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March 1, 2002/Adar 17, 5762, Vol. 54, No. 24
Out of Africa: The nice guy winsGERRI MILLERSometimes, even in the cutthroat world of Survivor, nice guys do finish first. Amid the back-stabbing machinations of his fellow competitors, soccer player Ethan Zohn emerged as the million-dollar winner of the African installment of the reality series on Jan. 10. The 28 year-old Lexington, Mass., native barely had time to absorb the fact that he'd won before he was thrust before the media at a CBS party."It's pretty crazy," Zohn summed up, acknowledging that the win "will be a life-altering experience, but it's not going to change the person inside. But it will be a crazy ride, I'm sure." Getting to that victorious point involved emotional, physical and mental challenges that tested his fortitude. "Sometimes I didn't think I could do it," Zohn admitted, citing the hunger and discomfort he had to endure for 39 days. A vegetarian since he was 13, shortly after his bar mitzvah, Zohn nevertheless had to drink blood during a challenge. "I had to do it. It wasn't my choice but if I didn't do it I could have been gone," he explained. "You have to make some sacrifices." Once he came home to New York City, where he currently lives, Zohn wolfed down Rice Krispies Treats "until (he) almost passed out," and in a lapse from vegetarianism, ate Buffalo chicken wings, a meal he'd craved in Africa, where the starving Survivors talked constantly about food. "I craved things that I never craved before I left," Zohn noted. He also relished the physical comforts of home, as in Africa, "nothing had a back to it. You're always leaning on something or lying down. It was nice to get home to a cushiony couch where I could lean back." Zohn, who has traveled the world playing soccer in such locales as Hawaii, Zimbabwe and Israel, representing the U.S. at the Maccabiah Games (he had to bow out of the 2001 Games due to a conflict with Survivor), ranks his African experience among his best. "Every morning, a breathtaking sunrise. And sunset. The animals. The environment is just breathtaking. It was nice to step back from the game every now and again and look around and take it all in," he said. "I loved Africa." After playing soccer with the Cape Cod Crusaders for five years, Zohn realized that he may have reached his peak as a player and became a coach at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey. He now hopes to use some of his winnings to start a soccer league for inner city youth. "In New York City, there are so many kids that go unnoticed. Great soccer players. They can't afford to play in the leagues because it's so expensive. So maybe, now I have the platform where I can do something. Maybe give a little back." Zohn, a budding inventor (he's been pitching a vitamin-fortified coffee) and product namer (he came up with KF Secrets for Kentucky Fried Chicken), also plans to spend some of his winnings on his family, including "28 years of missed birthday presents" for his brothers. His million-dollar smile (the product of orthodontia, reveals mom Rochelle), may have endorsement agents calling, but while Zohn doesn't rule out pitchman duties, he stresses that it's not his main concern. "I'm pretty happy that I won Survivor. It's what I set out to do. I'm not going to turn the other way, but it wasn't why I did it." Winning has earned him great perks nevertheless. Zohn will be attending soccer's World Cup in Korea this year, a trip arranged by talk show host Rosie O'Donnell. The next installment of "Survivor," set in on the island of Nuku Hiva, in the Marquesas archipelago of French Polynesia, premiered Feb. 28 and airs 7 p.m. Thursdays on CBS-Channel 5. Gerri Miller is a free-lance writer living in Los Angeles. |
