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Combining successful aspects from previous Survivor winners, Rafe is portraying himself as having both powerful physical skills as well as great interpersonal skills, not to mention—you guessed it—that famed Ivy League education.

In an interview with CBS.com, Rafe, who graduated from prestigious Brown University earlier this year, confidently said, “they won't expect that I will probably be the smartest person out there.” But in spite of his cockiness, that statement might turn out to be wrong, as he will be been marooned on the island with tribe mate Brian Corridan, a graduate of the equally well-known Columbia University (oddly enough he is also rumored to be gay, although CBS has not confirmed it).

Both competitors have studied the game and believe that their knowledge, along with their Ivy League book smarts, will help them become the sole survivor. Unfortunately, history is not on their side: some of the best students of the game (including Survivor: Amazon’s Rob Cesternino) have never won.

One thing that Rafe will have on his side is extensive travel and outdoor experience. While at university, he became a wilderness guide in a program called BOLT, designed to place students in “intense wilderness situations.” Rafe has also traveled around the world, visiting all 50 states and 14 countries, including a 7-month school backpacking trip in Australia. He is also an accomplished swimmer, which should help him during Survivor’s many water-themed challenges.

Physicality and brains are two characteristics that can both help and hinder a Survivor contestant. Depending on the other 15 contestants with whom he is competing, Rafe’s skills may be seen as helpful or as a threat. Survivor: Palau’s Tom Westman, who was arguably the hardest worker in camp, won last season; however, six months earlier in Survivor: Vanuatu, all of the strong, younger males were voted out first because they were perceived to be a threat to some of the weaker, older players.

In Survivor, who you know and how you interact is often more important than what you can do.

To further this social challenge, Rafe will likely find himself stuck on the island with a disparate tribemate. In the past, each gay male contestant was placed in the game alongside a stereotypical redneck or seemingly bigoted person, a casting ploy designed to make both personalities seem more over the top to viewers. Richard’s foil in Pulau Tiga was Rudy Bosch (who he surprisingly befriended, despite their differing opinions on homosexuality) and in Palau, Coby went up against James Miller, a southerner whose most memorable line last season was his comment that “it feels terrible to have my butt whipped by a homosexual.” (Pause for chuckles.) The early favorite for the Redneck Award this season is Brandon Bellinger, a 22-year-old farmer from Kansas whose hobbies include fishing and mudding.

Although being gay is rarely described as an asset in society, Rafe believes that he can use his sexuality to his advantage, even amongst his diverse Survivor tribemates. “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?”

Rafe believes that he can play a subtle game, using his wilderness skills to succeed while not being perceived by other contestants as the eventual winner. But if he can make timely interpersonal connections, Rafe may very well prove that his social skills (and not his wilderness background) will make him the sole survivor on Survivor: Guatemala.

Survivor: Guatemala premieres this Thursday, September 15th on CBS.
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