Kriti Mehrotra
As a self-proclaimed geek with a goofy personality, Jawan Pitts joined the cast of CBS’ ‘Survivor’ season 49 in the hopes of making waves by coming across as everybody’s innocent little brother. His aim was simple: to be as authentic, loyal, and social as possible while also secretly playing a cunning, desirous, and strategic game to win the $1 million prize pot for his family. He essentially wanted his fellow competitors to take him for granted because of his candor regarding his background, faith, and loved ones, only to gradually catch them off guard over time.
Jawan Pitts Long Dreamed of Being on Survivor
It was reportedly back when Jawan Pitts was merely 10 or 11 years old, growing up in Salem, New Jersey, that he first fell in love with the CBS original production in a way he never expected. While he was admittedly raised in front of a screen owing to him hailing from a working single-parent household, it wasn’t until he was at a friend’s that this particular show became his dream. ‘Survivor’ season 17, better known as ‘Survivor: Gabon – Earth’s Last Eden,’ was his first proper introduction to the world of competitive reality television, and he was hooked almost immediately.
“What a wacky season,” Jawan candidly said in his exclusive interview with Parade. “I was at a friend’s house. We were eating tacos, and they threw it on. I’m like, ‘What the hell is this janky show? The cast is so crazy.’ And then I went back home, and I just couldn’t stop watching it.” However, it wasn’t until season 31 ‘Survivor: Cambodia – Second Chance’ in 2015 that he felt as if he could take part in the series too, taking inspiration from player Jeremy Collins owing to the way he fought to provide for his family.
Jawan has always dreamed of doing the same, so he applied for six consecutive years without a single callback until he decided to try one final time after seeing an open casting call on Reddit. This time, though, he leveraged his knowledge of all the confessionals, pre-interviews, and elimination statements he had seen over the years to craft a completely unfiltered application, which ultimately secured him a spot on the show. His thinking was, “This is my last chance, a little prayer, my little Shot in the Dark. I’m gonna go. I’m gonna be unfiltered. Nothing to worry about,” and it worked.
Jawan Pitts is Deeply Motivated By His Love For His Tight-Knit Family
Jawan was born on April 4, 1997, as the oldest of five children to a single mother in the small town of Salem, New Jersey. As a result, he grew up “trying to be a man” despite having no male role models. Since his mother was merely 16 when she had him, his grandmother stepped in to provide him with a stable foundation, while the teenager did her best to juggle different aspects of her young life. He thus learned through their care, kindness, love, and perseverance in the face of adversity that family is truly all that matters.
Therefore, Jawan never hesitated to babysit his siblings while he was in high school, whether they were relatively close to his age or much younger. After all, his brother Isaiah and sister Breah seem to be legal adults as of writing, but he also has two siblings who are still kids or early teenagers, as they were evidently born in the 2010s. Nevertheless, even though he felt a great deal of love, the family dynamic was challenging for him for a while, as he believed he needed to be the man of the house, being the oldest of the family.
Jawan ultimately realized he could be and live for himself. Yet, it ultimately motivated him to provide for his family, not out of a sense of responsibility, but because he genuinely wanted to. That’s why he works hard, takes risks, and chose to apply for ‘Survivor’ in the first place – he strives to accomplish all his dreams while also giving his family the opportunity to do the same. The fact that his grandmother sadly passed away sometime in 2024 has also somehow only added fuel to the ambitious fire burning inside him because he wants to make her proud.
Related
Jawan Pitts Has Been a Part of the Entertainment Industry Since 2020
In 2015, Jawan graduated from Salem High School and subsequently chose to attend the local Community College to earn an Associate’s degree in Liberal Arts & Sciences. However, he transferred to Rutgers University–Newark after just two years, where he pursued his long-held passion for video production through a Bachelor of Arts degree in Cinematography & Film. He graduated with flying colors in 2020, right around the time the world came to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving him with a choice to either return home or take a leap of faith with no stable ground to support him.
Jawan knew it was a risk, yet he bet on himself when he decided to relocate all the way to the West Coast – to Los Angeles, California – with nothing but $4,000 in his pocket and a dream. Thankfully, with his experience as a Video Production Intern at Cabiria Film from September to December 2019 and his work as a Content Producer at his university during his senior year, he was able to book a few gigs to make ends meet. He eventually landed the position of Junior Editor at Technicolor in November 2021, and subsequently climbed the ladder to be promoted to a full-time Video Editor in September 2022. He accomplished all this while serving part-time at Television City Studios from August to December 2022, before fully transitioning to join the renowned Allen Media Group full-time.
Jawan was first hired as a Production Assistant, only for his work to be so impressive that he was promoted to Junior Editor in December 2023 – a position he maintained until April 2024. Since then, the horror movie fanatic and outdoor enthusiast, in terms of swimming or running half-marathons, has been spreading his wings to leave his own mark in the entertainment industry. The 28-year-old has not only been serving as a Tech Operative professional at The Mill but is also a proud video producer, video editor, writer, and director. In fact, he was involved in Netflix’s ‘Back in Action,’ worked on ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,’ was the brains behind the 2024 mystery-drama ‘Open Up,’ and helmed the deeply poignant film about grief called ‘Before 4 pm.’
