Survivor: Cookie Island (winner).....................
Survivor: Wieners-at-War (um, not-winner)..........
Snake in the Glass (um, not-winner again).......
Whoa, this is my first tweet in over 6 years. But today feels like a good time to rejoin the Twitterverse. I'm looking forward to tonight's premiere of Survivor 40: Winners at War. It's been over 13 years (13 years!) since I was on. I'm just grateful I still have hair :)
Ah well, I knew this moment was coming, but still hurt to watch. On the bright side, at least everyone spelled my name right this season. I'm super grateful for all the support I've gotten, and hope those who follow me are kind to
@wendellholland
@ky_nickwilson
and
@meeshfitz
.
Congratulations to all three finalists from this season, and (yelling from top of my lungs!) shout out to
@TonyVlachos73
for an incredible and historic win. Tony, you played a superb game and I couldn't think of a better person to represent all the winners. Congrats!!!
I can't figure out how this became a thing, but whatever it is, it makes me inexplicably happy to see this thread on Reddit that consists of people posting "yul" over and over (I mean, like, 1200 times). I guess it's a yulogy? Haha. Ok, that was lame.
I'm heartbroken at Stacy's passing. I'll always remember and be inspired by Stacy's courage, grace, and passion for life. She was my hero. My love goes to
@SurvivorPenner
and their family.
Please, no hate or bitterness to any of them or anyone else on the show. This is a crazy game, but it's still just a game, and I know them to be good and decent people in the real world, which is what really matters. See you on the Edge (where I'll meet my man crush
@EthanZohn
:)
I want to thank everyone for the warm reception as I poked my head back into social media (I've only read a few "I hate Yul so much" comments :) Regrettably, I can't comment on in-game strategy or insights, so that will have to wait till the season is over. In the meantime,
I've always looked to
@EthanZohn
as a role model who set the bar for the kind of person and winner I wanted to be, both inside and outside the game. I'm grateful to have met him on S40 and to come out of this calling him my friend. Even if
Should I feel sad that, in terms of screen time, all the strategizing I did last episode was apparently less interesting than breadfruit?
I bet if breadfruit had a Twitter account, it would have more followers than me.
#survivor
I've learned so much about courage from Stacy and
@SurvivorPenner
's fight with ALS. Please join me and the Winners in helping them and other families. To encourage donations and double your impact, I'll match the first $50K.
#StacySurvivorALS
#WinnersAtWar
With many of you, I've been dismayed by the wave of hate and violence against Asian Americans. It's hit close to home for me - my 76-yr old mother was recently accosted by a man in a truck, who blocked her and wouldn't let her leave for 20 min.
#StandWithAsians
#StopAsianHate
Top 3 things I learned about me after spending too much time on Reddit:
1. I'm a robot called Yulbot who pretends to be human
2. An inexplicable number of posts about me consists of the word "yul"
3. Ozzy was robbed
#WinnersAtWar
#survivor40
#SurvivorCBS
#SurvivorWinnersAtWar
Let's just say we're all crying. And I'm not ashamed dammit! You are a model for what a husband and father should be, my friend, and I've learned so much from you and Stacy. We're all here with you, supporting you from near and far.
I’m not crying. You’re crying. Today we launch an amazing effort sparked by Yul & his love for Stacy & our kids (and I guess me a little too) More to come about this, but here’s a great interview & an incredible, emotional sneak peek.
@yul_kwon
is simply the best. Survivor Rules!
Night gathers, and now my nerdly watch begins. I shall take no nerdly wife, hold no nerdly lands, father no nerdly children. I am the the nerd that guards the realms of men.
#nerdshield
#survivor
This video is 3 years old, but it's one of my favorites. Jonathan and Stacy are visiting our house, and he's playing tag with my two girls. The wall is his "base" and they're trying to tag him when he's not in contact with it. As you can tell, they adore their Uncle Jonathan :)
So this totally made my day. I heard a song on the Wandoff from one of my favorite players, Davie Rickenbacker. I reached out and he sent it to me. Thanks, Davie!
@itweetdavie
@robcesternino
@gabbypascuzzi
I agree with all the other comments here - I found Gabby to be thoughtful, insightful, and funny. I also agree we'd probably work well together inside the game and be friends outside in real life.
