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Blake Towsley
24, Dallas, TX
Model
BlakeTowsley.com
Survivor: Guatemala contestants - click below for additional information
Brandon Bellinger Danni Boatwright Margaret Bobonich Brian Corridan
Cindy Hall Gary Hogeboom Rafe Judkins Jim Lynch
Morgan McDevitt Lydia Morales Jamie Newton Amy O'Hara
Judd Sergeant Brooke Struck Blake Towsley Brianna Varela
Bobby Jon Drinkard Stephenie LaGrossa
See also:
Survivor Guatemala:
Survivometer 11
S11 calendar
S11 spoilers
Other seasons:
Survivor Index
Blake's Phoenix
Photo gallery
See also: Official CBS S11 site | SNN | Phoenix RC | Survivor Fever | Sucks EZ | Blows | Survivor Thoughts | Survivor Shrine

Contestant-related press and rumors
Date Story Source
September 15, 2005 - "Next stop: TV stardom
11:02 AM CDT on Thursday, September 15, 2005

Model Search 2003 finalist Blake Towsley (below, modeling at last week's Crystal Charity Luncheon) makes the leap to small-screen stardom tonight as one of the contestants on Survivor: Guatemala (7 p.m. on Channel 11). Towsley, a 24-year-old SMU graduate, is a real estate broker, a Kim Dawson model, and a junk food junkie. His CBS biography lists Cheetos, Fritos and Miller Lite as his favorite foods. "		 - QuickDFW.com

Photo credit: QuickDFW.com
August 18, 2005 - "New Survivor cast member has Azle ties
    Blake Towsley, 24, one of 16 cast members on the eleventh version of the CBS series Survivor, has strong ties to the Azle community. His grandparents, Mel and Darlene Towsley, moved to Azle in 1956, where, according to longtime Azle resident Audrey Trammell, the couple was 'involved in everything that went on.'
   Among their community services, the Towsleys were instrumental in bringing a hospital to Azle. Mel was an original board member for what is now Harris Methodist Northwest, and Darlene was a charter member of the Auxiliary. While in Azle they raised two children. Their son, Kent, is Blake’s father. He graduated from Azle High School in 1970 and is now a surgeon in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
   In 1984, the Towsleys built a home in Timberlake Estates and moved from their farm south of town. They lived there until Mel died in 1993. Darlene stayed until 2002 when she moved to Tulsa to be near her son and his wife, Denise. CBS bills Blake as a Tulsan, but according to his grandmother, Blake considers himself a Texan who came home as soon as he could.
   He graduated from Southern Methodist University in December of 2004 with a degree in political science. When not working as a commercial real estate broker at Henry S. Miller Commercial Real Estate in Dallas, he is a model – appearing in brochures, newspapers and magazine ads for Dillards, Neiman Marcus and other stores.
   According to Azle resident Sylvia Granado, who still corresponds with her former 'traveling companion,' Darlene Towsley, Blake didn’t go looking for the Survivor role. 'They came looking for him.'
   And he’s been found just in time to be marooned with 16 other hopefuls in Survivor: Guatemala, The Mayan Empire. Beginning Thursday, Sept. 15 on CBS Channel 11, Blake Towsley will try to survive 39 days in a South American rain forest and win a million dollars.
   Read more about the upcoming Survivor series and Blake Towsley on CBS.com."
- Jeri Field , for the Azle (TX) News Online (as pointed out in Reality TV Magazine)
August 12, 2005 - "Parents Cheer On Tulsa Survivor Contestant
    The 11th season of America's favorite reality show is ready to premiere. The list of castaways has been revealed and one has Tulsa ties.
   24-year-old Blake Towsley graduated in Tulsa. He will compete against 15 others in the rainforests of Guatemala for a million dollars in prize money.
   Meanwhile, his parents - Dr. Kent & Denise Towsley - will cheer him on in Tulsa. The [sic.] expect Blake to make them proud and represent Tulsa and Oklahoma well. Although, Denise Towsley admits 'it's all in the editing.'
   Towsley is now working as a commercial real estate broker in Dallas. He says he's a fan of Survivor and all the Dallas sports teams.
   He's an outdoors lover who enjoys skydiving, camping and hunting.
   Survivor: Guatemala premieres September 15th on The News on 6. Check out cbs.com to learn more about Blake Towsley and his competition."		 - Tulsa, OK's local CBS station, KOTV, a.k.a. "The News on 6"

Photo credit: KOTV
August 11, 2005 - Pre-game interview transcript, incorrectly attributed to a "Blake Morris," taken from the CBS News site video, entitled: "Midwest Boy Ready To Play."

Blake: - "I spent 40 days in the mountains in Wyoming, and uh, with that, I think that I've got some of that outdoor experience that, you know, the girl getting off the plane with the Gucci bag and the uh, and the Tiffany's necklace doesn't have. And I think that that will give me a slight advantage in that sense, so...."
- "I think my biggest worry in this game is myself. I think I tend to... stress and feel anxiety about things that I might not have control over, and a lot of aspects of this game you don't."
- "I don't want to take on what I usually try to take on, which is try to do the leadership role. Uh, I think that, you've got the chief and Indians game going on, and, and there's times to be a chief and time to be an Indian. I think right off the bat, I just want to kind of fall into the fold. Be the provider, you know. I think things like, uh, starting initial fires is, is a task that I want to be nowhere a part of. Um, fetching water, and bringing, and finding firewood is something that can easily be done and impressed upon. And you know, an argument's not gonna be made about it."
- "Texas is definitely my home and, you know, doing modeling and stuff, I've traveled to New York and L.A. And you know, I can't see myself really, living in either city. I, I'm a midwest boy, I like to skydive and go hunting and, and play. Um, you know, I like having trees, and uh, being able to drive my own car, and Texas offers all those advantages."
- "I can't see myself establishing a relationship on Survivor, but I mean it's, it's... it's a facet that I will definitely exploit to the best of my abilities in order to win."
- "You know, the only pressure I'm putting on myself is just to uh, be a stand-up guy, and be a real man. And you know, I mean, like I said, getting off the plane, and some of the girls had their Louis Vuitton, and their uh, Tiffany's, and Juicy Couture suits, and I was like, you know, 'Strap some boots on, sweetheart, we're in Guatemala.'"		 - CBSNews.com video archive
August 11, 2005 - Officially revealed as a Survivor: Guatemala contestant on the Early Show. - CBS Early Show site
August 2, 2005 - The Tulsa World (subscription only) prints a lengthy article about Blake, from which we've copied over excerpts (click here to view Survivor Phoenix's full-length reprint):

