On the CW reality-competition show Capture, 12 teams of two compete on a high-tech wilderness compound where they must live in primitive conditions for one month in a winner-take-all battle to survive—and win $250,000 in the process. The catch is that, each week, one duo is designated the hunt team, and has to capture two other teams to put in captivity. The other teams then vote on which team goes.
One of the teams is composed of gay Lake View residents (and neighbors) Rob Anderson and Jacob Kosior. Windy City Times spoke with Kosior last week (after the first episode aired) about the rigors of the show and what kept him going.
Windy City Times: How were you two chosen for this show? I hadn't even heard of it until recently.
Jacob Kosior: I hadn't heard of it until I was approached about being on the show. Rob does improv comedy at iO Theater; a casting director connected with iO reached out to [the company] and said, "We're looking for outgoing, athletic people for this show," and someone suggested Rob. I was sitting at home and got a text message from Rob asking, "Do you want to be on this reality show?" I said, "Sure, why not?" And then, in a month, we were on our way to L.A.
WCT: I'm sure you've been hearing about the show being compared to The Hunger Games. Is that a fair comparison?
Jacob Kosior: The athletic/physical part is similar to Hunger Games, but I think the elements they bring in—eating very little food, having to sleep outdoors—are similar to Survivor. I think there's a mix of shows there. It's social, physical and mental.
We had a vague idea of what we'd be doing, but we had no concept of what the game was until the entire cast was on set and they had taken our phones from us. We were there for a few days prepping and doing costume fittings but after five days they took our phones and said, "This is where you'll be living—and, by the way, you'll be starting tomorrow." It was a very rough adjustment. I'm not someone who goes and sleeps outside a lot.
I didn't know we'd be sleeping on a hard metal bed—and it was really cold outside.
WCT: Going into it, who did you think your toughest competition would be?
Jacob Kosior: It was a weird situation because we had seen everyone but didn't get to talk to each other until that first moment where you see us run into the woods. I knew the Gray Team and the White Team were tough, and the Gold Team (two brothers) were very interesting.
WCT: The team with the twin British women was interesting.
Jacob Kosior: Yes. We, like many other teams, underestimated them. I'm interested to see how their game plays out.
WCT: And then the Brooklyn women slept with the two guys in the first episode—to "conserve body heat."
Jacob Kosior: [Laughs] Yeah. These women use what they have at their disposal, and they quickly learn (as did everyone else) that they're a lot tougher than they gave themselves credit for. It'll be interesting to see how people drop their facades as the show goes on.
WCT: Let me ask you something: With all the hunting, how do you guys look so dewy fresh all the time?
Jacob Kosior: Those interviews in the premiere were shot in the days leading up to it, so we were freshly pressed. Starting with episode two, we do interviews at 7 a.m. where I poured water on my head and said I'm not interviewing at all until the sun dried my hair. I was one of the least diva-licious people on that show, believe me.
WCT: For you, what was the toughest part?
Jacob Kosior: Oof. The toughest part was being in the village. I'm at my best when we're in the woods during the hunt; I'm very focused and I'm good with directions and I have a photographic memory of where I've been. Rob is good with the social aspect of the game. That was the time when I'd rather go the makeshift tent and take a nap or just be alone.
WCT: That's interesting, because even during this brief time you struck me as someone who's social.
Jacob Kosior: I like being social but when you're around the same people 24 hours a day...
WCT: I understand. Where did this take place?
Jacob Kosior: It was in central California in a mountain range. We were training here beforehand—working out, running along the lakefront—but we didn't know our final destination, which was 6,000 feet about sea level.
We were trying to put on some weight because we knew we'd be stripped of it very quickly. There are mountains, valleys, marshes, a lake—it took a while to get a feel. It took a few days to cover the map. I'm interested to see how different I look as the game goes on.
WCT: What'd you guys eat?
Jacob Kosior: Breakfast was unflavored oatmeal with almonds for extra protein; dinner was either lentils and rice or red beans and rice—and it was portioned out by body weight, giving you the least number of calories you can consume to function. So here I am—6'4"—running 10 to 12 miles a day, on 600 calories a day. We'd be drinking water a lot and we'd still be dehydrated.
WCT: What did you learn about yourself?
Jacob Kosior: I learned that I'm a lot tougher than I gave myself credit for.
You're cold and filthy; you don't get to shower. But there are supply stations that you can go to—but you can't stay there too long, as the hunt team is on the perimeter waiting for you. And then there are choices at those stations: Do you take the box with face wash or the one with the sandwich?
Also, so often, people dismiss gay people in reality-competition shows and they're seen as weak or emotional, or people you can manipulate. We walked in saying, "We're not going to be catty and we're going to stick to our word. And we're going to be just as physically competitive as anyone else."
WCT: What was the host, Luke Tipple, like?
Jacob Kosior: He's very interesting—a bit standoffish. He had to be removed from us. He never came into the village. It was weird to have this figure who you only saw on stage and on video notifications. I'm sure he's nice in real life.
WCT: I read where Rob said that, if you prevail, he'd donate some money to the Center on Halsted [where Kosior used to work]. Are you doing the same?
Jacob Kosior: Yes; we decided as a team to do that. I know the effect Center on Halsted, especially having worked here, has had locally on where we live.
WCT: What else would you spend the money on?
Jacob Kosior: I'd pay off my grad school loans. It's interesting: Going in, we didn't worry about the money. But as the show goes on, you go, "This is all that's left and we are one step closer to it."
WCT: Knowing what you know about the show, would you do it again?
Jacob Kosior: [Laughs] I already told them I would not do it again. When we signed the contract, there was a line about coming back for an all-star show. It was great and I wouldn't change it for the world, but I've had my challenge. The hunger is the worst.
WCT: Anything you want to add?
Jacob Kosior: I know this comes up in future episodes but my boyfriend, Paul, was hesitant for me to go. I didn't know what I was getting into, and I told him before I left, "I'm going to win for you." There were times when I'd go and sit in the woods and ask, "Why am I out here?" And it was because I told Paul I was coming out here to win. I wasn't going to look him in the eye and tell him I didn't win.
Capture airs on the CW Tuesdays at 8 p.m.
