Meet the 'Survivor 45' Cast! Kaleb Gebrewold Wants to Be "The Golden Retriever of Survivor"
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"I've never been qualified for anything I've ever done," Kaleb Gebrewold says in his interview with us. But season 45's sole Canadian has been working a variety of jobs for 15 years, as his problem-solving and confidence have made sure he always treads water (even in cases where he literally can't). Having been hooked onto Survivor by the villains, the 29-year-old comes to the island with plenty of plans to pull out of his bag of tricks (or Tickle Trunk).
Read on for my interview with Kaleb, and check in with Parade.com every day for interviews with this season's contestants and other tidbits. Survivor 45 premieres on September 27 with a 90-minute premiere on CBS.
Related: Meet the Full Cast of Survivor 45
Interview with Kaleb from Survivor 45
Why are you here on Survivor?
I mean, there are lots of reasons. Number one, I think I was a little bit offended. We had a Canadian winner in season 41 and season 42. And then what did they do in 43? They axe us from the profile! [Laughs.] I mean, at home, I was like, no offense to anybody here, but "Classic Americans." I gotta go out here and defend the throne a little bit. So that was a big motivation to jump in and put in my tape. But bigger than that, I feel like I'm a huge fan of the show. And I'm out here to win the million dollars.
I've never been qualified for anything I've ever done. So it almost feels like I'm perfectly qualified for Survivor. Whether getting my first job at 13, lying and saying I was 16 in order to go and sling pizzas in PoCo trying to make some money. Becoming a lifeguard, having never passed any swim lessons. [Laughs.] Starting a painting business at 17, quitting the lifeguarding thing to do that, having never painted a house before. But then, using that to pay for all my school, all my living expenses, and adding a security arm to that business and a Christmas light arm to the business. I'm always just kind of figuring it out. And now I'm in software sales. What's that about? [Laughs.] But I'm doing great. I'm working remotely, been doing that for five years. And so I'm just a problem solver, man. I just know once I get out there, I'm great with people. I'm a quick study. I'm gonna make it work, whatever it is.
With no offense, I'm glad you left being a lifeguard if you never passed any swim lessons. I feel like a lot of people's lives were unintentionally saved in the process. [Laughs.]
[Laughs.] I took the lifeguard certification courses. But if you're athletic enough, you can kind of get by on not actually knowing how to tread water.
Well, you just went through your occupational resume with me. But what about your Survivor resume? What's been your history watching the show?
I got a little bit of a different history than the people they cast nowadays. I'm one of the people who hasn't been watching since I've been two years old. The thing about me is, in TV shows and movies, I love good villains, the anti-heroes. Starting Survivor was an intentional thing. And what I decided to do was list out all of the best villain seasons of all time and just start going at them in order.
So I watched season one, then season six. And I also was kind of cross-referencing based on how good the season was. So it's like 1, 6, 7, 8, then I hit 13. I did 16, 19, 20. At that point, I'm hooked. And I did Redemption Island after that. Then, I think I jumped straight into Cagayan. And then I was thinking, "Well, I gotta go back and watch the other great seasons." And then I just went and filled in all the blanks. I'm the kind of person who loves the thrill of the game, who loves the TV show of the game, and the people who know how to take the moment and make a great story out of it. And I'm not talking about the story that you compare to your life, like a story you tell your kids about because it was so epic. That's what I love.
So, if I were to ask you for a Survivor winner and non-winner you identify with the most, would it be past villains, based on what you skewed your viewing around?
One winner who comes to mind would be Tyson. I'm a guy who likes to have a good time, make sure everyone else is having a good time, makes a lot of jokes, is going to probably be a part of the life of the party. But at the same time, I have a lot of awareness. Just from working in business and having my own business, understanding the people, and using humor almost to elevate other people up, so that way I can strategically put myself in the right position in the game. I think that's what Tyson did really well. He's a winner, but you can also call him a loser.
And same thing with the other guy I'd say: Jeremy. Both winners, both losers. You play this game long enough; you're gonna go both ways. The reason I would say Jeremy as a loser is because he played an unreal game in Winners at War, in my opinion, and even in San Juan del Sur the first time. But the thing about him is he's so charismatic that he's just always going to be targeted. I think I can empathize with that a little bit and have to align other people around me in order to not be the obvious threat in the group.
