Meet the 'Survivor 44' Cast! Josh Wilder is Playing for the Donor Who Saved His Life

The surgical podiatrist from Atlanta is leaning on his physicality to become his tribe's provider.

Josh Wilder was not supposed to make it to the island, let alone past five years of age. But a life-saving transplant 25 years ago put the 34-year-old on a path that led him to become a surgical podiatrist. And, true to his job, he has a clinical way of approaching the game, wanting to be a challenge asset and provider in the premerge before using his skills of adaptability from years in the operating room to make a sprint for the end.

Read on for my interview with Josh, 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 Josh from Survivor 44

Why are you here on Survivor?
I'm here on Survivor because that basically does fulfill my adventurous side. When I was born, I was born with a congenital deformity called prune belly syndrome, where basically my kidneys weren't fully functioning. So I wasn't supposed to live past five years old. Thank God I got a kidney transplant when I was nine years old by a cadaveric transplant donor, Kristen Reagle. She died at the age of 15 by a drunk driver; it was like her life hadn't even started.

So because of that, ever since then, I've always wanted to live my life through her because I'm living for two people. And when knowing about her, she was always adventurous. She liked to be outdoors. She was just a really bubbly person. So I'm doing this for her. And for my family. And just because I love Survivor and it's the best game show ever.

What's your history with watching Survivor?
So I started watching Survivor when it came out in May 2000 with my family. It was just a new show that no one's ever done before. And my family was very athletic. We like to be outdoors and doing stuff like that. So we always watched it every Thursday night. And I've seen almost every season except a couple because of med school and college and everything. So we're very, very hardcore fans.

Give me one Survivor winner and one non-winner who you identify with the most.
One Survivor winner that I identify with the most would have to be Jeremy. And then the non-winner would be Davie for sure, just because he was a great overall social player and did very well in the challenges. But he got voted off in sixth place. And I want to be the winner.

What's your favorite moment in Survivor history?
Probably when Cirie and the dynamic six–I don't think they're called six–but it was the six women who voted out one of the guys because he gave up his idol. Sorry, I'm blanking on the names. But he gave up his idol, and they kicked them out. And there were six women, and they dominated that whole season. But that moment in time, that stands out the most to me at this point.

What's one life experience you feel has prepared you most for the game?
Probably being a surgeon, because you always have to be prepared for something to go wrong. In the operating room, you're prepared for a linear progression from A to B, but that always doesn't go the way you want it to. It's never A to B. It's always B to D or C to F. So always being prepared for the next step and having a backup plan and a backup plan to that backup plan has prepared me as well. Also, being athletic, doing obstacle course races once or twice a year has prepared me for the challenges because I liked that competitive nature and that side of things.

What excites you the most about the new era of Survivor?
What scares me is all those twists make it hard for you to play a game with your alliance. So honesty and integrity kind of go out the window with this game. When it first came out, I told myself, "I'm gonna play an honest game. I'm gonna have my numbers and not backstab." But with this new era, there's no way you can do that, because there are always new twists and turns. So that's exciting. I mean, it's more of a mental, emotional game now. Everything's new, and I'm very excited to do it.

What do you think people will perceive you as?
I think they'll perceive me as athletic, and one that provides for my tribemates at first. And I want to be more social and inclusive with my tribemates so I can get to the end. And at that point, it's gloves off. I'm going to backstab, cheat, and do what I need to do to get there. But at first, I'm gonna play a very social game, be athletic, be the provider. And then once we merge, God willing, then I'm going to do what I need to do. All bets are out the window.

What type of player are you looking for in an alliance?
Someone who will have my back. Honesty and trustworthiness to an extent. You can't really trust anybody in this game. But every Ricard needs a Shan and vice versa. So I want that one person to be my ride or die, my wingman or wing woman up until the merge, and then we can split off. But to get to that point, you have to feel everybody out. And to do that, I want to try to avoid Tribal Council as much as possible by winning challenges, being a supporter, being the provider, and just keeping our team nice and tight. So definitely need that one person with honesty and trustworthiness.

How eager will you be to look for advantages in the game?
Very eager. That's one of the top things on my list to do. Because I'm already perceived as a threat with my athletic ability, so I want to keep winning challenges, be social, so I can find my one wing person, and then find these hidden advantages and hidden immunity idols so I can get further in the game so that I won't be perceived as a bigger threat than I'm already perceived as.

What is the one thing you told yourself you wouldn't do in this game?
I told myself that I wouldn't let my emotions get the best of me, and I wouldn't let other people play on my emotions. And it's probably easier said than done. But I've seen it before on Survivor. People play on emotions and tug at that and use that against them. So I need to keep my eye on the prize and not let people or my tribemates get me roused up, or use certain stories against me with their emotions and not let that overcome me. Kind of like what Jonathan was doing with Maryanne. He was getting annoyed with her a little bit. But he kept his emotions in check because he knew that would put a target on his back.

What's the best advice you received before coming out to play?
Just be yourself.

Can you come up with your own weird phrase that could be said at a challenge to unlock an idol?
"The Eye of the Tiger is very full." (Laughs.) They come up with some interesting ones there. It's very cool.

What celebrity or fictional character would you want to come out for a Loved Ones visit?
I would love to see Usher. I've always been a big fan of Usher. And I always was told I look like him back in the past; I don't think I do. But I am a big fan. 

Next, check out our interview with Survivor 44 contestant Heidi Lagares-Greenblatt.