Meet the 'Survivor 48' Cast! PR Consultant Bianca Roses Is a Master of the Spin and Grin (Exclusive)

Bianca Roses made one thing clear to me in our conversation: She is not here to sit on her ass. The 33-year-old has been working in PR for over a decade, recently going independent with her own company. And she brings that similar type of hustle to the beach, acting upon a dream that began as far back as her first screen name: Survivorfreak815. Having mastered the ability to manage relationships and spin a story, she believes her skills coupled with a bright and jovial spirit will have her recruiting a new group of on-island clients. And, as a natural-born leader, she's ready to bite into the competition with the ferocity of a raw fish.

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

To start, give me your name, age, and occupation.
My name is Bianca. I'm 32 years old, and I'm a PR consultant.

Is that something you've always worked in?
1000%. Since I was born out of the womb, I was managing my two younger brothers. But I've been in PR for over a decade. And yeah, it's a lot of the skills that I'm gonna take with me on the island. It's relationships, strategy, blindsiding sometimes. [Laughs.] No, I'm joking. But spinning a story and doing what you have to do in order to make a headline and get some good news.

What's your history with watching Survivor, and what made you decide you wanted to go from fan to player?
I've been watching the show since I was eight, so all 24 years of it. My first screen name, no joke, was "Survivorfreak815" because my birthday is August 15.

[Laughs.] Well, I'm sure that attracted a lot of interest!
When I tell people that was my screen name at eight years old, I look back on it, and I'm like, "That is not okay. That was very inappropriate." At the ripe age of eight. So I've just been watching the show my whole life. And I have always thought in the back of my head, "I can do it. I want to be on it." And then I finally applied, and I am so grateful. I cannot believe I'm here still.

Have you applied before?
No, this was my first time applying.

So, for a lifetime of fandom, what made you decide this was the time to apply?
So I had been watching it forever. But, as you grow up, you're no longer the eight-year-old. You are becoming that adult with the walls and the tough skin. And hello, PR person! Very tough skin. Have to be able to get told no 1000 times a day. I lived in New York for 10 years. People in New York, you just walk down the street. "Don't talk to me. Don't breathe on me. Don't look at me." So I just had those walls up, and I was very in my head about how everyone on Survivor was different than me and deserved it more. I don't know, that imposter syndrome kind of peaks out. I never really thought, "Oh, I could be on it. These are just all, like, regular awesome people, and I could be one of those regular awesome people." [Laughs.]

So it just took me a while, and then I was going through this kind of change in my life. I quit my agency job after almost eight years. I started my own company. I moved to Virginia with my boyfriend from New Jersey, which is the motherland. The land of my mother, the land of my entire huge Italian Catholic tribe. I had already put all the motions in place to start my business. And I was like, "You know what? I'm not going to let myself quit my job, which is a way bigger risk than just applying for Survivor and just seeing where it goes." So I kind of just applied on a whim in my parents' Jersey Shore house kitchen, it was raining, and I was like, "Bianca, today is the day. Get it done."

And we'll see how much rain you experience out here. Give me one Survivor winner and one non-winner who you identify with the most.
Love that. I think Dee. I know she's very recent, but she's super top of mind for me. A hustler, an entrepreneur, someone that is very, very deeply committed to her family, had them at the forefront the entire game. That's absolutely what I'm going to be doing, what I've even been doing so far. So Dee, for sure. Non-winner, I have to go Steph. OG, another Jersey Italian. Growing up, she's the greatest of all time. I think she played great games. She was just so badass. Not that [other] women weren't badass. I feel like she just made a huge impression in such a different way. And I'm obsessed with her. [Laughs.]

