved going to school. You add in two or three years sometimes if you change from English to biology or a hard science to another humanities major, or something like that. So I wanted to make sure I knew what I wanted to do. So I sent them some applications. I heard back from the State House for an internship, and I was there for nine months. There was a void of another person in the office. He left to go to another state agency. So my boss looked at me. He goes, "Listen, you kind of had on-the-job training already. So let's take you on." And yeah, I didn't look back from that either. That was a great job.

What's one life experience you feel has prepared you most for the game? Is it that time in the political realm?
Honestly, besides the State House and going to Yale and everything I've had in my life, it has to be Luigi's. I'm telling you, because that's the one place where, no matter what, we get all walks of life, people from all different countries, all over the world, literally every interest you can imagine, and they just converge on the love of Italian food. And it makes me so happy because I get to serve it to them and with a smile.

While you've only applied once, you've had the idea of playing Survivor in the back of your head a number of times. So what has your prep process been like to get out here?
I put in a ton of prep. I feel like I'm still doing prep in my head, even I don't have my phone, I don't have email. This is the longest I've gone without going down there and checking in. It's like my puppy; it's like, if you leave it too long, something happens. If you don't give enough attention, something happens. And that's how you have to run your business. But I laminated everything. I told my father, "Listen, this is the number for ordering the bread. This number is for ordering the cheese. Beer and wine come on Tuesdays and Thursdays. You gotta do this, this, this. And he's been great about it. He's told me, "Listen, go and enjoy yourself. Have no inhibitions about the store. It'll be here, I can assure you. It'll be here when you come back."

How many people at Luigi's know you're playing, considering it's a family business?
They don't know. Well, my parents know, obviously. My aunt knows. And then one of my really good friends knows, because he's been living with us. But other than that, it's been totally a shock to everybody, to be honest with you. I just said, you know, "There's a job training opportunity." I have had a lot of friends who have tried to get me to move different places from school, and they all have really, really, really good jobs. And they'll kind of give me flack. They're like, "You got a degree from Yale, and you're making calzones instead of making money." And, to me, that means the exact same thing. It's a way of if. I see it benefit my parents, and it benefits the people that we employ, and my aunts. I feed a bunch of people. So it's a great feeling.

And listen, it's technically on-the-job training if your job is "future millionaire"! What were you doing specific to Survivor in your prep process?
I've done everything, everything possible. If the health department would've let me light the oven with the flint and steel, Mike, I would have done that too. In my audition video, I had a torch in the backyard. We haven't used it for forever, but I finally got it lit, and I cooked a pizza on it. I was there for a long time with the peel, and I just kind of maneuvered it, maneuvered it, maneuvered it. And it finally cooked. It wasn't the best-tasting pizza, but I made a pizza out of it.

You wrote in your bio how surprisingly physical your job is. So I imagine you weren't hitting the gym as much, considering you're lugging those supplies around every day.
That's kind of doubled as my gym, to be honest with you. And I haven't had a gym membership in my whole life. I would work out at school, or when I was on the swim team in high school, I would work out there. But other than that, I never really had a gym membership that was my own. But I'm lugging oil around. I'm lugging big vats of sauce. Some of those orders, people are hungry. They take 30 or 40 pizzas, and I got to put them one on this shoulder and the other one on this one, and I'm walking. So it's been good physical training. The heat of the oven, the heat of the kitchen. That fire is hot; I've been burned many times by it. But I think it all kind of plays into coming out here and preparing.

Just wait until the Sweat Challenge where you have to carry jars of sauce from one side of the beach to the other.
Oh, I'll get that with no problem. Sauce, olive oil, give me all that stuff.

Related: Everything to Know About Survivor 48

Give me your biggest superpower and your biggest piece of kryptonite when it comes to this game.
I would say the superpower is my ability to just connect with people. And I've always, I've always had that. I've been very blessed to have that ability. And I have a lot of really good people in my life who I've met throughout the years, and we've stayed in touch no matter what. So I think that's my best ability. Kryptonite is…I don't know, I guess I haven't been this long without pizza, Mike. So I think we'll see how that kind of shapes up.

I know some have said that the Survivor pizza isn't that high-quality. By comparison to what you're used to, the roof may be a little higher.
[Laughs.] Everyone's telling me that. But I'm saying, after 26 days, I think anything's gonna taste really good.

[Laughs.] True! Well, let's talk about some of your competition. Who are you getting good vibes from in the preseason?
There's a younger girl with probably around my age, honestly. But she has a lot of hair like me, and she seems very, very, very friendly. I've gotten a good read off her. I feel like, as much as a read I could have gotten without talking. An older gentleman with glasses, he just seems like a gentleman. Every time we pass, I give him a little nod, and just kind of keeps going. There's a younger girl too; she'll wear some hockey stuff around. I'm a huge Bruins fan. Even though they don't love me the same as much as I love them, Mike. They have to pick it up, I'm telling you. It's a rabid fan base, and we're hungry for another championship. But she had a Providence brewing shirt on, so I gave her a [nod]. Not anything to, jeopardize myself or her, to get us kicked out. But it was just kind of like, "I see [you]." Stuff like that. [Laughs.]

What's the main tenet you value in an alliance member?
I think it's just somebody you can bounce ideas off of. Because I think you're out here a lot with your own thoughts, and you kind of get in your head, and you might overplay something when you don't need to. And I think just to have somebody who can kind of just go back and forth with. And, as long as you're on the same page, that's that's the biggest part.

