Feb. 17--Chicago postal worker Darnell Hamilton said the street skills he's learned from growing up and living in Calumet City came in handy on the new season of "Survivor."
But nothing prepared him for the heat and the bugs in Cambodia.
"The elements ... (Watching the show), you just don't have a clue," Hamilton said.
Hamilton, 28, is one of 18 contestants competing for the $1 million prize on "Survivor: Kaoh Rong," scheduled to premiere 7 p.m. Wednesday on CBS. The Season 32 competitors are divided into three tribes: Brains, brawn and beauty.
Hamilton is in the brawn tribe, which he took as a compliment because "they're labeled as the tough ones." In a preview for the new season, "Survivor" host Jeff Probst called him a "massive question mark" who will either acclimate quickly or become overwhelmed.
Hamilton said he has had to overcome obstacles all his life. He said he graduated high school with a 1.6 grade point average but earned a 3.47 GPA in subsequent college classes. He said he was recently accepted into Loyola University.
He's worked at the main Chicago post office for the past few years and wanted to try out for "Survivor" because there "comes a time in a person's life when they want to test themselves."
To prepare for the show, Hamilton said he went on a diet that restricted the amount of food he could eat and ended up losing 15 pounds; ran on a treadmill while wearing an elevation training mask; and rewatched old episodes of "Survivor."
Hamilton said the "Survivor" prize would go toward helping his mother with living expenses and starting community programs in Calumet City.
"A lot of people can see me on the TV and be like, 'Oh wow, he's an average guy,'" Hamilton said. "You can be yourself and still be important or special."
