Kriti Mehrotra
CBS’ ‘Survivor’ season 49 contestant Sage Ahrens-Nichols is best described as self-aware, considering the way she navigates every aspect of life. She admittedly never shies away from embracing all her emotions, leading with her heart, and showcasing her “goofy” as well as “wacky” side, even if it does weird some people out. That’s because she is determined to lead her life for herself, so as to keep growing, rather than being worried about conforming to societal norms or impressing others.
Sage Ahrens-Nichols Joined the Army Straight Out of High School
On December 4, 1994, Sage Ahrens-Nichols was born in the small town of Roxboro in Person County, North Carolina, alongside her twin brother. Her father hails from California, whereas her mother is a native of New Jersey; as a result, she never really felt at home anywhere growing up, which is what drove her to be her true, authentic self. She thus ended up developing thick skin, too, which means she doesn’t ever “get offended by superficial, surface-level stuff” as she is more concerned about her overall character. Sage’s early years shaped her observational skills, so she knew her parents couldn’t afford to send both her and her twin brother to college at the same time. The fact that they had divorced by the time the siblings had graduated high school didn’t help the situation either.
Therefore, Sage took matters into her own hands after noticing her brother’s ambition. Since he knew precisely what he wanted to study and had even been accepted into an out-of-state private university, she decided she would figure out her further education on her own. “Everyone said that the military paid for college,” Sage candidly told Parade. “I was like, ‘I guess I’ll just go do that,'” resulting in her enlisting straight out of high school. The entire process was a whirlwind because she ended up joining one of the only female combat troops at the time, meaning her training was tough and her deployment even more so. The then young adult’s first deployment was to Afghanistan, where she had some of the best and worst experiences of her life before she was able to return and finally study social work.
Sage Ahrens-Nichols Got the Idea of Joining Reality TV After Afghanistan
While Sage grew up watching ‘Survivor’ at her father’s place every Thursday night, she never really thought she should apply to be a castaway because she didn’t think she was “cool enough.” However, things changed while she was in Afghanistan, as they watched a lot of ‘Big Brother’ on cable, which eventually inspired her to give it a shot for the experience. She started applying in 2019, never receiving a reply, until she suddenly got a callback a few years later and made it all the way to the final cuts. However, she wasn’t selected.
Sage subsequently even advanced in the casting process for Netflix’s ‘The Mole’ season 2, but she was once again cut off as the final 12 players/contestants/cast members were selected. That’s when the main casting director of ‘Big Brother’ approached her to explain that they also handled the casting for ‘Survivor,’ if that was something she was interested in. “My first thought was, ‘I already did the military. I’m not doing the rough and toughing it,” she has since revealed. “And the second thought was like, ‘Damn it, now I have to do it.’ Because anytime I doubt myself, instantly, we’re doing the thing.” So, she ended up being an alternate on season 47, prior to finally getting her shot in season 49.
Sage Ahrens-Nichols Prefers to Lead a Private Life Today
Although Sage is a native of North Carolina, she had relocated to Olympia, Washington, alongside her partner in 2018, by which point she had reportedly resettled into civilian life. She has since been residing there and is currently employed as a Clinical Social Worker at a private therapy practice in Tacoma, just south of Seattle, on the banks of the Puget Sound. In other words, her core responsibility today is essentially that of a mental health counselor, as she meets with people one-on-one to discuss their issues and help them improve, which has been her dream job since childhood. Sage has wanted to do something in this field since she was in the fifth grade because “A lot of my loved ones, I saw them struggle with their mental health growing up,” she said.
Sage added, “I struggled with my own mental health. And so I always just had a fascination with not only the struggle, but human behavior in general. So I’ve just always been really drawn to it.” It thus comes as no surprise that she is utterly dedicated to her job, all the while also balancing her personal experiences, life, and relationships, which she prefers to keep quiet as of writing. All we know is that she has been in a happy, healthy romantic relationship for at least 8 years as of today. She has a private social media account as she wishes to keep her personal life under wraps. She has mentioned that she doesn’t have a particular hobby, but she always wants to try new things and be present. We believe she still has a tight-knit bond with her family, who support all her endeavors and quirks, even if they involve collecting blackheads in a jar.
Read More: Jawan Pitts: Where is the Survivor 49 Contestant Now?
