'Survivor': Surviving the audition

ST. PETERSBURG -- Survival of the fittest is an enduring theory that many believe has carried man and beast from one generation to the next.

What about surviving a two-minute audition for Survivor?

"They don't tell you anything, just 'Talk for two minutes,' " said Raechele Wemken, 29, of Seminole, shown on right sitting on the steps of the Venue early today after mugging for a camera crew during her audition. "It went okay. I was talking a little fast."

Nerves?

"Yeah. That light is really bright."

Wemken, 29, was just one of about 150 hopefuls who arrived at the new Ulmerton Road hot spot this morning looking to land a spot on an upcoming season of the adventure-reality series.

Among them: a former professional ostrich rider, a future priest and a retiree who canceled a mammogram.

"I want to prove that when you're 65, age is just a number," said Nadine Brockway, a 65-year-old mother of three. "I want to prove to the world at 65 your life is not over."

Brockway brought a prepared poem to read for her two-minute audition. Others winged it.

"I'm going to have a couple more of these Sex on the Beaches and go in there with a big chip on my shoulder and tell them exactly why I can do it," said Hope Newman, 37, holding court at the corner of the Venue's outdoor patio bar. "I'm arrogant, I'm a job foreman. My friends would refer to me as bossy, loud and a lot of fun."

Like Newman, many said they will rely on moxie, attitude and a few drinks to get them through the audition. But Neil Ferrigno thinks he's got an advantage: a shark in the Atlantic chewed a large hole on the back of his leg a few years back.

He figures that's worth a few points with the producers.

"This is a game of survival, so we brought that to their attention," said Ferrigno, 46, of South Tampa. "Hopefully they'll just get to stop for a second and say hey, let's take another look at this."

Casey Cora, Times staff writer

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