Christy Smith (Survivor contestant)

Last updated

Christy Smith
Born (1978-09-13) September 13, 1978 (age 44)
Television Survivor: The Amazon

Christy Smith (born September 13, 1978) is an American activist and television personality. She is the first deaf contestant on the CBS reality television series Survivor: The Amazon and co-founder of Discovering Deaf Worlds.

Contents

Early life

Christy Smith was born premature, weighing less than 2 pounds (0.91 kg). As a baby, she pulled out her air tube and ended up losing 90 percent of her hearing. [1] As such, she is skilled in lip reading and American Sign Language. She resided in Basalt, Colorado. [2]

Education and career

Smith attended high school and college in Washington, D.C. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology with a minor in criminology from Gallaudet University in 2000. [3] After graduating from Gallaudet, she worked at Aspen Camp School for the Deaf as a guide. [4] After competing on Survivor, Smith created Christy's Kids: Challenge Yourself, a television show that debuted on Rocky Mountain PBS in April 2005. [5]

In January 2007, Smith co-founded Discovering Deaf Worlds, an organization which uses world travel to increase deafness awareness. [6]

Survivor

Smith is the first deaf contestant to appear on the CBS reality television series Survivor. As a contestant on Survivor: The Amazon , Smith shocked her tribe members on the first day when she announced her disability. She competed on Survivor to bring awareness of deaf culture and in the hope of bringing home the prize money. [4]

On Day 33 of the show, Smith was voted out in a 4-2 decision by Jenna Morasca, Heidi Strobel, Matthew von Ertfelda, and Rob Cesternino. Smith came in sixth place and became the fourth member of the jury of seven that would ultimately vote for the winner of the show. In the end, Smith voted for Morasca to win the $1,000,000 USD grand prize.

Related Research Articles

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

Survivor: Africa is the third season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. The season was filmed from July 11, 2001, to August 18, 2001, in Kenya's Shaba National Reserve, and was aired weekly from October 11, 2001, until the live finale on January 10, 2002. Ethan Zohn was named Sole Survivor over Kim Johnson by a jury vote of 5–2, and won the $1,000,000 grand prize. The season featured a cast of 16 participants split between two tribes, Boran and Samburu. Three of the cast, Zohn, Lex van den Berghe, and Tom Buchanan all returned for future seasons. The season received more criticism than previous seasons due to the harsh living conditions of the African desert and the small amount of food for participants.

<i>Survivor: The Amazon</i> Season of television series

Survivor: The Amazon is the sixth season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. The season was filmed from November 11, 2002, through December 15, 2002, in the Amazon and premiered on February 13, 2003. Hosted by Jeff Probst, it consisted of the usual 39 days of gameplay with 16 competitors.

<i>Survivor: All-Stars</i> Season of television series

Survivor: All-Stars is the eighth season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. It was filmed from November 3, 2003, through December 11, 2003, and premiered on February 1, 2004, after Super Bowl XXXVIII. It was filmed on the Pearl Islands of Panama, also the location of the previous season. Hosted by Jeff Probst, it consisted of the usual 39 days of gameplay with, for the first time, 18 returning competitors from the seven previous seasons instead of the usual 16 new contestants, and three tribes instead of the usual two.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jenna Morasca</span> American actress, glamour model and reality television personality

Jenna Morasca is an American actress, former swimsuit model, professional wrestler and American reality TV contestant who was the million-dollar grand prize winner of Survivor: The Amazon in 2003. In 2009, she worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rupert Boneham</span> American mentor, television personality, and politician

Rupert Frederick Boneham is an American mentor for troubled teens, who became known to reality television audiences in 2003 as a contestant on Survivor: Pearl Islands where he placed eighth. He later appeared on the All Stars, Heroes vs. Villains, and Blood vs. Water seasons of Survivor, placing fourth, sixth, and 20th, respectively. He was ultimately a fan favorite among Survivor viewers, who voted him a million-dollar winner on Survivor: America's Tribal Council, a special episode of Survivor: All-Stars. The prize was awarded after a nationwide popular vote in which Boneham received 85% of the votes cast. Boneham and his wife Laura later competed on the 31st season of The Amazing Race and were the second team eliminated.

Ethan Zohn is an American motivational speaker, former professional soccer player, and reality television series contestant who won Survivor: Africa, the third season of the reality TV series Survivor. He went on to compete in Survivor: All-Stars and Survivor: Winners at War, where he placed 11th and 18th, respectively.

Robert Kristopher Cesternino is an American reality television contestant and podcast host, known for his appearances on Survivor: The Amazon (2003) and Survivor: All-Stars (2004). In 2010, he launched Rob Has a Podcast, a platform to discuss and analyze reality television, most notably Survivor, Big Brother, and The Amazing Race. In 2014, Cesternino and Hollywood Reporter journalist Josh Wigler launched Post Show Recaps, a companion platform that covers scripted television.

