Gay contestant Brandon Quinton assembles all 16 Survivor: Africa participants for ambitious fundraising event to benefit gay charities
Contributing Writer
When CBS started airing Survivor: Africa last fall, Dallas
bartender Brandon Quinton quickly became known as “the gay one,” but that suited
him just fine.
“I was surprised at how many people who didn’t watch the show
knew me. They’d say, ‘What’s your name?’ and I’d say ‘Brandon,’ and they’d say,
‘Oh! You’re the gay boy on Survivor.’”
Quinton’s instantly-identifiable
manner — he was described as “flamboyant” by Bryant Gumbel during the
post-finale chat session and memorably sashayed into the jury box wearing a
brightly-colored sarong after he was voted out of the tribe — has made him one
of the most popular contestants, even though he did not make the final four.
“People always recognize [winner] Ethan Zohn, [the tattooed de facto leader]
Lex van den Berghe and me,” Quinton proclaimed.
Quinton’s celebrity status
has led to inaccurate, even scandalous reports about his personal life — The
Dallas Morning News incorrectly identified his roommate as a “boyfriend,” and
he’s made a half-dozen appearances in the tabloids, romantically linked to a
host of fellow castaways including female friend Kelly Goldsmith. But fame has
also afforded him the opportunity to organize what might be the first charity
function featuring all Survivor alums. Benefiting the Resource Center of Dallas
and the Walt Whitman Community School, the event takes place next Thursday at
Throckmorton Mining Company.
“There are a couple of reasons why I wanted to
organize this,” Quinton said. Fellow contestant Teresa Cooper’s fraternal twin
brother, who was gay, died 12 years earlier from AIDS. Another contestant, Linda
Spencer, also had a brother who died of the virus some years ago.
“Teresa and
I were very close out there, even though we were on separate alliances. She told
me I reminded her of a very good friend of hers, and she told me about her
brother then. It was very emotional for me because I liked her so much,” Quinton
said.
Later, while on the jury, he “did a lot of traveling in the very near
area,” and his awareness of AIDS became intense.
“Kelly and Frank [Garrison]
and all the people on the jury were talking about how we should do something”
about the AIDS crisis, Quinton said.
His resolve was steeled following the
terrorist attacks that followed soon after the return from Kenya.
“After
Sept. 11, a friend of mine at AIDS Resources told me donations were down, and
they were really worried about it. Then I went to see the Walt Whitman kids, and
I couldn’t believe how a little money could do so much good,” he said.
The
idea for the fundraiser started small but has grown exponentially over the past
several months.
“When I came back I told my manager [at TMC] that I wanted
to do something, but I had really just planned on me and four or five other
Surviviors talking — something really casual, more about raising awareness more
than money,” Quinton said.
But with the participation of all 16 contestants,
and a prime-time plug on CBS, the money and interest, has been pouring in.
Tickets for the event were virtually sold out by press time, and all the
attendees are donating auction items.
Kim Powers has a set of autographed TV
Guides, Big Tom Buchanan has made up T-shirts, and Quinton is offering on eBay
the sarong he wore to the jury in order to raise money for the charities. In
addition, he has already sold the racy black thong he wore to the after-party
following the last episode. In fact, he gave up the thong right off his — uh —
back.
“Liza Snyder, who is one of the stars of Yes, Dear, came up to me [at
the party] and said the producers of her show wanted to buy my thong for $2,000
to go to my charity — only she had to wear it out of the party that night. So I
said, ‘What am I going to wear out of here?’ She said, ‘I have a new thong on
and we can swap in the ladies room,’” Quinton recounted. “So here we are at the
CBS party, and a sitcom star and the guy from Survivor are in two different
stalls passing their thongs over the top, smoking a cigarette, giggling, with 50
people standing in the bathroom — guys and girls both. Then three security
guards break in the door — not to say you guys can’t be in here, not because we
were swapping thongs, but because we were not allowed to smoke. Only in fucking
L.A.”
The thong ensemble (bought in Dallas) was not originally planned for
the red-carpet event, but Quinton’s eyebrow-raising decision had a method to it.
“I decided when I got up there in that, every single person would stop me,
and I could talk about this fundraiser, and that’s exactly what happened,” he
said.
Fans of the show may not be surprised that open-minded Teresa, winner
Ethan Zohn and others would attend a party at a gay bar, but it was surprisingly
easy to convince even the more homophobic contestants to volunteer their
time.
“All my good friends who were in the final nine of course said yes. And
then Linda [who was in the first seven voted off] heard about it and she called”
other contestants to generate support, Quinton said. Even staunch hetero
contestant Frank postponed neck surgery to come. So how did Quinton convince
them all?
“I had to sell my soul to the devil,” Quinton joked. “We were all
really close. There’s a difference between being close and being good friends.
It’s sort of like family. You don’t really like all your family that much, but
if they need something you’re there for them. That’s the way I liken the final
nine of us. Frank and I did something really life-changing together. Frank said
all along that if I ever needed him to do anything like this he would do it. And
when Frank says he’ll do something he does it — there’s no ifs ands or buts. And
Big Tom is super-excited — he’s going to have more fun than anyone else.”
The
event has generated corporate support as well. In addition to Caven Enterprises’
efforts, Smirnoff Ice is paying the airfare for the out-of-town contestants, and
local merchants are contributing services such as hotel rooms and meals. The
Survivors themselves have agreed to forego their usual appearance
fees.
Quinton had mostly positive comments about how the show presented the
experience of playing the game.
“The editing was accurate [as far as the
personal dynamics], to a point. After Frank and I were gone there was no
conflict there — it was obvious who was going next. There wasn’t anyone stirring
the pot or being abrasive like Frank was,” he said. “The only person on the show
who was really treated unfairly was Lex because Lex is such a sweetheart in
person — a little paranoid, but everyone out there is.”
Quinton has never
done something as sweeping as this event before, but, “It’s not my personality
to be scared of something like this. This is going to happen,” he said, “and
it’s going to be awesome, even if it kills me.”
Websites - Brandon Quinton
The Unofficial Brandon Quinton Fan Site!
Brandon Quinton Profile at SurvivorNews
Brandon Quinton Profile at SurvivorFever
Brandon Quinton Profile at Surviiivor
Brandon Quinton - Survivor III
Survivor Hunks - Brandon Quinton