Pre-game interviews

• Rob Cesternino & Mike Bloom at RHAP (2/3/23): "Survivor 44 | Tika Tribe Castaway Preview"
• Mike Bloom at Parade.com (2/8/23): "NASA Engineering Student Carson Garrett Wants to Work Entirely Behind the Scenes"

Post-game interviews

• Dalton Ross at EW.com (5/25/23): "Carson Garrett admits he would not have helped Yam Yam at fire"
• Mike Bloom at Parade.com (5/25/23): "Carson Garrett on Why He Would Have Won in an All-Tika Final Three"
• Rob Cesternino at RHAP (5/25/23): "Survivor 44 | Final 5 Exit Interviews"

Official CBS Survivor 44 bio excerpts (January 31, 2023), via Mike Bloom at Parade.com:

"3 Words to Describe You: Multi-faceted, exuberant, innovative

Why do you want to be part of SURVIVOR? I want to be part of SURVIVOR to win the game I know and love and prove that age does not define success. As someone who has obsessively studied the evolution of game theory within SURVIVOR, I cannot wait to test myself and see how my unique thought process and strategic background fare on a game built upon the idea of adaptability. While I believe that winning SURVIVOR requires some luck, I think that my intuition and discernment will lead me down a path to victory.

What’s one life experience you feel has prepared you for the game? Over the last year, I have completed two semesters’ worth of workforce development training at NASA. My first semester specialized in proposal writing, and my second dealt with mission concept design. I was the project manager of a team of 10 students. Working with a variety of people from all over the country to develop a formal engineering report was a challenge.

Which previous player do you identify with the most? Who do you think you will play most like? I identify most with Christian Hubicki. Christian embraced his quirks and nerdiness to disarm his opponents into wanting to work with him. He used his charm and intelligence as a weapon, and despite being labeled as the “weakest” male on the David tribe initially, he became one of the biggest threats after the merge. I intend to model my game after him but focus more on diminishing my threat level until the endgame. Unlike Christian, I do not plan to reveal my engineering background (especially given the perceptions attached to rocket science). I want people to solely view me in a “Mr. Nice Guy” light and I plan to ensure no one will detect my deeply strategic underside.

Favorite Hobbies: 3D printing, Settlers of Catan, photography, Minecraft, strategic board games, space/engineering YouTube videos, Civilization V

Pet Peeves: Mosquitoes, delayed texters, people who text me essays, people who play on their phone during a movie, smacking gum in a silent room, people who radiate negative vibes, people who think the moon landing is fake.

What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? I am most proud of being the recipient of the National Student Volunteer Award for 2022 in Consult Your Community, a nonprofit consulting organization that spans 26 college chapters. After working my way up to being president of the Georgia Tech chapter, I was beyond honored to find out about how many of my peers nominated me for the award.

What is something we would never know from looking at you? Most people would never know that I 3D print and design SURVIVOR puzzles for fun. Part of my preparation for SURVIVOR has been practicing the 3D puzzles I’ve made.

Who in your life is your biggest inspiration and why? My great-grandfather is my biggest inspiration in my life. Growing up in poverty and working his way up to being a chief engineer at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, my great-grandfather was able to help shape NASA projects such as Skylab and Saturn V during the peak of the space exploration era.

Why will you be the Sole Survivor? I will be the Sole Survivor because of my natural ability to push myself to succeed. No matter what challenge I am presented with, I never give up and always prepare to the best of my ability. I plan to use my emotional intelligence, logical mind and kindness to bring home the million-dollar check and become the youngest SURVIVOR winner in the process."

Meet Carson, a NASA engineering student who hopes to stay under the radar early on to not be perceived as a threat!🚀 #Survivor pic.twitter.com/Q7KtIsVuUZ

— SURVIVOR (@survivorcbs) February 15, 2023