What's your favorite moment in Survivor history?
Michele, another amazing Jersey girl winner. It was Winners at War, and she was talking to Boston Rob about her controversial win. And Rob was like, "You won. If you win, you win. There isn't controversy. You won, and that's it." And he kind of just squashed it in the bud. I love that realness of Survivor, him lifting her up and her sharing her vulnerability about her win. Like, you won, but you're still being vulnerable, being insecure about that. I mean, there's a million amazing moments. I love the banter between Jeff and the tribes. [Laughs.] There's just so many good things. But I love that moment, and that really stuck out in me. Not that my whole life, I didn't know [Survivor] was more than a game. But I was just like, "Wow. There's some life lessons here."

Yeah, Boston Rob wrote a whole book about it!
I mean, he's the best. I love him. If I wasn't… [Laughs.]

[Laughs.] I mean, based on the way you said that, there's an implication.
Let's just say I've had a few sex dreams about Boston Rob. It may or may not have happened.

When?!
When I was of age!

Ok, so not the "Survivorfreak815" days. [Laughs.]
[Laughs.] In the rewatches!

[Laughs.] What's one life experience that has prepared you most for the game? Is it career-based or something different?
No, it's 100% career based. Definitely last year, starting my own business. I persuade people for a living. I persuade the founders of multi-million dollar companies to let me do their PR and be my clients. I persuade journalists all day long to write about my clients. I love them all, and they're great, but some of them aren't super sexy. And I get them in Forbes, Fast Company, Time Magazine, New York Times, Wall Street Journal. So, my entire livelihood is based on relationships, people, skills, persuasion, and communication. And I'm bringing all that here.

Are you telling people that you work in PR?
Absolutely not. I work in events. I work in corporate events. I work with tons of different companies, helping them with anniversary parties, launches, you name it.

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From what you're saying, it seems like a lot of your job is part and parcel with Survivor. But when you found out you were coming out here, what was the prep process like?
So my boyfriend is amazing. He became my trainer immediately, my Survivor coach. Literally, he had my ass outside making fire every single night for a month before I came out here. He immediately ordered me the pull-up bars, the little grippy thing, thanks to Charlie. [Laughs.] A ton of puzzles, flint, kindling. I started going in the pool more and swimming. I grew up on the Jersey Shore; I'm a super strong swimmer. But I never swam as a sport. Working out more, for sure. I actually did a lot more yoga to work on balance and core strength. I stopped eating as much as I do. I'm Italian. I'm basically a human trash can. I'll eat everything, anything. So, about two weeks out, I definitely cut all of my meals in half.

Mentally, I journal every day, but really locked it in. Checked in with my positive mindset, my intentions, affirmations every single day. My family came the weekend before. We did a whole party for me, my boyfriend did the sweetest thing ever. He got everyone in my family and my two best friends to write me pregame letters from home. Oh, my God, I'm gonna cry just thinking about it. He read it to me before I left. And I was a mess, bawling like a baby. And these were intended to be plane letters for me. And we were like, "No, absolutely not! I'm not reading these on the plane. I'm gonna be a hot mess." So I read them all just before we came out here, but not on the plane. And it was just amazing, so moving. And, if I didn't already have all the motivation, just like, "Let's go, let's do it."

And that's why the letters work so well as a reward. Because it's an opportunity to take your head out of the game and all the variables and remember what's always going to be constant in your life and waiting for you back home. You got that experience before even coming out!
I can't even imagine what love letters is like when you are starving, tired, haven't eaten, haven't slept, all these things, and then you're getting them. I was happy and full when I was reading those letters, and I was still a mess.

Give me your biggest superpower and your biggest piece of kryptonite when it comes to this game.
Superpower is my positivity. I am a happy-go-lucky person. I'm a very level-headed person, but I really try to bring brightness to every situation, especially dark and annoying and uncomfortable situations. So, I really do think that's my superpower. I think the way that I can make people laugh and make people feel comfortable, and it goes back to my social skills as well. But being positive above all else, I really think that that's something that I'm proud of, and I hope to bring to the tribe. Kryptonite, I'm really impatient. Super impatient. I worked at a PR agency for seven and a half years. Shit has to get done very quickly.

