Gervase Peterson
Encyclopedia
Gervase Peterson was a contestant on Survivor: Borneo
, the first edition of the popular CBS reality television
series Survivor, which premiered in May 2000, and was the highest rated American series during the summer of that year. Peterson and tribemate Ramona Gray were Survivor's first two African American
contestants.
As a member of the Pagong tribe, Peterson was one of the first Survivor contestants who was forced by circumstance to eat cooked rat for sustenance, and was the very first contestant to remark that cooked rat actually tasted good. In one episode, he made a disparaging remark about women, stating that "nothing is dumber than a woman, except maybe a cow." However, his teammate Joel Klug laughed so hard that the comment was attributed to him, and the female members of Pagong voted Klug off at the next opportunity.
After the two tribes merged into Rattana, Peterson (like all the remaining members of Pagong) did not realize that former Tagi members Richard Hatch
, Kelly Wiglesworth
, Rudy Boesch
, and Susan Hawk
had formed a voting alliance until the Pagong faction had been outnumbered and outmaneuvered. The Tagi alliance, along with former Tagi member Sean Kenniff, eliminated Peterson in Episode 10.
Amidst the fervor that swept the nation during Survivor: Borneo
, a hacker announced that he had gained access to an area of the CBS Survivor website containing a photo array of the 16 contestants. An "X" was displayed across the picture of everyone except Peterson. This led many to believe that the network had inadvertently revealed Peterson to be the winner. A few episodes later he was voted off, and CBS admitted that its so-called snafu was done purposely to fool viewers and pundits as a way of keeping the true winner's identity secret (The final tribal council, where Hatch was voted the winner, had been pre-recorded along with the rest of the season).
. Other television appearances include Son of the Beach
, The Hughleys
, and Nash Bridges
. He had starring roles in the independent films 13th Grade and Hell's Threshold, and also appeared in White Men Can't Rap and L-O-V-E. Additionally, he made a cameo appearance in The Scorned
, which featured numerous personalities from American reality television.
Peterson appeared in the Bravo series Battle of the Network Reality Stars
, which pitted familiar reality television personalities against each other in a competition reminiscent of ABC
's Battle of the Network Stars
from the 1970s and 1980s. Initially, Peterson was the captain of Team Light Blue, but when contest rules allowed two teams to choose a member from each other's roster, he was selected by Team Red. The finale aired on September 21, 2005, the same night as Bravo's All Star Reality Reunion, in which Peterson also appeared.
With the exception of his stint on Survivor, Peterson is always seen with a fully shaven head. He has been selected as one of the celebrity representatives for the HeadBlade, a razor designed specifically for men who shave their heads.
He has also modeled clothing for South Pole.
In 2006, Peterson became co-owner of the Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs
, a franchise in the United States Basketball League
. However, the team folded later that year due to financial difficulties. The USBL replaced it with the Albany Patroons
.
In 2009, Peterson participated in a celebrity boxing
match sponsored by the Celebrity Boxing Federation. Fighting as a light heavyweight
, he defeated adult film entertainer Travis Knight.
A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, Peterson now resides in the nearby suburb of Willingboro Township
, New Jersey
.
Survivor: Borneo
Survivor: Borneo is the first season of the United States reality show Survivor. It was originally broadcast under the name Survivor but its official title was changed to Survivor: Pulau Tiga to distinguish it from subsequent installments of the series, and then changed again to Survivor: Borneo to...
, the first edition of the popular CBS reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
series Survivor, which premiered in May 2000, and was the highest rated American series during the summer of that year. Peterson and tribemate Ramona Gray were Survivor's first two African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
contestants.
Survivor
During the original Survivor season, Peterson worked only when necessary, and was able to successfully preserve much of his strength until the individual challenges in the later rounds. Although at times it made him appear lazy, he claims that this was part of his strategy.As a member of the Pagong tribe, Peterson was one of the first Survivor contestants who was forced by circumstance to eat cooked rat for sustenance, and was the very first contestant to remark that cooked rat actually tasted good. In one episode, he made a disparaging remark about women, stating that "nothing is dumber than a woman, except maybe a cow." However, his teammate Joel Klug laughed so hard that the comment was attributed to him, and the female members of Pagong voted Klug off at the next opportunity.
After the two tribes merged into Rattana, Peterson (like all the remaining members of Pagong) did not realize that former Tagi members Richard Hatch
Richard Hatch (reality TV)
Richard "Rich" Hatch is the $1,000,000 winner of the first American Survivor series, and was a contestant on The Celebrity Apprentice 4.-Early life:...
, Kelly Wiglesworth
Kelly Wiglesworth
Kelly Wiglesworth is the runner-up on the original American version of the CBS reality series Survivor.-Survivor:...
, Rudy Boesch
Rudy Boesch
Rudy Boesch is a former Navy SEAL. After his honorable discharge, he was the oldest competitor on Survivor: Borneo at 72 years of age, where he finished in third place. He set the record again when he competed on Survivor: All-Stars at 75. He currently lives in Virginia Beach.-Military...
