Dean Kowalski is on Survivor: Island of the Idols as a cast member for the fall 2019 season of the show. While he had been seen and mentioned during the first four episodes of the show, Episode 5 finally gave him some important scenes.
Dean got the first lines during Season 39, Episode 5, as he tried to figure out what had taken place at Tribal Council. His tribe had just revisited host Jeff Probst, but Dean had been in the dark about the vote.
It was good to get some more moments with another member of the Survivor 39 cast, as the different method of airing episodes has made it more difficult for viewers to familiarize themselves with castaways. But Dean took his spot on the radar and could become a real contender to win the $1 million prize.
West Coast, it’s your turn! #Survivor starts NOW! ? pic.twitter.com/uAQEx2qTvi
— SURVIVOR (@survivorcbs) October 24, 2019
Who is Dean Kowalski from Survivor: Island of the Idols?
Dean is a 28-year-old from Westfield, New Jersey, who now calls New York City home. In his pre-show interviews, he stated that his favorite hobbies were playing basketball, crafts, and DJ-ing. The three words he used to describe himself were jovial, observant, and likable.
Each new Survivor cast member is asked to compare themselves to someone from the past, which usually gives some insight into how many seasons they have watched and how big of a fan they are of the reality competition show. Dean listed Wendell for his quiet leadership.
Dean currently works in tech sales, but before that, he was a math teacher who was very proud of how well his students performed on tests. His math skills show an analytical mind that might work well on the island against the rest of the Island of the Idols cast.
That Long, Red, Pale, Goofball Looking Guy. This fall on CBS right after Detective Dean Kowalski
#Survivor pic.twitter.com/48P3G1y73N
— Survivor Reddit (@Survivor_Reddit) October 24, 2019
College basketball fans may also recognize Dean Kowalski from the time he played for Columbia University. He wasn’t a star, but Dean appeared in 34 games for the Ivy League school during his time as a student.
Survivor airs Wednesday nights at 8/7c on CBS.