Yul Kwon
Encyclopedia
Yul Kwon is a television host and former government official, lawyer, and management consultant based in Virginia
. He first gained national recognition as the winner of the reality TV show Survivor: Cook Islands
. He is currently hosting America Revealed on PBS (http://www.liontv.com/Usa/Productions/America-Revealed) as well as LinkAsia on LinkTV (http://www.linktv.org/linkasia).
and attended Northgate High School
, where he graduated valedictorian and played varsity water polo and track & field. Kwon attended college at Stanford University
, graduating in 1997 with a B.S. degree in Symbolic Systems and was a brother of Lambda Phi Epsilon
Fraternity. As a student, he earned recognition for both academic achievement (Phi Beta Kappa) and community service (James Lyons Award).
In his sophomore year, Kwon’s childhood friend and roommate, Evan Chen, was diagnosed with a terminal case of leukemia. Kwon organized an intense nationwide bone marrow campaign in an effort to find a bone marrow donor for his friend. Although the search was successful and Chen underwent a marrow transplant, the procedure ultimately failed and Chen died two years later. Kwon continues to organize bone marrow drives and serves as a national spokesperson for the Asian American Donor Program. After graduation, Kwon attended Yale Law School
, where he earned a J.D. in 2000 and was an editor on The Yale Law Journal.
’s business strategy group and as a management consultant with McKinsey & Company
and The Trium Group
.
, which took place in the Cook Islands
. This season was notable for the producers’ decision to divide the contestants into tribes by their ethnicity, a decision that generated substantial controversy. When asked why he agreed to go on the show, he cited his desire to provide a positive role model for his community, and the lack of representation by Asian Americans on television.
Originally on the Asian American
Puka Puka tribe, Kwon led his tribe to dominate in the first two tribal immunity
challenges, while winning rewards on both occasions. On Puka Puka, Kwon developed a long-lasting alliance and friendship with fellow Korean-American attorney Rebekah "Becky" Lee. In Episode 2, Kwon was banished to Exile Island by the Hispanic Aitutaki tribe, after Aitutaki intentionally lost the second immunity challenge. On Exile Island, Kwon was able to decipher the clues and find the hidden immunity idol, which would be very instrumental to his survival later in the game.
In Episode 3, the four ethnically-divided tribes integrated into two tribes, and both Kwon and Lee became members of the new Aitutaki tribe. Kwon and Lee immediately developed a four-person alliance with Jonathan Penner
and Candice Woodcock
of the old white
Rarotonga tribe. When Aitutaki lost the next immunity challenge and the opposing new Rarotonga tribe sent Candice to Exile Island, Yul's alliance became outnumbered and Lee became a target. However, Kwon and Penner were able to convince Anh-Tuan "Cao Boi" Bui and Jessica "Flicka" Smith from their old respective tribes to side with them and voted out Cecilia Mansilla. After that, the new Aitutaki tribe enjoyed back-to-back immunity challenge wins in episodes 4 and 5.
In Episode 6, both tribes were informed they would have to vote someone out of their tribe, regardless of the challenge results. Despite being from the same original tribe, Kwon and his alliance voted out "Cao Boi", seeing him as a loose cannon that could not to be trusted. It was around this point that Kwon, Lee, Penner and Woodcock recruited Sundra Oakley to their now 5-person alliance. In Episode 7, this new alliance targeted Oscar "Ozzy" Lusth
due to his strength in challenges. But when the Aitutaki tribe lost immunity, they voted out "Flicka", admitting they needed Ozzy for future challenges. Both tribes were now tied at 6 members each.
In Episode 8, all remaining survivors were given the chance to "mutiny" and defect to the opposite tribe. Woodcock, who saw this as an opportunity to get back to her old Rarotonga tribemates & friends, Adam Gentry and Parvati Shallow, mutinied to the Rarotonga tribe, and Penner would subsequently follow Woodcock. The mutiny left Kwon, Lee, Oakley and Lusth as a tribe of four against a tribe of eight. Despite these odds, the new "Aitu 4" were able to dominate in the challenges and win four challenges in a row, sending Rarotonga to tribal council where they voted out Brad Virata, Rebecca Borman and (in a twist where they had to vote out two members in one tribal council) Jenny Guzon-Bae. These three survivors became members of the jury.
