Columnist Susan Snyder: ‘Survivor’ coach gets our vote

Friday, April 27, 2001 | 8:54 a.m.

Susan Snyder's column appears Fridays, Sundays and Tuesdays. Reach her at snyder@lasvegassun.com or 259-4082.

J.R. Russell says he knows what it takes to be a survivor -- the kind that will win $1 million from a television show.

So the North Las Vegas personal coach and management consultant now sells himself as the "Survivor Coach." And it's exactly what you think it is -- a guy who coaches people on how to win CBS' "Survivor."

Russell, a former U.S. Army master sergeant, says he already has gone into business to help people win at life, from work relationships to personal relationships to deciding what they want to be when they grow up.

He says most of us are hindered by failing to understand our natural tendencies and how others see us.

"Everybody reacts differently, and we don't always understand how our own behavior comes across when we're under stress," he said.

He says he has been fascinated with the "Survivor" television show because it illustrates that point week after week in living rooms across the country.

"(The show) really is a study in behavioral and social politics," Russell said. "It's not like a plane crash. It's a microcosm of pressure, tension and stress."

Russell came up with the idea of a "Survivor" coaching course while watching the second episode of the show's most recent incarnation.

None of the contestants seemed to know how to even light a fire, he says. And he was amazed that only a couple of one tribe's members worked to find food and shelter while the others lazed around in the sunshine.

"They were actually deriding the others for working. And I thought they would at least come much more prepared," Russell said. "A big light bulb came on over my head, and I grabbed a pad of paper and started making notes."

His wife, Sylvia, says he was still writing when she awoke the next morning.

Did she think he was nuts?

"Not as much as I have for some of the other ideas he's had," she joked. "He's got notebooks full of ideas."

This idea is a program that starts with 24 questions that measure a person's natural reactions to things and the manner in which they adapt to those reactions in stressful situations.

It is surprisingly accurate. Reading the results is like standing naked in the middle of Meadows mall.

Yes, I took it. No, I will not tell what it said. Yes, my mother was right.

Russell says the initial evaluation is a jumping-off point that he and his "Survivor" hopeful will use to develop a personalized, winning strategy. The plan includes how to make an application and video that will get noticed, how to do the interview and finally, how to play up your strengths, minimize your weaknesses and win the treasure chest full of money.

All coaching is done via e-mail and telephone. And of course it's not free. Group coaching starts at $175 a month, but people can pay as much as $650 a month for unlimited individual sessions.

Geez, $650 a month just for the opportunity to wear the same swimsuit for 42 straight days and eat rat on a stick?

And yet, we all know someone, somewhere will pay it. Russell is so sure he isn't advertising -- outside of some national television exposure Thursday with Bryant Gumbel on CBS' "The Morning Show."

Maybe he does know a thing or two about being a survivor.