We’re less than three weeks away from the “Survivor 49” premiere, and we’re excited to see what shenanigans take place this season. The Fiji-bound cast has a variety of different personalities coming together, including Nicole Mazzulo.
The 26-year-old Financial Crimes Consultant thinks that one of her “superpowers” involves her sense of humor, while her “kryptonite might be her tendency to be impulsive. But it may just be her ability to read lips at a distance that helps her come out ahead in the end.
Her Lip-Reading Skills Could Become a Game-Changing Advantage
Mazzulo grew up wearing hearing aids and learned how to lip-read before she learned ASL. While her diminished hearing meant that she sometimes felt left out as a child, she can now see it for the “Survivor” advantage that it is.
“I can read people’s lips at a distance,” she told Parade. “And that might be dramatic, but it’s true. I can totally do that. And you can also pick up on body language much more effectively. And body language is a language for a reason. They’re telling you something. They’re communicating something to you through that art form.”
“You have to pick up on people’s vibes,” she added. “And the lip reading really does help. I cannot tell you enough.”
Whether this helps her discover information from conversations that other contestants think are private remains to be seen. But there seems to be a good chance that, if she can keep this advantage to herself, it could really benefit her.
Mazzulo Channels the Best of Both Worlds from Rob and Shambo
Mazzulo describes herself as “the love child” of former Survivor contestants Rob “Boston Rob” Mariano and Shannon “Shambo” Waters.
“Shambo, she’s quirky,” Mazzulo explained. “People on the tribe at the time looked at her and were like, ‘She’s weird.’ She obviously is a lesbian and was masculine-presenting.”
“And then Rob is like this Italian, ‘Don’t [expletive] with me and I’ll [expletive] with you back harder!’ mentality,” she continued. “And so I really feel like the perfect combination of both of them, I really do. Because I have that “oomph,” but I have that Shambo brand.”
However, at the same time, Mazzulo believes she can identify with “Survivor 44” winner Yamil “Yam Yam” Arocho the most.
He’s very jovial, and he can connect with people like second nature,” she explained. “I, too, can do that. I, too, can make people feel very comfortable. And I’m funny, I’d like to think, and able to kind of cultivate these environments where people feel like they’re having fun.”
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‘Survivor 49’ Contestant’s Special Skill May Help Her Win