Meet the 'Survivor 47' Cast! Caroline Vidmar Says Her ADHD is Her Biggest Superpower in the Game

Growing up, Caroline Vidmar struggled to find motivation due to her ADHD. She found inspiration, though, through Survivor, using its showcase of determination and grit to get through her rigorous and prestigious education. Having just finished her MBA, the 27-year-old is on her way back to her job as a strategy consultant, advising and persuading Fortune 500 companies. But before that, she's working a temp job, consulting on a very different type of strategy on the island. And, with a tight 26-day deadline, Caroline hopes her bluntness won't dull her chances of accomplishing her million-dollar project.

Read on for my interview with Caroline, and check in with Parade.com daily for interviews with this season's contestants and other tidbits. Survivor 47 premieres on September 18 with a two-hour premiere on CBS.

Related: Meet the Full Cast of Survivor 47

Interview with Caroline from Survivor 47

To start, give me your name, age, and occupation.
Hello! My name is Caroline. I am 27 years old, and I just finished my MBA at Northwestern. And now I'm going to go back to my previous job, which was as a strategy consultant.

Congrats on your degree! But tell me more about being a strategy consultant. What does that involve?
So, at the firm that I work at, basically, we are working with Fortune 500 companies, some of the biggest companies in the US. And I'm on teams that are telling them what their strategy should be. How is it that they want to be number one in market share? How is it that they're gonna beat their competitors? All of these things I've done professionally for three years. And honestly, it's a lot of fun. Granted, I'm a junior person, so I'm not necessarily the person who is coming up with the exact strategy; that's for the 50 year old partners. But what I'm doing is I'm in the rooms, and I'm trying to think about what is going to help influence the client to actually figure out what their strategy is. How do we help persuade people? How is it that I can help find the analysis to confirm what their strategy should be? I'm rambling a little bit, in all honesty. But, yeah, that is my job.

So let's talk about getting into a game where you'll hopefully engineer your own strategy to get to the end. Talk to me about your history watching Survivor, and what made you decide to go from a fan into a player.
So I've been a fan of Survivor since the very beginning. I've been a fan since I was five years old, and it just really grasped me from such a young age. Well, originally, I loved the show because I thought, "Wow, people are so happy when they win challenges." And I think that energy and excitement drew me in, honestly. But as I got older and understood the show more, I learned, "No, this is a show where people are just really sometimes they're at their lowest. They're challenged to a degree you would never think possible. And look at how they're able to persevere and overcome and actually accomplish insane, incredible things". That is what really helped me just stick with the show [and] absolutely fall in love with it.

And it really meant a lot to me, I think, because growing up, I didn't have a lot of confidence in myself, in all honesty. I just felt like a failure growing up. So I have ADHD, and the way that's impacted me was I didn't understand why so many things that just seem to come so easily to people, like finishing homework, getting things done on time, it just did not come naturally to me. And it was one of those things where, when you feel like you're constantly failing, it's hard to motivate yourself to keep going. But I would watch Survivor, and it was always when people were at their very lowest, it was when people just didn't feel like they were able to continue when they did continue. When Jeff encouraged them to keep going, that is when they thrived. That is when they succeeded. And it was that motivation, determination, and learning that perseverance through Survivor helped me continue to be like, "You know what? I can be a badass. I just need to stick with it. I need to keep working hard."

And that determination and grit, honestly, I've been able to accomplish so much in my life. Because of that, I went to UC Berkeley, one of the most competitive and intense schools out there. Graduated with high honors, Phi Beta Kappa. Got into this really insane, prestigious consulting company where I'm helping advise strategy. And I've actually done so well there that they actually paid for my entire MBA program. I'm really proud of it, but I'm still not done yet. There's still the ultimate thing to achieve, which is to kill it on Survivor and show that young girl who started watching it [that] I am just as badass and fantastic as the people who I watched growing up.

