Each weekday, EW will post the answers from a different player.
As part of the first season ofSurvivor, Sean Kenniff became an instant celebrity.
No, not Superpole 2000… although that was completely awesome.
Sean Kenniff on ‘Survivor: Borneo’.Monty Brinton/CBS
“For the record, I do NOT regret voting for contestants in alphabetical order,” Sean says.
“It was far more strategic than most people think.
So the alliance was not under attack.
Rudy Boesch and Sean Kenniff on ‘Survivor: Borneo’.Monty Brinton/CBS via Getty Images
That certainly is sound thinking.
It’s been a constant adventure for me.
I’m still a neurologist, and I work at two very busy hospitals.
The cast of ‘Survivor: Borneo’.BS Photo Archive/Getty Images
Like many other major hospitals, we got hit hard by COVID-19.
In 2010 I wrote two books, one of which was very well received by critics and readers.
So that was a very cool experience.
In 2012, I married the most amazing woman, Esther.
She is beautiful and brainy, and a little nutty.
We have a lot of laughs together, and just enjoy hanging out with each other.
We have three amazing kids.
My wife actually used to watch me onSurvivor, and always tells me that I was never her favorite!
Our little family is the best thing that has ever happened to me by far.
Being a dad is the greatest joy a man can ever experience.
And then there’s this: the Jerk at Work!
My wife and I inventedthis ridiculously fun toyfor adults at work.
Just Google it and you’ll find it.
check that to watch our video.
Then in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
Offices shut down across the country, and so did all the fun.
What is your proudest moment ever from playingSurvivor?
I played the game as honestly as any contestant could play it, and I’m proud of that.
1 television show, with 30-plus-million Americans watching!
What a blessing it was to share my father with the world.
My dad is a retired New York city firefighter, and a hero in every sense.
That one experience was priceless for us both.
What is your biggest regret from yourSurvivorexperience?
I regret that I never finished making that bowling alley!
We really needed to have more fun on Tagi beach.
But my team (Tagi) threatened to vote me out if I finished it.
So that dream had to die, LOL.
I don’t even enjoy bowling!
For the record, I do NOT regret voting for contestants in alphabetical order.
It was far more strategic than most people think.
So the alliance was not under attack.
Also for the record, I don’t regret not joining the Tagi alliance.
After starving for several weeks, the wine and lobster wreaked havoc on my intestines.
Thank God they did not air any of that!
Fans used to ask why there was no romance between us that night.
Well, now you know at least one good reason.
How do you feel about the edit you got on the show?
And that’s mostly true.
I certainly have many strengths, but honestly, none of my strengths are entertaining.
None of your strengths are entertaining either.
Only weaknesses and faults are fun and entertaining.
Like most people, I’m most entertaining at my dumbest and silliest.
The casting directors do look for individuals and archetypes.
They always cast a villain, a babe, a jock, mouthy types, etc….
They want viewers to relate to the contestants.
The edits are not wholly accurate, because like all people, theSurvivorcontestants are impossibly complicated and nuanced.
But I wouldn’t call the edits inaccurate either.
Accuracy is for NASA engineers.Survivorproducers are making entertainment, not Mars orbiters.
What was it like coming back to regular society after being out there?
Was there culture shock or an adjustment coming back?
For sure it was culture shock returning from Borneo back to New York city.
We were sudden celebrities, and I don’t think any of us were prepared for that.
It was sure great for my dating life!
There were some clear downsides, though.
you oughta have thick skin (fortunately, I have it).
I’d be examining a patient, and they would want to talk aboutSurvivor.
Whom do you still talk, text, or email with the most from your season?
I’m horrible at keeping in touch.
I trade messages with Sue, Joel, Gervase, and Jenna from time to time.
I heard from Gretchen recently.
Ramona is in a lot of our group chats.
They’re a great group of people, really.
We’re like a loosely knit family.
Who’s one player from anotherSurvivorseason you wish you could have played with or against and why?
If you could make one change to any aspect ofSurvivor,what would it be and why?
Kinda like a SuperSurvivor.
You start with four tribes instead of two eight contestants on each tribe.
Like normal, two tribes compete in each game.
However, the two tribes in each game are unaware of the other two tribes and the other game.
The episodes air on separate days of the week.
Old strategies would need to be abandoned and new strategies quickly devised.
I call this ideaSurvivor: Parallel Universes.
And then of course you would have the best players of both games competing against each other.
Just an idea, Mark?
Finally, would you play again if asked?
No, I wouldn’t playSurvivoragain, for several reasons.
First, I would miss my kids terribly, and they would miss me.
I realize plenty of other parents have competed onSurvivor.
But my kids are young, and they’re growing so fast.
I would not want to miss a single second of their lives.
Perhaps if there was aSurvivor: Hardbods vs. Dadbods, I would think about it.
A return would never capture the essence and spirit of the very first season ofSurvivor.
I had my day in the sun, and it was so wonderful.
It’s somebody else’s turn.
For me, fame is no longer seductive.
It’s not even an incentive.
I’m far more content without it.
