'Survivor 30' Cast: Nina Poersch The Second Deaf Contestant In Show History, 'Always The Optimist' [VIDEO]
The hearing impaired Nina Poersch is set to compete in the upcoming Survivor: Worlds Apart, becoming the second deaf contestant in the show's history.
Nina, 51, is set to compete in Survivor: Worlds Apart as part of the "no collar" tribe, which is competing against the white collar and blue collar tribes. A hearing advocate, Nina has cochlear implants and she lists overcoming her deafness as her personal claim to fame in her CBS bio.
She is the second deaf player to ever play Survivor after Christy Smith from Survivor: The Amazon, who came in sixth place. However, Nina says that she is most similar to Survivor: The Australian Outback winner Tina Wesson, "because she played the game how I would - strategically and with integrity. She's also physically fit, active and enjoys adventure, much like myself!"
She also says in her bio that she will be able to "survive" Survivor because she has "climbed the six tallest peaks in Southern California. I'm hard working and have great organizational and leadership skills and I'd bring energy and motivation since I'm always the optimist."
The survival element in not everything, however, and Nina says that she's going into the game with a clear strategy of selling herself.
"I have always said that to win Survivor you need to sell yourself. That is something in my favor because of my own persuasive abilities," she reveals. "I also feel strategy is important and I have always been a proactive person. I don't like surprises and therefore I am always thinking one step ahead."
Survivor: Worlds Apart is slated to debut on Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.
Watch Nina's cast introduction video through CBS below: