Nick Wilson (Survivor contestant)

Last updated

Nick Wilson
Rep. Nick Wilson.jpg
Member of the KentuckyHouseofRepresentatives
from the 82nd district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 1, 2023
Committees
  • Families & Children
  • Judiciary
  • Tourism & Outdoor Recreation

Nicolas Joseph Caleb Wilson (born June 11, 1990) is an American reality TV star and politician currently serving as a Republican member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from Kentucky's 82nd House district. His district includes Whitley County and parts of Laurel County. [1] [2] He also competed on the reality competition show Survivor .

Contents

Wilson was voted the winner of Survivor's thirty-seventh season, Survivor: David vs. Goliath , in 2018, and returned in 2020 for the fortieth season, Survivor: Winners at War , to compete against former winners in the Survivor franchise, [3] where he would finish in seventh place.

Early life

Wilson grew up in Williamsburg, Kentucky. [4] [5] Wilson's parents divorced while he was growing up. His grandmother helped raise him and his four siblings while they stayed with their father. He became the first person in his family to graduate from college when he completed a Bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Kentucky. [ citation needed ] At Kentucky, he became a member of Kappa Sigma (Beta-Nu) fraternity. He eventually went on to the University of Alabama School of Law and graduated to become a public defender.[ citation needed ] While at Alabama, his mother died due to a drug overdose. [6] [7]

Survivor

David vs. Goliath

As part of the original David tribe, Wilson began his game with a bit of a rocky start, being seen as someone who was lazy and sat around camp all day. In particular, he became targeted by tribemates Pat Cusack and Carl Boudreaux. However, Wilson was spared from the chopping block of the first tribal council when Cusack was medically evacuated following the season's first immunity challenge. Afterward, Wilson immediately shifted his focus and became an aggressive alliance-builder, crafting one-on-one allegiances with several players in the game. In the next Tribal Council, Wilson voted with Christian Hubicki (with whom he'd founded the Mason-Dixon Alliance), Elizabeth Olson (together, the Thoroughbreds), Gabby Pascuzzi and Lyrsa Torres to send Jessica Peet out of the game. Wilson also forged a friendship with Davie Rickenbacker during this time.

A tribe swap occurred on Day Ten, putting Wilson on the Jabeni tribe with Torres and three former Goliaths: Natalie Cole, Mike White and Angelina Keeley. During his time on Jabeni, Wilson aligned with White and Keeley, and together the three of them ousted Cole (a former Goliath) and Torres (a former David) at the next two Tribal Councils. This alliance would become a crucial fulcrum in the rest of the season.

The merge occurred with thirteen players, forming the Kalokalo tribe. From that point, Wilson became part of an alliance with Hubicki and Pascuzzi from the Davids, as well as White, Alec Merlino and Alison Raybould from the Goliaths. Olson became the first person unanimously voted from the merge. Afterwards, Wilson found a vote stealer advantage. At the next Tribal Council, he voted with the Davids to blindside Goliath John Hennigan with a hidden immunity idol play and minority vote split. The former Goliaths remained in control of the numbers with a 6–5 advantage, but Wilson used his advantage along with Boudreaux's idol nullifier to send Goliath Dan Rengering to the jury. At the next Tribal Council, Merlino was unanimously sent to the jury, giving the surviving David players the majority.

At this point, Wilson and most of the Davids sought to target Raybould, but tribal lines were crossed when Hubicki and Pascuzzi flipped on their original alliances to orchestrate Boudreaux's elimination, leaving Wilson out of the vote. Frustrated by their betrayal, Wilson sought revenge. He and Keeley won the Family Visit in the next reward challenge, and together they selected White and Davie Rickenbacker to accompany them. They forged a Final Four deal on the reward, with the idea that Hubicki would be the next target. However, Hubicki sensed the tide had turned on him and played an immunity idol, voiding the votes against him and causing Pascuzzi (who had been attempting to engineer Hubicki's elimination) to be sent to the jury. Hubicki's safety would prove short-lived, as he was soon eliminated at the following Tribal Council.