@Survivor_Reddit
I just started going through the Survivor subreddit (I had been warned to tread carefully or else my eyes might explode) and I found this whole thread of people just posting "yul" over and over again. I wasn't sure whether to laugh, cry, or run (or do all three at once). 😂😰🏃♂️
Welcome back TONY!!! Super excited to see you Twitter (and not spying on me from your spyshack :) Thanks so much for your support for
@SurvivorPenner
, Stacy, and the ALS campaign. Don't forget to bring your ladder! On second thought, maybe you should leave it where it is :)
Here's a beautiful tribute to Stacy that shares key moments from the past year of her life. Sending as much love to
@SurvivorPenner
, Cooper, and Ava as my heart knows how to give.
Before she was a filmmaker, Stacy was a journalist, writing and editing for many prestigious publications. She would have loved this tribute. Thank you Amy Wallace for this beautiful piece.
I still feel weird re-tweeting half-naked photos of me, but my wife says that ship has sailed and I should just get over it. So... I'm excited to come out of my social media cave to chat with
@DaltonRoss
tonight!
If you haven't yet, please support
@SurvivorPenner
and Stacy Title in their fight against ALS. This video of Jonathan affected me so deeply that it helped make up my mind to go back on Survivor, especially his words at the end. You can give in three ways:
After creating paranoia about the Poker Players alliance and building a web of strong alliances for himself,
@yul_kwon
is our pick for MVP of the
#Survivor
:
#WinnersAtWar
season premiere.
@EthanZohn
@BostonRob
@survivorcbs
My god that is good. Is it weird that I feel a little jealous?
@SurvivorPenner
and I once had that kind of relationship on Cook Islands, after he offered to let me warm my freezing hands in his armpits at night. It was heaven.
Congrats to
@SimuLiu
and
@shangchi
for CRUSHING box office records on LDW! Simu isn't just breaking heads, he's breaking barriers and stereotypes, as we discuss in this eye-opening interview on his life and path to success . Go Simuuuu!
Btw, just to clarify, I think only
#2
is non-debatable. Both
#1
and
#3
are largely matters of opinion with good arguments on both sides. On
#3
, I've always had mad respect for Ozzy as a competitor and could argue either position.
@SurvivorPenner
Stacy, you've been such an inspiration for me. I can't tell you how much I admire your courage and resilience through all the challenges you've faced. You were in my heart and thoughts this entire season, and your example is what kept me going every day. Happy bday!
I'm auctioning some my favorite Survivor mementos to help raise funds for
@SurvivorPenner
and
@ComCareALS
:
1. Fully signed cast photo from Cook Islands (Parvati, Ozzy, Jonathan, me, etc.)
2. My buff & map from Cook Islands
3. My buff from Winners at War
@SurvivorPenner
and I made this video to thank everyone for supporting our ALS campaign. You can still donate at or buy a t-shirt designed by
@TonyVlachos73
featuring all the Winners at War (). Thank you!!!
When I saw I'd be competing against
@jeff_zausch
from Naked & Afraid, I didn't recognize him with his clothes on. I recognized Survivor legends
@earlcole
and
@MalcolmWHW
instantly. Watch us devolve into paranoia on
#SnakeInTheGrass
(airs July 26 on NBC and Aug 1 on
@USA_Network
)
This is me fanboying over Bowen Yang as I interview him on
@talksatgoogle
. He's not only the funniest person on the planet (check out his Saturday Night Live skits on YouTube), he's also a trailblazer who's become an inspiration for many of us. .
Another friend was walking w/ her 10 yr old daughter when she was verbally assaulted by a man screaming racial epithets.
It's hard to make sense of all this. But I'm gratified to see how this has brought so many of us together, and by the support expressed by so many friends.
@JohnMCochran
@SurvivorPenner
Wow, that photo takes me back. I remember hearing about this intern from Harvard who was a Survivor fan and wanted to meet me. I said to bring him by. They replied, "He says he's not ready yet, he's too nervous."
Thanks for the great interview,
@AMikeBloomType
, and for helping share Stacy and Jonathan's story. I apologize for the brevity of my answers. Next time, I'll try not to be so short-winded ;)
If watching
@yul_kwon
talk about Stacy and Jonathan's battle with ALS, be sure to read my interview with him, where he talks more about the decision to play for them:
And be sure to donate to ALS research at
I'm trying to do my part to help and want to share a few things:
1/ Stand with us on this day of action (I'll be in a Clubhouse panel at 6pm PT)
2/ Learn more and join a national vigil at:
1.
2. On Facebook:
3. To support Jonathan and Stacy with a direct monetary gift:
We're incredibly moved your generosity, especially in these difficult times. THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts!!!
