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Since he came home from Guatemala, the contestant said he's had plenty of time "to rethink it over and over and over again," referring to the challenges he faced while he competed with 17 others on the program. The newest version of the adventure reality show, entitled "Survivor: Guatemala, The Maya Empire," followed the usual format-two teams of people from all walks of life match wits, strength and cunning in pursuit of a big cash prize, and plenty of notoriety along with it. Whoever wins the contest becomes the "Sole Survivor." Eleven people remain on the series, which is expected to conclude next month.
Mr. Corridan has been an avid fan of the show since age 13, and said that despite being expelled after six episodes, he was thrilled to have been able to fulfill his dream of being a competitor.
"For me, it was something I'd wanted for five years. I'd waited so long that nothing was going to detract from the experience-the heat, bugs, and the other people didn't bother me," he said in a telephone interview Monday. "I was on such an adrenaline rush that it didn't bother me at all. I wanted to be challenged. I thought, 'It had better be heard, I'd better be pushed,' and I was. I could have gone the whole 39 days. It was a great experience. I felt like I was totally prepared."
Mr. Corridan, 22, was voted off the show after he lost a strength competition against another contestant who was much stronger and bigger.
"I know why I got voted off-I was on a team with people who put so much emphasis on brute force-one member was a former quarterback," he said. "We had no conflict, everyone liked each other, but there were members that were physically larger than me. I wasn't weak, but I was the weakest one there. When I was voted off, one of my teammates said, 'You're a great kid, but you're too smart.' It was a positive way to go. I'm glad it worked out that way-we all respected each other, and it was a fair way to go."
"In the game I lost, there was a 500-pound boulder, wrapped in burlap, and you had to push it to your goal across a field, and the opposing team is pushing against you," he explained. "My opponent was 250 pounds. It was really hard-and we were pretty beat up by the end of it. The burlap tore up our shoulders-we were bruised all over. It was very difficult. I did my best, but that was what made me lose. I couldn't do it."
Still, Mr. Corridan said he accomplished his goal, even if he isn't the Sole Survivor. One of the biggest challenges, he said, was dealing with the personalities of the other contestants. That aspect of "Survivor" is why it's so popular for viewers, as members of the teams clash during each week's airing. Mr. Corridan had his own favorites during his time in Guatemala.
"My favorite person in the game was Lydia. She was just a really amazing woman and I think the team had unfairly outcast her. She was 43 years old and 4 feet, 10 inches tall, and her teammates thought she wouldn't be an asset," he said. "But she made camp life so much better. I really liked her a lot."
"On the other end of the spectrum, I didn't mesh with Blake and Amy at all. They were a little bit more abrasive. It's hard to live with someone when you don't connect with them, so those were the people I had a hard time with. But I was so gung-ho and enthusiastic. I was so happy to be there, I probably got on everyone's nerves. I just tried to be really positive, because it was just such a great experience," Mr. Corridan added.
Being in Guatemala was an exciting part of the experience as well. "There was no civilization around us," he said. "We were living where the Mayans were, there were ruins and temples, and it was gorgeous and breathtaking. You're in the middle of the jungle and all of a sudden this huge monument would suddenly appear. It added a real mystical quality to what went on there."
Mr. Corridan, who graduated from New Milford High School in 2001, was the class valedictorian, high school yearbook editor and vice president of the class. He was also voted Prom Prince and "Most Likely to Succeed." He recently graduated from Columbia University with a degree in psychology and was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society. He's going on to pursue a master's degree in child psychology.
