Credit: Robert VoetsName: Xander Hastings
Age: 21
Hometown: Jacksonville, Fla.
Current Residence: Chicago, Ill.
Occupation: App developer
Hobbies: Free climbing, road tripping, antique shopping, graphic design
3 Words to Describe You: Independent, resilient, adventurous
Pet Peeves: Laziness and cockiness, especially from people who like to bark orders
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Nike Cross Nationals is the Super Bowl of cross country, and I love that people were baffled that my high school team even qualified. The conditions on race day were grim. The field was hilly, drenched, and oozing mud, the temp was a bone-chilling 40 degrees, it was pouring rain and clearly no place for a Florida boy. Everyone was miserable, but seeing the best of the best riddled with fear and intimidation, I felt a surge of confidence. Despite predictions that we would flop, we placed in the top 10.
What is something we would never know from looking at you? I love the pursuit of knowledge and experience. I could spend hours discussing the genius of Richard Serra's commission for the NYC IRS building, or how Mandarin enables the mind to think more creatively, or the lab I just finished on rendering an image of the Crab Nebula using doppler shift and Kepler's Third Law, or an algorithm for my latest app's feed widget, or the golden warmth of the sun as it crests the horizon on a cold morning in Rocky Mountain National Park, or meandering through the crowded bazaars of western China. I want to live a thousand lives before mine is over.
Who is your hero and why? Undoubtedly my dad. That man sacrifices everything for his family and especially for me to live out my exuberant adventures and ambitions. He served in the Navy, Peace Corps, and now serves as a prominent doctor in the Jacksonville community. People adore him, most of all me. Above all, he lets me know he's proud of me and supports me in any direction I want to take my life.
Which past Survivor will you play the game most like? Any of the pretty-boy-challenge-beast-charmers, just take your pick: Jay, Joe, Devon. I think I'd play most like Jay, a fellow Florida boy, using physical powers to get me to the merge, but more importantly making strong bonds, charming all and secretly thinking hyper-strategically.
Why do you believe you can win Survivor? I will be the final Survivor because I'm the jack-of-all-trades and there's nothing in life that can stop me. If I'm not happy with my situation, I change it and shape the world the way I want to see it. I form deep bonds in every social sphere I encounter and live such a diverse life, there's no one I can't relate to and empathize with. I'm disciplined and won't rest until the million is mine, and no matter what I won't get complacent or cocky.
Questions from EW:
https://ew.com/tv/survivor-41-cast-photos-bios/?slide=9232d647-5dfa-476d-acee-0c4237d5aa8b#9232d647-5dfa-476d-acee-0c4237d5aa8b