To be completely candid, I've been recently diagnosed with ADHD myself. And I had a similar epiphany of, "Oh, I didn't realize people don't think the way I do." And it can feel like a detractor. But I think what you've been able to vocalize so beautifully is that it can be used as a weapon that allows you to think creatively and outside the box. Which is perfect for a game like Survivor.
Absolutely. I'm curious if this was your experience too. Growing up with ADHD, our brains work differently. To succeed and to do things, we have to figure out our own way of doing it. And not only does it end up working out really well when we figure it out, but the resilience and the determination that you've had to build to actually be able to figure it out and accomplish it, that, I honestly think, is going to be one of my secret weapons out here. Just the fact that I've felt so beaten down growing up and been able to be so resilient, even with that.

Looking back on your long history of watching Survivor, give me one winner and one non-winner who you identify with the most.
For non-winner, I'm gonna give you two. I'm gonna cheat a little bit. I feel like I really resonate with both Emily from Season 45 and Tori from Season 42. I think I am a mix of both of them. What I loved about both is their bluntness. Honestly, I found it so refreshing. Yes, they gave hot takes, and it irritated like other people in the tribe. But their takes were correct! They were fantastic takes, honestly. And I love that style of bluntness. But I think in terms of Emily, she's a bit professional. And I do think that, when you get to know me, I do have a little bit of a professional edge to me. But, at the end of the day, I do think I'm someone who just really cares about people and is really motivated to get to learn and understand people. And I think when you get to learning more about Tori, I feel like that's her vibe as well. So there's a couple of non-winners.

I haven't seen a winner that comes to mind where I'm like, "This is me. I can really resonate." This might be an issue. We're gonna find out! But I really like Maryanne. Because I do think, okay, I can be competitive and intense. I feel like I've already even been kind of intense in this interview. But if I'm just chill, having a good time, I don't think I'm as bubbly as Maryanne. She is another level. But I do think I tend to be kind, sweet, bubbly, love to get to know people. And sometimes people don't really think that you're a threat. They kind of discount you. People don't think you can be nice and competent at the same time. So I'm hoping that people will underestimate me if I can show them my bubbly side.

What is your biggest superpower and your biggest kryptonite that you're bringing into the game?
So it's been really nice reflecting on this journey and process. Because there's so many ways I do think that my ADHD is really going to help me out here. One piece of that is the resilience. I'm so used to feeling like I'm failing at silly things that everyone finds really easy to do. But I think it's also that, because of that, I've gotten used to putting myself in uncomfortable situations and feeling like I have been able to persevere and do well even with them.

Funny enough, a part of it that you don't really hear about too much with ADHD, but, sometimes, we feel emotions more strongly than other people. And I do think that's part of maybe also going to be a kryptonite. I think it's one of those things where if you sit me down and say, "How are you doing?" I have trouble hiding how I am doing. If I'm doing well, if I'm not doing well, I show it on my face. I'm an expressive person. But I think because I wear my emotions on my sleeve, I'm really able to connect with people and resonate with people. And I think people feel like they're able to read me. So people feel like they can trust me. People feel like they get me. And there are a lot of parts of myself that I do show.

What people won't expect is that I'm actually very strategic and logical. When I'm making decisions, I am taking a step back [and] I'm stripping all the emotion. It's hard to do, but I'm very methodical about what is my goal, what do I want to achieve, and what am I going to have to do to achieve it. Again, it's uncomfortable, it doesn't feel good. But that's what I've had to deal with my whole life, and that's what I'm able to do. So those parts of myself, I think are going to be my superpower. My kryptonite, I show my emotions. I think I'm going to be crying. I'm not happy about it. I think I'll be embarrassing myself on TV. But you know what? I've accepted it. It's what's gonna happen.

Related: Everything to Know About Survivor 47

It comes with the territory. You're going to be starving on a beach in your underwear for 26 days. Embarrassment comes part and parcel with the experience.
Oh, 100%. It's going to happen. I'm ready for it. But I do think that's going to be part of the kryptonite there. Oh, and I do think one more part of it, it's kind of related, just in the business I've been in, especially with strategy consulting. We have really tight timelines; we're working 70 hours a week. In order to get shit done, you have to be blunt. You have to give feedback. You receive feedback, and it's just the way we operate. I'm very blunt with my friends. I'm very blunt with my family. I operate under the assumption that we get to be honest with each other. We know it's with the best intentions and we move forward. It's why I love people who are blunt on Survivor. But we've seen time and time again, women who are blunt, it's not taken well. So I'm aware of it; I'm going to be working to restrain myself on that and be more persuasive and kinder in my tactics. But I'm going to want to be blunt, and so we'll see how that plays out.