What about on the other side of things? Is there anyone you're picking up red flags from?
There's a lot of big people out here. And I mean big in terms of muscular and strong. It was very, very apparent. So that's a little scary to see. But I do think that that's a disadvantage for them, in a sense. If someone looks at them, they're like, "Obviously, this person's a threat. He or she is going to win every single physical challenge." So I think that kind of plays into it for me. It'll hopefully help me along the way. And there's another guy too, with a beard, and he just seems like an interesting dude. I really want to get to know him, but I have to watch out for him. He seems like he's here to play.

Given your unique background, how do you think you'll be perceived in this game?
Listen, Mike. I don't act like a Yale grad. I don't talk like a Yale grad. I don't look like a Yale grad. But I am a Yale grad. I think that training and the studying that I've done, people that I've met, that's all up here. But it's covered by a lot of hair. It's covered by a hat. It's covered by a lot of pizza, a lot of calzones, a lot of delicious Italian food that we've been serving up. So I think that that's a good way to kind of contain everything. But on the outside, I'm me. I can't hide who I am. I love talking about food. I love talking to people. I love making them happy. I love smiling.

Are you gonna be one of those people who are like, "What food do you miss the most?"
[Laughs.] I feel like that can kind of play against you too. Yes, I can talk about food for hours. If you want to have another conversation after this, about the science of an oven, or how we do our cutlets, we can go back and forth. Any recipes you need, you have my number and my contact. You can give me a call. But I think around here, there are no cutlets, there is no pizza. There's coconuts, there's fruit, there's a ton of fish. But you're not going to the supply store. You're not getting delivered like we do at Luigi's. You're kind of out there hunting for them yourself. And I want to make sure we'll have our food conversations. But I think I'll kind of keep those under wraps.

How much are you putting idols and advantages into the recipe of your game?
Oh, there's a heavy dosage. I would say more than a handful, to be honest with you. We got a couple of scoops in there. And I just think on the heels of 46, I just see people were complacent, I think, or maybe they thought that they were okay in the game. And I think if you have something, people are gonna play it this season. And my mother told me, before you go out there, "You have an idol, I don't care, even if you negate no votes, go out there and play that thing. Because I don't want to see you come home with one in your pocket."

Do you have any takeaways from Seasons 45 and 46 that you're bringing into your gameplay?
I do, and I don't, and I would lean with the "don'ts." Just because I feel like 45 just seemed like an older season where you had a majority alliance, and they kind of moved each other through the game. Obviously, some people were picked off here and there, depending on who won immunity. And then you had 46, which is just like a whole cluster-f. You got to have that difference, because that's what makes good Survivor. So, obviously, I haven't seen how 47 has played out; I'm looking forward to seeing that when I get home. But it'll be interesting to see how this plays out. I think we have a really, really good cast.

What's your hottest Survivor take? An opinion hotter than a pizza straight out of the oven?
My friends are gonna kill me for this, because they hate this. But we're gonna crank the oven up to like 900 right now. Redemption Island–not the season. I think the twist is a really good idea. And I know you're a purist, Mike; I'm a purist too. But I think this game has so many curveballs, knuckleballs, sliders, change ups, screwballs, any pitch you can think of, that you got to make sure you hit every single one. And if you miss on one, you're gone. So I think that second chance ability to win yourself back in, I don't think that's like the worst idea. My friends are always like, "Once you're out, you're out. That's it, you're done with Survivor. You have to wait. And maybe you might get another shot, you might not. And that's just how it goes."

Are you just trying to manifest Jeff put Redemption Island in the season to make sure you have a safeguard in case something goes wrong?
I just feel like everyone deserves a second chance. I've been through a lot in my life. My mother's had her fair share of second chances with health. And we're very, very grateful for it. She's had awesome medical care. And I think, if you deserve one, if you work hard enough, I think you should get a second chance at something.

What celebrity or fictional character would you bring out for a Loves Ones visit?
I want to say Brady, because I love Tom Brady. He's given us a lot of entertainment over 20 years. I think I would go Brady, Mike, and just because his diet is so strict. And I think out here too, we're gonna have a really strict diet no matter what. And I feel like he can give us some pointers. Like, "Hey, that papaya over there. Let's cut it this way, and let's mix it with this. And let's try and do a fruit bowl."

He won't deflate any papayas?
No. We don't touch that, please. [Laughs.] It's been a lot of rough years with our Patriots. He just has a focus that no other that I've seen as an as an athlete. I haven't met the man, obviously. But he has a lot of fans back home, and I think that that's a great asset in the game. When you turn it on, like we do at Luigi's. Just at the snap of a finger, you just get right to work.

Lastly, how are you going to make your mark on Survivor 48 to make sure you return for Season 50?
I want to run this game the same way I run the restaurant, Mike. I want people to feel comfortable coming to me. I want to show my managerial skills time and time again. And this is kind of the ultimate time for all that. The life experience that I've had, the schooling that I've had, the crazy customers at Luigi's that I've had to deal with, and all the great people that come in every single night and feed their family. I think that's like the combination of so many years of hard work and experience and what I bring to the table just for this game. And hopefully, I'm in until the end. And if not, I might see you next year, too.

Next, check out our interview with Survivor 48 contestant Cedrek McFadden.