Darnell Peterson

 is a contestant from Survivor: Royals vs. Rebels.

Profile
Name (Age): Darnell Peterson (37)

Tribe Designation: (Royals)

Current Residence: Statesboro, GA

Occupation: College Professor

Claim to Fame: Being the youngest sociology professor at Georgia Southern University when I was first hired ten years ago. It took a lot of hard work to get to where I am today in my field, but that hard work definitely paid off.

Inspiration in Life: My parents. Both of them grew up poor during the height of racial segregation, but despite all of the hardships they faced and the fact that they had every excuse in the world to give up and not achieve greatness, they worked their asses off each and every day in order to get enough money to send me to college in the first place, which is how I got where I am today. Without them and their work ethic, I wouldn’t be anywhere close to the man I am today.

Hobbies: I’m a pretty busy guy, so I don’t have a lot of time for hobbies, but I’m a pretty big Survivor fan. I try not to miss any episodes, and if I do miss some, I’ll watch them on my DVR when I get the chance. It’s interesting to apply my knowledge of sociology to the game that is being played, which is a huge reason why I applied in the first place.

Pet Peeves: “First world” problems, as they’re called. I hate when people who are well-off complain about minor things when less fortunate people would be blessed to have even half of what those people have. I know what adversity is from my parents, and no, your phone being black instead of white does not count as “adversity.”

3 Words to Describe You: Laidback, calm, and friendly

What Makes You a “Royal”: I mean, I’m a pretty traditional person. I’m not really a fan of doing crazy, flashy things for attention or to be “unique.” To each their own, but I’m just a more reserved, quiet person than most people, which makes me pretty standard, I guess? I don’t rebel against society really, so I wouldn’t work well as a rebel.

Who is More Suited for Survivor: Royals or Rebels: The Royals for sure. Rebels might get points for making the big moves and shaking things up, but a Royal is winning this game because we’re the quiet, background players who don’t get as much attention. While the Rebels are running around like chickens with their heads cut off, we Royals are waiting calmly in the shadows, making friendships, and casually tossing aside any Rebels at the end. It’s not a flashy, “big moves” type game that gets you the win - it’s a calm, smart, calculated game, and that’s where the Rebels will struggle.

Reason for Being on Survivor: I love the show, especially when I apply my knowledge of sociology to it. It’s just such an interesting idea and the show itself is pretty entertaining too, with the blindsides and all that. I’ve always wanted to play this game ever since the show started almost 20 years ago, and to finally have been selected is really exciting.

Why You Will Be the Sole Survivor: I’m a college professor and I’m pretty smart when it comes to strategy because of that, but just looking at me, almost nobody would expect me to be a college professor or even expect me to be smart. I’m playing that up even more on the show. I just want to be the relaxed, 30-something guy who’s cool to have around and isn’t much of a threat in the strategy department. Little do they know, I’ll be waiting for my time to strike, and they’ll never see it coming.