"Tulsa native may be next Survivor
    A 24-year-old Tulsa native will be introduced to the international television audience next month when he competes for $1 million on Survivor: Guatemala, The Mayan Empire, insiders say.
...
   Neither Towsley nor his parents could be reached to confirm his participation on "Survivor." A spokesman for Kim Dawson Talent Agency, which represents Towsley in his modeling career, said "we aren't even supposed to know where he is."
   And co-workers at Henry S. Miller Commercial real estate in Dallas, where Towsley is a broker, said they knew Towsley was taking a leave of absence from his job, but assumed the leave was so he could do a modeling job.
...
   Now living in Dallas, Towsley augments his job as a broker with a second, highly successful career as a model. He was discovered in the Fashion!Dallas fresh face talent search conducted by the Kim Dawson Agency. As one of the agency's models, he has appeared in numerous ads for Dillards and other national and local accounts.
   He's listed as single, 6-foot-1 with brown hair and brown eyes and wears a 'Live Strong' Lance Armstrong bracelet.
   Towsley's skydiving instructor at Skydive Dallas says he is the kind of guy who could have a shot at winning the show's $1 million prize.
   'He's very down to earth and just a nice easygoing guy,' said David Catteeuw, a United States Parachute Association-certified instructor who gave Towsley his initial training as well as his advanced training instruction.
    'I think he's got the go and he's one of those kind of guys everyone likes. I think he'd have a pretty good shot at it,' said Catteeuw. 'He has the smarts to do it and definitely deserves to (win).'
   Catteeuw said Towsley was an easy student who probably has 80 to 100 jumps to his credit and is licensed as a sky diver.
   'He's one of those fun-loving guys,' Catteeuw said in a phone interview. 'He's also pretty, but he's not fluffy -- not the kind of guy who is always checking his hair. Once he gets into it, he just goes and has fun.'
   Towsley also received praise from his co-workers at the Dallas real estate company.
   'He worked in our land division where he started out as an intern and became a broker,' said co-worker Cathy Powell in a recent phone interview. 'He's a wonderful, wonderful young man. He's just a sweetheart. We love him and we miss him.'
   Vickie Wiltcher, who also works for the commercial realty company, was equally supportive.
   'He has a great personality, great moral character and he's a real sweetheart,' said Wiltcher in a phone interview. 'Yes, he has what it takes to win'...."
- Rita Sherrow, Tulsa World (subscription required)
July 29, 2005 - SurvivorPhoenix reveals Blake's name, bio, and a lengthy selection of his modeling photos. - SurvivorPhoenix
July 15, 2005 - Corvis posts a picture of Blake at his SurvivorThoughts blog:

"Here's a picture of the Lance Armstrong bracelet guy. Look familiar to anyone? I don't have a name to go with the face.
"		 - SurvivorThoughts
June 27, 2005 - Mentioned by name in a Dallas Morning News article about a paper-sponsored model search, co-sponsored by the Kim Dawson Agency:

" Not every search finds a supermodel, of course. But dozens of young women and men -- Mimi Roche, Sasha Cwalino, Rhadames Villafana, Bekka Zuefeldt, Brooke Tobolka, Chad Rohde, Blake Towsley, Chris Marple -- are now working models as a result of the annual F!D/KD Search."		 - Dallas Morning News
February 10, 2005 - Appears to plug the gaps between modeling gigs as a realtor dealing in lucrative commercial properties, with Henry S. Miller Commercial in Dallas. - Henry S. Miller Commercial
2004 - Modeling assignment for the Aigle outdoor clothing's Fall 2004 collection, with John Ater photography. - John Ater Photography
2004 - Does some modeling for the Kim Dawson modeling agency in Dallas. (i.e. lots and lots of pictures if you follow the link at right).
 - Kim Dawson Agency
October 22, 2003

- Blake participates in a charity boxing event, the Sigma Chi fraternity's "16th annual Fight Night philanthropy event":

"Political science senior Blake Towsley, a Pi Kappa Alpha member from Southern Methodist University, will participate. He said he has prepared for the event by doing cardiovascular activity and lifting weights for the past month and a half.
“I just hope to get out of the ring with pride and dignity — without getting laid out,” he said. “But it’s for charity, so it’s worth it.”"

- Christian Ragunton, writing for the University of Texas Shorthorn
2003 - Apparently the frat boy's frat boy, Blake serves as SMU's Interfraternity Council (IFC) president, in which, he gets to make exciting statements to the campus paper, such as:

"IFC felt that Mark would give great insight into the problems of drinking and driving that plagues virtually every college campus."		 - SMU Daily Campus; another story here.
1996-2000 - Attended Cascia Hall High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He played tennis there, apparently. - Various online sources

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