Former Giants Star Jeff Kent Debuts On 'Survivor'
HOLLYWOOD (CBS) — Batter up, "Survivor" fans — baseball legend Jeff Kent is stepping onto the field!
The 25th season of "Survivor" begins at 8 p.m. Wednesday with a 90-minute episode on CBS13 with the former San Francisco Giant Kent among the 18 castaways.
"I like Jeff just as a competitor," host and executive producer Jeff Probst told City News Service. "He's a guy we would put on the show regardless whether he had a major league career or not. He's that tough farmer-type that will get out there and get it done and I think he likes the strategy of the game.".
"Survivor: Philippines" will be Kent's second time on a competition series. He teamed with actress Ali Landry for a fifth-place finish on ABC's "The Superstars" in 2009.
"I don't want to embarrass myself," said Kent, who retired following the 2008 season, ending a 17-season major league career, the last four spent with the Dodgers. He was named as the National League's Most Valuable Player in 2000 when he played with the San Francisco Giants.
Kent said the cast includes "some mean-looking ones," along with "some feisty-looking ones," and "some people that look educated and (some) not."
Kent is hardly the first famous sports face to join the "Survivor" family.
Football legends Gary Hogeboom and Jimmy Johnson previously played the game to mixed results. Hogeboom was the 12th contestant voted out in "Guatemala," while Johnson was evicted third during his season.
Professional poker player Jean-Robert Bellande and professional wrestler Ashley Massaro both competed on "Survivor: China" as well. The wife of former NFL running back Eddie George also competed on the show.
In all cases, the issue of how fame might impact their chances in the game weighed heavily on these players. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Kent confessed that he was going through a similar dilemma over the star power he brings to the game.
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