When it was announced in early September that CBS's hit reality series, Survivor: Guatemala, would include a gay cast member, questions flew about how this pale, scrawny, effeminate man would be portrayed on television. But now that the show is two episodes away from completion and Rafe Judkins is one of only five castaways left, it seems that the media-labeled "Gay Mormon Ivy Leaguer" was the only one who knew what would happen all along.

In a pre-show interview with CBS, Rafe commented, "I can interact really well with people and be emotional and understanding and not have this macho thing, not that all straight guys do but you know. People underestimate me. They're going to look at me and see that I'm friendly and that I'm this gay guy. What damage can he do to anyone?”

As strange as the sexuality strategy sounded nearly three months ago, it seems that Rafe, a self-proclaimed student of the Survivor game, was right.

Out to his family and friends in his home state of Utah, Rafe did not stay in the Survivor closet for very long. "We got a police officer. We got a magician's assistant. We got a fishmonger. We got a gay guy, and we got a landscaper," commented Yaxha tribe mate Jamie Newton shortly after the contestants had met each other.

Rafe Judkins. Occupation: gay guy.

Also boasting credentials as a wilderness guide and Ivy League student, Rafe believed that these aspects of his life would label him as a threat to his other tribe mates, so he made sure his sexuality was one of the first things they knew about him. Then, after screwing up a simple ladder-climbing challenge early in the competition, the stage seemed set for Rafe--the bumbling, non-physical, happy-go-lucky gay man--to take control.

Thankfully for gay Survivor fans, that wimp stereotype never fully took hold.

Of course, there is no proven method of success on Survivor, but Rafe seems to have his strategy firmly in place. While behemoths like doorman Judd Sergeant and farm boy Brandon Bellinger were voted out because they were considered physical threats by the other contestants, Rafe has managed to elude that label with his scrawny frame and quick, bright smile. Now, he is the only male left in the rainforest, along with four women.

Despite evidence to the contrary, Rafe's female tribe mates don't consider him a threat, and although he doesn't look like a winner, Rafe plays like one. He has won several individual immunity challenges, triumphing over ex-NFL quarterbacks and other more physically gifted contestants, and he has done so while forming strong alliances with nearly everybody; yet, he has avoided making promises that he can't keep, even telling paranoid tribe member Jamie, “If you ask me if you're safe one more time, I might vote against you.” Guess who was voted out later that day?

Rafe has also been able to adapt to any situation he's been in. While still with his original Yaxha tribe, he ate bugs and swapped stories with many of his fellow contestants, finding common ground among a diverse group of people. While others were forming cliques and planning votes against their enemies, Rafe's carefree attitude allowed him to flit between all of the game's subgroups.

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