#ALS
I was so sure Tony was going to kill himself (and half our tribe). Btw, I'm pretty sure that death by falling off a ladder is covered in our contracts. It's right next to the clause on getting crushed by falling coconuts.
My friend, Liska, sent me this song that someone wrote about my return to Survivor (thank you, Jason Lee, wherever you are!). I suspect the opinions he expresses in the song are in the minority, but whatever, my…
@roundhoward
@DanAttorri
Yul be sorry indeed!
Sorry, that was bad. I've been seeing so many puns with my name lately. I figure I can either fight it or embrace it. I choose love, not hate.
3. Bent at odd angles: Yes, not unlike a certain President.
4. A thinly veiled metaphor: Of course, the ladder was a just metaphor for Tony's approach to playing Survivor. What else could it have been?
3/ Join a peaceful march my wife & friends are organizing on Sunday (details to follow)
4/ Watch this thoughtful special on anti-Asian hate: . My contribution is probably the weakest, but it's here:
Please be kind, please be safe.
So proud of five Asian American women and mothers - Catherine Dao, Julia Chang Kuo, Natalie Louie, Susan Kuo Shih, and my wife,
@SophieKwon7
- for organizing a peaceful rally against racism on behalf of AAPI families.
#StandWithAsians
#stopAAPIhate
@gabbypascuzzi
@robcesternino
That's really sweet of you to say, thanks so much. I'd imagine that most people (including me) would be horrified to put up any of my tweets on any surface, but appreciate the sentiment nonetheless. Hope you meet you on person soon!
My favorite thinker and co-author of Freakonomics,
@StevenDLevitt
, interviewed me for his
@MostlyAdmiring
podcast. Part 1 goes into how I went from a being super awkward kid w/ issues, to a super awkward adult w/ issues. Plus a deep dive on Survivor.
Huge congrats to
@MalcolmWHW
for biting me,
@earlcole
, and
@jeff_zausch
to win
#SnakeInTheGrass
. He had an incredible game and made brilliant moves behind the scenes. Despite the pressure, I had a blast and appreciate the friendships we all made.
Btw I'm still not the snake.
@DaltonRoss
my crying module got stuck in a recursive loop tonight. My fault for using a buggy beta release. No worries, the emotionless cyborg is back in control. Oh wait, something's wrong, I'm crying again. I'm crying again. I'm crying again.
@TysonApostol
My god, I was so sure Tony was going to kill himself (and half our tribe). Btw, I'm pretty sure that death by falling off a ladder is covered in our contracts. It's right next to the clause on getting killed by falling coconuts.
3. Tyson's glorious mane: This explains why I couldn't focus, but it's not why I couldn't sit up straight.
4. Needed Preparation H: Bingo. I could barely walk, much less sit on my butt. Despite lots of advice, I just couldn't master the art of the aquadump :)
#winnersatwar
This poll got 4,254 votes in one day! Too bad it's not running in the Democratic primaries. Results (with comments) below:
1. Too big for me: Um, Tony's ladder would've been too big for Godzilla.
2. Too small for me: Lengthwise, no. Girthwise, maybe.
So grateful to
@HannahLilNessen
for her generous offer to Skype with folks who support
@SurvivorPenner
and Stacy. 3 ways to give:
1. On Facebook:
2.
3. If you want to help their family directly with a gift:
@SpradlinKim
@SandraDTwine
@wendellholland
Poll is over! Thanks to everyone who voted. So the answer?
1. Idol in crotch: I wish this was true, but sadly, the only thing in my crotch was my crotch.
2. Ate too much breadfruit: I did eat too much, but that's why I was squatting a lot back then, not mimicking a walrus.
I'm excited to join leaders in the Asian American community in supporting the potential appointment of Justice Goodwin Liu as California's next Attorney General. Not only a great person, but a lifelong role model for me and so many others.
@GavinNewsom
Insightful straight-talk about the long-term implications of COVID by my friend,
@cha_myoung
. I hope he turns out to be wrong, but am pretty sure he won't be buying me a beer anytime soon. As a policy matter, I agree we can hope for the best, but need to plan for the worst.
1/ Lots of questions on why I think we could be in the early part of the COVID decade. Tons of focus right now on omicron, but not many talking about the long game. This isn’t a deterministic prediction but a scenario very few policymakers are willing to talk about openly. 🧵
@MosheTelles
Thanks. I was really careful about what I said on Cook Islands (both during filming and whilebthe season was running) b/c of the racial theme, especially with any attempts at humor. But now, I don't feel the same pressure, so I'm letting my nerdy humor free :)