At the Final 9, the two tribes (Aitutaki and Rarotonga) merged into Aitutonga. The "Aitu 4" (Yul, Lusth, Lee and Oakley) were still outnumbered by the five Rarotonga members. Kwon devised a plan to use the Hidden Immunity Idol to blackmail former ally and mutineer Penner. By using his Hidden Immunity Idol to threaten to eliminate Penner at Tribal Council, Penner decided to defect from Rarotonga and join the "Aitu 4" to save himself. "Aitu 4" and Penner surprised Rarotonga at Tribal Council and voted out Nathan "Nate" Gonzalez. In the Survivor Auction at the Final 8, Kwon revealed to the remaining Rarotonga members and the host Jeff Probst
that he held the Hidden Immunity Idol. The "Aitu 4" and Penner continued to control the game and voted out former ally and mutineer Woodcock.
At the Final 7, Kwon, then dubbed the "Ringleader", "Puppet Master" and "Godfather", was constantly being pressured by the remaining Rarotonga members to vote out the traitor Penner. Knowing that their days in the game were numbered, Gentry and Shallow both threatened to vote against Kwon in the jury if Kwon refused to vote out Penner before them. Kwon made a deal with Gentry that if Penner was voted out ahead of him and Shallow, he would gain Gentry's vote in the jury, and Penner was voted out. In the next two Tribal Councils, Shallow and Gentry were voted out respectively, propelling the "Aitu 4" into the final 4.
Once in the Final 4, Lee, Lusth, Oakley and Kwon were shocked to hear that instead of a standard Final Two, the final tribal council would consist of three members. At the immunity challenge, Lusth continued to dominate, winning his spot in the Final Three. Kwon, still protected by the hidden immunity idol, was also safe. Both Lusth and Kwon agreed that the fairest decision would be a tie-breaker challenge between Lee and Oakley. Kwon offered his idol to Lee, but she declined. In the tie-breaker, both Lee and Oakley could not start a fire with flint for 1 hour. Moving to matches, both still had trouble, and Oakley ran out of matches. Lee went on to win the challenge, moving her into the Final Three with Lusth and Kwon.
In the Final Tribal Council, Kwon was credited for his strategic prowess and his ability in the social aspect of the game, whereas Lusth was credited for his domination in the physical aspect of the game. In the end, Kwon beat out Ozzy Lusth and Becky Lee in a 5-4-0 vote to become the Sole Survivor, gaining the votes of Brad Virata, Candice Woodcock, Jonathan Penner
, Adam Gentry and Sundra Oakley.
Kwon made several notable lists in 2006/2007, including People Magazine’s Sexiest Men Alive, People Magazine's Hottest Bachelors, and Extra TV's Most Eligible Bachelors. He was profiled in VIBE
Magazine’s “Juice” issue as part of the New Power Generation, consisting of people who will shape the future. An online poll by Entertainment Weekly
also found Kwon to be the favorite Survivor winner among its readers.
In 2007, Kwon worked as a special correspondent for CNN
on a series exploring issues affecting the Asian American community. The series, “Uncovering America,” aired on CNN's American Morning
. The topics Kwon examined included the portrayal of Asian Americans in the media, the glass ceiling in the corporate workplace, and affirmative action. He was also interviewed regarding these issues on Anderson Cooper 360. Other contributors to the series were Dan Simon, Betty Nguyen
, Richard Lui
, Dan Lothian
, Dr. Sanjay Gupta
, Veronica De La Cruz
and Alina Cho
.
Kwon also became a lecturer for the Federal Bureau of Investigation
.
In 2009, Kwon was appointed Deputy Chief of the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). In 2011, Kwon left the FCC (http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2011/db0110/DOC-304006A1.pdf) and became the host of a new television series on PBS, America Revealed (http://www.pbs.org/about/news/archive/2011/pbs-america-revealed/). He also became the host of a weekly news show, LinkAsia, which airs on LinkTV (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agXIDPhKnjs).
. The ceremony was televised and aired on the TV Guide Channel
. In September 2010 Kwon and his wife had a baby named Genevie.
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. He first gained national recognition as the winner of the reality TV show Survivor: Cook Islands
Survivor: Cook Islands
Survivor: Cook Islands is the thirteenth season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor, having premiered on September 14, 2006...
. He is currently hosting America Revealed on PBS (http://www.liontv.com/Usa/Productions/America-Revealed) as well as LinkAsia on LinkTV (http://www.linktv.org/linkasia).
Early life
Kwon was born in Flushing, New York, to South Korean immigrants. He moved to Concord, CaliforniaConcord, California
Concord is the largest city in Contra Costa County, California, USA. At the 2010 census, the city had a population of 122,067. Originally founded in 1869 as the community of Todos Santos by Salvio Pacheco, the name was changed to Concord within months...
and attended Northgate High School
Northgate High School (Walnut Creek, California)
Northgate High School is located in the affluent North Gate community of Walnut Creek, California, and is part of the Mount Diablo Unified School District. Opened in 1974, its name derives from its location at the north entrance of Mount Diablo State Park.- History :The movie The Principal was...