So, similar to Jeremy, are you gonna try to find some meat shields out here?
Yeah, big time. So obviously, you look at me. I mean, this might be a question you guys ask later on, in terms of how I might be perceived. I'm obviously going to be someone who can easily be considered a threat. I'm athletic. I'm one of the younger people here. I'm obviously great with people, charismatic, even if I lie about my job in sales. And so instead of trying to hide from that, and then people kind of whispering, "Oh, he might be a threat," my strategy is almost to be hiding in plain sight. To take this party energy and this young vibe, and spread it.
I want to consider myself the "golden retriever of Survivor." That's kind of how I see it. We've got a queen, a king, and a jester. I want to be the golden retriever, the person that people let into their yards, let into their homes. And then eventually, when it gets to the foot of their bed, and they fall asleep, that's when I do my damage. What they don't realize is this dog, he was raised by wolves. And that's what I want to bring. But the only way to do that is to get people to let you in. And so that's my first stage of the game: Be the party, be really obvious. I want to be Cody on the outside and Jesse on the inside. Let them see what they want to see and not actually realize what I'm doing behind the scenes.
You talk about visually looking like a threat. Was that part of your preparation for Survivor?
Yeah, great question. I mean, I quit weightlifting probably five months ago and jumped into CrossFit, which is also still weightlifting and working out. But it's a very different type of working out. You're not putting on muscle and getting cut, eating a lot of carbs. I was really trying to put on some fat not only to survive, but also to be able to kind of diminish that threat level. Did some yoga, rewatched a bunch of seasons, listened to a bunch of winner interviews on Rob Has a Podcast just to get in the mind of a winner. In my life, in the businesses that I run or what I do right now in sales, a smart man learns from his own mistakes; a wise man learns from someone else's. To take learnings from the people who have won the game, because you put all those little pieces together in here, I'm sure it's gonna be a good show.
You talked through all the jobs you had at the beginning of this, and it seems like you're constantly on the move. Which is an apt comparison to this "new era" 26-day game, where things are happening fast and frantic. You also talked up your problem-solving skills. How much do you think that will apply to the problems you'll experience on the island?
It's a great question. When I say problem-solving, I'm always kind of coming up with ways to be able to get the job done. But the thing about me is that the conventional wisdom might be like, "Hey, be a little bit quiet. Don't be so fun or try and become everyone's best friend." That doesn't work here. And I never really listened to the wisdom. I always try and bring myself. And I think by doing that and trying to solve these problems, it's a really potent cocktail.
Even if I'm not trying to, for example, run a million-dollar business, I'm going to try and have so much fun, to make so many stories and memories out of this, that it's going to connect with a lot of people in a way that just running the best business might not. One time, when I was running my business, I started with like a running program at a local high school, like a running club, so if I could have kids run in and hang door hangers for free. [Laughs.] Or another time, I photoshopped a photo of myself, and I made it a second person with me in the same photo. And I'd show it to homeowners and introduce them to my twin brother, Jamal. [Laughs.]
[Laughs.] Wait, you pretended you had a twin brother?!
Yeah. And now I'll be like, "He works for me. He's like my production guy." And that way, whenever I'd drop off ladders at 2:00 a.m., and they'd be like, "Kaleb, were you at my house last night? I saw you roaming around," I'd be like, "[Shakes head.] Jamal. I'm sorry. You try and give your family opportunities." [Laughs.] I'm always just trying to find the edge of, obviously, what's okay. I'm not trying to hurt anybody. But what's also going to be a really fun story and a time. And I think that not only translated really well in the business, because I think a lot of people laughed, and they thought that was hilarious in hindsight, and hopefully what I bring to Survivor.
Like a modern-day Tom Sawyer. Well, let's talk about perhaps finding a real-life Jamal out here on the island. What are you seeking in an alliance partner?
Number one is somebody who has good control over their emotions. Things are gonna get tough. You're probably going to have your own plan thrown out. And somebody who can manage that without blowing their lid–stay cool, as James might say from a couple seasons ago–that's the number one important thing for me. I just know we need to be able to have to play under pressure. And if we can't do that, that's going to be a problem.
