Boston University sophomore Julia Sokolowski’s first crush seven years ago was a “Survivor” competitor, a BU alum nicknamed “Boston Rob” who went on to become a show legend. Now, Sokolowski, a student in the College of Communication, has the chance to reach that same status — she will compete on the show’s 32nd season, which will air beginning Feb. 17, CBS announced Wednesday.
“I was so excited when I found out that I was going to be on ‘Survivor,’” she said. “I’ve always wanted to be on it … As soon as I was old enough to apply, I sent in my application video right away.”
Sokolowski flew to Kaôh Rōng, Cambodia last spring with 17 other Americans, all from different walks of life and trying to “outplay, outwit and outlast” each other to win the grand prize of $1 million. Upon their arrival on the tropical, mostly barren island, the “castaways” were split up into three tribes based on what attribute they would rely on most in the competition — “Brains vs. Brawn vs. Beauty.” The winner, according to host Jeff Probst, would ideally use all three attributes to their advantage.
Sokolowski will be on the Beauty Tribe, known for its good looks and beautiful souls. Other members of her tribe include pro poker player Anna Khait and “Big Brother” alum and icon Caleb Reynolds.
Sokolowski has been a “super-fan” of the show since she was five, joining an elite group of followers who has seen every episode of every season. “Survivor” casting director Lynne Spillman said Sokolowski “knows the game” because of her super-fan status and knows what to expect, which will help her excel strategically.
“She is smart, she’s capable and knows the game,” Spillman wrote in an email.
Though some might see Sokolowski as the cliché for a young female castaway, she wants to break that mold. In the past, young women have mostly been known for being either evil and deceptive — one trio of twenty-somethings in Season 31 was referred to as the “Witches Coven” — or inconsequential players who get taken to the finale by a stronger player but do not win.
“Going into the show, obviously the objective is to win, and you want to try and do everything you can to win,” Sokolowski said. “But my overarching goal the entire show was to shatter the young girl stereotype. I really wanted to prove that my age isn’t going to be a factor in my gameplay, and I wanted to show everyone that I am capable of playing the game.”
She is the youngest woman to ever appear on the show — she was 18 when she started the season and turned 19 in while filming Cambodia.
Sokolowski said she enjoys the game primarily because of the adventure component.
“It’s unlike most reality television because it’s so unscripted,” she said. “It’s so natural. It’s like you really are out there trying [to] find food and trying to make fire and trying to build shelter and it’s tough.”
Producers are billing this season as one of the toughest in the history of the show due to Cambodia’s unrelenting heat and humidity and what appears to be several contestant medical evacuations, according to season promo videos.
“Cambodia is a hot place,” she said, only half joking. “It’s really warm out there. And that definitely takes toll on your body.”
This isn’t the first time Sokolowski has had to adapt to a completely new environment. Coming from a tiny town in Vermont, transitioning to BU was a huge shift for her.
“BU’s such a great place to be because you’re in a city, so you’re constantly exposed to new people and you really have to adapt,” she said. “I think that just being at BU in general has given me this global perspective that I needed to get myself on ‘Survivor.’”
Sokolowski, a public relations major, is a member of the Public Relations Student Society of America and Unleashed PR and is on the executive board of her sorority, Alpha Phi.
“Being in my sorority has really helped me with my social game,” she said. “Going through recruitment is not an easy process.”
Spillman touted Sokolowski’s people skills as a strength that could take her far in the game.
“She has the personality that she could be sly enough to pull people in or seem … naive so people don’t know that she’s a huge threat,” she wrote. “… She wouldn’t be afraid to make big moves in the game to stay in it.”
Sokolowski said she wants to prove herself on behalf of all the other super-fans out there.
“I just really wanted to prove that I can play.”
