Who is Matt Williams from Survivor 49? Details explored

Matt Williams is the oldest player in the cast of Season 49 of the reality show Survivor. He made an unusual choice, leaving a white-collar job in finance to become a ramp agent at the airport. 

A resident of St. George, Utah, William was challenged by his friends to try applying instead of criticizing players from “the comfort of his couch.”

He is the oldest person to participate in Survivor 49 at the age of 52. In his introduction video shared on the show's Instagram account, Williams said he was an “odd little kid” who wanted to become a stockbroker.

He displayed a calculated game and was known for his measured moves in Survivor 49. 

Survivor 49: Matt Williams' early life and journey to the show

Matt Williams said in an interview with Parade magazine in August that he had an epiphany ten years back that he no longer wanted to work in finance. He admitted that it was not where he wanted to be when he retired.

His love for travelling brought him to his current job at the airport as a ramp agent. He recalled how his friend shared that working at an airport can get him free airfare, which motivated him to take the job.

Williams is a long-time fan of the show Survivor, introduced to it by his wife 12 years ago. However, after his wife’s friend urged him to participate in the show, he recorded a video and sent it across.

He calls himself a ‘Trojan Horse’ and believes that his appearance as an old, fat man would help him move stealthily in Survivor 49. He said (via Parade):

“A big part of my-I don’t know if it’s my strategy-but my approach is going to be my look. I’m kind of a Trojan horse. I’m going to be so stealth out there.”

He believes that his superpower in the show is his inner strength, and his weakness is his loyalty. William also shared his thoughts about being the oldest player in Survivor 49:

“I kind of thought I would be the oldest guy out here. But when i first saw the rest of the castaways. I looked around and I think the average age is about 27 years. They look at me, and they probably all think I’m 97.” 

He also believed that his experiences during his childhood prepared him for the game. He loved the outdoors, camping, fishing, and hunting, which could prove quite useful during the show and help him become a tribe provider.

Matt William’s exit from Survivor 49

In episode 4 of the reality show Survivor 49, Matt William finally bid adieu to the show. After the Tribe Swap, the original Hina members, Jason Treul and Matt, were in the bottom. This happened after Sophi joined four Uli members. With the move and numbers on their side, tribe members Nate Moore, Rizo Velovic, Savannah Louie and Jawan Pitts had to vote against Matt or Jason. 

The group went on to oust Matt with Jason, Jawan, Nate and Rizo voting against him. 

In his exit interview, William said: 

"It's a tough, tough game. Hate to see it cut short like this, but kind of looking forward to 15 beers and a cheeseburger or maybe 15 cheeseburgers and a beer."

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