At the Final Six, Wilson won his first immunity challenge of the season. During this time, he strengthened his bonds with Keeley and White, agreeing to a Final Three deal. Wilson once more attempted to target Raybould, but Rickenbacker was eliminated instead, having been seen as a bigger threat by White and Keeley. Furious at Rickenbacker's boot at the hands of his own allies, Wilson was now the last David standing. However, he secured his safety within the game by winning the next immunity challenge, finally ousting Raybould from the game as a result. He then went on to win the final immunity challenge of the season, becoming the only player from the season to win multiple immunities as well as guaranteeing his spot in the Final Tribal Council. Wilson selected Keeley to sit alongside him at the Final Three, forcing Kay and White to compete for the final slot via the Fire-Making Challenge. White won, cementing the Jabeni Three's final pact as well as sending Kay to the jury. Since the introduction of the final four forced fire-making challenge, Wilson is the first castaway to win the Final Immunity Challenge, not compete in the fire-making tiebreaker, and go on to win the season. [8]

During the Final Tribal Council, Wilson was praised for his social and strategic acumen as well as his immunity wins, but was criticized for his game peaking too early, whereas much of the game's final maneuvers were credited to White. However, Wilson highlighted on the bonds he'd made with the other players, citing his role as an underdog who represented the spirit of the season's theme. Wilson's impassioned speech, which neatly outlined his gameplay, swayed seven of the ten jurors to vote for him, giving him the title of Sole Survivor. [9] [10] [11]

With his victory, Wilson became the ninth winner in Survivor history to win the game while receiving zero votes cast against them the entire game. [12]

Winners at War

He returned to compete on the show's first all-winners season, Survivor: Winners at War . [13] [14] Wilson was initially a part of the Dakal tribe. While he would receive one vote in both the first two Tribal Councils he attended, he was not voted out. At the merge, Wilson found himself on the bottom for the first couple of votes, before finding himself in a good spot. He won a crucial immunity challenge at the Final Seven, which was needed as he was the target. At the Final Six (before the last Edge of Extinction re-entry challenge), Wilson received an advantage from Natalie Anderson (who was on Edge of Extinction), which allowed him to give another player a disadvantage in the immunity challenge, and he would need to pay eight Fire Tokens to purchase this. Wilson, who had six tokens, got two tokens from Michele Fitzgerald and purchased the advantage. He used the advantage against Ben Driebergen at the immunity challenge. However, Wilson was voted out that night, as Sarah Lacina felt that his underdog story made him a threat. Wilson was eliminated from the game after failing to win the final re-entry Edge of Extinction challenge.

At the Final Tribal Council, Wilson voted for Tony Vlachos to win, which he did in a 12–4–0 vote, making him the series' second two-time winner. [15]

Career

His mother's death helped Wilson understand that he could use his platform as a public defender more than his own personal success. He felt a responsibility to return to his hometown and help his community. Upon graduation, Wilson became a public defender in his hometown. His main focus is fighting the opioid epidemic. [7] In January 2019, he started a new position with the Kentucky Commonwealth's Attorney Office. [16]

Kentucky House of Representatives

In November 2021, Wilson announced that he was running for a seat in the Kentucky House of Representatives, for the 82nd District, which includes his hometown of Williamsburg. Wilson, who is a Republican, was endorsed by retiring incumbent Regina Huff. [17] Wilson was elected after running unopposed in the 2022 Kentucky House of Representatives election, winning with 10,257 votes. [18] He also faces no opposition in the 2024 Kentucky House of Representatives election to be held on November 5. [19]

Personal life

On January 14, 2019, Wilson received the key to the city of Williamsburg and was given his own day, "Nick Wilson Day," on January 16. [20]

Wilson is married to Grisel Vilchez. [16]

Related Research Articles

<i>Survivor</i> (franchise) Reality television franchise

Survivor is a reality-competition television franchise produced in many countries around the world. The show features a group of contestants deliberately marooned in an isolated location, where they must provide basic survival necessities for themselves. The contestants compete in challenges for rewards and immunity from elimination. The contestants are progressively eliminated from the game as they are voted out by their fellow contestants until only one remains to be awarded the grand prize and named the "Sole Survivor".

