Fan-Favorite ‘Survivor’ Player Comes out as Transgender: Teeny Chirichillo Opens Up

Teeny Chirichillo is opening up about their transition story and how Survivor forced them to face their reality. In a first-person essay for Cosmopolitan, they discuss how the show thrust them into the spotlight and presented unforeseen challenges.

Chirichillo competed in Season 47 of the popular CBS reality competition series. At the time, they hadn’t even disclosed their transgender status to the production team.

“What made me dizzy was the pressure for me to represent as the first openly nonbinary Survivor player,” they write. “It’s the kind of sentiment a player would proudly declare in their first confessional. But on my backpack, wedged under the plane seat, was a pink ribbon—given to me by the production team—because I’d never declared anything that would indicate I wasn’t a cisgender girl.”

They explain another moment of fear of being outed during an HR presentation about respecting gender identity and pronouns. “I could already sense I was the one people were curious about, although they were unable to ask and I was unable to explain,” they write.

Their co-star, Sol, was the first to bravely ask the question off camera. “You know, I wanted to ask you before the game started if you want me to use different pronouns than she/her,” he said to Chirichillo. Still, they weren’t ready to speak about anything on national television, and the scrutiny it could come with. But they knew once the show aired, questions would arise about their pronouns and they’d have to confront it face on.

“Queer and trans people were messaging me with preemptive gratitude, while I had guilty flashbacks to declaring myself as the leader of the all-girls alliance,” they wrote.

An identity crisis of sorts arose, including resentment toward their castmate, but the voice inside of them spoke loudly enough that they knew it was time to address their trans status.