Palisadian Competes on Survivor

Palisadian Matty Whitmore is one of 18 contestants to compete in Survivor: Gabon—Earth’s Last Eden.
Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS
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Palisadian Matty Whitmore is one of 18 contestants to compete in Survivor: Gabon—Earth’s Last Eden.
Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS

Matty Whitmore, a trainer at the Spectrum Club in Pacific Palisades, is a contestant on the popular CBS reality show Survivor. The two-hour season premiere airs tonight at 8 p.m, with Whitmore facing 17 contestants in Gabon, Africa.
The contestants are divided into tribes and they participate in challenges to survive, including finding food and making shelters. Every three days, the losing tribe holds a council and votes out one of the members. The final remaining survivor will win $1 million in December.
Before the Palisadian-Post spoke to Whitmore last Thursday, CBS publicist Lori DelliColli set the ground rules for the interview: “Matty can discuss anything that happened UP UNTIL HE LEFT FOR THE GAME. Nothing can be discussed about the actual game itself. Please let me know if this is not clear.”
If the Post couldn’t get a scoop on the show’s winner, or any of the possibly “nasty” contestants, what was there to talk about? Plenty.
Whitmore, 29, who rarely watches television, never aspired to be on the show. When a producer spotted him at a Whole Foods store in Santa Monica in April and asked him to call, he didn’t take it seriously. Later he was with his girlfriend, Jamie Moss, at her parents’ house and the subject of Survivor came up. Moss’s parents are huge fans of the show and urged Whitmore to try out, telling him “this is the opportunity of a lifetime.” He called CBS and immediately was invited in for testing. On June 15, he left for Africa.
Thousands of people try out for the show, but the psychological and physical tests eliminate all but 18. “It’s almost like trying to sign up for the C.I.A.,” Whitmore said. “They give you extensive evaluations; they want to know where your breaking points are. And you’re always kept in the dark.”
While he was going through the tryouts, Whitmore watched two earlier seasons of the show. Afterwards he came to the conclusion, “I think that going into the show with little knowledge is the best because it allows you to adapt more easily and be more flexible.”
Once Whitmore was selected, he signed numerous confidentiality agreements, including not letting anyone know he had been chosen, with the exception of his girlfriend and parents. The people he trains privately, as well as his Spectrum Club colleagues, had no knowledge of where he was for the 39 days it took to tape the show.
He admits that he doesn’t like to travel, though he visited Costa Rica once on a surf trip and Mexico several. “My bubble is the Palisades from Chautauqua to Sunset. I don’t even like to drive cars.”
After returning from Africa, Whitmore was not allowed to tell people where he had been, nor how he had fared in the competition. “The network wants to announce all of the contestants at the same time,” he said, but the secrecy was hard on him. “I don’t live a deceptive life. I don’t lie, I don’t cheat.”
Before Whitmore left, he thought that during breaks in the show, the cast would be given food and blankets. “I thought they’d throw you a ‘bone.’ That’s not the case. It’s as raw and true as it appears.”
The contestants were taped 24 hours a day, seven days a week. “I have absolutely no clue what’s going to be on the screen,” he said. “It’s super frightening, but it’s the most challenging and rewarding thing I have ever gone through. When you’re there, your mind is constantly engaged. It was the adventure of a lifetime, a definite blessing. You definitely learn to appreciate the simpler things in life.”
Whitmore said he didn’t know if he was the final survivor and wouldn’t until the season finale, when the whole cast returns for a final taping in December.
Whitmore is the fraternal grandson of actor James Whitmore. His parents, Danny and Leslie, grew up in the Palisades, attended Paul Revere and Palisades High School, then moved their family to Mammoth Lakes to get away from the Hollywood scene. His maternal grandmother, Mary Leech, was a realtor with Jon Douglas and still lives in the Palisades.
Survivor portrays Whitmore as a rich kid who has run through an educational trust. He did have a trust, as long as he remained in an academic setting, which he didn’t.
“A traditional education wasn’t for me,” Whitmore said, admitting that he spent his time surfing and “playing” in his early 20s. He played baseball at Saddleback Junior College in Orange County for two years, and briefly attended Santa Barbara City College, Ventura City College and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He also took extensive acting classes.
In 2004, Whitmore attended the National Academy of Sports Medicine and, five months later, he became a certified trainer. “I was the most broke I’d ever been; money didn’t make me happy at all,” said Whitmore, who eventually found a home at Spectrum (on Sunset at PCH). He also trains privately, and still goes on an occasional audition.
Whitmore likes trail running and has a miniature pug, Dink, but mostly enjoys his life with his girlfriend and hanging around Pacific Palisades, where they live.
“I love the Palisades,” he said. “I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.”
Spectrum Club is hosting a premiere party tonight starting at 7 p.m. and Palisades residents are invited to attend.