<i>Survivor: Palau</i> Season of television series

Survivor: Palau is the tenth season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. The season filmed from November 1, 2004, through December 9, 2004, and premiered on February 17, 2005. Filming took place in Koror, Palau. Hosted by Jeff Probst, it consisted of the usual 39 days of gameplay with 20 competitors, the most the series had ever begun with up to that point.

<i>Survivor: Cook Islands</i> Season of television series

Survivor: Cook Islands is the thirteenth season of the American competitive reality television series, Survivor. The season was filmed from June 26 to August 3, 2006, and premiered on September 14 of that year. Filmed in the Cook Islands, it was broadcast by CBS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cirie Fields</span> American nurse and reality TV personality

Cirie Tiffany Fields is an American nurse and television personality who competed on four seasons of Survivor. She first appeared in 2006 on Survivor: Panama, finishing in 4th place. In 2008, she returned and placed 3rd on Survivor: Micronesia. She made her third appearance on Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains in 2010, finishing 17th after being targeted and blindsided early in the game. She made her fourth and final appearance on Survivor: Game Changers in 2017, where she finished 6th and was eliminated without receiving a vote. She is set to compete on her 5th season of Survivor, where she will represent the USA on the upcoming Australia V The World season of Australian Survivor, set to air in 2025.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yul Kwon</span> Winner of Survivor: Cook Islands (born 1975)

Yul Julius Kwon is an American television host and former government official, lawyer, and management consultant based in California. He first gained national recognition and popularity as the winner of the reality TV show Survivor: Cook Islands in 2006. He appeared again in Survivor: Winners at War, where he placed 14th. Kwon hosted the 2012 four-part TV series America Revealed on PBS as well as LinkAsia on Link TV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Todd Herzog</span> American reality TV personality (born 1985)

Todd Michael Herzog is a former American reality television personality who won the 15th season of the American series Survivor, Survivor: China, in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parvati Shallow</span> American television personality (born 1982)

Parvati Shallow is an American television personality, having appeared as a contestant on four seasons of the reality game show Survivor. She was the $1 million winner on Survivor: Micronesia — Fans vs. Favorites, competing as a Favourite, having previously competed in Survivor: Cook Islands in which she placed sixth, and later was the runner-up in Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains. In 2020, she competed on the show's 40th season, Survivor: Winners at War, in which she placed 15th. She is set to compete in her 5th season of Survivor, where she will represent the USA on the upcoming Australia V The World season of Australian Survivor, set to air in 2025.

Jeremy Collins is an American firefighter from Foxborough, Massachusetts. He is the winner of Survivor: Cambodia, and had previously placed tenth on Survivor: San Juan del Sur, where he competed alongside his wife, Val. He finished in eighth place in Survivor: Winners at War.

Michele Fitzgerald is an American business development manager best known for competing on the reality competition show Survivor. She was voted the winner of the show's 32nd season, Survivor: Kaôh Rōng, on May 18, 2016. Michele also competed on the show's 40th season, Survivor: Winners at War where she became the 2nd runner-up.

Sarah Lacina is an American police officer best known for competing on the American reality show Survivor. She came in 11th place and was the first jury member in the show's 28th season, Survivor: Cagayan, in 2014. Lacina was voted the winner of the show's 34th season, Survivor: Game Changers in 2017. She competed for a third time in Survivor: Winners at War, the show's 40th season, in 2020 where she finished in 4th place and was the final jury member.

