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'Survivor' champ credits skills he learned in Mainepressherald.comGo to this story online to see a map of existing trails

DENNIS HOEY

— By

Staff Writer

PORTLAND — Robert Crowley said his passion for the outdoors and the skills he learned while growing up in Portland came in handy when he competed for $1 million on one of television's longest-running reality shows.

Crowley won CBS' ''Survivor: Gabon'' in December 2008, beating 17 other contestants, most of whom were much younger and more ''buff'' than he was.

The 58-year-old South Portland resident, who has retired from his job as a physics teacher at Gorham High School since winning the $1 million, was the guest speaker at Tuesday night's annual meeting of Portland Trails.

''I stopped watching 'Survivor' a few seasons ago because it seemed the worst of human nature triumphed,'' said Nan Cumming, executive director of Portland Trails. ''Bob Crowley has restored my faith in humanity.''

Crowley told the audience at the Space Gallery on Congress Street that he tried to remain true to his family values, which discouraged lying. On ''Survivor,'' contestants use deception to get ahead in the game.

Crowley said his father gave him useful advice before he left for the African nation: ''He said, 'Remember that bluffing in poker isn't lying. Play for all the marbles in the pot.'''

Crowley grew up behind Lincoln Middle School in Portland. As a child, he said, he developed an appreciation for the city's outdoor spaces. He spent a lot of time in Baxter Woods, Evergreen Cemetery and Baxter Pines, where he and his brother used to jump from tree to tree.

Crowley has been a lobsterman and an entomologist, and he built a cabin on an island in Casco Bay with recycled materials. A ''Survivor'' producer invited him to apply for the show after hearing about his cabin.

Crowley thought he had been rejected when he was sent back to Maine from his Hollywood audition, but two weeks before the show was to be filmed, CBS invited him back.

''I think they were missing a skinny, ugly old man,'' said Crowley. ''I had a good self-body image before I saw myself on (high-definition TV).''

When they arrived in Gabon, a zoologist briefed the contestants on the dangers posed by Gabon's wildlife. More humans are killed by hippopotamuses in Gabon than any other creature, the contestants were told. The animals mark their territory by spraying dung on trees.

''The zoologist told us that if we go into an area covered with dung, don't stay there,'' Crowley said.

He said he still stays in touch with his fellow ''survivors.'' He was invited to a party last week in Hollywood where more than 200 former contestants showed up. About 300 people have been on the show.

''Survivor'' host Jeff Probst called Crowley one of the show's most popular contestants ever.

Crowley has written a book, ''Making Waves,'' and now spends time raising money for the American Red Cross.

When asked Tuesday whether his ''Survivor'' experience had changed him, Crowley replied, ''I am pretty much the guy I was before.''

Staff Writer Dennis Hoey can be contacted at 791-6365 or at:

dhoey@pressherald.com