, where he graduated valedictorian and played varsity water polo and track & field. Kwon attended college at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, graduating in 1997 with a B.S. degree in Symbolic Systems and was a brother of Lambda Phi Epsilon
Lambda Phi Epsilon
Lambda Phi Epsilon is an internationally-recognized fraternity in the United States and Canada. With a total of 53 chapters, it is the largest Asian-interest fraternity in North America...
Fraternity. As a student, he earned recognition for both academic achievement (Phi Beta Kappa) and community service (James Lyons Award).
In his sophomore year, Kwon’s childhood friend and roommate, Evan Chen, was diagnosed with a terminal case of leukemia. Kwon organized an intense nationwide bone marrow campaign in an effort to find a bone marrow donor for his friend. Although the search was successful and Chen underwent a marrow transplant, the procedure ultimately failed and Chen died two years later. Kwon continues to organize bone marrow drives and serves as a national spokesperson for the Asian American Donor Program. After graduation, Kwon attended Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
, where he earned a J.D. in 2000 and was an editor on The Yale Law Journal.
Career
Kwon’s professional career spanned a variety of roles across technology, law, business, and government. He worked at two law firms - Venture Law Group and Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis. He served a judicial clerkship with Judge Barrington D. Parker, Jr. on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. He also worked as a legislative aide to U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman in Washington, DC. Kwon’s private sector business experience includes working in GoogleGoogle
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
’s business strategy group and as a management consultant with McKinsey & Company
McKinsey & Company
McKinsey & Company, Inc. is a global management consulting firm that focuses on solving issues of concern to senior management. McKinsey serves as an adviser to many businesses, governments, and institutions...
and The Trium Group
The Trium Group
The Trium Group is a San Francisco, California-based boutique management consulting firm. Its stated mission is to help create brilliant organizations.The firm focuses on strategy execution integrated with organizational leadership and culture development...
.
Survivor
In 2006, Kwon was recruited to participate in the thirteenth season of SurvivorSurvivor (U.S. TV series)
Survivor is an American version of the Survivor reality television game show, itself derived from the Swedish television series Expedition Robinson originally created in 1997 by Charlie Parsons. The series premiered on May 31, 2000 on CBS...
, which took place in the Cook Islands
Cook Islands
The Cook Islands is a self-governing parliamentary democracy in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand...
. This season was notable for the producers’ decision to divide the contestants into tribes by their ethnicity, a decision that generated substantial controversy. When asked why he agreed to go on the show, he cited his desire to provide a positive role model for his community, and the lack of representation by Asian Americans on television.
Originally on the Asian American
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
Puka Puka tribe, Kwon led his tribe to dominate in the first two tribal immunity
Immunity (reality television)
Immunity in reality television is a concept that is widely used in weekly elimination-type reality television shows by which a contestant participating in such a show may not be "kicked off" or eliminated from competition in a particular time period...
challenges, while winning rewards on both occasions. On Puka Puka, Kwon developed a long-lasting alliance and friendship with fellow Korean-American attorney Rebekah "Becky" Lee. In Episode 2, Kwon was banished to Exile Island by the Hispanic Aitutaki tribe, after Aitutaki intentionally lost the second immunity challenge. On Exile Island, Kwon was able to decipher the clues and find the hidden immunity idol, which would be very instrumental to his survival later in the game.
In Episode 3, the four ethnically-divided tribes integrated into two tribes, and both Kwon and Lee became members of the new Aitutaki tribe. Kwon and Lee immediately developed a four-person alliance with Jonathan Penner
Jonathan Penner
Jonathan Lindsay Penner is an American actor, writer and film producer known for starring in The Last Supper and the television series Rude Awakening and The Naked Truth, as well as for appearing on the television show Survivor.-Life and career:Penner was born in New York City...
and Candice Woodcock
Candice Woodcock
Candice Woodcock Cody is an American doctor and is best known for being on the reality television show Survivor.-Biography:...
of the old white
White American
White Americans are people of the United States who are considered or consider themselves White. The United States Census Bureau defines White people as those "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa...
Rarotonga tribe. When Aitutaki lost the next immunity challenge and the opposing new Rarotonga tribe sent Candice to Exile Island, Yul's alliance became outnumbered and Lee became a target. However, Kwon and Penner were able to convince Anh-Tuan "Cao Boi" Bui and Jessica "Flicka" Smith from their old respective tribes to side with them and voted out Cecilia Mansilla. After that, the new Aitutaki tribe enjoyed back-to-back immunity challenge wins in episodes 4 and 5.
