User blog comment:Iloveschool71/Season Announcement & Character Submissions/@comment-26365443-20160516020239

Name: Maryanne Farahmand (26) Tribe Designation: TBD Current Residence: Ventura, CA Occupation: Media Correspondent/Farsi Translator Personal Claim to Fame: I was both the prom queen and salutatorian of the class of '08 at my high school. I have an extremely hard work ethic and ranking second out of my whole class in terms of grades and being voted prom queen by my fellow peers means a lot to me. Inspiration in Life: My parents. They came to the US around the same time as the Iranian hostage crisis, at a time when Iranian weren't being seen in a very great light by most Americans. Still they persevered and worked hard and eventually became accepted by their neighbors. I wouldn't be here if not for their perseverance. Hobbies: Scrabble, soccer and, as loathe as I am to admit it, shopping. Pet Peeves: Islamophobia and other types of prejudice, and people who don't use deodorant. AKA, people who stink on the inside and people who stink on the outside. SURVIVOR Contestant You Are Most Like: Kelly Goldsmith. Smart, pretty and acid-tongued. Just like me. Reason for Being on SURVIVOR: I'm a little soft. My brother likes to joke that I'd die if I had to sleep in anything other than a bed with 800 thread count sheets. I'm looking to prove him wrong.   Why You Think You’ll “Survive” SURVIVOR: I've I like to think I'm relatable and I can reach out to people very easily. Hopefully I'll be able to get in a good alliance and ride that to the end. I don't care if that's boring, it works and it's reliable. Why You Think You Will Be the Sole SURVIVOR: In the five years I've been working as a media correspondent for TIME magazine, I've been to some pretty far-out locales including Iran, Palestine, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. In each instance, if me or my time made the wrong move or said the wrong thing, we'd been in deep trouble. However I can keep my head in stressful situations, which is a skill that translates well to the game of Survivor. Hopefully that, along with my intelligence and social skills can take me to the end.