After a week of Vokai interviews, we now move onto the Lairo tribe, their Survivor opponents in both challenges and the attention of mentors Rob Mariano and Sandra Diaz-Twine. First up is Rhode Islander and gym owner Aaron Meredith. The 36-year-old has a lot of weight on his shoulders as he enters the game, telling me he’s playing for his wife, child, parents, and staff. But Aaron hopes to use his deceiving looks to craft a winning formula based on two variables: “Math and emotion.”

Read on for my chat with Aaron, and make sure to check in with Parade.com every day for interviews with this season’s contestants and other on-set tidbits. Survivor: Island of the Idols premieres on September 25 with a special 90-minute premiere on CBS.

Tell me about yourself.

I’m 36 from Rhode Island. I’ve been married for seven years, and we have a five-year-old. I own a women’s only gym. Fitness is my passion. I also have a party boat. Between May and October, I’m the captain of that. If you have a group of friends and you want to get twisted on the water, call me up, and I can take care of it. It starts very, very calm. Then the true colors come out about two hours in once people get a little liquor. It’s fun to sit back and watch that happen.

Sounds like Survivor if you substitute liquor for starvation.

Correct, that’s exactly what it is. Eventually, people will show their true colors.

What got you into fitness?

I went to school for electrical engineering. I was a college athlete in football and baseball, and I wrestled in high school. I did that for a couple of years, then got tired of engineering and moved back home with my parents. They were like, “What are you doing? You’re 22 years old living with mom and dad. You had a great career.” So I started waiting tables. I was at a local gym lifting when the GM came up to me and said, “I see you come in all the time and work out with your friends. You know what you’re doing. Have you ever thought about personal training?” I got my certification and started training.

What do you enjoy about training the most?

Honestly, helping people. You have an opportunity to really change someone’s life. People have come up to me on several occasions and thanked me for changing the directions of their lives. I inspire them and motivate them to make decisions to better themselves.

Again, that sounds very Survivor, convincing people to make decisions.

I call it “Meredith Mind Control.” I say, “I want you to do something,” but I’m going to make you think it’s your idea. If you get someone to make a decision that’s logical for you but illogical for them, you win.

What’s the day-to-day like at your gym?

You would think that there are going to be challenges. I’ve owned co-ed gyms in the past. In those situations, cliques form and sexual tension builds. But we’ve cultivated an environment where women can come in because they’re not happy with where they’re at and they need help. And everyone is in the same boat. Say you’ve got Susan who’s been working with me for the past seven months and Jane who just walked through the door. Susan can lift up Jane and say, “I get it, I was there. You can change your life.” I can’t do that. I’m a guy; how can I relate on a sympathetic level? I can only cultivate that environment to have them come together. It’s really a community. They’re genuine, appreciative, and thankful for what we’ve created.

How long have you been watching Survivor?

Season one. I’ve seen the evolution of the game, from no idols to idol nullifiers. As a fan, I like it. I can’t name where every season took place and every cast member. But I do know the seasons and the gameplay. And I’m excited to leave my mark on this game hopefully.

So when it comes to the evolution of strategy, what era is your gameplay going to pull from?

100% new school. If any of these people have watched Survivor, I’ve got to hit the beach ready to make an alliance. The game is that fast. If there happens to be a twist where there are no idols, advantages, or swaps, I’m ready to go.

What inspired you to want to come out and play?

I applied thirteen years ago when I was 23. I had no wife, no kids, and no job. Now I have a lot at stake. There’s a selfish aspect of why I’m here. This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. It’s a dream that I’ve had before I had the responsibilities I have. I’m lucky enough to have a supportive wife and business partner who say, “I understand. This is for you.” And I’m thankful for my staff because they’re picking up the slack when I’m gone. So I have a lot to live up to. I don’t know if the rest of my tribemates have as much at stake. A lot of them are younger than me, so it’s doubtful. The reasons why I’m playing are pretty damn good reasons to do the things I need to do to win.

What are you going to tell your tribe about your occupation?

I’m not going to tell them that I own a gym. I’m going to tell them I’m a trainer and I own a party boat. I don’t think they’ve ever met someone who owns a party boat, so it’s an opportunity to have conversations and make people open up about themselves to me. People love talking about themselves, and I want to be that conduit.

What do you think people are going to perceive you as?

Right now they’re looking at me. 6’2″, muscular, well put together. They think, “Maybe this guy’s a dumb jock. We can use him in physical challenges, but he’s the first one out by the time the merge comes.” When I get to sit down with someone and talk, they’ll say, “I didn’t expect you to have that level of intellect.” I’m an emotional person; I’m probably going to cry several times. I hope people cry to me. If people are open enough to cry to me, that means I’ve done my job to get them to open up emotionally. When someone shows their emotions to me, I can manipulate them to get them to do something illogical.

What do you desire in an alliance partner?