The good news is it's a 26-day game. It gets done a lot quicker now!
[Laughs.] Even growing up, I'm the eldest of the fam; I have two younger brothers. Everything was on "Bianca time," very much in order of what I wanted to be doing. So, I know that I can be super impatient. But listen, I'm not gonna let you know me not having a chicken parm every single night will ruffle my feathers. I'll be okay.

What does that impatience mean for the game? Will it be, "Why is this not done already"? Or more so, "I've got to tell someone about this idol as quickly as I can"?
Honestly, I think the first. Like, "Okay, why isn't the shelter done yet? What are we doing here?" I feel like I'm a natural-born leader. I know how to direct the crowd. But I don't want to be Bruce, so I gotta temper that a little bit. I don't run my mouth. I work in PR; there are a lot of things in a vault that I can't talk about. I've signed so many NDAs in my lifetime; I know how to keep a secret. So, I don't think I would get impatient of, "Oh I have to run and tell this person something." I actually talked to my family about not telling anyone ever when I find an idol. So I don't think it will be that.

You're in the business of image management. So, how do you think you'll be perceived?
I know; this is crazy. It's a big role reversal now. I worry about myself in my image. Because now I'm the founder of a company and, like, I'm running a business, so I do you want people to see me being on top of my game, an expert, knowing what I'm doing. But what's really fun for me is I left the corporate-ish world. And I curse a lot. I curse on the Zoom calls with my clients; that's just me. And I liked letting myself shine through in that way. And I found, at the end of the day, you can't just monitor yourself all day long, or you're not gonna be yourself. So I'm gonna come out here. I'm gonna be myself. I do worry. One of my biggest fears is, "Oh no, is America gonna hate me for some crazy reason?"

There's that Boston Rob and Michele conversation again!
Right. It doesn't really matter. And when I win, I don't give a f–k anyway.

In your bio, you wrote that you were a "catch-up queen." What do you think allows you to be that person for everyone to come to?
I'm definitely the catch-up queen. I talk to my brother every single night when we both end work. I talk to my mom, my aunt, my goddaughter. My whole family just calls me all the time. I don't even know how I have time to talk to all of them. [Laughs.] But I put them first. And I think it's just my ability to just connect with anyone, honestly. I credit my grandmother, who has always been so inclusive and so all-loving and always set an amazing example–and my grandfather–of just connecting with people. Because people are good and serving them. So, I think I just like to provide a friendly atmosphere and an outlet for people to come to me and listen. Even at work, I have a lot of two people coming to me talking shit about the other. Even my aunt and my mom, who are sisters. So I have to manage a lot of that, those conversations that happen too.

Related: Everything to Know About Survivor 48

Well, let's talk about your competition, some of the people who will hopefully make you their catch-up queen. Is there anyone you're picking up good vibes from in the preseason?
I have been observing. But I think the one thing we haven't found out about each other is our personality, and that's how I vibe with someone. So this is a very hard question. I think it's really hard for me to answer that right now. I need to see a little bit more of like, "Does this person have really good work ethic? Does this person have a communication style that fits with mine? Is this person someone that I can laugh with?" Forget trust. I'm throwing trust out the window. But can I have fun with this person? At the end of the day, I'm here to win. But I'm also here to have a good time. So yeah, I feel like there are some people I've shared a look with, or a smile and a laugh, and it's like, "Oh, I want to get to work with you. But I don't know at this point."

What about on the other side of things? Anyone giving you red flags?
No, there really hasn't. And I'm even looking at like, "Is anyone having three plates at lunch? They really haven't prepared? Or is anyone super bossy, or sitting at the front, raising their hand first for every single thing?" Everyone's doing a great job. Everyone is playing it neutral.

What do you value in an alliance? Is it that sense of humor you were talking about?
I think it's vibes. I think it's, again, work ethic, communication, ability to have fun together. And I think it's just vibes. Like, I vibe with you! I'd go out for a coffee or a drink with you. I really just think that's what it is. And listen, that's me saying this now, ahead of the game. Who knows what could happen Day One where it's like, "Oh no!" I'm a short girl. I'm 5'2". Maybe I need to band myself with someone really physically f–king strong. There are so many things and so many scenarios I've run in my head where it's like, right now, it's a blank slate. I really don't know anything. I would say vibes first, but things can change.

