Survivor Second Chance: Nick Brown Talks Kimmi Kappenberg

Nick Brown chats to us about his former tribemate Kimmi Kappenberg.

Nick Brown was a member of the hugely popular Kucha tribe on Survivor: The Australian Outback, and his under the radar game took him all the way into the merge, where he ultimately finished in seventh place. Being a member of the Kucha tribe meant that Nick was present for some of Survivor’s most iconic moments: from helping Michael Skupin hunt down a wild boar, to watching Alicia Calaway wag her finger in Kimmi Kappenberg’s face, to witnessing first hand the moment Skupin fell in the fire. If you want insight into what was happening on the Kucha tribe then Nick is your man, so who better to talk about Kimmi.

Since The Australian Outback, Nick has distanced himself from the world of Survivor. A graduate of Harvard Law School, Nick was deployed to Iraq in 2005 as a JAG lawyer, before returning to the US to work as a military prosecutor. After his career with the military was over he joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Nick currently works as a lawyer for Governor Jay Inslee in Olympia, Washington. Inside Survivor have managed to drag Nick away from his busy schedule to give his thoughts on Kimmi’s second chance. Nick Brown talks Kimmi Kappenberg and her chances on Survivor: Cambodia.

“What was your overall perception of Kimmi’s game in Australian Outback? Pros and Cons?”

I personally liked Kimmi a lot, but I don’t think she was particularly strategic. Frankly, many of us weren’t. Season 2 was so early in the trajectory of the game that a lot of the players were very linear in their thinking. She also had a tough time toning down her personality to get people to like her enough.  She’s a big, bold personality and you have to know how that affects others to do well on that game. I think the rest of us could see it a mile away when she was rubbing people the wrong way and I don’t think she understood that.

“How do you think Kimmi will change her game on Survivor: Cambodia – Second Chance?”

Well, it’s been a long time and I haven’t seen her since 2001, so I don’t really know how she’s approaching it this time. But being older will really help. I suspect she’ll be more mature and work harder on developing relationships. She’ll have to bond with people quickly to survive.

“Kimmi played Survivor fourteen years ago when the show was a lot different (especially strategy wise). As an old school player do you think Kimmi will struggle with the modern game?”

Definitely. The game is totally different. When we played years ago we were all just focused on how the first season went down and how Richard won. I think all of the players from the first few seasons will struggle unless they’re up to speed on all the ways the game has changed. And, they’ll have to be totally open for surprises and adapt quickly.

“Who on the Second Chance cast is Kimmi’s biggest threat?”

Honestly, I really don’t know. I loved playing the game and think the world of the team behind it, but I haven’t watched a full season since I played. Most of the Second Chance cast is new to me. But I’ll go with Jeff.

“Who on the Second Chance cast do you see Kimmi potentially aligning with? Could she work with fellow Australian Outback cast-mate Jeff Varner?”

She might work with Jeff, but can’t see any trust there.

“What is Kimmi’s secret weapon to win?”

She won’t be perceived as a threat, but that’s to her advantage. Her best chance is for people to underestimate her, and align with the right people. She’s smart enough to do it, but it’ll be a struggle.


Written by

Martin Holmes

Martin is a freelance writer from England. He’s represented by Berlin Associates for comedy writing and writes about TV and entertainment, currently for TV Insider and Vulture, previously Digital Spy, ET Canada, and Yahoo. A finalist for the Shortlist Sitcom Search in 2012 for “Siblings,” Martin received his BA in English with Creative Writing from The University of Hull. Martin is the owner and editor-in-chief of Insider Survivor.


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