By Jonathan Okanes, Cal Athletic Communications
Former Cal kicker Tyler Fredrickson has always been a big fan of the television show “Survivor,” even after some folks may have lost interest.
“I was always that guy who still liked a show that was so big many years ago,” Fredrickson said.
Fredrickson will be especially interested in Season 30, which premieres Wednesday night on CBS. That’s because Fredrickson is no longer just a fan of the show.
He’s now a cast member.
Fredrickson, who booted a few memorable kicks during his Cal career from 2000-03, is part of the 18-member cast for the reality show in which strangers are brought together at an isolated location and compete to be the sole survivor. Fredrickson had a short stint in the NFL after completing his Cal career but the entertainment business has always been his true calling.
“I grew up a huge Star Wars nerd,” Fredrickson said. “I studied film at Cal. It was just a matter of time before I moved back into the Hollywood sphere. I just happened to have some success playing football.”
Fredrickson spent two years as an assistant with the Creative Arts Agency – the biggest talent agency in Hollywood – while continuing to pursue his lifelong dream of writing and producing. As part of his duties, he would pass along resumes to the appropriate person.
Rarely did he check out the resumes that passed across his desk. One day, he noticed that a friend, Jennifer Cron, who had been working in casting for Survivor, had applied for a job at CAA. Fredrickson reached out to her, and the more they talked, the more he thought about auditioning for a spot in the show.
Fredrickson ultimately submitted an audition tape for Season 26 in 2012 and made it to the final stage of tryouts, but wasn’t cast.
“With a week to go, they dropped me,” Fredrickson said. “It was no problem. I had been fired by NFL teams before.”
Fredrickson figured that was the end of his Survivor career and two years went by as he continued to work on his craft in producing. Then out of nowhere he received a call asking if he and his wife, Jessica, would be interested in being part of the cast for Season 29, which featured couples. They declined.
Two months later, another call. This time, Fredrickson jumped at the chance to be a part of Season 30.
“Sometimes, these things take persistence,” Fredrickson said.
Fredrickson isn’t allowed to talk about specifics of the show, but did say there is a definitive measure of authenticity to the program. What viewers see in prime time is no different to what goes on when the cameras are turned off.
“It’s a very, raw, gritty show,” Fredrickson said. “They don’t pull any punches. What you see is what you get. There are no couches and pillows off camera. It’s very much you and your tribe members versus the elements.”
Fredrickson is best known for his game-winning field goal that lifted Cal to a triple-overtime victory over No. 3 USC at Memorial Stadium in 2003. He also kicked the game-winner that helped the Bears win the 2003 Insight Bowl over Virginia Tech.
While those moments rank up there in Fredrickson’s memory bank, he said there has been nothing quite like his experience filming Survivor.
“Nothing can quite prepare you for it – not only from the physical side but you have the mental state of playing the game,” Fredrickson said. “It changed me quite a bit – for the better. I knew what it was like to be hungry. I knew what it was like to sleep in bamboo in the middle of a beach with a small fire. If not the best, it was one of the best experiences of my life.”
