Mitch Guerra is making history on Survivor season 48 as the first contestant with a speech impediment to ever play the game. From completing an Ironman competition to binging old seasons, he prepared himself for the competition and fans are curious about one of the Survivor’s latest castaways.

Who Is ‘Survivor’ Season 48 Contestant Mitch Guerra?

Mitch is a 34-year-old elementary school P.E. coach from Waco, Texas.

Mitch Guerra Reveals Hardships Due to Speech Impediment and How It Made Him Resilient

The Survivor newbie explained that his speech impediment taught him to be “really resilient” at a young age as he often got “picked on a lot” because he “didn’t speak like everyone else.”

“I would get sick to my stomach most days, just because I was anxious. The idea of just walking down the school halls and someone asking me, ‘Hey, how are you today? What time is it?’ Simple, everyday things would make me anxious. So, it taught me so much about just kind of hanging in there,” he explained in a January 2025 interview with Parade. “And it also taught me to be super empathetic to other people. So definitely had some hard moments. But also really taught me so many other things as well.”

He said his biggest superpower was that he was a “big people person,” adding, “I do good at building relationships with anyone and everyone. So, I think, for me, that’s the biggest thing I’m hoping to use here. But on the other side of that, I just don’t want to be too trusting.”

Mitch Guerra Has a Connection to Season 36 Star Libby Vincek

While getting into the best shape of his life for Survivor, Mitch was able to turn to the sister of a friend — season 36 star Libby Vincek Petrucci — for advice on his upcoming Survivor appearance.

“So, over the last three or four years, we’ve become super good family friends with all of them. So, over the year, so I’ve just had a lot of hypothetical questions with her of like, ‘Hey, whatever experience you want to give to me in case I wind up playing,’” he told the outlet. “So, I got a lot of really good conversations with her in the previous couple of years. I stopped drinking caffeine for about a couple of months now. And I’ve been drinking a lot of coconut water. Anything I could do to help.”

Mitch Guerra Has a Controversial Take About ‘Survivor’ Fan-Favorite Boston Rob

Mitch raised eyebrows from fans when he gave his hottest Survivor take and revealed he thought fan-favorite Survivor star Rob “Boston Rob” Mariano was “overrated.”

“He played four times with a bunch of scrubs. Of course, he was gonna win! It’s like, ‘Listen, Jeff. We know that he’s a great storyteller.’” he told Parade. “But whenever you put them head to head with Russell Hantz, who everyone hated already, it just made him look that much better. And, yes, he did an awesome job out there. I don’t know how he was able to stay that long in the game, and nobody even tried to make a move. But I don’t think he’s one of the best to ever play, because he’s been given so many opportunities.”