Well, give me some blunt readings on your fellow contestants. Are you picking up any good vibes from anyone in the preseason?
Absolutely. There's a lot of people I'm getting some good vibes from; there's a ton. But it's hard because it's still very much so vibes. I don't know if they're going to be my ride or die. I'm trying to think of how to describe them. It sucks because I really don't like it when people compare current contestants to past contestants, as if we're all just one big cookie-cutter. But all I have is looks for right now and kind of vibes. Tentatively, there's someone who's reminding me of Austin from Season 45. He just seems like he's very happy go lucky. Great, positive energy. I am so excited to get to know him. There is also this woman who is here, and I was so impressed. Because, after we did Survivor safety school, when they give us some survival tips and tricks, and then they gave us a little packet for it to study. She didn't look at the packet. She was like, "I got this. I'm good. It's all fine." I would love to have her on my tribe. I feel like she knows how to build a shelter. She is someone who has tan skin. She has her hair up in a bun frequently. Her initials are TH. And she just has a very stoic, positive energy, too. I'm just excited to get to know her as a human being.

What about on the other side? Are there any not-so-good vibes?
Yeah, I have one. The initials of someone who I'm intrigued by, and not in a very positive way, his initials are SP. And so, here's the thing, I feel he's someone where I think he knows his first impression is a little bit of maybe a jock. Maybe he comes across as a little stern. But what he's doing is the book that he's brought here is Sarah J. Mass [book], I think it's called Throne of Glass or something. Basically, it's a chick fic book. It's a book that's all the rage right now; all the women are reading it. They're loving it. I'm reading one of her books as well. and it's good, but it's an absolute chick fic.

And what I think he's doing, and I've actually seen guys do this before, is they're like, "Oh, I have depth to me. Look at me read this book." And so he keeps flashing it around for everyone to see. But I'm watching him. He's not even really reading it. He's this way through. [Holds fingers up close to one another.] And he's just assuming that he can throw around this book and we'll all be like, "Wow, he has so much depth." So I've been debating whether or not I want to show him that I'm reading one of those books. But my hot take–and I'm hoping I'm wrong–based on how the fact he's not reading the book, I don't know if he's going to respect people who read Sarah J. Mass. I wonder if he's reading it and just thinking, like, "Man, this is trash. I wonder who reads this." So I don't know. I don't trust him.

I want to keep you on the hot take train. What's your hottest Survivor take?
I have a bit of a hot take with the direction I think the show is going in at the moment right now. And as a heads up, for other people listening, we currently are in the middle of Season 46. We don't know what happens. The point where we are in right now, everyone is talking about how they need to make their big move, and it needs to be their move, and solely their move, and everyone needs credit for it. And so many of these big moves are stupid. They're not good for people's games. You should not be getting out your number one ally way too soon. Just because something is a big, flashy move doesn't mean that it's a good move. So I think that that's something right now where it's grinding my gears a little bit. I don't feel like people are as irritated as me. I'm here for strategy, I'm here for smart gameplay. And I think what it's best is when the players don't know about it till the Final Tribal, and then it all makes sense how devious and strategic and smart it all was. That's the game I want to play. I don't want to just do something that's big and flashy, and then I go home the next episode.

What celebrity or fictional character would you want to come out for a loved ones visit?
Can I do a Survivor celebrity? Because my dream alliance partner is Christian Hubicki. I would love to have him. I feel like we would kill it on a season. We're playing in the sand. We're talking about Slamtown, what positions we would be. But he's perfect. He's someone where you can vent to him, and he's good with you emotionally. It'll help you calm down, and then you can actually talk strategy with him. And I feel like he'd help me even see other angles and perspectives I haven't seen before. It's 100% Christian Hubicki. We've just been sitting here eight hours a day, just staring at people. I would love having Christian Hubicki tell me about physics or something.

Next, check out our interview with Survivor 47 contestant Sierra Wright.