Kelly Smith

 is a contestant from Survivor: Trinidad.

Profile
Name (Age): Kelly Smith (52)

Current Residence: Ames, IA

Occupation: Piano Teacher

Claim to Fame: I teach more students than any other piano instructor in the entire city of Ames, and my Yelp reviews back up the fact that I give them the highest quality piano learning in the area. My unique approach to teaching - a complete lack of any negative reinforcement - makes my students actually want to practice at home and get better, unlike the witches two blocks over who I’ve been told still smack kids with rulers when they make mistakes. (rolls her eyes) Talk about medieval!

Inspiration in Life: There are so many folks my age who rant on end about the ungrateful younger generations, but I’m honestly inspired by them. It’s so cool to see kids take a stand and do things that none of us would’ve had the balls to do at their age, and as confusing as social media can be, I think it’s great that the youth is using it to try and raise awareness for their different causes. It gives me hope in this country moving forward.

Hobbies: I spend a huge chunk of my free time playing piano, both so I can keep my skill up to teach my students and because it’s one of my absolute favorite things to do. You know, there’s this guy, a piano teacher, who lives a few miles away from me and doesn’t even play piano during his free time? Absurd, right!? At least pretend to have some passion for what you do.

Pet Peeves: I can’t stand it when people don’t put heart into their jobs, or the way they live their lives. There are so many zombies walking along, no life in them, going through the motions each and every day of their lives, and I find that pitiful. My piano classes are so successful and renowned because I care deeply for each and every student I teach, as well as the art of playing piano itself. When people don’t have drive, that’s when my conversation with them ends.

3 Words to Describe You: Motivated, passionate, & proud

If you could bring 3 things onto the island with you, what would you bring and why?: A keyboard with a power generator so that I can keep playing piano even while I’m away from home, a roll of toilet paper since the idea of being gross or wiping with leaves disgusts me, and I’d obviously sneak some snacks into my bag so that I don’t starve as badly. (smirks)

SURVIVOR Contestant you are most like: Alexa Miller from Gilbert Islands, no question about it. She had a tremendous amount of drive and passion in her to keep surviving despite being in such a bad spot for so long in the game, and that’s the exact same energy I’m bringing with me out here. If I end up in the minority, you best believe I’m fighting my ass off to get in a better position or to at least last another three days. I don’t lay down and die when my ass is on the line; never have, never will.

Reason for being on SURVIVOR: Ah, the same question I asked myself constantly during the application process because of everything I’d be leaving behind. (laughs) I’ve thought about this a lot, so I already know the answer is to save up for my retirement. I do make a decent living from piano lessons, but at the same time, I haven’t done the best job of saving up money for when I eventually decide to call it quits. A million bucks would do a huge amount of that work for me, so yeah, I’m here for the money. (smiles)

Why you will be the Sole Survivor: Who the hell is going to vote out the kooky old piano lady? (laughs) In all seriousness, while I might be pretty boisterous at times, I don’t think I’ll be on a lot of people’s radars as a target. I can hold my own well enough physically, and I like to think I get along well with people, so that plus my sheer force of will is what’s going to get me the Survivor crown.