Meet the 'Survivor 44' Cast! Frannie Marin Vows Not to "Shrink Herself" in the Game

The 23-year-old from Massachusetts is playing with a combination of mindfulness and customer service experience.

Frannie Marin loves the "tornado of chaos" that is the new era of Survivor. But she hopes to be the calm in the center of the storm, putting into practice the mindfulness and self-compassion she currently studies as a research manager. But it's actually her time at a nail salon that the 23-year-old is pulling on the most, hoping her customer experience service gave her the tips (French and otherwise) she needed to handle all sorts of personalities without coming across as a big schemer.

Read on for my interview with Frannie, and make sure to check in with Parade.com every day for interviews with this season's contestants and other tidbits. Survivor 44 premieres on March 1 with a special two-hour premiere on CBS.

Related: Meet the Full Cast of Survivor 44

Interview with Frannie from Survivor 44

Tell us about yourself.
My name is Frannie Marin. I'm 23 years old. And I work in research, but I work in research at a mindfulness and compassion center. So I look at how things like meditation and self-compassion can help treat mental and physical conditions.

Why are you here on Survivor?
Survivor is honestly the trifecta of all the things that excite me. I am in social psychology, so I love the idea of learning how people interact with each other and trying to kind of infiltrate these different group dynamics that we'll have in our tribe. I love the physical component, just challenging yourself past where you thought your body could go. And then also the mental and spiritual component of pushing yourself past your limits and seeing what you're made of.

What's your history with watching Survivor?
The first season I saw was actually Cagayan. I hadn't even heard of the show before that. But I was just flipping through channels one day, and I saw Tony running across my TV screen. And I was like, "What is going on?" And I love that season, obviously, and was just immediately hooked. I went back and watched almost every single season. I have studied this game so much. And I'm just steeped in the culture of Survivor for the past couple of years.

Give me one Survivor winner and one non-winner who you identify with the most.
I love Sophie Clarke. I think she is such an underrated winner. I think that she's such a badass. She didn't take [expletive] from anybody. I think that she's just like such a powerful woman, and I really try to emulate that as much as I can. So I try to identify with her as much as possible. And then, a non-winner, I love Gabby Pascuzzi so much. She jokes about how she cried on the island. And I think that I will be just the same way. I think both of us play a lot with our heads, but we also play a lot with our hearts and take our emotions really seriously. So I hope to play like her as well out there.

What's your favorite moment in Survivor history?
Honestly, the moments that I remember the most are just the silly things that happened in the show. Like Sean on the horses. Or Rob Cesternino talking about Britney Spears and asparagus spears. Probably a more serious moment that I love is when Christian was fighting against Alec in that five-and-a-half-hour Immunity Challenge. That was just the ultimate David versus Goliath matchup that just perfectly summed up the season.

What's one life experience you feel has prepared you most for the game?
So I worked actually at a nail salon for several years. Very busy place, a very intense environment. People literally coming in and screaming at me about their nails. And I was in charge of navigating all our customers, but also all of our technicians, and just keeping everybody happy, keeping things moving when there were a million different parts that I had to take into account all at once. And that kind of customer service, I think, is really good preparation for something out here like Survivor. Because you're constantly trying to understand everyone's motivations and needs and keep them all happy and satisfied, and that's something I really learned how to do when I was working there.

What excites you the most about the new era of Survivor?
What excites me the most about the new era is honestly just the pace of the game. I think it's so fun that this game has turned into this swirling tornado of chaos. I know it introduces a lot of uncertainty and randomness, which can really hurt a lot of players' games. But if you can be that calm in the eye of the storm, then I think you can really make a lot of exciting things happen amidst all the chaos. And that's kind of what I hope to do in this new era.

What do you think people will perceive you as?
People will probably perceive me as kind of nerdy and smart. Just with the way I talk. I'm going to try not to be Michaela, plotting four moves ahead in the sand. Because I don't want them to know how far ahead I'm thinking in this game. But I think it'll be hard for me not to come off as the person that people want to put in for puzzles or the person who people will go to for strategy. But I hope people also perceive me as being really excited and a really fun person to be around in this game.

What type of player are you looking for in an alliance?
I want somebody that is predictable to me. They don't have to be super predictable in general. I don't necessarily need somebody who's really stable, who's always going to tell the truth. But I want somebody that I can really understand so that I have that person who I can talk through strategy with and really think through moves carefully. But hopefully, I'll also know them well enough that I'll be able to see when they're going to turn on me and be able to plan ahead for that.

How eager will you be to look for advantages in the game?
(Laughs.) I will probably be very eager to look for advantages in the game. Just in general, I really like to look for things. I'm always picking up leaves I find or little scraps of things on the street. So I kind of have that curious eye as I move through my world. So I think I'm always going to be looking for idols walking around the beach or things in challenges. If I'm sitting on a bench, you better believe I'm going to tear that bench apart looking for an advantage. A big priority for me out here is always being curious and keeping my eye out.

What is the one thing you told yourself you wouldn't do in this game?
The one thing I am telling myself not to do in this game is to shrink myself. I don't want to make myself smaller in any way. Not like literally, but figuratively. I don't want to dampen my personality, dampen myself. I don't want to make smaller moves because I don't want to upset the apple cart. I really want to be the biggest, fullest version of myself out here. I don't want to hide out here. I want to be out and loud and proud.

What's the best advice you received before coming out to play?
(Laughs.) The best advice I received was from my mom. So we both love Michaela from Millennials vs. Gen X and Game Changers. And she and I always remember that moment when she is with her tribemates, and she's thinking four moves ahead and drawing things out in the sand. And they're all just kind of looking at her like, "Oh my god, this girl is thinking ahead." And so my mom, remembering that moment and loving that moment, told me that I think the same way as Michaela. (Laughs.) She knows that I will also be thinking four moves ahead. So she told me to keep that under wraps. Talk through things with people one or two moves ahead. But never let anybody know just how prepared you are for the rest of the game.

Can you come up with your own weird phrase that could be said at a challenge to unlock an idol?
(Laughs.) "This makes me gobble like a turkey."

What celebrity or fictional character would you want to come out for a Loved Ones visit?
I kind of have a crush on Michael Pollan, the author. I just think he's so cool. His books are so well written. And he's chosen to write about such interesting topics throughout his career. So I'll probably invite him just to chat with him about food and the body and psychedelics, everything that he knows so much about.

Next, check out our interview with Survivor 44 contestant Danny Massa.