Los Altos resident Yul Kwon returns to reality TV

The 2006 champ of “Survivor: Cook Islands” is back on TV in a reality series called “Snake in the Grass,” which premiered Monday on the USA Network. Unlike “Survivor,” which is usually based on a beach, the competitors spent three days in the Costa Rican jungle.

The show – which Kwon characterizes as “a cross of ‘Survivor’ and the (party) game Mafia” – involves one player being secretly designated the “Snake.” Throughout the 36 hours, the group completes challenges to acquire clues that reveal the Snake’s identity. Meanwhile, the Snake secretly tries to sabotage the group’s efforts.

After the 36 hours is over, the four players meet with host Bobby Bones in the “Snake Pit,” where the players announce who they believe the Snake to be. If the group guesses correctly, they share $100,000. However, if the Snake’s identity stays hidden, that player receives $100,000. Throughout the season, viewers can expect to see contestants who have previously participated in shows such as “Survivor,” “Big Brother” and “Naked and Afraid.”

The eight-episode show, airing 11 p.m. Mondays, features four players per episode. Kwon’s episode aired July 26 as a preview on NBC and will run again Aug. 15 on the USA Network. In Kwon’s episode, he plays with “Survivor: Fiji” champ Earl Cole, former “Survivor” contestant Malcolm Freberg and former “Naked and Afraid” contestant Jeff Zausch.

Psychological gameplay

According to Kwon, “Snake in the Grass” differed from previous survival shows he participated in because of the “interpersonal dynamics and social gameplay” involved.

“In addition to the challenges, we spend time together, and you’re sussing each contestant out and trying to figure out: Are they being authentic? Are they being sincere? Are they hiding themselves?” he said. “There’s a lot of social, psychological gameplay that happens.”

Kwon noted that the three-day time span added to the stress of the psychological gameplay.

“In 36 hours, it’s really hard to get to know people well enough and get a sense of them to get a good pulse on whether they’re telling the truth or they’re being disingenuous,” he said. “Everyone feels like you have to get to the bottom of things as quickly as you can.”

He added: “At some point, I realized it doesn’t matter if people like you or not – they just have to believe you.”

According to Kwon, the show “highlights a lot of the cognitive biases that people have,” such as confirmation bias, the tendency to only explore pieces of information that agree with an initial belief or preconception.

“(The game) does a pretty good job illustrating that in a very compressed time period,” he said. “So, for me, I came out of that thinking, ‘Oh, it’s really interesting. I can understand why this is happening on a national or global level.’”

However, Kwon said that games like “Snake in the Grass” can take a mental toll on players, such as temporarily experiencing a lack of trust in others.

“I think that’s part of the process,” he said. “You go through an intense period, and then when you start looking back, you can appreciate the experience for what it was. … For me, having just gone through ‘Survivor,’ (I’m) able to divorce the gameplay from real life. So, for me, I didn’t take anything personally coming out of it; we ended up becoming good friends.”

Kwon described the experience of being on “Snake in the Grass” as a “whole roller coaster of fun.”

Regarding his future in reality TV, he said, “I think I’m pretty much done with anything that involves running around half-naked on a beach or an island, or anything that involves not having a bathroom, or not being able to shower for long periods of time.”

But after being attracted to the psychological aspects of “Snake in the Grass,” he noted that he would be interested in doing shows with that particular twist.

While Kwon’s survival show days may be coming to an end, he emphasized how participating in them stripped everything away, such as family and “material support,” and going through a “very difficult and challenging experience” ultimately made him feel more “blessed” to have what he has.

“Having these types of experiences is something that I found to be incredibly meaningful and invaluable for me, if only because it casts my own life more clearly in relief – such that I really appreciate and have gratitude for the things that I have in my life,” he said. 

For more information on “Snake in the Grass,” visit

tinyurl.com/2d9vzmf9.