Meet the 'Survivor 45' Cast! Brandon Donlon Breaks Down His "Breakfast Club" Alliance Plan
"Just stop being so anxious. Enjoy this, don't worry as much." That's the advice Brandon Donlon's friends gave him in near-unison before he came out to Survivor 45. But it's easier said than done for the 25-year-old content producer, as he is on the precipice of living a dream that has informed his life for the past 15 years. And despite the fear of flying that nearly had him sitting the season out last minute, he hopes to soar through the game, combining an ambition to be a "team player" and not look for advantages with a penchant for gameplay, including a plan to form his own "Breakfast Club."
Read on for my interview with Brandon, and check in with Parade.com every day for interviews with this season's contestants and other tidbits. Survivor 45 premieres on September 27 with a 90-minute premiere on CBS.
Related: Meet the Full Cast of Survivor 45
Interview with Brandon from Survivor 45
Hello, Brandon! So great to see you, man. How are you doing?
Oh, my God. I can't believe it. I've been looking forward to this talk. I'm gonna cry. I've been looking forward to talking to you this whole week. Genuinely. It's just been the Mike Bloom interview. I can't believe it. What are we doing here?
The pleasure is all mine! Well, how's everything been? I know you're a massive fan of the show. Has the reality hit yet that you'll be playing?
I'm not gonna lie to you. The pregame has been so hard. I mean, the show will be harder. But the pregame is like you're sitting around with these people you know you will be playing this game with. You can't talk; everybody's in a different corner of the area that we're in. It's been six days of this. I am such an extreme extrovert that I am dying. I'm dying. We're sleeping in tents, and that's a whole situation. The food's great. But I'm dying inside. [Laughs.] I just can't wait to talk to somebody and just let all of this out. Because I'm going crazy. I can't believe it.
Well, let's get into who you are. Why are you here on Survivor?
So, I saw Survivor for the first time when I was 11 years old—September, I believe, 25th or 26th, 2008. I watched the first episode of Gabon. My teacher mentioned it earlier in the day. She was new to the school, and I was a kissass. I wanted her to like me, so I just watched the show arbitrarily to make her like me. And within five minutes, my jaw was on the floor, and my eyes were wide. I've cited this for many years in audition videos; it was a religious experience. Somebody somewhere was showing me this thing, saying, "This is going to change your life. You just have to know that you want." And I knew that I wanted it.
That was 15 years ago. Since then, I've sent in videos before I was eligible to play. Very annoying for the casting team; I've apologized to a couple of them during this process. But I've been sending videos since I was legally eligible to play. I heard nothing for years, but I kept going. And in September of 2021, I got the call that I was waiting for the whole time. I would read Reddit threads that were like, "What was the first call like?" and then I got the first call. I was very close to being on Survivor 44. That ultimately didn't work out, and I was very sad. But I had this overwhelming sense of peace that I still feel now that this was going to happen for me. And in August of 2022, I got the final call saying, "Do you want to do this again?" And I told them on the phone, "I will die, or I will do this process every year. Whatever comes first. You pick."
Don't make them pick. [Laughs.]
[Laughs.] Yeah, it's not the best ultimatum to give them. But I mean, they pick this one. So that's great. I don't have to pick the other one. So, through the whole last couple of months, I've tried to get myself here. I am petrified of flying; it's my least favorite thing in the world. I'm so, so scared. On Sunday, days before my dream of 15 years, I called my mom in the hotel. I said, "I'm not going. I'm not getting on the plane. I will not fly." And I was like, "Will you be disappointed in me if I leave right now?" And she said, "I won't be, but you will be. So you need to get on the plane." So then I got on the plane and was gripped to the seat. I'm sure my castmates were like, "What the [expletive] is he doing?" I was literally like this the whole time for 11 hours. [Grips the sides of chair.] But I'm here. Seeing everybody in the airport and then being here, I almost missed this. This is incredible. I'm with a Survivor cast. I'm not in an autograph signing at the Noho Hotel in New York. I'm here with these people. It's unbelievable to me.