In Episode 6, both tribes were informed they would have to vote someone out of their tribe, regardless of the challenge results. Despite being from the same original tribe, Kwon and his alliance voted out "Cao Boi", seeing him as a loose cannon that could not to be trusted. It was around this point that Kwon, Lee, Penner and Woodcock recruited Sundra Oakley to their now 5-person alliance. In Episode 7, this new alliance targeted Oscar "Ozzy" Lusth
Ozzy Lusth
Oscar "Ozzy" Lusth is a reality show contestant who first appeared on Survivor: Cook Islands. He finished as the 1st runner-up in a 5–4–0 vote to Yul Kwon. Lusth later competed in Survivor: Micronesia as one of the returning favorites...
due to his strength in challenges. But when the Aitutaki tribe lost immunity, they voted out "Flicka", admitting they needed Ozzy for future challenges. Both tribes were now tied at 6 members each.
In Episode 8, all remaining survivors were given the chance to "mutiny" and defect to the opposite tribe. Woodcock, who saw this as an opportunity to get back to her old Rarotonga tribemates & friends, Adam Gentry and Parvati Shallow, mutinied to the Rarotonga tribe, and Penner would subsequently follow Woodcock. The mutiny left Kwon, Lee, Oakley and Lusth as a tribe of four against a tribe of eight. Despite these odds, the new "Aitu 4" were able to dominate in the challenges and win four challenges in a row, sending Rarotonga to tribal council where they voted out Brad Virata, Rebecca Borman and (in a twist where they had to vote out two members in one tribal council) Jenny Guzon-Bae. These three survivors became members of the jury.
At the Final 9, the two tribes (Aitutaki and Rarotonga) merged into Aitutonga. The "Aitu 4" (Yul, Lusth, Lee and Oakley) were still outnumbered by the five Rarotonga members. Kwon devised a plan to use the Hidden Immunity Idol to blackmail former ally and mutineer Penner. By using his Hidden Immunity Idol to threaten to eliminate Penner at Tribal Council, Penner decided to defect from Rarotonga and join the "Aitu 4" to save himself. "Aitu 4" and Penner surprised Rarotonga at Tribal Council and voted out Nathan "Nate" Gonzalez. In the Survivor Auction at the Final 8, Kwon revealed to the remaining Rarotonga members and the host Jeff Probst
Jeff Probst
Jeffrey Lee "Jeff" Probst is an American game show host, executive producer and a reporter. He is best known as the host of the U.S. version of the reality show Survivor.-Biography:...
that he held the Hidden Immunity Idol. The "Aitu 4" and Penner continued to control the game and voted out former ally and mutineer Woodcock.
At the Final 7, Kwon, then dubbed the "Ringleader", "Puppet Master" and "Godfather", was constantly being pressured by the remaining Rarotonga members to vote out the traitor Penner. Knowing that their days in the game were numbered, Gentry and Shallow both threatened to vote against Kwon in the jury if Kwon refused to vote out Penner before them. Kwon made a deal with Gentry that if Penner was voted out ahead of him and Shallow, he would gain Gentry's vote in the jury, and Penner was voted out. In the next two Tribal Councils, Shallow and Gentry were voted out respectively, propelling the "Aitu 4" into the final 4.
Once in the Final 4, Lee, Lusth, Oakley and Kwon were shocked to hear that instead of a standard Final Two, the final tribal council would consist of three members. At the immunity challenge, Lusth continued to dominate, winning his spot in the Final Three. Kwon, still protected by the hidden immunity idol, was also safe. Both Lusth and Kwon agreed that the fairest decision would be a tie-breaker challenge between Lee and Oakley. Kwon offered his idol to Lee, but she declined. In the tie-breaker, both Lee and Oakley could not start a fire with flint for 1 hour. Moving to matches, both still had trouble, and Oakley ran out of matches. Lee went on to win the challenge, moving her into the Final Three with Lusth and Kwon.
In the Final Tribal Council, Kwon was credited for his strategic prowess and his ability in the social aspect of the game, whereas Lusth was credited for his domination in the physical aspect of the game. In the end, Kwon beat out Ozzy Lusth and Becky Lee in a 5-4-0 vote to become the Sole Survivor, gaining the votes of Brad Virata, Candice Woodcock, Jonathan Penner
Jonathan Penner
Jonathan Lindsay Penner is an American actor, writer and film producer known for starring in The Last Supper and the television series Rude Awakening and The Naked Truth, as well as for appearing on the television show Survivor.-Life and career:Penner was born in New York City...