<i>Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers</i> Season of television series

Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers is the 35th season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. This season featured 18 new players divided into three tribes based on a dominant perceived trait: "Heroes" (courage), "Healers" (compassion), and "Hustlers" (tenacity). The season premiered on September 27, 2017, and ended on December 20, 2017, when Ben Driebergen was named the winner over Chrissy Hofbeck and Ryan Ulrich in a 5–2–1 vote.

Benjamin Russell Driebergen is an American Marine Corps veteran and reality television personality, best known for competing on and winning Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers. In 2020, he returned to compete in the show's 40th season, Survivor: Winners at War, finishing in 5th.

<i>Survivor South Africa: Philippines</i> Season of television series

Survivor South Africa: Philippines is the sixth season of the South African reality competition show Survivor South Africa. The season was filmed in January and February 2018 in the Palawan province of the Philippines and aired weekly on M-Net from May 3, 2018, until the live finale on August 16, 2018, when Tom Swartz was crowned Sole Survivor over Jeanne Michel in a vote of 6–1. It was the fourth season hosted by Nico Panagio and was produced by Afrokaans Film & Television.

<i>Survivor: David vs. Goliath</i> Season of television series

Survivor: David vs. Goliath is the 37th season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. The season features 20 new contestants divided into two tribes embodied by two biblical figures: "David", composed of ten underdogs who constantly have to overcome obstacles, and "Goliath", composed of ten overachievers who have used their advantages in life to excel in their fields. The season premiered on September 26, 2018, with an extended 90-minute episode, and concluded with a live season finale on December 19, 2018, where Nick Wilson was named the winner over Mike White and Angelina Keeley in a 7–3–0 vote.

Australian Survivor: Champions V Contenders is the fifth season of Australian Survivor and the third season to air on Network Ten. It was hosted by Jonathan LaPaglia and filmed in the Fijian community of Savusavu.

<i>Survivor: Edge of Extinction</i> Season of television series

Survivor: Edge of Extinction is the 38th season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. The season featured fourteen new contestants competing with four returning players. The season premiered on February 20, 2019, and concluded on May 15, 2019. Chris Underwood was named the winner of the series defeating Gavin Whitson and Julie Rosenberg by a vote of 9–4–0. Underwood was the first person to win Survivor after being voted out in the same season. It was the twelfth season to feature returning players and the seventh to be filmed in Fiji.

<i>Survivor: Winners at War</i> Season of television series

Survivor: Winners at War is the 40th season of the American competitive reality television series Survivor. This season, filmed in May and June 2019, is the eighth consecutive season to be filmed in Fiji. Celebrating the show's twentieth anniversary milestone, the season featured twenty returning winners from past Survivor seasons competing for a US$2 million prize. It was won by Tony Vlachos by a 12–4–0 vote over Natalie Anderson and Michele Fitzgerald, becoming the second two-time winner in Survivor. The season aired on CBS in the United States from February 12, 2020, to May 13, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the usual live finale for the winner reveal was replaced by a live teleconference between host Jeff Probst, situated in his garage, and the finalists in their respective homes.

Australian Survivor: Blood V Water is the ninth season of Australian Survivor, which premiered on Network 10 on 31 January 2022 and is based on the international reality game show franchise Survivor. In this season, based on the twenty-seventh and twenty-ninth American series and carrying the same sub-title, new and returning players and their loved ones will be competing against each other.

<i>Survivor 42</i> Season of television series

Survivor 42 is the forty-second season of the American competition television series Survivor. The season premiered on March 9, 2022, on CBS in the United States and Global in Canada. It ended on May 25, 2022, when Maryanne Oketch was voted the Sole Survivor, defeating Mike Turner and Romeo Escobar in a 7–1–0 vote. With her victory, Oketch became the second Canadian castaway to win the game after Erika Casupanan from Survivor 41, the fifth castaway of African descent to win after Vecepia Towery from Survivor: Marquesas, Earl Cole from Survivor: Fiji, Jeremy Collins from Survivor: Cambodia, and Wendell Holland from Survivor: Ghost Island, and the second black female castaway to win after Towery.

