The 24-year-old Fort Worth native and TCU graduate is one of nearly two dozen contestants on \u201cSurvivor\u201d season 51,<\/a> which premieres via CBS on Wednesday, Sept. 23. This season\u2019s theme is \u201cOpen Era,\u201d in which \u201cevery twist, every idol, every advantage in the series\u2019 history may come into play in any order and without warning.\u201d<\/p>\n Nguyen grew up watching the show and has applied every year she\u2019s been eligible to do so.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that they probably saw a little girl with a very big dream, and they\u2019re like, \u2018Let\u2019s see how this goes,\u2019\u201d Nguyen said on being cast in the show.<\/p>\n \ud83c\udfac In case you missed it: <\/p>\n Nguyen spoke to the Star-Telegram about the show ahead of the premiere.<\/p>\n The conversation ranges from her earliest memory of \u201cSurvivor\u201d to how she trained to be a contestant. Nguyen also shared how she\u2019s balanced continuing her education at TCU while competing on the show.<\/p>\n This interview has been edited for clarity and length. There are no spoilers for the show.<\/p>\n Star-Telegram: Do you remember your earliest memory of \u201cSurvivor\u201d and what got you hooked on the show?<\/p>\n Thien An Nguyen: Yeah, so I actually think my parents watched a lot of \u201cSurvivor\u201d [while I was] growing up. As a kid, I never really comprehended what was on the TV. I just saw a lot of people having a lot of fun on an island, and years later I forgot about that. But then during COVID, when Survivor was on Netflix, I rediscovered it and was like, \u201cWait, this is the show that [I watched] growing up.\u201d<\/p>\n During COVID, when the world was so isolated, it was something that brought our families together every single night. It was something that we would look forward to. Like we would do our Zoom classes during the day, and at night, no matter what, we would always watch one, probably two, because we\u2019d be like, \u201cPlease, one more episode, Dad.\u201d It was great for our family, bringing us together during a time of so much disconnect in the world.<\/p>\n S-T: You applied several times for the show over the years. Did you do anything special this time around in your submission? Why do you think you were chosen this time?<\/p>\n TAN: As life moves on, you never know, but you continue growing. You think you\u2019re at a maximum, and you just keep growing. Life finds a way to humble you somehow, and you\u2019re like, \u201cYou know what? It\u2019s time to expand on myself and pass through any challenges I have.\u201d I started applying during college. Looking back in college, I didn\u2019t realize what a 180 it was. I came into college being a very shy individual, too nervous sometimes to be in a friend group. I remember I would strategically put myself on the side of a friend group, [because] I don\u2019t want to ruin the vibes.<\/p>\n But as I go through college, TCU was such a supportive community in building me into who I am today, challenging my beliefs during school. But at the same time, [I had] such a supportive community of friends, lifelong friends that I have now, that shaped my personality day-by-day, class-by-class. I think in \u201cSurvivor,\u201d they\u2019re like, \u201cYou know what? Let\u2019s just see how this goes.\u201d I am a super fan. I\u2019ve been applying for a little bit. I applied since I was eligible to apply [at 18 years old]. I think that they probably saw a little girl with a very big dream, and they\u2019re like, \u201cLet\u2019s see how this goes.\u201d<\/p>\n S-T: I know that our high school sports reporter Charles Baggarly<\/a> is a friend of yours that you met at TCU, where you graduated and are a current medical student. When did this season of \u201cSurvivor\u201d film and did you have to take time off from school to appear on it?<\/p>\n TAN: TCU has a fantastic curriculum where they\u2019re always finding novel ways to build on our education. With a lot of working with the school, they were very kind enough to let me go. I\u2019m forever thankful because they were gracious enough to let me go. I am still making up shifts from the time I was gone [laughs], but I was very thankful. This was back in the spring while I\u2019m doing my clinical rotations, so the school worked with me and were very kind enough to be like, \u201cHey, we\u2019re gonna find the time to make up your shifts. We\u2019re gonna make this work because, yes, medicine\u2019s your dream, but a person\u2019s not limited to just one dream in life. If \u2018Survivor\u2019 is your other dream, you go for it.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s funny that you bring up Charles, because he knows how much I love \u201cSurvivor.\u201d For my 21st birthday, I actually did a \u201cSurvivor\u201d themed party where my dad was [\u201dSurvivor\u201d host] Jeff Probst, and Charles was in the group of us that played \u201cSurvivor.\u201d We had our challenges, we voted people out every like 15 minutes, it was so fun. We even brought like blue eggs to try. He can tell you how disgusting that was.<\/p>\n S-T: Who won at the party?<\/p>\n TAN: That one was me. It was my birthday party, so I probably had some leniency. It wasn\u2019t my birthday on \u201cSurvivor,\u201d so we\u2019ll see how that fares for me [laughs].<\/p>\n S-T: Going into \u201cSurvivor,\u201d I\u2019m sure there are some things you can train for like making fires and other survival tactics. But, how do you train and prepare for something like this when you don\u2019t know what the show is going to throw at you?