One of the worst kept secrets has been made public…John Rocker will be appearing on the latest installment of “Survivor”.
That’s right, when the 29th(!) season of the popular CBS television show premieres September 24, the 39-year-old former reliever and his girlfriend, Julie McGee (a model and spray tan business owner) will be among the 18 contestants vying for the million dollar payday that comes with outwitting, outplaying and outlasting the other castaways.
The stunt casting of Rocker on “Survivor: San Juan del Sur – Blood vs. Water” is interesting. No, not because he’s a former professional athlete (there have been some others that have made their way to the show), but because of the long shadow that infamous 1999 Sports Illustrated interview has cast on him and the fact that there’s absolutely no way the show’s producers won’t try and provoke him by putting him in awkward social situations.
And while Rocker’s involvement will definitely be what everyone will be talking about, Albert Destrade, who finished third on 2011’s “Survivor: South Pacific”, thinks the embattled ballplayer can, potentially, use the show to help change his image.
“I think a lot of Rocker’s success or failure on ‘Survivor’ will be dependent on how introspective he’s been about his controversial time in the spotlight,” Destrade told The Hall. “If he’s the kind of person who can look back and say, wow I really looked like a jackass publicly and was pretty much the poster boy for ignorance and intolerance, he might use this opportunity to maybe show there’s more to him than a vitriolic bigot. Then again, usually a leopard doesn’t change it’s a spots so its probably more likely we’ll see the opposite.”
And how does show host Jeff Probst feel about Rocker’s involvement?
“John Rocker is fascinating…I love having John on the show,” Probst told Today.com. “Separating everything you think about Rocker and his career and statements he’s made, I like that a guy would come into this game, which is already challenging enough, and do it with the added baggage of being a professional athlete who’s made a lot of money and been very famous and has made controversial statements. Those are big targets on his back, along with his 6 foot 5 frame, that you don’t need in ‘Survivor’.”
In his pre-show interview, Rocker revealed his plans. Basically, he’s hoping to play “under the radar” and “by the seat of my pants”. Yikes. But, what remains to be seen is how the former fireballer will respond to up to 39 days in the elements of south-west Nicaragua
“If I can tell you one thing for sure, it’s that playing Survivor under those conditions, with those stressors, will bring out a person’s truest self. And, unfortunately for John Rocker that might not be the prettiest picture,” Destrade, now a hitting coach for Barry University, added. “Nevertheless, I’ll still be rooting for the guy. It’s hard not to love a fool hardy baseball guy. But if he starts acting up out there, I’ll probably turn on him like any other player I see playing irrational, sub-optimal Survivor strategy.”
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