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Survivor season 48, which premiered on February 26, 2025, saw 18 castaways head to the Mamanuca Islands in Fiji to risk it all for the title of Sole Survivor and a $1M cash prize. One such participant was Kevin Leung, a 34-year-old finance manager from Livermore, California.
While introducing himself on the show, Kevin said he would do his hair every morning to ensure he looked "somewhat hot." He aimed to advance far into the competition by using his "ditzy and cool" look. Kevin started his career in engineering, but transitioned into finance because he liked to socialize and bond with people.
Kevin wanted to bring the same energy into Survivor 48, hoping to make it to the last stage of the competition. However, he had a rough start as he dislocated his shoulder on day one.
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His journey ended sooner than anticipated as he was eliminated in week two, during an episode aired on March 5, 2025. Kevin got evicted after Sai played her immunity idol, and with Cedrek, plotted to have him evicted from Survivor.
"It's not my vibe" — Survivor season 48 alum Kevin on leaving engineering to work in finance
During an interview with Parade, published on January 31, 2025, Kevin revealed that he studied engineering and eventually worked as a civil engineer. However, he quickly realized the job was not for him.
"It's not my vibe. I'm more of a people person; I like talking. So I went to business, and then now I'm in finance, so I just kind of pivoted careers," Kevin said.
The Survivor star added that although he was never a "business finance person" growing up, he realized he could not "work in AutoCAD and drawings all day" as an engineer. Consequently, he switched careers. While explaining his role working as a finance manager for a tech company, he explained that he had to forecast, budget, and make returns on investments.
Kevin says Survivor alum Yul Kwon inspired him to participate on the CBS show
In the Parade interview, Kevin stated that his parents were immigrants from Hong Kong, who spent their lives working hard to finish college and make a living. Consequently, Kevin spent a significant time in after-school programs while his parents were away working multiple jobs. While he watched other children get picked by their parents, he, on most days, walked or took the bus home.
It led him to assume he was either "different" or did not have the same opportunities. The Survivor star recalled that his parents were "really strict" on TV because they wanted him to do well in school. However, he said everything changed after the night he accidentally heard the intro music to Survivor: Australia.
When he saw Yul Kwon on season 13 of the CBS show, he got inspired to participate.
"And when I first saw Yul Kwon and the Puka Puka tribe, I was like, 'Oh my gosh, someone like me looks like they're on the tribe and they're doing so well,'" Kevin said.
Survivor fame Kevin was once recruited as a greeter/model for Abercrombie
Kevin revealed that after he began working out, he got "better skin" and changed his hairstyle. Soon after, Abercrombie recruited him to become a greeter/model in their front store in California. The CBS star recalled that the opportunity felt better than getting an MBA or graduating.
Kevin explained that his job was to greet people with a bright smile, appear friendly, and make them "feel like a million dollars."
"That really trained me really well to talk to so many people and charm their socks off. And I feel like that's kind of how it got me life," he added.
The castaway stated that he eventually completed his MBA and finished first in class. It has been over six years since he joined a "big tech company," where he stated he used his smile to make them "feel like they're a million bucks."
Survivor fame Kevin was on I Survived Bear Grylls
Kevin's reality TV career did not start with Survivor. He had previously participated in the survivalist show I Survived Bear Grylls, which aired in 2023. Although he could not win the competition, he was grateful for the opportunity.
In an Instagram post, dated May 19, 2023, Kevin shared a picture on the sets of the TBS show with host Bear and captioned it, saying:
"To @beargrylls: Thank you for letting me be a part of this wild adventure show. Even though I literally and figuratively tumbled out of the competition, I’m so grateful to have had the chance to be there and meet amazing people on the way. Watch I Survived Bear Grylls on TBS!!"
Fans can follow Kevin Leung on Instagram (@kev.fitness90), which, at the time of writing, has over 6.1K followers.