The second thing I would say would be somebody who can also get along with a lot of other people and drive information. So, I'm not the only person who's going to be out there foraging. Survivor's a game where everyone's at an information deficit, and you're trying to put the picture together from everybody else. And so if I'm the only person who's gathering information, that's not going to be as valuable to me in an alliance partner. So I'm looking for somebody who can also bring that into the game as well. While the final piece being obviously somebody who I can position as a threat, so that way, I can continue to kind of invoke some of the meatshield things that we know that work.
Related: Everything to Know About Survivor 45
When it comes to perceptions, is there anyone in this time before the season that you're eyeballing as people you do or don't want to work with?
So, first of all, I'm pretty sure I know how the guy tribes are already gonna go. Just so I have it on the record here. Number one, there's going to be three young guys, I think that are going to be part of each tribe. I think that's supposed to be me. I think we got the guy who looks like a gorilla out of the Colombian jungles or something like that, right out of the Octagon. I've been calling him "Beefcake" this whole time. Every season is gonna have a little beefcake. The second person I have is "Johnny Tsunami." I'm calling him the surfer version of Frosti if you watched Survivor: China. And so I think I'm yellow, the big guy is red, and the surfer is blue.
Now I'm looking at who are the smart people on the tribe. I'm looking at "Lanky Blanky," the really long white guy there. And "Young Blood," the kid who looks like he might still be in high school, I'm not sure. So I'm looking at those two as kind of the smartest people. No one else is jumping out as being super smart from the guys. And so I'm thinking, "Okay, I'm a pretty smart guy. Maybe put myself in that category of a smart person." I think that Lanky Blanky's on the red tribe. I think Young Blood is on the blue tribe. Since we have Linky Blanky and Beefcake on red, I think that we're gonna have to put the weakest person here, who I've been calling "Hotter Geo," on that red tribe.
And then blue tribe, I feel like maybe spreading out the love a little bit. If we have a meat shield on one tribe, myself on this tribe, I think "Unc," our friend revisiting from last season, is going to be on that blue tribe. Which will leave me with "Wayne's World." And then, hopefully, what I would call my "gusband," hopefully my island husband out here, following Jesse and Dwight. So that is how I think the tribes are gonna lay out. So I've been sending lots of vibes to those two guys, getting myself ready.
If there's somebody who I'm worried about, it's the Flower Child. You know, the one I'm talking about, the one with the earrings and everything else. And here's the thing. I'm from Vancouver, Canada. We're on the West Coast. We have all sorts of spiritualities, from Wiccans to witches to all the other white hippies that you can find. I know her; I have friends exactly like her. So I know that she's going to be backpacking, wearing the Birkenstocks, probably from Colorado in the U.S. I know who she is without having met her yet. And I think that the danger with that is that I could be a person who epitomizes some of the things she morally is against, things like consumerism, things like being a partier and not doing it for the right reasons all the time. So I'm very wary of her. I think she also seems very independent, and somebody who might try and drum the women together for a women's alliance of some kind, considering what's happened the last few seasons with women on these three-tribe seasons. So she is the person who I'm most cautious of, and the person I'm hoping will not be on my tribe, looking across the field.
Let's say a boat shows up at your camp on Day 2, asking for one person to go on a journey. How would you approach the situation?
In the early premerge, I think it's better to hand off that responsibility. In my manifesto, due to be published never, because I'm never going to publish my manifesto, one of the rules is "make allies, then advantages." And so to me, I'd rather spend more quality time at the camp with the team. But once the tribe harmony has been more established, maybe we're deeper into the premerge, then I'm definitely going to be somebody who, if I can, try to go. If the other tribe is getting to pick two people to go with them, I'm making eye contact the whole time because I definitely want to go. I want to play the game. I want the advantages. I want to play hard. But I also know that an idol with no friends is not as powerful as you may hope it would be. It's a one-day pass. It's not a one-season pass. And so that's how I look at it.
What celebrity or fictional character would you want to come out for a Loved Ones visit?
So to me, in my life, if you're having a great time, other people want to come and hang out with you. And in this game, all I want to do is derive allies to me. So I want somebody I can shoot the shit with out of nothing. So I'm thinking maybe a comedian of some kind. I'm thinking a Dave Chappelle or a Bill Burr, someone who doesn't take themselves that seriously. Could kind of remark on what's going on here and probably give a lot of material. And us having such a good time, I feel like that's gonna bring more people in, which is only going to help my game.
Next, check out our Survivor 45 interview with contestant Hannah Rose.
