Dean Kowalski, 28, was targeted early on on Survivor: Island of the Idols, but he managed to skirt by a few tough votes, and has now found himself in the top five. After seemingly flying under the radar as other players made bold moves for a few weeks, Dean proved that he’s definitely earned his place in the game during the Dec. 4 episode. At that tribal council, Dean exposed a plan to vote Tommy Sheehan out, thus earning Tommy’s trust and respect. He the took a big risk while at the Island of the Idols, and wound up winning an idol nullifier, followed by a victory at the next immunity challenge. Everything seems to be falling in place for Dean as the season winds down. As we wait and see if he wins the whole thing, here’s more to know:
1. He works for YouTube and previously worked at Google. Dean lives in New York City and currently works as a Strategy and Operations Lead for FameBit at YouTube. Before that, he spent three years working in tech sales at Google — first, as a New Business Account Executive in 2017, and then as a New Business Accelerator, beginning in January 2018. Before that, he was an algebra teacher for Teach for America for two years in Miami, far away from his home in the NYC area. However, two years spent away from his then-girlfriend and family brought Dean back to NYC, where he decided to get a “real” job. His first sales job was at Grovo, and eventually, Google recruited him.
2. He was a college basketball player. Dean played basketball at Columbia University in New York City, although he was admittedly warming the bench for the most part. However, he was still named co-captain during his senior year. He also coached basketball at a Miami high school during his years in Teach For America.
3. He’s passionate about astronomy. Dean is a self-proclaimed astronomy lover. “I feel like we should all be thinking about this cloud of dust and rock that we’re siting on right now that’s simply floating through space,” he previously told Parade.
4. He has his Master’s in Education. In 2013, Dean started taking classes at John Hopkins University School of Education, and he earned his Master of Science in Education, Secondary Mathematics, in 2015.
5. He has an ice cream truck. Dean owns a Mister Softee ice cream truck, according to his LinkedIn page. He started the business in May 2019.