February 8, 2009: Karla Peterson of the
Union-Tribune profiles Sydney as part of an article on local
San Diego reality TV contestants. Relevant bits:
"'When we're doing last-minute casting, we're not going to
get on a plane. We need to make it a drive, and it's easy
to drive to San Diego,' [Lynne] Spillman said. 'For shows
like Survivor and Amazing Race, you want
people who are active and outdoorsy, and you have a very
active and outdoorsy lifestyle. But it's also a metropolitan
city, where people can be students and bankers and lawyers
and still have that kind of life.'
Like Klicka and Blackledge, Survivor
contestant Sydney Wheeler is a perfect advertisement for
living the beautiful San Diego life. Which is why casting
associate [Erika] Shay approached Wheeler when the part-time
model was hanging out at the trendy Bar West in Pacific Beach.
In
addition to having that sun-kissed look that looks so good
on TV, Wheeler, Klicka and Blackledge share a San Diego spirit
that casting directors love. It's a spirit that comes from
being from somewhere else." ...
"Survivor contestant Wheeler, 24, a native of
Raleigh, N.C., moved here five years ago to study interior
design at the Art Institute of California in Mission Valley.
In the process, she picked up a useful reality-TV education.
'In
my past five years in San Diego, most of the people I've
met are transplants, and I can see why these types of people
are being picked for reality shows. They are really interesting
people, and they really want to be doing something with
their lives,' said Wheeler, who lives in Cardiff. 'Reality shows are
hard to do. Your life is being thrown in front of the camera,
and it's all about taking that risk and going with the
flow and liking it.'"
January 23, 2009: Andy Dehnart of Reality
Blurred blogging fame posts a
late pre-game interview with Sydney.
Among the highlights:
"After meeting Sydney in a bar, casting producer Erica
'called … a
couple times' for previous seasons, Sydney said, and
'she finally called me again and I had nothing going on, done
with school, so yeah, I’m here.' Why do the show? 'With
school, I was done. Now I’m doing modeling full-time.
In a way, I want to be successful in modeling, and in a way,
this is putting my face out in public. In a way, for me, that’s
good, because hopefully something will come from it,' Sydney
told me."
January, 2009: CBS gets around to putting
up S18 content:
"Sydney Wheeler is the girl next door. Beautiful
and smart, Sydney learned early on to adapt to any situation
after spending her childhood being shuttled between
her conservative parents.
Growing up in Raleigh, North
Carolina, Sydney decided to move out to the west coast
to try her hand at modeling and interior design. She
plans to use the skills she's learned working with
different clients to help navigate the social game
of Survivor. She's also not afraid
to use her looks to further herself in the competition.
Forced
to mature at an early age, Sydney knows what it really
means to live life to its fullest. At age 19 she lost
her sister Laura in a tragic car accident, but throughout
it all has maintained a positive attitude. 'God put
us on Earth to do good things, big things and that's
what I'm trying to do and achieve in life.' Sydney knows she can use her winning
personality, along with her beauty, her body and her
brains, to charm people. Wheeler warns, 'people
stereotype me as just a pretty face. Don't misjudge
me, I'm going win.' Sydney is ready for the adventure Survivor will surely provide.
Sydney is in a relationship and
currently resides in San Diego, Calif. Her birth date
is May 11, 1984."
Sydney's CBS intro video (until it's removed, anyway):
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