San Mateo man defeats Asian stereotypes to win 'Survivor'

It's interesting that CBS had to recruit people for Survivor. You'd think the show's popularity would be enough to entice thousands of people to apply from which they could form a diverse cast. The other thing I wonder is what channels they used to recruit people?

San Mateo man defeats Asian stereotypes to win 'Survivor'
- Vanessa Hua, Chronicle Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 19, 2006

On his way to winning reality show "Survivor," Y-- K--- solved puzzles, earned the nickname "The Godfather" for his skillful maneuvering -- and helped smash stereotypes about Asian American men in the media.

In the finale that aired Sunday, San Mateo resident K---, 31, won the CBS show's 13th season, which began by pitting African Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos and whites against one another. In the end, K--- made deals and alliances with people from different backgrounds for his victory.

Producers of the show recruited him to boost the number of Asian Americans in the selection pool, K--- said. On the weekly series, contestants are divided into tribes that compete in challenges to win rewards and to avoid being voted off the show. This season, the four teams combined into two ethnically mixed ones after two episodes, and eventually merged into one.

When K--- learned about the racial component of the show the night before it was to begin, he said, he almost backed out because he did not want to be a part of anything that cemented stereotypes.

But the producers said they wouldn't manipulate any racial strife. He also decided to stay to round out the men on the Asian American team. Anh-Tuan "Cao Boi," for example, could have played into a "crazy Mr. Miyagi" stereotype, said K---, referring to the enigmatic mentor in the "Karate Kid" movie. And Brad Virata, a fashion director, could have become typecast as a gay Asian, a la Lloyd on the HBO show "Entourage."

"At that point, I felt a sense of obligation to try my best," K--- said. The tribe also had two women, one a lawyer, the other a real estate agent.

"I'm proud of my Asian culture, and obviously we are shaped by our heritage, but it's not all who we are," K--- said by phone on Monday from Los Angeles, on a marathon day of interviews.

"When I was growing up, I did not see people like me as positive role models. I always saw Asian computer geeks who couldn't get a date, or a kung fu guy who couldn't speak English," he said. "I wanted America to see Asian Americans as they truly are."

K--- cut against the mainstream media's caricature of Asian males as geeky, wimpy or else invisible, community observers said. "He's tall, athletic, staggeringly handsome," said Jeff Yang, a consultant on Asian American consumer culture and a frequent contributor to SFGate.com.

In some ways, K--- seemed to exhibit some of the flip side of the stereotype of Asian Americans -- as the model minority -- in that he was quiet and worked hard behind the scenes. "You almost wish he'd do or say something inappropriate," Yang said.

But friend MQuoc, 31, of San Francisco said K---'s true personality emerged on the show. "He's one of the most brilliant, considerate and kind people I have ever known."

K--- held his own in swimming, strength, balance and agility challenges, never far behind the competition's clear physical dominator, Ozzy Lusth, a Mexican American who also said he wanted his participation in the show to challenge viewers' stereotypes.

Sunday's finale was the top-rated television show in the Bay Area and nationally, though it had lower ratings than "Survivor's" 12 previous season finales. The show has aired since May 2000 and this year faced new competition in its usual Thursday night slot.

K--- grew up in Concord, the younger of two sons of Korean immigrants. His father, a naval engineer who designs ships, and his mother, a homemaker, live in the same three-bedroom, one-story house they've owned since he was little.

Their family was never extravagant, driving a 1973 Olds Cutlass and 1973 Dodge Colt for years, said older brother Paul K---, 36, now a clinical scientist.

Their father, who wanted his two sons to excel, prepared extra assignments in math, English, history and other subjects on top of school homework, said Paul K---.

Y-- K--- graduated from Northgate High in Walnut Creek, where he was valedictorian and was on the water polo and varsity track teams. Jane Liaw, who attended high school and college with him, recalled how he pulled out a lawn chair and a Pepsi during his graduation speech.

"You watch 'Survivor' and you see he has a lot of integrity, but you don't get how goofy he is," said Liaw, an environmental researcher at UC Berkeley who attended viewing parties each week with K---'s many friends.

At Stanford, he majored in symbolic systems, an interdisciplinary degree program that includes cognitive science, computer science, logic and philosophy.

After graduating from Yale Law School, he clerked for a federal judge on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, was a legislative aide to Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, worked as a consultant for McKinsey & Co. and joined the business strategy group at Internet search firm Google.

On his own again before he went on the show, K--- took a break while it aired, traveling, learning Brazilian martial arts and reconnecting with friends.

"He still hasn't found his true calling. As can probably be seen on the show, it takes a lot to keep him occupied and he hasn't found that yet," his brother said.

YLai, 30, a college girlfriend of K---'s, said, "He's a very idealistic individual. He's trying to find the right place for himself to make a difference."

Lai, who works at a venture capital firm in New York, said K--- was both thoughtful and practical -- giving her jumper cables for Christmas one year when she was having trouble with her car or a better chair when he noticed the one in her dorm room was uncomfortable.

"I hope he finds a wife," she added. "He deserves a great woman, and hopefully his increased celebrity will help that."

Through the years, K--- has bleached his hair and pierced his ears, and in college he wore flip-flops everywhere. When the strap broke, he substituted a pair of furry house slippers, which he wore for weeks, biking around campus, Liaw said.

He appeared in a campus Asian American fashion show and became famous for strutting the catwalk in a vest, his chest bare -- a fitting experience for K---, whom People magazine last month called a "sexy man in sexy surroundings."

He also launched a major campaign to raise awareness on campus of the need for minority bone marrow donors when his best friend, Evan Chen, was suffering from leukemia. Chen died from complications related to his bone marrow transplant in 1996.

"He's one of the most loyal friends you'll ever find," said friend ALim, a medical student at Boston University. "He drops everything he's doing at the time if a friend is in trouble. That's the thing I admire about him the most; that's stayed true today."

Lim bonded with K--- at Stanford, where they played all-night marathons of Risk, a strategy game, and swapped tips on a super-low-fat, high-vegetable diet that included egg-white omelets, cheeseless pizzas and blotting oil off of grilled chicken.

It paid off. K---'s abs were on constant display on "Survivor."

For now, K--- has no specific plans, though he said he wants to use this opportunity to work on behalf of his community.

He's still thinking about what he wants to do with his $1 million in winnings but knows he wants to help take care of his parents, who made many sacrifices for him and his brother.

He doesn't want to be an actor but has pondered being a television host. "I love asking questions, and the media has the power to shape people's opinions and awareness of issues."

Bill Bonvillian, his former boss at Lieberman's office, said his two young sons -- who became close to K--- -- know what he should do next.

"They've been joking they're going to volunteer for Y--'s campaign for governor of California," he said. "The 'Survivor' is a logical successor to the 'Terminator.' "