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Know
someone who was a contestant on Survivor 12: Panama - Exile
Island?
Contact us: |
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| Contestant-related press
and rumors |
| Date,
source |
| January 26, 2006 |
| Click
here to watch the full 45-min video at CBS2 Chicago |
January 26, 2006: CBSNews video of
a pre-game press roundtable discussion about Aras, led by
Jeff Probst, with Mara Reinstein (US Weekly), Paul Adler (TV
Guide channel), Shawna Malcom (TV Guide), Dalton Ross (EW),
Jarett Wieselman (In Touch). Transcript:
 Jeff
Probst: Okay, then we have
uh, Aras, the uh, yoga instructor.
Aras (pre-game interview): My name is Aras, I'm 24,
I'm from Santa Monica, California. I'm a yoga instructor.
Shawna Malcom: I couldn't
quite figure him out. He came in, and, and seemed very
angry about something, but I couldn't quite get to what
was going on. And he just sort of seemed like, 'Okay, I'm
here....'
Jeff Probst: Probably when we told him
what he had to wear, what he couldn't bring.
Shawna Malcom: What did he want
to wear?
Jeff Probst: No, I, I don't know. Usually
what irritates these people is, all this game about to
happen. It's gonna kick your ass for 39 days, and we
come in and say 'Eh, not the red shirt, how about the
green one?' 'But I, I look good in red. I mean, this is
cut for my...'. You know, it's this huge deal about
what they're gonna wear.
Paul Adler: I didn't
get Aras either. He kind of gave this whole diatribe about
how, like, society is built around Gordon Gekko, 'Greed
is good,' and how he wants to come in and play the
game honorably. And he talked a lot about his yoga principles,
and I, I just don't know what game he was talking about.
Because I don't think it was Survivor.
Aras (pre-game interview): I'm in a
state of flux. I'm learning to be a more loving, honest
person. Um, battling the demons of competitiveness, and
ladder climbing. You know, wanting to be successful monetarily,
but also wanting spiritual growth, and sometimes those
things don't come hand in hand.
Dalton Ross: There's always a point
in Survivor where there's
a line, and you have to decide if you're gonna cross
it. And, and it, sometimes it depends on who's on the
other side of that line, or where exactly that
line is. And I'm not sure he's gonna be able to
cross it, or cross it when he needs to cross it, and
as, you know, decisively as he's gonna need to cross
it.
Jeff Probst: I
think Aras is gonna cross the line like that.
Dalton Ross: You think so?
Jeff Probst: Yeah, I don't buy it
at all, this.... I think we've got a lot of people searching.
They're transitioning in life, and this may be the, the
portal. But I, I don't....
Jarett Wieselman: He said to
me, he was like, 'You know, I'm 24, I'm young, I'm
still figuring out who I am. And I think this is a great
way to see who I am, and what I'm made of.' So I
think, I agree with you completely. In a heartbeat, I
think he would turn on anyone to advance himself in the
game.
| Vidcaps
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| Vidcaps - click
thumbnails to expand |
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January 22, 2006: Transcript of Aras-specific
footage from the TV Guide Channel " Survivor: Panama
- Exile Island Preview" (featuring pre-game contestant
interviews and Jeff Probst comments from circa Ep1):
"Jeff Probst: As
much as I like the older women, on the, at the other end
of the spectrum, I have big questions about the younger guys.
Danni Boatwright: 24-year-old yoga instructor Aras
is the youngest player in Panama, and he's a bit nervous
about his earthy profession getting in the way of the million-dollar
goal.
Aras (pre-game interview): The
yoga tradition teaches like non-greediness, and non-lying,
and all those things, so it's gonna be a real challenge
for me to apply some of those yoga principles to this
game, where it rewards, truly I think, Gordon Gekkos
of the world.
Jeff Probst: I'm not sure what he's
bringing. He's bringing a lot of talk. Do you know how
to play Survivor? We'll
find out. That's all I got on Aras."
|
January 9, 2006: Officially
revealed as a contestant on Survivor: Panama - Exile Island on
the Early Show.
| Early Show
vidcaps - click thumbnails to expand |
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Aras's bio, from the CBS Survivor:
Panama site:
Aras Baskauskas completed his
undergraduate program in three years and earned his
Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from the University
of California, Irvine. In 2003, he was named one
of UC Irvine's "Most Eligible Bachelors" in
the student newspaper.
Baskauskas continued his education
at UC Irvine and graduated from the Graduate School
of Management, where he received his Masters in Business
Administration. He is proudest of being the only
student to have played NCAA Men's Division One basketball
on scholarship while in the MBA program.
Baskauskas is a former professional
basketball player, having played briefly overseas
in Lithuania. After leaving the court, Aras moved
to Capetown, South Africa, where he opened up a donation-based
yoga studio. He currently works as a yoga instructor
in Santa Monica, California. His hobbies include
meditation, golf and surfing. He describes himself
as outgoing, compassionate and genuine.