So, you're a content creator, and I know you talk in your bio about doing social media for various companies. And I'm sure that the idea of creating a "brand" for yourself helped in the application process. And it can definitely play into the identity you're about to create for the next 26 days.
I'm gonna sell FabFitFun T on Instagram after this. [Laughs.] But yeah, I want to create a lot of content in 26 days. But the audition process is interesting. And I can't wait to talk about the things that I've learned throughout it. I think Zach Wurtenberger put the best video I've ever seen about how to do the Survivor casting process; I echo everything he said. But it is a thing that you have to kind of practice. If you're Brice or Mike Turner, who can send an iPhone video of 30 seconds and then get on, that's fantastic. But a lot of the folks aren't like that. A lot of people don't have that thing. So, if you want to get on this and you want to get noticed, it is a lot of work. It's a lot of meticulous practicing and cutting and making sure there's not a weird space or gap. And the video that I sent worked, which I was elated. It was three minutes too long; I definitely exceeded the timeframe. So that worked out.
Let's tap into some of that well of Survivor knowledge. Give me one winner and one non-winner who you identify with the most.
My winner is Mike White from David vs. Goliath. I think that we should all just start saying that he won. If enough of us do it, they'll change the Wikipedia page. They'll cut the tapes. Mike White is my favorite Survivor player. His game, his funny mixed with his social mixed with his confessionals. All of that is just chef's kiss to me.
Are you just jockeying for a role in season 3 of The White Lotus?
[Laughs.] No, this is before The White Lotus! I love Enlightened. I would have done season 2 of Enlightened. This is a long-standing take. I have tweeted it. Mike White was robbed. And then I guess my non-winner, this is not me kissing ass. But the guy that you're going to be doing this podcast with in a couple of months, [Rob Cesternino]. I watched the first couple episodes of Amazon, and I'm kind of basing off of that. Working really hard at the camp and not giving anybody a reason to look at you in a way that isn't unsavory. I want to be everybody's friend. I want to do what everybody tells me to do, and I want to be very much a team player. That's my game plan for the first part. But I'm out here because I want to do confessionals. I don't want to do confessionals on Big Brother. I want to do them here with nice pretty scenery. But I want a compilation at the end of this that's like my highlight tape, the "Brandon Donlon confessional hour." That's my dream.
What was your prep process like leading into Survivor?
I have two gym memberships, which is double the amount that I've ever had before in my life, which is fantastic. I was swimming a lot. One of my oldest friends went to college for swimming. So, he came out and showed me how to refine my technique. And I asked, at the end, "Am I a good swimmer?" And he was like, "Yeah, you're okay," which is much better than I thought I was. So I will take that. I learned how to make fire. My sister, who's great, got me a fire pit for Christmas. I've had my flint in there every day, whittling away. I've been doing it in my driveway, which makes me look like I live like an insane person. But that's been my prep.
There's SurvivorGeek on YouTube, who puts all of the Survivor challenges up. So I've watched every new era challenge and had a spreadsheet of, "Can I do this? Or can I not do this?" And there are only five or six that I don't think I can do. But let's hope we don't get those. And if I do, I'm going to do it. This is all about leaving my comfort zone.
What's one life experience you feel has prepared you most for the game?
In early college, I had 90ish pounds I didn't really want on me. And a lot of the reason for losing that was to eventually come here and do this. I wanted to be somebody who definitely could get on the show, but also get here and compete and thrive. I want that immunity necklace from Jeff so badly. I want him to put it on. I think the actual winner of David vs. Goliath said that he was going to use it as his Facebook profile picture. I'm not quoting him, but I want the picture of me and Jeff to have the thing and stand like this. [Poses.] And I wasn't going to get that in the shape that I was in. I wasn't somebody who could be a contender here. I mean, now I kind of feel like I can be. For the first time in my adult life, I feel like I can actually come out here and be somebody who's not going to be looked at as the weaker person, which is ideal.
What do you think people will perceive you as?
