Nina Poersch is a contestant from Survivor: Worlds Apart.
Nina felt ostracized by the generally younger Nagarote tribe whom she accused of being insensitive to her deafness. Although she seemed to gain some self-assurance as the game went on, she botched a nascent alliance between herself, Will Sims II and Vince Sly, and her negative demeanor and perceived weakness in challenges ultimately led to her elimination.
Profile[]
Retrieved from CBS.com
Name (Age): Nina Poersch, 51
Tribe Designation: No Collar (Nagarote)
Current Residence: Palmdale, Calif.
Occupation: Hearing Advocate
Personal Claim to Fame: Overcoming my deafness. At no point did I let it rule my life. I did not let it bring me down. I have been able to educate people about the Cochlear Implant. I am very proud to say that I have inspired people to not let life's unexpectedness beat them up, to find the positive, and to live life like there's no tomorrow.
Inspiration in Life: My mom. She moved to the U.S. after marrying my dad and giving birth to me. It wasn't a dream of hers to move to the U.S., but she fell in love and made the ultimate sacrifice. Upon moving here, she took English lessons and got her citizenship. Moving here did not come easy, people were prejudiced and mean-spirited, but she didn't let that get her down. She taught me that no matter how bad my day may have been that I shouldn't take it out on others. She taught me kindness, helpfulness and respect.
Hobbies: Running, hiking, reading and photography.
What is your favorite sport? Rugby.
Pet Peeves: Laziness, rudeness and people who can't park between the lines.
3 Words to Describe You: Persuasive, resourceful and funny.
If You Could Have 3 Things on The Island What Would They Be and Why? 1. A journal so I could write about my experiences and share with my family and friends later. 2. A picture of my family to look at, find me strength and keep me grounded. 3. Deck of cards for entertainment.
Survivor Contestant You Are Most Like: I would say that I can relate to Tina Wesson because she played the game how I would – strategically and with integrity. She's also physically fit, active and enjoys adventure, much like myself!
Reason for Being on Survivor: My primary motivation would be for the million dollars. I'd buy my parents 1st class tickets to Japan! My secondary motivation would be for the adventure and to be able to show people that you can overcome anything life throws at you. I would love for more people to know about the Cochlear Implant!
Why You'll "Survive" Survivor: I'm physically fit and have climbed the six tallest peaks in Southern California. I'm hard working and have great organizational and leadership skills and I'd bring energy and motivation since I'm always the optimist.
Why Will You Be the Sole Survivor: I have always said that to win Survivor you need to sell yourself. That is something in my favor because of my own persuasive abilities. I also feel strategy is important and I have always been a proactive person. I don't like surprises and therefore I am always thinking one step ahead.[1]
Survivor[]
Nina was placed on the Nagarote tribe, which consisted of the No Collars. Nina told her tribemates she was deaf, which caused a few shocked reactions. She faced a few problems communicating with her tribemates because of her deafness, and when the other women on her tribe went swimming without asking her, Nina felt excluded and told the girls they were mean. Jenn and Hali felt Nina was being a brat.
After losing the second tribal Immunity Challenge, she wanted to stay tight with Vince and Will. The three decided to take out Jenn, but Vince was concerned about Will's health. Nina told Will about Vince's concern, so Will voted off Vince. This caused her to feel on the outs of her tribe again.
Nina started to talk with tribemate Joe Anglim about how she felt on the outs, which he understood. However, at the Immunity Challenge, Joe concocted a strategy that excluded Nina from the main physical work of the challenge. Despite this tactic, Nagarote lost the Immunity Challenge again. Nina targeted Will due to his weakness in the challenges. Ultimately, the tribe (apart from Hali) decided to vote out Nina due to being "frail" and her "attitude" not being there.
| Episode | Tribe Affiliation |
Challenge | Challenge Type | Sit-Out? | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nagarote | Ladder Daze | Reward/Immunity | No | 1st |
| 2 | Basket Case | Reward/Immunity | Yes | Lost | |
| 3 | Dear Liza | Reward/Immunity | No | Lost | |
| Voted Out, Day 8 | |||||
Post-Survivor[]
- Nina along with Joel Klug, Brooke Struck, Jamie Newton, Jill Behm, and Troyzan Robertson participated in the Durham Warriors Survival Challenge in 2015. Nina finished in 19th place.[2]
- Nina attended the Survivor primetime edition of The Price Is Right that aired on May 23, 2016.[3] However, Nina herself did not compete.
Trivia[]
- Nina is the oldest member of the original Nagarote tribe.
- Nina is the second deaf contestant, following Christy Smith from The Amazon. However, unlike Christy, who has been deaf since infancy, Nina lost her hearing later in life. Whereas Christy used lip-reading and a hearing aid to communicate with others, Nina has cochlear implants.
References[]
| Survivor: Worlds Apart Castaways | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||||||||
