‘Survivor’ winner enjoying his celebrity
From www.poughkeepsiejournal.com
By Rebecca Rothbaum
Poughkeepsie Journal
Cracking what may have been the world’s first audible grin, ”Survivor: Africa” winner Ethan Zohn summed up the last 12 months of his life in one sentence:
”It’s been a very good year.”
(Cue a reality show montage a la ”Survivor,” including scenes of his work in Zimbabwe with Grass Root Soccer, the charity he helped found to provide HIV and AIDS education there; schmoozing with Muhammed Ali and Will Smith in a talk show green room; and his night at the Grammy Awards.)
”I’ve had so much fun,” Zohn, 29, said in a recent telephone interview from his home in New York City. ”I’m in circles I never would have dreamed of before.”
(Want a for instance? Carmen Electra asked for his autograph.)
Still, less has changed for the Vassar College graduate, whom People magazine dubbed one of America’s 50 most eligible bachelors (he’s still unattached), than one might think — despite his $1 million prize.
He lives in the same cramped apartment in lower Manhattan with the same two roommates. He watches plenty of reality TV — the WB’s ”High School Reunion” with college classmate Natasha Desai — is a favorite.
Hasn’t splurged yet
After he won ”Survivor,” Zohn took his mom on a trip and bought his brothers cars, but he said he hasn’t really splurged on himself yet. After taxes the money is not ”enough to change your life and buy a Ferrari or something big.”
After all, he added, ”I have the luxury of not working.”
These days, Zohn spends much of his time on the road, usually promoting Grass Root Soccer, for which he used a portion of his million-dollar winnings as seed money. The brainchild of friend Thomas Clarke, a pediatric resident in New Mexico, whom Zohn met while playing professional soccer in Zimbabwe, the organization trains soccer players in the African nation to speak to school children about protecting themselves from the scourge of AIDS.
”It’s still not talked about in Zimbabwe,” he said. ”People would say, ‘oh, he’s sick, he’s sick,’ and then you would find out that the person has AIDS.”
The country’s violence and economic instability has not yet threatened Grass Root Soccer. If it does, Zohn said the organization would find another home in Africa, where ‘’soccer is life.”
While Zohn’s ”Survivor” fame may be waning, that could change with the April airing of ”Eco-Challenge,” an adventure race through the rain forests of Fiji that includes biking, running, paddling and other sports and teams him with three other celebrities to compete against athletes from all over the world. The prize is $50,000.
”You’re not doing it for the money,” he said. ”I did it to test myself. And this time I didn’t have to vote against anyone.”