, Adam Gentry and Sundra Oakley.
Post-Survivor
Shortly after winning Survivor, Kwon appeared on several talk shows, including Live with Regis & Kelly. He received positive media coverage for his strategic and honest gameplay, as well as for breaking stereotypes about Asian American men in the media.Kwon made several notable lists in 2006/2007, including People Magazine’s Sexiest Men Alive, People Magazine's Hottest Bachelors, and Extra TV's Most Eligible Bachelors. He was profiled in VIBE
VIBE
Vibe is a music and entertainment magazine founded by producer Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip-hop music artists, actors and other entertainers...
Magazine’s “Juice” issue as part of the New Power Generation, consisting of people who will shape the future. An online poll by Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
also found Kwon to be the favorite Survivor winner among its readers.
In 2007, Kwon worked as a special correspondent for CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
on a series exploring issues affecting the Asian American community. The series, “Uncovering America,” aired on CNN's American Morning
American Morning
American Morning is the morning television show on CNN. It premiered in 2001.-About the show:American Morning is hosted by Ashleigh Banfield, Zoraida Sambolin & Soledad O'Brien. Others who appear regularly are Rob Marciano with the weather, Sunny Hostin on legal news, and CNN senior medical...
. The topics Kwon examined included the portrayal of Asian Americans in the media, the glass ceiling in the corporate workplace, and affirmative action. He was also interviewed regarding these issues on Anderson Cooper 360. Other contributors to the series were Dan Simon, Betty Nguyen
Betty Nguyen
Betty Nguyen is an American news anchor with CBS News. Nguyen joined CBS News on March 11, 2010. She anchors the The CBS Morning News and is a correspondent for The Early Show. -Life and career:...
, Richard Lui
Richard Lui
Richard Lui is a dayside news anchor for MSNBC. Lui can be seen weekday mornings from 10am-12pm on Jansing and Company on MSNBC. Prior to joining MSNBC, Lui was anchor for the 10am ET edition of Morning Express on CNN Headline News...
, Dan Lothian
Dan Lothian
Dan Lothian is CNN's White House Correspondent.Some of the major events that he has covered while Boston Bureau Chief with CNN included the funeral of Rosa Parks, Hurricane Katrina and the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court's historic decision in Brown v. Board of Education case.Lothian was born...
, Dr. Sanjay Gupta
Sanjay Gupta
Sanjay Gupta is an American neurosurgeon and an assistant professor of neurosurgery at Emory University School of Medicine and associate chief of the neurosurgery service at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia....
, Veronica De La Cruz
Veronica De La Cruz
Veronica De La Cruz is a Filipino American television anchor formerly with CNN. In July 2010, she appeared as a late night anchor on MSNBC. At the current time, she appears on both NBC and MSNBC, primarily anchoring NBC's Early Today show and MSNBC's First Look...
and Alina Cho
Alina Cho
Alina Cho is a general assignment correspondent for CNN's New York bureau.-Background:Alina Cho was born in Vancouver, Washington, to parents who were born in Seoul.She revealed on CNN's American Morning that she was a cheerleader at her high school....
.
Kwon also became a lecturer for the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
.
In 2009, Kwon was appointed Deputy Chief of the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). In 2011, Kwon left the FCC (http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2011/db0110/DOC-304006A1.pdf) and became the host of a new television series on PBS, America Revealed (http://www.pbs.org/about/news/archive/2011/pbs-america-revealed/). He also became the host of a weekly news show, LinkAsia, which airs on LinkTV (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agXIDPhKnjs).
Personal life
Kwon proposed to his girlfriend, Sophie Tan, in April 2008. The couple had been set up by one of Kwon’s Survivor tribemates, Brad Virata. Kwon and Tan were married in 2009 at Clos La Chance winery in San Martin, CaliforniaSan Martin, California
San Martin is a census-designated place and an unincorporated town in Santa Clara County, California, United States. It takes its name from St. Martin of Tours, the patron saint of early pioneer Martin Murphy, who built the first Catholic church in the area...
. The ceremony was televised and aired on the TV Guide Channel
TV Guide Channel
TV Guide Network is an American cable network owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation....
. In September 2010 Kwon and his wife had a baby named Genevie.
Interviews
- Yul Kwon interview
- Interview with Yul Kwon
- Interview with Yul Kwon about winning Survivor
- Catching up with Yul Kwon, an interview
External links
- Yul Kwon's website
- Yul Kwon's Bio at CBSCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
.com