Board Thread:Character submissions/@comment-25826889-20170901023355/@comment-26485526-20170930040941

Name (Age): Lester Raikkonen (29) Tribe: N/A Hometown: St. Charles, MO

Occupation: Sports Reporter

What's your claim to fame?: I guess immigrating to America from Finland two years ago to live with my boyfriend has to take the cake. We met because he came to Finland for school, but once he graduated, he moved back to the states and we had a long distance relationship for a couple of years. My whole family thought I was crazy for leaving everything I knew in order to live with him, but now that we're settled, I think it's the best decision I've made in a long time. Hopefully, once I win the million dollars, we can get married and I can fly my family in from Finland to see the wedding.

Hobbies: Watching sports, watching Survivor and Big Brother, hanging out with my boyfriend, partying. Pet Peeves: People who hold grudges and can't let things go. Like, a lot of people in my inner circle are pissed that Trump won the election and refuse to acknowledge him as our President for some stupid reason. I get that he was not the person you wanted to win, but the election is over, Hillary lost, so get over it already! Speaking of which, I also can't stand people that are intolerant of other people's views and opinions. Like, I generally lean to the right on political issues, and I always felt like I stuck out like a sore thumb in Finland 'cause the culture is pretty liberal over there, for the most part. But here in America, I've had people ask me why I had the "audacity" to vote for Trump, even though I'm a proud member of the LGBT community. Here I thought "Free Speech" was a thing in America, perhaps I'm mistaken. (Rolls eyes)

Why will you "survive" Survivor?: I will survive this game because I will not go down without a fight and I'm not afraid to follow my gut and do what's best for me. As I said, people thought I was nuts for leaving everything I knew in Finland to come here to America. Maybe I was, but I followed my gut, and I do think it paid off in a big way. So out here, I will have that same mindset, and I think it'll help me do well. Why will you be the Sole Survivor: I think I'll be the Sole Survivor because I think I'm a genuinely likable person who makes friends pretty easily. I'll also be helpful to my tribe both around camp and in challenges. I also think that it'll help that I'm a big fan of this show, as well as the fact that I won't hesitate to make a move out here as long as my gut tells me that it's the right decision.