Lucy Huang is more than just a dietician, more than just a mom. She’s a machine, too, based on what she tells me over the phone on Survivor: Millennials vs Gen X press day, one day before the cast of twenty competitors flies out to Fiji for thirty-nine days of scheming and plotting.
“I’m always trying to do something — either scheming or trying to find out about somebody, or try to see what the next thing is,” says Lucy. “You keep going and going and going and going.”
Click here to read Lucy’s bio, and read on for my full chat with Lucy about her childhood across three countries and continents, her busy personal and professional life, and why she believes all of those experiences will lead to the Sole Survivor title.
Wigler: How are you feeling, Lucy?
Lucy: I’m… pretty good! (Laughs.) I’m getting excited.
Wigler: Nervous?
Lucy: Nervous and excited. More nervous about leaving everything behind, and who’s going to take care of my kids.
Wigler: Uh oh. Who’s babysitting?
Lucy: Two babysitters and a husband and some family.
Wigler: Sounds like a capable bunch.
Lucy: Yeah, well, they’re not the mom. (Laughs.)
Wigler: Is this going to be tough, walking away from your lifestyle?
Lucy: Well, I have a busy lifestyle, but I’m almost thinking that this was a godsend to pull me away. Because if nothing pulled me away, I would just keep going. They call me a machine. The funny thing is, when I was leaving, my husband said, “I don’t know if I can do this. I’m not a machine.” And I was like, “Oh my gosh, what are you trying to say? I’m a machine? I don’t know if that’s good or bad!” (Laughs.)
Wigler: A machine sounds like something that might do well on Survivor, don’t you think?
Lucy: Absolutely. I’m always trying to do something — either scheming or trying to find out about somebody, or try to see what the next thing is. You keep going and going and going and going.
Wigler: Tell me more about your thoughts on plotting and scheming, and what you’re planning on doing once you get out there.
Lucy: For me, I’m hoping that as long as my strategy is respected and I’m not doing anything that won’t hurt too many feelings, but that they’ll be smart moves people can respect and say, “I get it. You did that because you’re playing a game. You’re not playing a game because you’re evil and you’re a liar and you’re a bee eye tea sea haitch.”
Wigler: Do you have a strategy coming into this, then?
Lucy: Generally, I’m going with who I normally am. People can see me as outgoing and, again, like a machine. But really, in the beginning of any type of atmosphere I’m in, I’m pretty quiet and I just like to sit back and observe. I’m probably more of an introvert than an extrovert. I like to see what’s going on with everybody and examine what the strengths and weaknesses of people are — and from there, see how I can benefit from or add to different situations.
Wigler: I have your bio in front of me, and it sounds like you have an interesting past, going from Taiwan to Brazil to America. Can you tell me more about that?
Lucy: I was born in Taiwan. My dad obviously wanted to give us a better opportunity. My parents were young; I think my mom was only about 20. My dad went to Brazil first to scope it out, because one of our other relatives was there. He went first to establish a home for us, and then my mom had to take the three of us kids by herself — and she was basically a child herself! We opened a restaurant there, and we’ve always been working, from the time we were young, always being in the restaurant business. I was there from two to six, and when I was six years old, my dad had the opportunity to come to America and open another restaurant. My life was really working from morning to night, going to school and taking the bus by ourselves, latchkey kids cooking for ourselves at a young age, defending ourselves… we were left at home. It wasn’t illegal back then! (Laughs.) That’s the way I kind of roll right now. People don’t understand it. I drop off my kids in places… I know most of the time now, parents want to stay and watch their kids. But I have too many things to do. I’m a drop off, pick ’em up, and what’s next? What can I do in between? Can I get my workout in between their workouts? That’s how I kind of roll. That’s the life [my parents] had established, and I’m a product of my parents, true and true — even though sometimes I hated it back then because we weren’t allowed to go to parties and all of that, but I understand now. You can get into a lot of trouble.
Wigler: It’s true. I know from experience. It sounds like you manage your time carefully. Does that worry you at all, going out into a situation where there’s probably going to be a good amount of down time? Or do you have thoughts on how to make the time fly?
Lucy: Wow. Well, it’s a game, so it’s constantly going. I know you constantly have to be observant of things, and obviously think about shelter and food, but most of the time, you have a lot of time to think about your strategy and really look at people, trying to see who you think will align with who, and who can I align with? There’s so much thinking involved with it. If I want to align with somebody, what do I bring to it? Why would they like me? What can I add to that team, to another team? I have to use all of my strengths, and I think I have them all. As a mom, I can be nurturing. But I’m also a multi-tasker, because I run the business and the family. I’m a wife as well, so I know how to be sweet. In a real business world, it’s all about relationships, too. And sometimes there’s that flirting, having to use your charisma — and to that, I do bikini competitions. I became an IFBB Pro last year. With that, I’ve had to deal with a lot of different age groups, too, because a lot of competitors are in their 20s or even in their late teens. I’m probably one of the older ones who’s been able to become pro, in a year and a half. But it’s almost like a little sorority when you’re around these girls, you know? The cattiness, the different things that go on… but I don’t mix myself too much in it, and if I do get upset, you kind of think about why you’re upset and why that’s stupid. “Get over it. I have a life. I have my family, and I have my work.” Those little things end up not being important. Really, through all the experiences I’ve had, it’s given me the ability to do very well at this game and actually win because of the different personality traits I’ve had to use throughout my 42 years.
Wigler: Have you given any thoughts to twists? Any themes they might throw at you?
Lucy: Right now, the people that I see, and I haven’t seen that many… I see a bunch of blondes. (Laughs.) I see a couple of Asians, and I’m not used to that. Usually there’s the one token Asian, and I’m surprised that there are two of us — so far, cause I haven’t seen anybody yet. But I’ve wondered if this is a race thing, an ethnicity thing? I think a lot of times there’s this cattiness: “You’re Asian? I’m Asian, too! I’m going to do better than you!” So I don’t know!
Wigler: So you don’t think that’s a good thing, necessarily?
Lucy: It could and it couldn’t be. Us Asians, we grow up pretty competitive. That’s the way I grew up. Right now, I’m like, “No, you’re not going to be the last Asian standing. It’s going to be me!”
Check back every day for another Survivor 33 pre-game interview.
PREVIOUSLY: Ciandre “CeCe” Taylor
Josh Wigler is a writer, editor and podcaster who has been published by MTV News, New York Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, Comic Book Resources and more. He is the co-author of The Evolution of Strategy: 30 Seasons of Survivor, an audiobook chronicling the reality TV show’s transformation, and one of the hosts of Post Show Recaps, a podcast about film and television. Follow Josh on Twitter @roundhoward.
Survivor: Millennials vs Gen X premieres on September 21.
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