Bio
Elyse Umemoto is an American dance team manager who was a contestant on the 23rd season of the reality competition Survivor (Survivor: South Pacific), in 2011.
Survivor Q&A
Current Residence
Las Vegas
Occupation
Dance Team Manager
Personal claim to fame
I was the second runner-up to Miss America and I raised my three younger sisters.
Inspiration in life
My Grandma, Viola. God rest her beautiful soul. She taught me three of the most important things I'll ever learn: how to read, how to pray and how to appreciate music.
Hobbies
Baking cupcakes, amassing useless trivia and quotes and reading memoirs.
Pet peeves
Professional athletes with bad attitudes, wet laundry that doesn't get moved to the dryer immediately, pretty girls wearing ugly shoes and people who drink decaf.
3 words to describe you
Enchanting, indomitable and spunky!
Survivor contestant you are most like
Brenda from Nicaragua and Parvati. They know what they want and how to get it. They truly understand the social game.
Reason for being on Survivor
I thrive on challenge and the rush of competition. I always push the envelope and my limits. There's no better avenue to do this than Survivor.
Why you think you'll "survive" Survivor
I'm engaging, personable and a master at reading people. I'm controversial in many ways and I embrace that I'm a "character." I'm naturally athletic and can seamlessly blend into a group. I radiate confidence and always compete to win.
Why you think you will be the sole Survivor
It's not just my character traits that make me a winner. It's literally in my blood to survive. My Japanese grandfather spent his childhood in an internment camp. My German grandmother's family has strong, long-standing ties with the government and fled immediately before the war. My Native American grandfather was the son of a deaf mute who learned English as a second language on the reservation by age 9. I have a passion for competition and I am the product of generations of true Survivors - their strength and resilience are a natural part of who I am.