Retired gay cop makes waves on Survivor: South Pacific

Fall usually means a drop in temperatures, but if you're already missing the intense heat and humidity of a Florida summer you can get a fix from the latest season of Survivor. The show's 23rd season takes place in the sultry South Pacific and not only brings back its â┚¬Å”Redemption Islandâ┚¬Â twistâ┚¬â€where castoffs duel for an opportunity to return to the gameâ┚¬â€but two controversial former players as well. Ozzy Lusth and Benjamin â┚¬Å”Coachâ┚¬Â Wade were both thwarted in their attempts to be Sole Survivor. They return to the popular CBS reality competition show to mix things up and compete for the $1 million prize.

Among the 16 other castaways trying to outwit, outlast, and outplay them is Mark Caruso, a gay retired NYPD police officer. Now back home in New York, but sworn to secrecy, Caruso said he was uniquely qualified for the rigors of the competition.

â┚¬Å”I was a cop for 20 yearsâ┚¬â€a detective for 15â┚¬â€and I worked in a bunch of places in the police department,â┚¬Â Caruso said. â┚¬Å”One of those was in the morgue processing the deceased, including the 9/11 victims and Flight 587. Of course those days were absolutely the worst, the most devastating.â┚¬Â

A native New Yorker, Caruso now divides his time between the Big Apple and South Florida. Although he lacked a strong background in outdoor survival skillsâ┚¬â€his last camping trip was as a Boy Scoutâ┚¬â€Caruso said his experiences as a cop definitely helped his game.

â┚¬Å”You learn how to read people,â┚¬Â he shared.

Survivor host Jeff Probst, in his on-air pre-game analysis of all the players, agreed.

â┚¬Å”I always think that guys who have studied people, who've studied human behavior, and maybe who've been around a lot of liars beforeâ┚¬â€they have a leg up,â┚¬Â Probst said. â┚¬Å”I would put Mark in my alliance. I would say, â┚¬ËœYou are the specialist. Your job is to determine who's lying.' But then the question is, â┚¬ËœWill you know when I'm lying to you? Because sooner or later I'm going to take you out.'â┚¬Â

Before hitting the island, Caruso prepared by upping his workout regime.

â┚¬Å”I tried to decrease my weight and build more muscle for endurance,â┚¬Â Caruso said. â┚¬Å”It changed my lifestyle. Now I work out like a crazy person, which is good, because I think it's a better lifestyle.â┚¬Â

He also entered the show with a game plan, which included being up front and honest about being gay.

â┚¬Å”At first they couldn't figure it out, but I just let it out because I'm not embarrassed about who I am,â┚¬Â Caruso said about coming out to his Savaii tribe teammates. â┚¬Å”I'm very proud of who I am. I want to show people that it's okay to be gay; that gay people are like anyone else out there. Hopefully my presence will show others to be strong and to follow your dreams.â┚¬Â

Caruso, 48, even played up his status as a big, hairy, middle-aged gay guy by encouraging his tribe to call him â┚¬ËœPoppa Bear.' It stuck immediately.

â┚¬Å”I thought, â┚¬ËœWho's gonna vote off their dad?'â┚¬Â Caruso laughed. â┚¬Å”I wanted to make everyone care for me as a person and let them look up to me.â┚¬Â

While CBS wouldn't let Caruso share whether his being gay ever became an issue during the gameâ┚¬â€or any other details of what happened in the South Pacificâ┚¬â€Caruso admitted that there was one point where he was worried that it might. Still, Caruso said participating on Survivor has been a life-changing experience.

â┚¬Å”Even though I was confident being a police officer and a fatherâ┚¬â€just in being who I amâ┚¬â€it's a whole other thing when you know you can find food, build a fireâ┚¬â€stuff like that where you have to depend on yourself. It made me more independent than I already was.â┚¬Â
Caruso hopes to use his Survivor experience as a way to give back to both the LGBT and 9/11 communities.

â┚¬Å”A lot of the Survivors from throughout the 23 seasons get together and do things for cancer, sick children and other charitable and community events. I want to be part of that group and devote my time and energy to those types of causes.â┚¬Â

It remains to be seen whether Caruso participates in those endeavors as the winner of Survivor: South Pacific or as someone who has their torch snuffed out at tribal council. Thus far he's distanced himself from the securityâ┚¬â€and backstabbingâ┚¬â€of alliances largely maneuvered by Lusth and Wade. At press time he appears safe from immediate danger.

The best way to find out if â┚¬ËœPoppa Bear' stays in the game is to watch this highly entertaining season of Survivor.

S+H
Who:  Mark â┚¬ËœPoppa Bear' Caruso
What:  Survivor: South Pacific
When: Wednesdays at 8 p.m.
Where:  CBS