I have no idea. And I should have worked on that before I got here. [Laughs.] I have no idea what people think of me. Glasses 99% of the time indicate nerd. There are nerds here. There's a couple guys who are just nerds, dweebs, fools. I wonder if I'm lumped in with them. But this is a different look. And I don't know how I'm coming across. Me being on the plane holding onto the seat the whole time, I think I may be serving anxious energy out here. But I'm so curious because everybody's taking notes. Everybody's got a whole list, writing initials and what they think of them. I'm so curious to hear what my spread is. I really don't know. But I think that that's something that I plan to, when I'm on the beach, assess and adapt. I don't know what people think of me here. I'm curious to hear about it. But once I know what that thing is, I can use whatever that thing is to my advantage.
I want to bring in that sense of anxiety. You called yourself neurotic in your bio, quoting John Mulaney, saying, "I need everybody, all day long, to like me so much." Are you going to try to curb that paranoia in the game?
When I was coming here, I asked a couple of my very close friends for advice. And many of them shared the same sentiment: "Just stop being so anxious. Enjoy this, don't worry as much." When I go on vacation with my friends, girlfriend, and family, I am worried the entire time. I'm worried about the flight before I get on the flight. I hate being on the flight. I get off the flight; I'm worried about where we're gonna eat dinner. I'm worried after dinner that I'm gonna get acid reflux. I don't have fun.
This is my life's dream; I have to have fun. And anxiety is not fun. [Laughs.] Anxiety is the counter to my fun. So I have to just let go and let God here. I told somebody here that this all feels very predetermined to me. I feel when I see this group, this is my group. And I feel this overwhelming sense of peace. I don't know how I'm going to do it. I don't know where I'm going to end up in that. Seven people can't make the jury, eight people make the jury, three people make the Final Three. I don't know where I'll end up in that. But I feel like I want to spend as much time with this group as possible. I want to have a lot of fun. And I want to go back home loving this experience, loving all the people that I was with, and loving all of the coverage as well.
Well, when it comes to this group, what do you value in an alliance partner?
When I was doing the casting process, I had this big-brain idea of the Breakfast Club alliance, which is getting the people on my team that are not normally associated with each other in terms of the game. I don't want two nerds; I don't want two big guys. Four is ideal in a tribe of six. I want the four people that I think, "We're different folks. If we lose, we lose two people. But once we get to the merge, we can run it, and people won't expect it." People want to group folks together that are normally grouped together. They're people that they've seen together on the show before. And I kind of want to break that mold and introduce the Breakfast Club. And then, in the event that I win or get voted out, I can do the hand thing, and people will go crazy for it.
Is there anyone in particular that is catching your eye as someone you either want to work with or look out for?
There's one guy here, very tall, very nerdy, Dweeb City. If he's on my team, one of us is going to leave first. I am 100% sure of it. I see that guy, and everybody here is smiling at each other. We are not smiling at each other. We are both praying that we're not together. I can tell. I don't want that guy. There's a guy here who's got an afro. He's got a big, beautiful smile; he's smiling at everybody. And he's got it, the thing you need to have in this game. I've been to events where I've met Parvati. There's an aura around some people. He's got what that is. There's gonna be the RHAP draft for a winner pick. Pick that guy. Go see that guy. Somebody should lock down that guy fast. I hope you pick me, but if you don't, that guy's where you want to go.
There's another girl here, very nerdy, who is playing a Nintendo DS in the pregame. I haven't seen a Nintendo DS since 2009. I'm so thrilled that she has one and brought it. And she is really into it. She's going hard with the DS. And I keep making looks over like, "Wow, that's really cool." I can tell she's playing Pokemon. I can tell by the cartridge. I hope I can flex my Pokemon knowledge. That'd be ideal.
Related: Everything to Know About Survivor 45
Let's say a boat shows up to your camp on Day 2, asking for one person to go on a journey. How would you approach the situation?