<\/p>\n TAN: Yeah, in a season where \u201cPermanent Uncertainty\u201d is the theme, how can one even train for that? I kind of just leaned on my background. Growing up, I was actually in Boy Scouts. I come from a family of over 100 cousins, a very big family, all in the DFW area. So big that we made our own Boy Scouts troop. And so growing up, I learned a lot of knots. I learned how to start fires. A lot of wilderness skills, like pitching a tent. Well, out there we didn\u2019t have tents, but you work with what you have and you make the most of it.<\/p>\n I think the most creative thing in Boy Scouts we did was, we didn\u2019t have bowls and plates, so we cooked eggs in orange peels. It\u2019s using whatever you have to the best of your ability and making it functional, making it practical. I didn\u2019t have the same tools in Boy Scouts camp as I did out on \u201cSurvivor,\u201d but that creativity had to transpire over. I made the most of my environment.<\/p>\n S-T: What was the most surprising thing about being on set and being part of this show?<\/p>\n TAN: You know, I think you have to stay tuned and find out [laughs].<\/p>\n S-T: I\u2019ll take that. You mentioned Fort Worth and TCU already. What\u2019s the reaction been like for you from your family and friends about this whole experience?<\/p>\n TAN: Everyone has been so supportive. Fort Worth is a fantastic place, and sometimes people might be like, so what is in Fort Worth? What is in Fort Worth is my family of over 100 cousins who I love so much, who have supported me throughout my whole life. Then also this community that I\u2019ve been building basically since birth. I haven\u2019t left Fort Worth because I went to TCU for undergrad, and now I\u2019m at TCU\u2019s medical school. It\u2019s somewhere where I\u2019ve truly not built just a place, but a home, building upon the community in itself. I\u2019ve gotten a lot of unrelenting support from the community, and it\u2019s been so exciting.<\/p>\n I was actually at a wedding this weekend, and everyone was just like, \u201cCheers to \u2018Survivor!\u2019\u201d Everyone\u2019s just so positive around me, and it\u2019s just been really encouraging. You know that there\u2019s people around you that love you, but then when you have like a reason to bring it up, it reminds you of how amazing your community is.<\/p>\n S-T: I heard you\u2019re having a watch party for the premiere. What can you say about that?<\/p>\n TAN: Yeah. I wanted to honor all the people that have been with me my whole entire life. The people who supported me, they don\u2019t realize, but in a way, they were out with me on the island as well because they\u2019ve made me into who I am today. They\u2019re part of like how I think and navigate this life, so I wanted to honor my loved ones and friends and just watch it together, and be like, \u201cHey, it\u2019s me on the screen, but it\u2019s actually all of us playing together out there. It\u2019s a journey we\u2019re taking together.\u201d<\/p>\n S-T: Last thing for you: What can you tease about this season?<\/p>\n TAN: The theme of the season is permanent uncertainty, and all I gotta say about that is that I hope we don\u2019t let you guys down [laughs].<\/p>\n \u201cSurvivor\u201d season 51 premieres Sept. 23 on CBS.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Fort Worth Star-Telegram<\/p>\n![\"\u201cPermanent](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/3197253_SRVR_S51_01412b-66b0af92d40b94d9.jpg\" "\\"3197253_SRVR_S51_01412b-66b0af92d40b94d9.jpg\\"")
\u201cPermanent Uncertainty\u201d \u2013 Castaways marooned in remote Fiji embark upon the Open Era of \u201cSuvivor\u201d and battle to win $1 million. The catchphrase of the season, \u201cpermanent uncertainty,\u201d comes into play as soon as the castaways reach the beach and discover that one player must leave to go on a mysterious journey. Then, the first tribal council pits two allies against each other in a dramatic battle of wills, on the two-hour 51st season premiere of \u201cSurvivor,\u201d Wednesday, Sept. 23 (8:00-10:00 PM, ET\/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on-demand for Paramount+ Premium plan subscribers, or on-demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs)*. Pictured: Thien An Nguyen. Robert Voets CBS <\/p>\n![\"\u201cPermanent](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/3197253_SRVR_S51_00978b-2a1673b9e2d078c8.JPG\" "\\"3197253_SRVR_S51_00978b-2a1673b9e2d078c8.JPG\\"")
\u201cPermanent Uncertainty\u201d \u2013 Castaways marooned in remote Fiji embark upon the Open Era of \u201cSurvivor\u201d and battle to win $1 million. The catchphrase of the season, \u201cpermanent uncertainty,\u201d comes into play as soon as the castaways reach the beach and discover that one player must leave to go on a mysterious journey. Then, the first tribal council pits two allies against each other in a dramatic battle of wills, on the two-hour 51st season premiere of \u201cSurvivor,\u201d Wednesday, Sept. 23 (8:00-10:00 PM, ET\/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on-demand for Paramount+ Premium plan subscribers, or on-demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs)*. Pictured (L-R) Rob Antonson, Linnea Capobianco, Mike Pinsky, An \u201cThien An\u201d Nguyen, Brady Booker. Robert Voets CBS <\/p>\n![\"\u201cSurvivor\u201d](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/3197255_SRVR_S51_TheinAnNguyen_00074b-95110f83e617115f.jpg\" "\\"3197255_SRVR_S51_TheinAnNguyen_00074b-95110f83e617115f.jpg\\"")
\u201cSurvivor\u201d 51 contestant An \u201cThien An\u201d Nguyen. Season 51 is set to premiere Wednesday, Sept. 23 (8:00-10:00 PM, ET\/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Robert Voets\/CBS \u00a92026 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Robert Voets CBS <\/p>\n
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