User blog comment:TheUnderdogDream/Season 2 Character Submissions/@comment-32574574-20180702204201

Name (Age): Neil Patterson (60)

Current Residence: Jacksonville, FL

Occupation: Retired Criminal Prosecutor

Personal Claim to Fame: Professionally, I was a criminal prosecutor for over 25 years. During my time in law, I've been involved in almost 300 trials, and I've managed to win every single one of them. I've been referred to as the "Courtroom Killer" by many, until I retired in 2010 to spend more time with my grandkids. Personally, my claim to fame is my wife and kids. My lovely wife Caroline, of 36 years, my two kids Neil & Maya, and my four grandkids mean the world to me, and I consider myself the luckiest man alive because of them.

Inspiration in Life: My older sister Lori, has made a profound impact on me, as she's the reason why I wanted to be a prosecutor, and to be in law enforcement. On my 7th birthday, she was killed by someone we thought we could trust. That man was a family friend, who turned out to be really wealthy. Because of his income, he managed to hire a very successful defense attorney, which resulted in him being acquitted in the death of my sister. The day after he was acquitted, he confessed to being responsible for her death, and managed to walk out a free man. At that moment, I realized that I had to be her voice, and to make sure her name wasn't in vain.

Hobbies: Spending time with my kids, barbequing on my grill, and watching television.

Pet Peeves: I am usually very calm and collected man, I'd like to say. However, as a father, the most heinous and disgusting thing you could do, is harm your own children. Unfortunately, I've prosecuted several men and women accused of abusing and even killing their own kids. My fellow district attorneys know me for being very harsh on defendants accused of those types of crimes, and for good reason. If you're going to commit big boy crimes, expect to face big boy punishments.

3 Words to Describe You: Determined, Social, Experienced

If You Could Have 3 Things on the Island With You, What Would They Be and Why? 1) Some sunglasses so I don't burn my eyes. 2) A cooler with water bottles so I can be refreshed. 3) A blanket so I can sleep like a baby.

SURVIVOR Contestant You are Most Like: I would consider myself a mix between Jeremy Collins for the love he had for his family, along with his strategic prowess, and Ben Driebergen, for the same reasons.

Reason for Being on SURVIVOR: ​I'm out here for mainly the game aspect. I've been a huge fan of the show, but I'm also here to make my kids proud; not often can a kid say their parent or grandparent was on television. But, the money is obviously a motivating factor. I wouldn't, nor would anyone else for that matter, go out on an island with nothing, for free.

Why You Think You'll "Survive" SURVIVOR: I just celebrated my 60th birthday, but I still have the physical capabilities of a 30 year old. I've worked on houses when I was young with my uncle, and I was also a former Boy Scout in my teens. I always say this, "technology changed a lot in the last 40 years, but Mother Nature hasn't".

Why Will You Be the SOLE SURVIVOR? Survivor is all about three things - Outwitting, Outplaying, and Outlasting. I can OutWIT, because I know what I have to do in order to advance myself in the game, and that's to keep a low profile in the beginning, and work my way up. I know I'm gonna be targeted immediately when the game starts, so it's all about going up from where I'm starting at. I can OutPLAY because of my physical prowess. Although I'm a little older than I was before, it doesn't mean I haven't trained at all for this experience. This game's been going on for 18 years, and if you haven't done your homework in almost two decades of this show being on the air, you have no purpose in being here. And finally, I can OutLAST, because although I'm older, I believe I have an advantage. I am less likely to be perceived as a threat, and I can use the time that I have, to build relationships, that the younger people might not nessecarily be able to form. I consider myself a trustworthy guy, and it's all about making sure you can be trusted by everyone, but that you trust no one, and that's my plan out here.