“Survivor 47” fans, it’s time to meet Solomon “Sol” Yi, a 43-year-old medical device salesman from Norwalk, Connecticut. “God, why am I crying so much right now?” he wonders aloud in CBS’s preview video. “I don’t do this. I don’t, like, talk and just start [crying sounds].” Watch Sol’s intro above at the 17:28 mark.
The medical rep explains, “I help people with neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s disease. Neurosurgeons implant electrodes in the part of the brain that affects your movement. They’re tremoring like crazy, and then all of a sudden in an instant those tremors are gone. It’s a great feeling.”
Sol has a poker background that he’ll likely keep secret from the other castaways. “I’ve won over $200,000 playing poker tournaments,” he confesses. “When I make a move, I’m not lying to you, I’m bluffing you. I can take that emotion out because, in the end, this is the game — the best game ever.”
Regarding his upbringing, Sol adds, “Obviously, there aren’t many Koreans in Oklahoma, so I stood out right away. It was rough. I got picked on a lot. But I also always stood up for myself. It turned me into the man I am today. In order to be the best you can be, you’re gonna suffer. And so I think if I embrace how difficult it’s going to be here, it’s going to make it that much easier.”
Solomon “Sol” Yi is one of the six contestants competing on the red Lavo tribe this year, along with Aysha Welch, Genevieve Mushaluk, Kishan Patel, Rome Cooney and Teeny Chirichillo. See the cast photos in our gallery below.
The 47th season of “Survivor” will premiere on Wednesday, September 18, 2024 with a two-hour episode, followed by 90-minute episodes thereafter. Four-time Emmy winner Jeff Probst returns to host and produce the long-running reality TV show, which films in Mamanuca Islands, Fiji. Make your predictions at Gold Derby right now to let us know who YOU think will win and who will be voted out each week.
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