Who is Drea Wheeler from Survivor 42? Montreal native once won the All-American Track Runner title

Meet Drea Wheeler from Survivor Season 42 (Image via drea_wheeler/Instagram)
Meet Drea Wheeler from Survivor Season 42 (Image via drea_wheeler/Instagram)

Survivor returns with a new season on CBS next week. It will feature 18 contestants, including fitness consultant Drea Wheeler from Montreal, Quebec.

The 35-year-old has been a competitive athlete all her life and has achieved many milestones along the way. One of her biggest accomplishments was winning the title of All-American Track Runner and State Champion in Virginia, where she moved when she was in high school.

In an Instagram post, Wheeler mentioned that she has always run tracks and wanted to make it to Team Canada for the Olympics in London. She later worked towards her passion and began her career as a track coach.

Wheeler is currently a celebrity fitness consultant who is the founder of multiple sports and fitness websites, including Afterglow, DreaApproved, and DreaWheeler. Speaking about her accomplishments, Wheeler stated in her CBS bio:

“If you are or ever have been a competitive athlete, you know the dedication, sacrifice, sweat and tears it takes to succeed. Every time I question my ability to make something happen, I look back at the girl who ran track and remember I was, and still am, that person!”

Drea Wheeler has a fear of death

Wheeler has mentioned many personal facts about her in the CBS bio. She revealed that she fears death. However, it doesn’t cripple her. Her bio reads:

“I have a fear of death. I come off as super confident and strong, which I am, but deep down, I do fear the end. I think it stems from losing some very important people in my life at a young age. However, this fear doesn’t cripple me; it gives me the perspective to live every day to the fullest.”

Furthermore, she describes herself as an ambitious, resilient, and caring person who likes any kind of charity work. Her pet peeve is "dishonest people," and her hero is her mother, who took care of five kids after Wheeler’s father died.

She believes she can be the Sole Survivor of the new season as she has the physical strength and manipulation skills to reach the final.

In personal life, Wheeler is married to Mensah Iruoje, who is a commercial pilot and a personal trainer at the contestant’s company.


When will Survivor 42 premiere?

Season 42 is all set to premiere Wednesday, March 9, at 8.00 pm ET on CBS and Paramount Plus. The winner of the competition series will take home a million-dollar cash prize and the title of Sole Survivor. The previous season’s winner was Erika Casupanan.

The new castaways of Survivor 42 include Drea Wheeler, Marya Sherron, Swati Goel, Jenny Kim, Maryanne Oketch, Daniel Strunk, Chanelle Howell, Jonathan Young, Romeo Escobar, Jackson Fox, Lindsay Dolashewich, Omar Zaheer, Hai Giang, Mike Turner, Tori Meehan, Rocksroy Bailey, Lydia Meredith, and Zach Wurtenberger.

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