Baskauskas is currently
single and living in Santa Monica, California. His
birth date is September 26, 1981. |
|
| Date,
source |
| December 20,
2005 |
| biancaxxx at
Sucks |
December 20, 2005: Aras is identified as a
potential Survivor: Panama - Exile Island contestant by biancaxxx at
Survivor Sucks. Was apparently missing during the time of filming,
and at 6'4", could be the tall skinny guy mentioned by ChillOne.
|
June 20, 2004 : Aras
graduates from the UCI Graduate School of Management, receiving
his M.B.A. (Source: UCI GSM alumni news).
|
| Date,
source |
| Spring, 2004 |
| David
Lim for invigorate |
Spring, 2004: Lengthy biographical article
in invigorate,
the UC Irvine Graduate School of Management's news magazine
(note: PDF file). Some of
the excerpts below, particularly his thoughts on basketball
leadership and business, seem to apply to Survivor as well:
"Youthful invigoration from a unique MBA student
Photo credit: invigorate |
An educational journey for Aras Baskauskas will end soon.
It will conclude at the UC Irvine Bren Athletic Center, on
a graduation platform, with a symbolic piece of paper in
hand - telling him that he has earned his MBA.
His life has
been one of diverging opportunities. Pivotal decisions and
moments seem to be commonplace for Baskauskas. And Baskauskas
understands the art of pivoting quite well. This year, he
graduates as the only student to have played NCAA Men's Division
I basketball throughout his entire MBA career.
'I got
calls from Yale, Columbia, Montana, Loyola Marymount, Gonzaga,'
he said. 'Harvard also called, and I
had a decision to make. The Ivy League schools don't give
athletic scholarships, and I didn't want to be staring down
the road at a $120,000 debt. The others did, but I wanted
a great education. That's why I chose UC Irvine.'
On
the eve of graduation, he is facing two more diverging opportunities:
professional basketball in Europe with the hopes of making
the Lithuanian Olympic Basketball team (because of his dual
citizenship), and in the off season, back in Southern California,
working at a real estate development firm.
...
The hackneyed reference
of the basketball point guard as 'floor
general,' 'catalyst,' 'team leader,' 'coach
on the floor,' litters sport stories ad nauseam. But
Baskauskas offers a legitimate explanation of why it is true.
'If
a starter isn't playing so well, it's up to you to take him
out to lunch, to see what is going on. You have to try to
understand how he looks at things, what bothers him, what
he needs. That's how you start understanding
how to motivate him and also you start building trust. And
that's what's really important. So when you are on the court, and you don't
pass him the ball, he'll trust that you are making a good
decision and that you aren't passing him the ball out of
selfishness,' he said.
Baskauskas earned an undergraduate
degree in philosophy, but decided to pursue business. He
was able to play basketball while attending GSM because he
completed his bachelor's degree in three years and also had
two years of NCAA eligibility left, since he sat out his
first year.
'I was intrigued
at how people in business thought and behaved, it is truly
in the opposite end of how people thought about things in
philosophy,' he said. 'Social
consciousness is important to me, but before you can change
anything, you have to understand how things work. This country
is based on business.' ... 'I sat out my first year. But
I also thought about what would get me the most playing time.
The team really didn't have a defensive stopper at the point
guard position. So, I created my own
niche. Otherwise, I
would have sat on the bench the entire game,' Baskauskas
said. 'I think in business, there are a lot of similarities.
You need to be able to communicate and
motivate. In basketball,
as a point guard, the most important thing is communication.' |
| Date,
source |
| November 17, 2003 |
| Taraneh
Arhamsadr and Jillianne Salaver for the UC Irvine New
University |
November 17, 2003 : Aras is listed along with
four other, er, "hopefuls," as one of UC Irvine's "Most
Eligible Bachelors" in
the UC Irvine student newspaper. Many of his answers resemble
a Survivor questionnaire,
for what it's worth:
"THE SCHOLAR ATHLETE
Aras Baskauskas defines the term “well-rounded.” As
a fifth-year student, he is already a student in the Graduate
School of Management. Baskauskas is also the point guard of
the UCI Basketball team.
Photo credit: UCI New University |
New U.: How do you manage to do so
much in so little time?
Baskauskas: You have to sacrifice something. I don’t
get to get to party and don’t have much free time as
other college students. You manage your time and multi-task.
I actually like having less time, it keeps me on track.
New
U.: What have you learned through your involvement with the
basketball team through the years?
Baskauskas: Basketball
has taught me tons of things. You learn how to work hard. I’ve
had awesome experiences and memories I will cherish for the
rest of my life. I have teammates that are my best friends
and we live together.
New U.: What comes after UCI?
Baskauskas: I’d like to play basketball professionally
in Europe and then the sky’s the limit. With my business
degree, I’d go into marketing.
New U.: How would you
describe your approach with women?
Baskauskas: I try to be straightforward and honest. I really appreciate
those qualities in women, so I think I should do the same back."
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