I adamantly do not want to go. I want every inch of the Survivor experience. I don't want that one. Keep that one. That one's fine. I want to chat with people. I don't even plan to look for idols, either. I want to convey to my team that I am a team player. Like Brian Corridan from Survivor: Guatemala, who won the most team spirit at that weird auction they did in episode 4 for some reason. I want to do that. I want to be the guy who's like, "I want us all to be together."
If somebody wants to go on the journey, and there will be people on my team, I'm sure, who really want to go in the guise that they will get something good at the journey, please be my guest. The analogy that I thought of is a trampoline in your backyard. You don't want to be the person that has a trampoline in your backyard because then people are using it. They want to get to the trampoline. They don't like you; they like the trampoline. But if you're friends with a guy that has the trampoline, you're golden! You can go over, you can schmooze. That's what I want. I don't want any trampoline in my backyard.
Interesting. So you'd rather sniff out who has the advantages and align your interests with theirs than actually get them yourself.
And I've already thought of, in the situation where I see a Beware Advantage, I'm not picking it up. I'm gonna go get somebody; I'm going to walk and chat about life or loss or whatever, and then hope they eye it and grab it so I can see what it is. I don't want anything on my hands. If there were normal idols here, which sometimes there are, you don't know anymore, then I'd be all in. But now, with this beware thing, I'd rather somebody else in the event that it's bad. I want to know what it is, and I don't want to be the guy who has it.
What's your hottest Survivor take?
We're Survivor community Twitter guys. Christine, who's great, has her Stanuatu podcast. Gia Worthy's great, Fiji Forever. When I am done with this, I am doing the Edge of Extinction recap podcast. Survivor: Edge of Extinction is one of the top 15 best seasons of the show. I am obsessed with it. There are people here who are walking around with merch that have Edge of Extinction on the shirt, on the hat. I'm like, "When I'm done here, I want it. I will buy it. I'm gonna win money here. Give it to me. I think it seems like they have a lot of excess of that. [Laughs.] Seems like maybe they don't sell well in the CBS store. But I am such a big fan. Ignore the guy who's in QAnon. And the winner's fine; good luck on Challenge: USA 2. But everybody else is fantastic. It's a really, really good season. I think the people who are fun are so fun. And I'm all in on the Edge of Extinction. Not the thing, but the season.
I was about to ask what your favorite moment in Survivor history was. Would you say it's from that season? Are we talking pilots and passengers?
[Laughs.] One of my favorite moments ever is from Edge of Extinction when Reem is voted out. And she's walking, and she sees those two signs. Because it's so funny because the production office was hoping this would be a big moment, and nobody really talked about it, but I loved it. They see the two signs of "go this way if you want to keep going. If not, you can leave right now." And she has a second, and she thinks about it. She's like, "...okay." And she grabs the torch and goes, That is so cool. Goosebumps right now when I'm talking about it, goosebumps when I watch it. It's fantastic.
My favorite Survivor moment of all time is the final six of Cambodia. When Keith tells Kimmi, "I will leave. Send me to the house. You've got young kids; you should stay." That is what Survivor is to me. This is a human experience. I've written in my journal this is my family now. Some of these people are going to be at my wedding. We're gonna get matching tattoos, potentially. And I love the idea of somebody that you can know for such a short time in such a very specific experience, a very hard experience, you can feel so strongly about that person that you are ready to be sent to the house as opposed to keep going in the game. I love that. I'm not going to do that. I don't want to do that. If somebody wants to leave for me, that's fantastic. But I would rather somebody else leave for that.
What celebrity or fictional character would you want to come out for a Loved Ones visit?
I don't know what date it is. I think it's April 16 or 17. On April 19, the Power Rangers 30th season reunion thing comes out on Netflix. I am so sad. I think that is the only bad part about being here is I'm gonna miss it. My celebrity loved one is Zordon. I want him to be wheeled out by three guys. I know he's canonically dead; shoutout to "Countdown to Destruction" and Power Rangers in Space, which is a joke for five people who are gonna listen to this. But I'm all in on Zordon—final answer.
Next, check out our Survivor 45 interview with contestant Nicholas "Sifu" Alsup.
