Sophie ClarkeBiographyHometown: Willsboro, New York
Current residence: Santa Monica, California
Previous seasons: Winner of Survivor: South Pacific (Season 23)
Occupation: Healthcare Consultant
Hobbies: Soccer, skiing, podcasts, reading, and walking
Pet peeves: Men who feign confusion about the difference between explaining and mansplaining.
Three words to describe you: Unclean, tenacious, and chameleon-like.
When did you first watch Survivor?
May 31, 2000. I was 10 years old. My dad was writing a book about islands and thought the show was a "documentary" so made us watch for "research."
Do you still watch Survivor?
Religiously.
Who is your inspiration in life?
My grandmother. She's 90 and brilliant, effortlessly cooks dinner for 12, reuses postal stamps, gardens, paints beautifully, and writes IN CAPS LOCK FOR EFFECT.
What does Survivor mean to you and your family?
To me, being a Survivor fan means that I get to live two lives at once. In one life, I spend my week working, cooking, exercising and sleeping... but in the other, I'm watching previews and catching up on behind-the-scenes on Mondays (research for my pool-pick), rushing home to watch live and follow along with the Know-it-Alls on Wednesdays, waking up early on Thursdays to soak in the Ponderosa edits, and debating the merits of "big moves" during long walks with my fiancé on Saturdays.
What is one way playing Survivor changed your life?
Survivor built my confidence, giving me the guts to deviate from a more traditional path (I chose not to become a doctor after graduating medical school), and pursue a more uncertain career.
As Survivor approaches Season 40 and celebrates 20 years on television, what does it mean to be a part of the legacy?
It's still so surreal to me that I was basically sucked into the screen of my favorite TV show and am beyond grateful and humbled to be etched into the Survivor canon, hanging on—however precariously—in the top 25 of Dalton Ross' winner rankings and on the tails of some of my favorite players of all time. Tony! Tom! Kim! Ethan! Cochran!
How will you play differently than you did in your past season?
I hope to be less afraid of failure, more open to taking risks, and more embracing of, rather than frustrated by, unknown variables in the game.