What's your plan for idols, advantages, and journeys? Are you going to be hunting for them?
1000% I didn't come out here to sit on my ass. Let me tell you. Oh, I'm gonna be looking. I'm gonna be looking discreetly. Not anything crazy. But also, [in] an alliance partner, someone that's creative. Listen, it's the new era. You have to earn everything. Nothing's getting handed to us. I actually said earlier, creativity is huge in this game, because every single second could be something else. And sure, maybe we've all watched all [47] seasons at this point. But you gotta be creative, because Jeff is gonna be throwing curve balls every which way, and you have to think on your feet. You have to be able to improvise, and you have to be able to understand that what happened 10 minutes ago is just maybe not the case for the next day, three days, whatever it is, and spin on it.

What's your main takeaway from Seasons 45 and 46 that you're bringing into your gameplay?
They were so good. Such epic seasons, [tough] to follow them. For sure social game. I mean, you look at even earlier than 45 and 46. But you look at Dee, you look at Kenzie, you look at Maryanne, you look at Yam Yam. These are just social beings to their core, effervescent people that own themselves are themselves fully. So I am glad to see that what I thought might be my greatest weakness, that, at certain times, just being overly friendly or overly jovial, is really working in these people's favor in these recent seasons. Not that strategy goes out the window by any means, but I think maybe it's a lot harder now. Sure, it's shorter; it's 26 days. But we aren't being given rice, we aren't being given beans, like we're being given nothing. So you need people around you that are gonna lift you up, keep you going, make you laugh, keep you positive. And I do think that that social game, personality, vibes, connection, really is becoming more and more important in order to win and last long.

What is your hottest Survivor take?
It's such a lame answer. I was gonna say, why can't they eat fish raw? I just don't understand!

I have never heard that before as a hot take. When you said it was "lame," I thought it would be something that's been talked to death a bunch!
I mean, that's all I could think about. There are so many times where a tribe doesn't have their flint yet, and they earn the reward, and it's fish, and it's raw, but they can't eat it. And I'm like, "It's sushi!" I would be just shoving that fish down my throat, scales and all. I don't care, just gnawing into it. I mean, it's fresh fish out of the Fijian sea. Why not? So that's just a question I've had at the forefront of my mind. I don't know if that counts. [Laughs.]

It definitely does! What celebrity or fictional character would you bring out for a Loves Ones visit?
See, immediately my mind just goes to celebrities that I think are hot. [Laughs.]

Boston Rob?
[Laughs.] Jeremy Allen White.

Hey, he could cook that fish!
I was gonna say! Chef, get out here. Celebrity, like family, someone that would comfort me. Jenny Slate 1000%. I feel like she's my soul sister. If she came out here, she would just run with it, and we would be sisters. I don't even have a sister, so she'd be the sister I never had. She's just the best human ever. She's so funny. She'd be great to have out here. Even if, the day of, she comes back to the camp, and it's not the fancy spa reward or whatever, would love to have her.

Lastly, how are you going to make your mark on Survivor 48 to make sure you return for Season 50?
Ooh, I like that. Jeff told us not to focus on 50. I think I'm I'm just gonna play hard. I came out here to play and, listen, if that means I go down swinging, then I go down swinging. And in order to get asked back, it doesn't matter how long you lasted; it's what you did in the time that you lasted. So listen, I told you once; I'll say it again. I didn't come out here to sit on my ass. I want to play this game. I want to find idols. I want to make alliances. I want to blindside. I want to backstab. I want to do all the things. I want to eat the fish raw! [Laughs.] So I'm just going to play my little Jersey heart out, and hopefully, then I'll be back at 50.

Next, check out our interview with Survivor 48 contestant Mitch Guerra.