Gervase Peterson

Survivor contestant
name = Gervase Peterson


birthdate = birth date and age|1969|11|2
location = Willingboro, New Jersey,
United States
season =
finish = 7th Place
tribe = colorbox|yellow Pagong
colorbox|#ADFF21 Rattana

Gervase Peterson (born November 2, 1969 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) was a contestant on "", 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 (and its first two contestants of color).

"Survivor"

During the original "Survivor" season, he 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. [ "Reality Check", "TV Guide", June 27, 2004, at p. 64.]

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 comparing women to cows, but his teammate Joel Klug laughed so hard that the comment was attributed to him, and the female members of Pagong voted him 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 "", 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). [Poniewozik, James. [http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,51855,00.html "Aaargh! CBS Is Playing 'Survivor' Mind Games"] , TIME, August 3, 2000. Retrieved August 30, 2007.]

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 on the CBS daytime drama "As the World Turns", whom he portrayed in 2001. 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 reminiscient of the series "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. [cite news |first= |last= |title=Celebrity/entertainer becomes part-owner of ValleyDawgs |url=http://www.usbl.com/currentNews.php?news_id=149 | publisher=www.usbl.com| date=2006-04-23 | accessdate=2007-05-09 ] However, the team folded later that year due to financial difficulties. The USBL replaced it with the Albany Patroons.

A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Peterson now resides in the nearby suburb of Willingboro, New Jersey.

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*tvtome person|id=25008|name=Gervase Peterson