Joseph Del Campo (far right) poses with the rest of the Survivor crew. SOURCE: MONTY BRINTON / CBS ENTERTAINMENT
A Northeast native will be competing on Survivor: Kaoh Rong, which debuts on CBS 3 on Wednesday at 8 p.m.
Joseph Del Campo, 72, attended Resurrection of Our Lord Grammar School for seven years before transferring to Our Lady of Ransom when it opened in 1956.
Del Campo is a 1961 graduate of Father Judge High School, then graduated from La Salle College.
Professionally, he spent 25 years as an FBI agent and was also a member of the U.S. Naval Reserve.
Today, he lives in Vero Beach, Florida, and is president of the Excalibur Group, a private investigation firm.
Del Campo will be one of 18 contestants — nine men and nine women — in a Brains vs. Brawn vs. Beauty setup, first used in 2014.
Del Campo will be a member of the Brains tribe. The show will include a former NBA player, Scot Pollard.
Filming took place last year in Cambodia. The winner, who’ll be revealed on a live show in May, will receive $1 million.
On the CBS website, he lists his hobbies as classic car restoration, hiking, backpacking in the mountains and writing articles about military veterans for a monthly magazine in Vero Beach. His inspiration in life is the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis.
Asked why he’ll do well, he said, “I have the ability to build an ‘A’ frame or a similar shelter with an elevated sleeping platform. I can start a fire with bamboo friction or eyeglass lenses, and prepare meals for fellow tribe mates.”
Asked which former contestant he is most like, he said Tom Westman, the former New York fireman who won Season 10 in 2004 and returned five years later for a Heroes vs. Villains theme.
Del Campo is active on Twitter, where he lists himself as a fitness devotee and a volunteer for Florida Yorkie Rescue.
In an Entertainment Weekly story, host Jeff Probst said, “We also have Joe, a 72-year-old former FBI agent/hostage negotiator. He’s an easy target because of his age and there isn’t anything he can do about it. But whether he lasts one day or all 39 — he’s an inspiring guy and he is in great shape for someone in their eighth decade of living.”
Former Navy SEAL Rudy Boesch was 72 when he was on Survivor’s first season in the summer of 2005. He returned three years later for an all-stars format. Today, Rudy is 88, and is friends with Del Campo. ••
He’s a survivor: Joseph Del Campo, a Father Judge High School graduate, will compete on Survivor, which debuts Wednesday on CBS 3 at 8 p.m. SOURCE: MONTY BRINTON / CBS ENTERTAINMENT
