Lawyers who appear on CBS reality mainstay “Survivor” often lie about what they do because other players may immediately see them as a strategic or social threat.
The show, returning Wednesday for its 51st season, features three attorneys. All plan to prevaricate about their profession going into the show, according to interviews with The Hollywood Reporter.
One of those three? Alexis Levine, a 34-year-old Atlanta criminal defense attorney.
Speaking to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Levine said going into the taping of the show in Fiji this spring, she planned to tell castmates she was a care coordinator at a rehab center instead. (She was not allowed to say anything about her time on the island or give away any spoilers.)
Levine, who is 10 years sober following an opioid addiction, previously held a care coordinator position, so discussing that aspect of her life won’t be difficult. But being an attorney is a crucial part of who she is, she admitted.
“I sometimes don’t realize how much my professional life is part of my identity,” Levine said. “I represent people who committed crimes or are accused of crimes. I’m standing for the little guy, the underdog. I’m really proud of that.”
At least five winners with legal backgrounds have won the game over its first 50 seasons. But four ― Yul Kwon from “Survivor: Cook Islands,” Nick Wilson from “Survivor: David vs. Goliath,” Wendell Holland of “Survivor: Ghost Island″ and Kyle Fraser from “Survivor 48″ ― successfully hid their law bona fides. John Cochran won Season 26 but was only a law student at the time.
Savannah Louie, Survivor 49 winner and an Atlanta-based journalist at Atlanta News First who has interviewed Levine, said she understands Levine’s concerns about what she does for a living. Louie herself hid the fact she was a journalist in her first season on the show, saying she was working in marketing, which was true at the time because CBS Atlanta had just let her go.
“In ‘Survivor,’ people will do anything to put a target on you,” Louie said. “Weaponizing information you have about someone’s personal life can be powerful. Attorneys have a reputation for being smart, well-spoken and able to craft a good narrative. I can see why she’d want to hide that.”
Ron Clark, an Atlanta educator who finished 8th during Season 38 in 2019 and hosts a big “Survivor” party every year with alums, fans and active players at his school, the Ron Clark Academy, thinks “saying you’re a lawyer can be a death sentence. They also have the stigma of being rich.”
Credit: CBS
Credit: CBS
Louie said she eventually told her closest allies her real profession and believed it built trust. She also encouraged her tribe to vote someone else out in part because they were a finance executive.
But there are potential downsides to the lie, she said. “Hiding personal information can also prevent others from getting to know the real you,” she noted. Plus, she’d be upset if she actually learned about the lie from someone else.
Here is a summary of what The Atlanta Journal-Constitution gleaned about Levine based on an interview with her and what CBS has released.
Credit: Robert Voets/CBS
Credit: Robert Voets/CBS
Alexis Levine
Age: 34
Born and raised: East Cobb, graduated from Pope High School
Resides: Dunwoody
Family: Married to Aaron Levine, whom she met at sleepaway camp, dated briefly in high school and reunited with when she moved back to Atlanta from Utah in 2019. They now have a 19-month-old daughter, Lyla.
Current job: Attorney who runs Levine Law, her own criminal defense firm
Her audition tape: “I had just had a huge win in court after having a baby. So I pulled out my phone and took a video of myself explaining why I’d be great on ‘Survivor’ and sent it. It was completely off the cuff. I look back now, and I’m kind of embarrassed. I was frazzled and sweaty and rambled!”
Opioid addict: At the University of Georgia, she said she partied hard and became addicted to opioids. “I got kicked out of school,” she said. “They suspended me, and I never went back.” She entered rehab in Utah and got sober. She also decided to become an attorney, finishing her undergrad degree at the University of Utah, then receiving a law degree at Emory Law School.
How she felt in Fiji competing at age 34: “I’m a mom. I’m sober. I’m very academic and business-minded. I didn’t feel old, but I felt very wise. It made me realize that I’m happy in the place I’m at right now in my life.”
Credit: Robert Voets/CBS
Credit: Robert Voets/CBS
Her take on Jeff Probst: “Every time I saw Jeff, I had to bite my tongue and not say, ‘I’m in love with you. You’re amazing. I’m obsessed with you. You’re gorgeous even after all these years.’ He knows what he’s doing. He’s the reason for the success of the show.”
Why being from Atlanta helps her: “It’s a huge asset to have the experience in diversity we have in this city and metro area. I can relate to anybody. One day I’m in Fulton County with a judge from an esteemed Black university and his or her priorities are one thing. The next day, I’m in Cherokee County, and I need to be prepared to talk about college football for 20 minutes. It’s such a unique experience for people who are from here.”
Savannah Louie’s assessment of Alexis: “Alexis is great. You can tell she’s a sharp woman, someone who I think has a lot of depth to her which will help her relate to a lot of different castaways out there.”
If you watch
“Survivor,” debuts Wednesday at 8 p.m. on CBS, available the next day on Paramount+
“Survivor” watch party, open to the public, 8 p.m. Wednesdays, Hudson Grille, 6317 Roswell Road NE, Sandy Springs, instagram.com/hudsongrilleevents
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