, and Susan Hawk
Susan Hawk
Susan "Sue" Hawk was a contestant on Survivor: Borneo and Survivor: All-Stars...
had formed a voting alliance until the Pagong faction had been outnumbered and outmaneuvered. The Tagi alliance, along with former Tagi member Sean Kenniff, eliminated Peterson in Episode 10.
Amidst the fervor that swept the nation during Survivor: Borneo
Survivor: Borneo
Survivor: Borneo is the first season of the United States reality show Survivor. It was originally broadcast under the name Survivor but its official title was changed to Survivor: Pulau Tiga to distinguish it from subsequent installments of the series, and then changed again to Survivor: Borneo to...
, a hacker announced that he had gained access to an area of the CBS Survivor website containing a photo array of the 16 contestants. An "X" was displayed across the picture of everyone except Peterson. This led many to believe that the network had inadvertently revealed Peterson to be the winner. A few episodes later he was voted off, and CBS admitted that its so-called snafu was done purposely to fool viewers and pundits as a way of keeping the true winner's identity secret (The final tribal council, where Hatch was voted the winner, had been pre-recorded along with the rest of the season).
After Survivor
Like several members of the Survivor: Borneo cast, Peterson has attempted to parlay his popularity into an acting career. Thus far, his most notable role has been that of absentee father Leo Thompson, whom he portrayed in 2001 on the CBS daytime drama As the World TurnsAs the World Turns
As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
. Other television appearances include Son of the Beach
Son of the Beach
Son of the Beach is an American sitcom that aired from 2000 to 2002 on the FX network. The series was a spoof of Baywatch, with much of the comedy based on sexual jokes, innuendo and the like. The studly David Hasselhoff character is instead an average, pot-bellied, out-of-shape bald man but...
, The Hughleys
The Hughleys
The Hughleys is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from September 22, 1998 to April 28, 2000 and on the UPN network from September 11, 2000 to May 20, 2002. It starred comedian D. L...
, and Nash Bridges
Nash Bridges
Nash Bridges is an American television police drama created by Carlton Cuse. The show starred Don Johnson and Cheech Marin as two Inspectors with the San Francisco Police Department's Special Investigations Unit. The show ran for six seasons on CBS from March 29, 1996 to May 4, 2001 with a total of...
. He had starring roles in the independent films 13th Grade and Hell's Threshold, and also appeared in White Men Can't Rap and L-O-V-E. Additionally, he made a cameo appearance in The Scorned
The Scorned
The Scorned is a 2005 horror movie. It was the first movie cast entirely with the people from previous reality television series. The movie was filmed during the E! behind-the-scenes reality show Kill Reality....
, which featured numerous personalities from American reality television.
Peterson appeared in the Bravo series Battle of the Network Reality Stars
Battle of the Network Reality Stars
Battle of the Network Reality Stars is a television series that aired on the Bravo channel in the US in August and September 2005. Based on the popular 1970s and 1980s television competition Battle of the Network Stars, the show consisted of thirty-three competitors from several different reality...
, which pitted familiar reality television personalities against each other in a competition reminiscent of ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's Battle of the Network Stars
Battle of the Network Stars
Battle of the Network Stars is the name of 19 US television specials featuring competitions among teams of popular television performers representing the three major broadcast networks at that time: ABC, CBS, and NBC.- History :...
from the 1970s and 1980s. Initially, Peterson was the captain of Team Light Blue, but when contest rules allowed two teams to choose a member from each other's roster, he was selected by Team Red. The finale aired on September 21, 2005, the same night as Bravo's All Star Reality Reunion, in which Peterson also appeared.
With the exception of his stint on Survivor, Peterson is always seen with a fully shaven head. He has been selected as one of the celebrity representatives for the HeadBlade, a razor designed specifically for men who shave their heads.
He has also modeled clothing for South Pole.
In 2006, Peterson became co-owner of the Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs
Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs
The Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs was a United States Basketball League team located in Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the state. It operated from 1999 to 2006....
, a franchise in the United States Basketball League
United States Basketball League
The United States Basketball League , often abbreviated to the USBL, was a professional men's spring basketball league. The league was formed in 1985. The final champions are the Kansas Cagerz, who won the title game on July 1, 2007.-History:...
. However, the team folded later that year due to financial difficulties. The USBL replaced it with the Albany Patroons
Albany Patroons
The Albany Patroons were a professional basketball team that played in the Continental Basketball Association ....
.
In 2009, Peterson participated in a celebrity boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
match sponsored by the Celebrity Boxing Federation. Fighting as a light heavyweight
Light heavyweight
In boxing, the light heavyweight is a weight division above 168 pounds [12 Stone or 76.204 kilograms] and up to 175 pounds [12.5 stone or 79.38 kilograms]), falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight...
, he defeated adult film entertainer Travis Knight.
A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, Peterson now resides in the nearby suburb of Willingboro Township
Willingboro Township, New Jersey
Willingboro is a Township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States and a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the United States 2010 Census, the township population was 31,629....
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
.