Spencer Duhm has two true passions: the popular CBS-TV reality show Survivor and the beleaguered Chicago Cubs.
He's 19 now and been a Survivor fan since season one, when he was 11. Well, he's actually a bit more than just a fan, perhaps bordering on obsessed.
Jump back a few years, to when he was in the ninth grade. Duhm finished a final exam, "and then for some reason I felt compelled to write on the chalkboard all of the Survivors, in the order they were voted off, from the first season through the Pearl Islands ( season, which was the seventh season ) ." He wrote their first and last names, plus all of the tribe information. That was 97 castoffs at that point.
"It was a little ridiculous," Duhm admitted, laughing. "My friends took pictures and thought I was crazy. They thought that was really odd, but that was pretty normal to me. I guess that was the first thing that really triggered that I was a little crazy when it came to Survivor."
The Florida resident can still name all past Survivor participants. "It's weird, it's crazy. I know," he said.
Duhm's fantasy turns to reality starting Feb. 12, when he appears on the new season, Survivor: Tocantins. He is the lone openly gay castaway—and the youngest in show history.
"It was very exciting for a fan to be the answer to a trivia question regarding the show and to make history for the show," Duhm said. "But at the same time I also felt a little burdened by it because I felt like I was representing the young Survivor fans out there. I felt a little pressure as far as that goes because I wanted to do well for myself, but also for the young fans who no doubt applied in droves for this season because they lowered the age to 18 [ for this season ] . I felt like I needed to do well to show that young fans can be successful in the game."
Frosty, from season 15, was 20—the previous youngest Survivor.
"I absolutely never envisioned making it," when I applied, Duhm said. "In fact, when I applied, I just kept thinking that, hey, maybe they'll notice me this time and get selected for next time.
"I know how unrealistic it is to think you can be chosen. I was floored when I was picked."
Especially since he almost didn't even apply because the deadline was days away and he hesitated—until his mom convinced him to try out.
"I don't know if it has quite yet hit me that I'm on the show," he said. "Being a big fan of the show, I always wondered how it is, how it worked, and it definitely was everything I hoped it would be, if not more. It was a blast."
Duhm's all-time favorite Survivors are Rob Cesternino and Todd Herzog. "They played the game in different ways, but I felt they both were very entertaining on TV and very good players," he said.
Duhm's favorite baseball players are those who call Wrigley Field their home. He isn't just a casual, bandwagon-jumping Cubs fan. He's been a Cub backer since age 5, when he braved 100-degree heat in the upper deck, sitting with his dad, Allan.
"I love the Cubs," Duhm said. "My dad grew up in Wheaton, Ill., and his side of the family has always been big Cubs fans. I watch WGN all season long when the Cubs are on. They drove me crazy [ in 2008 ] , losing to the ] Los Angeles ] Dodgers ] in the first round of the playoffs ] .
"My obsession with Survivor is equal to my obsession with the Cubs—and how much they drive me crazy. I'm hoping they break that 100-year streak soon."
Duhm's addiction to the Cubs is clear when he talks about the team's off-season transactions. Plus, he properly pronounces player's names and knows their nicknames.
"Getting rid of [ second baseman Mark ] DeRosa, I didn't understand that move; that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. I think that was the worst one they've done all [ off-season ] ," he said. I'm glad they got rid of [ outfielder Felix ] Pie. And I thought [ the acquisition of controversial outfielder Milton ] Bradley was a terrible move; it seems like he tears up every clubhouse he's in.
"The moves they've been making in the off-season haven't made sense to me at all. I bet Bradley and [ manager Lou ] Pinella will come to blows by June."
So will 2009 be the Year of the Cubs, finally?
"Last year, everything seemed so right, but then they got swept in the playoffs; I'm just trying to calm myself down and take it one year at a time and not get stressed out. They're going to cut years off my life; I guarantee it," he said.
Duhm's sporting blood has put him in the action, too.
He played Little League baseball, then ran cross-country and played soccer for four years, and competed on the track team for two years, in high school.
And he's now on the crew team at the University of Florida.
Duhm was a soccer midfielder, known for his playmaking more than his scoring. His best time in the 5K on the cross-country team was 16:29.
Crew was a "random transition," he said.
"I was on campus one day and they were recruiting," Duhm explained. "I just thought I would give it a try. It has been a lot more difficult than any other sport I've ever done—and I thought cross-country training was hard. It is a very rigorous sport that takes a lot of time and focus. It has me in the best shape I've ever been in. It's been a lot of work, but also a lot of fun."
—Duhm on being gay: He came out in January, 2008, although his plan for Survivor was not to tell anyone—unless asked. "I just didn't want anyone to judge me right off the bat because I am gay," he said. "When people are looking for reasons to get rid of you, that could be a reason and I didn't want to give them that reason." He is single.
—Duhm on his pre-Survivor strategy: "My pre-game mentality was to go in and treat this as a game. Sure, I'm meeting people, but I'm not there to be their friends. I'm not there to make lifelong friends, or really be nice; I'm there to win $1 million. It's a game, so you have to separate your emotional feelings from what it takes to do well."