Jeffrey Keith Varner is a former American real estate agent and television personality, a news anchor and reporter, a former entertainment reporter, and a contestant on three seasons of the CBS reality television series, Survivor: The Australian Outback,Survivor: Cambodia, and Survivor: Game Changers. Varner is most known for infamously publicly outing fellow Survivor: Game Changers contestant Zeke Smith.

Survivor After Show was an internet talk-show about the television series Survivor that aired exclusively on CBS.com.

Gervase Peterson is an American television personality and actor who was a contestant on Survivor: Borneo, the first edition of the popular CBS reality television series Survivor, which premiered in May 2000, and was the highest rated American series during the summer of that year. He came in seventh place. Peterson returned in 2013 to compete on Survivor: Blood vs. Water and ultimately ended up in the finals, finishing third place with zero jury votes.

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

Survivor: Gabon — Earth's Last Eden is the seventeenth season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. The premiere aired September 25, 2008, with the first two episodes screened back-to-back. Survivor: Gabon began filming in late June. It marked the second season of the series that was filmed in Africa. Reports from Gabon indicate the show was filmed around the coastal towns of Nyonie and Ekwata in the Wonga-Wongue Presidential Reserve.

<i>Survivor</i> (American TV series) American TV reality series

Survivor is the American version of the international Survivor reality competition television franchise, itself derived from the Swedish television series Expedition Robinson created by Charlie Parsons which premiered in 1997. The American series premiered on May 31, 2000, on CBS. It is hosted by Jeff Probst, who is also an executive producer along with Mark Burnett and the original creator, Parsons.

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

Parvati Shallow is an American television personality and was the $1 million winner of the reality television series Survivor: Micronesia — Fans vs. Favorites. She had 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, where she placed 15th. She is widely considered by fans and critics to be one of the most skilled contestants ever to participate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitney Duncan</span> American singer and songwriter

Whitney Duncan is an American country music singer and songwriter. She finished as the fifth place finalist on the fifth season of Nashville Star. She has released one studio album and has charted on the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart with "When I Said I Would" and "Skinny Dippin'," as well as a Christmas single and guest appearance on a Kenny Rogers single which was released before her Nashville Star appearance. In the fall of 2011, Duncan competed on the 23rd season of Survivor, Survivor: South Pacific, where she ultimately finished in 9th place, becoming the fourth member of the jury. In the fall of 2014, Duncan and her then-fiancé, fellow Survivor: South Pacific castaway Keith Tollefson, competed together on the 25th season of The Amazing Race, where they placed in 8th place.

<i>Survivor: Borneo</i> First season of American television series

Survivor: Borneo, originally known simply as Survivor or Survivor: Pulau Tiga, is the first season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. The show was filmed from March 13 through April 20, 2000, and premiered on May 31, 2000. The season started with 16 participants tasked with being left to survive in a remote area in Borneo, Malaysia, with minimal tools and supplies. Hosted by Jeff Probst, it consisted of 39 days with consecutive participants being removed by a majority vote. The series was set in the South China Sea on the remote Malaysian island of Pulau Tiga in the state of Sabah, about six miles (10 km) off the north coast of Borneo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyson Apostol</span> American reality television personality (born 1979)

Tyson Apostol is an American reality television personality, best known for his appearances on multiple seasons of the CBS reality television show Survivor. Apostol originally competed on Survivor: Tocantins in 2009, finishing in 8th place. He returned as a villain on Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains in 2010 and came in 15th place. In 2013, he returned again and was eventually crowned the winner of Survivor: Blood vs. Water. Apostol competed for a fourth time on the show's 40th season Survivor: Winners at War, finishing in 11th place. He also competed on The Challenge: USA, a CBS spinoff of the MTV franchise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eliza Orlins</span> American lawyer from New York City (born 1982)

Eliza Orlins is an American lawyer and television personality from New York City. She is best known for her appearances on Survivor and The Amazing Race. Orlins is also a public defender with The Legal Aid Society. In 2020, she announced her candidacy for the 2021 New York County District Attorney election; she finished 7th in the Democratic primary.

For the English actress, singer, and television presenter, see Natalie Anderson.

Michele Fitzgerald is an American travel consultant 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. Michele has gained the nickname "Win-Chele" due to her number of challenge wins and for being the only contestant to play twice without being eliminated.

References

  1. Condon, Scott (2003), "TV show 'Survivor' not just a game for Basalt's Smith", The Aspen Times, retrieved November 15, 2009
  2. DDW Co-Founder - Christy Smith Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  3. "Alumna joins cast of Survivor: The Amazon", On the Green, 33 (10), 2003, archived from the original on June 13, 2010, retrieved November 15, 2009
  4. 1 2 Berke, Jamie (2009), Christy Smith, Deaf 'Survivor': Athletic Deaf Woman Competed on 'Survivor' , retrieved November 15, 2009
  5. The True Media Foundation: Christy's Kids, archived from the original on July 28, 2011, retrieved November 15, 2009
  6. Discovering Deaf Worlds: About Us , retrieved November 15, 2009[ permanent dead link ]