Wanted: Asian Mom in Her ‘Thirties’
February 16, 2007
San Francisco architect and civic leader Sylvia Kwan is an elegant, savvy businesswoman who recently transformed herself into a Survivor challenger for the 14th season in Fiji that began airing earlier this month.
After the first episode (Feb. 8), Sylvia emerged as a leader, but was sent off to Exile Island in search for a clue for an immunity idol.
AsianWeek spoke with Sylvia’s husband, Denis Henmi, on Sylvia’s game plan and how she prepared for her trip. Readers will have to tune in to CBS on Thursday night to see if Sylvia fares well or says farewell.
How was Sylvia selected for the show? Were there preliminary endurance tests or interviews?
DH: Last October, Sylvia and I hosted a birthday dinner party for our son at a restaurant in Santa Monica. Two women approached Sylvia and said, “We’re with CBS casting and we’d like you to be on Survivor.”
She immediately replied, “No, no, no. I don’t know how to swim; I’m afraid of deep water; I don’t like snakes, and I don’t eat bugs!”
The women said they were looking for an Asian woman who was a mother and in her mid- to late- 30s. She told them that two out of three wasn’t bad. My wife is incredibly youthful-looking. They apparently had been looking for some time and could not find anyone who fit the bill.
Our sons and I really pushed Sylvia to do it, but she just couldn’t get past the swimming issue. Of course, she did audition, and the rest is history.
At the audition, there were no endurance tests and they didn’t really seem to be concerned about Sylvia’s athletic abilities whatsoever. They did ask whether she would be willing to take swimming lessons, to which she agreed. However, she kept deliberating the swimming aspect; it was the deal breaker for her as to whether she ultimately would agree to do Survivor.
What did Sylvia do to prepare — mentally and physically — for this experience?
DH: The very first thing she did was to sign up for swimming lessons. She also signed up for personal training. She did this every day and it was very taxing on her mentally and physically. A Boys Scout troop leader taught her some basics about wilderness survival, such as making a fire from flint and building a shelter.
Every night, she came home exhausted but would keep going and do computer research on flora and fauna and animal life on tropical islands. Of course, she had no idea where she was going, which was also a psychological disadvantage since she would have liked to have some clue of what to expect.
What was Sylvia’s strategy going into the challenge?
DH: She planned to stay in the background until she could find out what everyone was like. She also decided to be very helpful in certain areas, such as picking firewood and boiling water. It was important for her to suppress her natural impetus toward being a leader and let others take the lead. She planned to gradually show her abilities and social skills to form alliances and stay in the game.
What influences did Sylvia’s personal life play?
DH: Our two boys and I think of Sylvia as a princess. We tease her about being a “wuss” because she doesn’t enjoy any extreme sports. She is not, and never was, a tomboy. I would not call her a natural athlete. She does like staying fit and doing some sports like skiing and tennis, but those aren’t necessarily helpful skills on a tropical island!
What influences did her professional life play?
DH: She knew that being an architect was going to be a necessary skill set because some kind of shelter was going to be built for the tribe. So, that was one area where she had some confidence. However, she only designs and puts her ideas on paper; She’s never built a building before. So, transferring her skills was going to be a challenge.
Is Sylvia ready for any more reality shows?
DH: Sylvia treats business as business and doesn’t take things personally. But this show is about the person. Sylvia and I have a great life here in the San Francisco Bay Area, so I don’t know if she’s ready to ‘rough it’ anytime soon.
Other final thoughts you would like to share for now?
DH: Based on the first episode, Sylvia was cast in a prominent leadership position, which is great for an Asian woman to surface as a leader of such a diverse group. However, this obviously placed Sylvia in a potential vulnerable position.
Yul Kwon’s win the last season and Sylvia’s leadership role in the opening episode demonstrate that Asians are not only “just hard workers” but are also very capable leaders.
Sylvia’s initial strategy was to stay under the radar to avoid being a threat to the men. But, the situations and the environment make it almost impossible to suppress your natural personality. Sylvia is a natural leader and that surfaced very quickly. So much for strategy!
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