<i>Survivor 43</i> Season of television series

Survivor 43 is the forty-third season of the American reality television series Survivor. The show was filmed from May 2 through May 27, 2022, in Fiji, for an eleventh consecutive season; it premiered on September 21, 2022, on CBS in the United States and Global in Canada. The season concluded on December 14, 2022; Mike Gabler was named the winner of the season, defeating Cassidy Clark and Owen Knight in a 7–1–0 vote. Gabler, aged 51, was the second oldest winner, after Bob Crowley, who was 57 years old at the time of winning Survivor: Gabon. Gabler has stated he intends on donating the one million dollar prize to charity. This is the first season in Survivor history where the oldest contestant of the season was the winner.

References

  1. ↑ "Legislator-Profile - Legislative Research Commission". legislature.ky.gov. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  2. ↑ Kobin, Billy (November 4, 2021). "He won 'Survivor.' This Kentucky prosecutor is now seeking to win a House election in 2022". The Courier-Journal . Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  3. ↑ Todisco, Eric (December 19, 2019). "Survivor Season 40 Will Feature 20 Returning Winners — Including Boston Rob and Sandra". People.com. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Nick Wilson on Survivor: David vs. Goliath". CBS. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  5. ↑ Copley, Rich (December 19, 2018). "Public defender from Whitley County on new season of 'Survivor'". Lexington Herald Leader. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  6. ↑ Pendleton, Phil (December 20, 2018). "Friends and family react to Whitley County 'Survivor' winner's newfound fame". WKYT. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  7. 1 2 Piercy, Lindsey (December 19, 2018). "UK Alum Wins 'Survivor,' Claims $1 Million Prize". UKNow. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  8. ↑ Ross, Dalton (December 19, 2018). "'Survivor: David vs. Goliath' finale recap: A champion is crowned". EW.com. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
  9. ↑ Wigler, Josh (December 20, 2018). "'Survivor David vs Goliath' Winner Walks Through the Path to Victory". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  10. ↑ Weiss, Matt (December 20, 2018). "Sole Survivor Nick Wilson On His Future Plans: 'Back To Work I Guess'". CBS Pittsburgh. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  11. ↑ George, Daniel (December 19, 2018). "Nick Wilson is your Sole Survivor winner for David vs. Goliath". Surviving Tribal. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  12. ↑ Kwiatkowski, Elizabeth (December 20, 2018). "'Survivor: David vs. Goliath' finale: Nick Wilson wins over runner-up Mike White by four jury votes". Reality TV World. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  13. ↑ Ross, Dalton (December 18, 2019). "Meet the cast of 'Survivor: Winners at War'". EW.com. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  14. ↑ Ross, Dalton (December 18, 2019). "Jeff Probst shares intel on 'Survivor: Winners at War'". EW.com. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  15. ↑ Cox, Erin (May 16, 2020). "Williamsburg's Nick Wilson gives insight into final days on 'Survivor'". The Times-Tribune.com. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  16. 1 2 Cox, Erin (February 22, 2020). "MADSOCIAL: Kentucky's Nick Wilson takes second shot at 'Survivor' title". Richmond Register . Richmond, KY . Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  17. ↑ Cox, Erin (November 1, 2021). "Rep. Regina Huff will not seek re-election, endorses Nick Wilson for 82nd District state representative". The Times-Tribune (Corbin) . Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  18. ↑ Haring, Bruce (November 11, 2022). "'Survivor: David Vs. Goliath' Contestant Nick Wilson Has Another Triumph, Winning A Seat In Kentucky House". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Nick Wilson (Kentucky)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  20. ↑ Cox, Erin (January 14, 2019). "Survivor winner given key to the City of Williamsburg". The Times-Tribune.com. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
Preceded by
Wendell Holland
 Winner of Survivor
Survivor: David vs. Goliath 		Succeeded by
Chris Underwood
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.