My plan coming in is to find that ride-or-die, the Jordan to my Jordan. It’s not Jordan and Pippin; it’s Jordan and Jordan. I’m looking for someone who shares the same passion about the game as me, who sees the game the way it should be played. I’m not saying I would stick with them until the end. If it made sense that it was time for them to go, I would cut them. But I need someone who wants to play. Obviously, I would then create sub-alliances within the main alliance, because you want to stay on top of the numbers. It’s a math game. Math and emotion, that’s how I look at it. If you can do the math and make decisions emotionally, you can win. I wouldn’t be the first choice for a winner at first glance. But I might shock you.

How are you approaching finding idols and advantages?

It’s not my strategy to come out here and start searching Day 1. However, things could change. If I’m beginning to feel that I’m not picking up good vibes and can’t make those emotional connections, I’m going to look. I’ll be getting firewood and try to find coconuts. But to go out there and say, “Hey guys, I’ll be away for a couple of hours,” I’m not doing that.

You at one point sold kettle corn up and down the East Coast. What was that experience like?

I’m a straight hustler from day one, man. I’ve been self-employed for the last seven years. When I quit my engineering job, obviously I needed to make money. I got this great idea to buy a kettle corn cart and spend the summer driving down to Florida and working my way up to Maine. That’s what I did for an entire summer. I went to different fairs and carnivals. It was an experience. Not an incredibly financially beneficial one, but I learned a lot. A lot of people don’t know that aspect of me based on what I look like on the surface.

Is there anything from that summer of sales that you can apply to the game?

People make decisions off of emotion. They try to justify with logic, but people make irrational decisions all the time when they buy [expletive]. A good salesman pulls that emotion out. For example, a car salesman. It’s illogical to buy a car; I don’t care what way you look at it. But a car salesman can have you feel in that moment that you’re making the right decision. From a sales standpoint, if you can get people emotional, you can win the game. You have the upper hand. But it can work both ways, so you have to make sure to keep your emotions in check.

Give me a Survivor winner and non-winner you want to play like.

For non-winner, Jonathan Penner. I love his gameplay. The guy is a social magician. When he talks, it just melts. I feel so bad for the guy that he’s never won. He’s a great, great player. I look at him and try to emulate him from a social point. For winner, Jeremy Collins. He was smart enough to know that the second time he played, he had to tone down his physicality and find that meat shield. You’ve got to be able to do that. I can’t be a challenge beast. No offense to Joey Amazing, but that isn’t going to get you the W. There’s going to be a part of me that really tones down my competitive side.

What line will you not cross morally in the game?

I’ve got a reputation to uphold back home. I won’t disrespect people, let alone a female, since that would cause issues back home. I’ve also got a five-year-old kid. He’s perceptive enough to understand the game of Survivor. But if he were to see me painted in a negative light, that can be tough on him. I’ll have to go home and try to explain to him that it’s just a game, even if it’s me talking on the show. I’m going to do what I need to do to win the game. Do I want to play a dirty, manipulative, deceitful, villainous game? No, that’s not who I am. But if the villain is who I need to be to win this game, that’s what I’m going to be.

What’s the dynamic like in your family?

My family dynamic at home is incredibly supportive. My parents are both excited. My mother is a huge Survivor fan. My wife is not too happy right now, understandably. (Laughs.) I do a lot back home. I’m a provider, and that’s who I am by nature. I want to take care of people, and I take care of my family. As I said, this is the most selfish thing I’ve done in my life. These are impressionable years for my kid. I coach his tee-ball team, and I’m going to miss that first practice. I can never get that back. Before I left, I looked my wife in the eye and told her, “I’ll see you in Fiji.” Because I’m going to get her ass here, come hell or high water. And I know she’ll be proud when she sees me.

On the note of your parents, you wrote in your bio that your father inspires you. Can you elaborate on that?

From a personality standpoint, my father and I are nothing alike. We’re pretty much polar opposites. He’s an introvert, and I’m more of an extrovert. But he’s always been that rock. He was a cop, and there was a level of esteem with that. I always wanted to make him happy. He’s the type of guy who you can tell when you’ve disappointed him. I always try to make him proud. I played sports from little league through college, and I can count on one hand how many games he’s missed. I didn’t appreciate it at the time, but when I started to go down the road of adulthood, I thanked him. Every time I looked up in the stands and saw him there, it made me happy. He was always there.

When your tribe visits Tribal Council, would you rather vote on strength or loyalty?

My self-satisfying needs are to keep as strong as possible. The stronger people I can keep in the game, I’m going to progress my game further. There are some big guys out here, which is great for me. I want the bigger guys around. I don’t care if they suck or piss people off. I hope they do because that’s even more of a smokescreen I can throw up. I hope they have short fuses so I can light it and watch it blow up.

When you’re at your lowest low, what’s one memory you’ll pull from to boost your spirits?

First, I’ll say that I want downpours to happen. I want people at their lowest low. That’s when those emotions come out and I can really play my social game. But what’s going to get me through this is knowing I have a loving wife at home caring for our kid. That’s all I’m going to pull on; that’s my fuel. That’s my purpose for living.

If you could bring one celebrity or fictional character out as your loved one, who would you pick?

I’m a huge Giants fan. Unfortunately, they’re in the dumps right now. But Eli Manning is my guy. There have been times where I’ve been like, “Get rid of him.” But he’s a fighter who never missed a game to his own accord. I’d probably call Eli.

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