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In the first five episodes, Brad has lived up to that statement. In the third episode, when the four tribes merged into two, Brad showed that unlike some past gay contestants, he's equally adept at fitting in with the boys and the girls. He formed an alliance with the other young men on his tribe, but then sided with the women to vote out one of his own at tribal council. Some viewers have questioned the wisdom of that move, but Nekahi disagrees: “He knows where his best interests lie. I think he had to make the decision and go with the masses.”

Brad's brother sides with Nekahi. “I think it was part of his strategy. My brother's more of a Will gay than a Jack gay [from Will and Grace]. It's often hard for people to even figure out that he's a gay man because he can adapt to anything. I think it was a good move on his part to try and get an alliance with the guys. It could help him out later down the line.”

Whether the switch will help or hinder him remains to be seen, but for the time being, Brad seems to be playing a smart, strategic game. Chet believes that's one of his strengths. “My brother is very good at thinking under pressure,” he observes. “He has a lot of natural leadership skills.”

To Chet's list of Brad's strengths, Nekahi adds: “He's very charismatic and easy to get along with. He's a very sincere person. He's not totally cutthroat, which could be his downfall, too. He's not afraid to get his hands dirty. He can be a guy's guy or a girl's guy.”

According to his bio on the CBS website, Brad is single. So which other castaway is most like Brad's type? According to Nekahi, that would be Adam, “the good-looking blond guy. Brad likes that whole Abercrombie and Fitch type of guy.”

Nekahi also believes that Brad would be willing to do whatever it takes to win, even if that means using his sexuality to his advantage. “He's very savvy,” Nekahi says. “He can feel those things out. He's very receptive. He knows how to play that game, so he'll do — to the best of his ability — what it takes to make him successful or form the right alliance at the right time. He's pretty perceptive to that kind of stuff.”

Both his brother and his friend fear Brad's weakness could be the reality of life on the island. “I hope he doesn't give up,” says Nekahi. “I hope he doesn't end up saying, ‘I'm over this. I don't need this. I don't need to suffer.' I don't know what his tolerance level will be. Things have always come easy for him because of his personality. I hope that when it gets rough he doesn't just decide that he doesn't really care anymore and he wants to jump ship.”

Chet adds, “He has told me it's one of the hardest things he's ever done in his life, because you don't have the certain luxuries that we take for granted.”

We're only a few weeks into the current season, so he still has a long way to go to win, but so far Brad has been a welcome addition to the lineup of gay reality show contestants. Despite the fact that he works in the fashion industry, he is an athletic, masculine contender and is breaking many of the media's gay stereotypes. For that alone, he's already won the respect of many. Only time will tell whether he can also outplay, outwit and outlast to win the million-dollar prize.

Survivor: Cook Islands airs Thursday nights at 8 pm on CBS.

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