From consultant to castaway: Nicole Mazullo (BSBA ’21) joins Survivor 49

Nicole Mazullo spends her days as a financial crimes consultant assessing risk and identifying fraud — skills that also come in handy when you’re competing for your survival on an island in Fiji.

That’s where the Fisher alum found herself when she joined the cast of Survivor 49.

Mazullo (BSBA ’21) was one of 18 contestants vying for the $1 million prize when the new season of the popular reality show premiered September 24 on CBS. She took a leave from her job with Crowe LLP in Philadelphia to join the cast that also includes a rocket scientist, political communications director, MBA career coach and a correctional officer.

“I can’t say a person’s job necessarily influences the way they play the game, but someone’s job tells you a lot about them — their value system, their general interests and who they spend time talking to,” said Mazullo, who is home from filming and looking forward to watching the show with family and friends. 

She kept her true profession a secret, leaving the other castaways to believe she was a finance compliance associate. Otherwise, they might have thought someone who investigates fraud could easily detect dishonesty and manipulation.

Those familiar with the show that debuted 25 years ago — when Mazullo was just a year old — know that negotiation and persuasion are central to gameplay. Contestants use both to build alliances, compete in mental challenges and decide who they will vote off the island during the often-dramatic Tribal Councils.

Mazullo, a member of this season’s Kele Tribe, said she also tapped into her networking skills to play the game. Unfortunately, she was the first contestant voted off the island.

“I’ve always approached networking as a relationship-building exercise, and that’s what I wanted to translate into the game,” she said.

There’s little doubt that her current job and past experiences as a finance major and a member of Fisher’s Honors Cohort helped to inform her strategy.

“What I do predominantly all day, every day is try to convince my clients that what I’m saying is 100 percent accurate, and that they should 100 percent follow my recommendations,” she said. “The ability to communicate professionally and through negotiation tactics and persuasion are valuable skills that I learned with my business degree.”

Mazullo recalls participating with her cohort classmates in Socratic-style discussions on a wide variety of topics in weekly seminars.

“You’re duking it out with people, and you have to have the mental grit and determination to win that argument or persuade that person. That experience was very fruitful for me,” she said. 

She continues to sit on the cohort’s Alumni Advisory Board, helping to drive strategic initiatives and financially supporting student travel to company site visits in Chicago, San Francisco and Brazil. 

“She gives back to the program in a lot of ways,” said Ty Shepfer, director of the Honors Cohort and academic director of the Office of Experiential Learning at Fisher.

“When she told me she was going to be on Survivor, I almost fell out of my chair,” he said. “Of course, Nicole would be on Survivor!”

Shepfer taught Mazullo in class twice a week during her last four semesters at Fisher. He describes her as funny, extremely competitive and “wicked smart.”

“She is the whole package,” said Shepfer. “Her personality is really big, and you don’t always associate that with someone who crunches numbers.”

Mazullo, who was born on Long Island and moved to Richfield, Ohio, before high school, hopes her big personality and quick wit will keep her in the game until the end.

She has watched Survivor since she was in high school. At first it was a family affair. After moving to Columbus, New York City and now Philadelphia, she continued to watch with friends and her girlfriend, who ultimately encouraged her to apply.

“I’ve done all these random fun things — music lessons, American Sign Language classes, pottery classes and a cornhole league. I was thinking, what is something I can really lean into for a few weeks?” she said.

Mazullo has been with Crowe since graduation. She landed the job after winning a case competition during her final year on campus. She filled in for a classmate who couldn’t make the Saturday competition, which combined elements of finance, operations and marketing.

“It’s another instance where if you say yes to something, another door opens,” she said. “It was a mad dash to the finish line, but it was so much fun. We won a little money, and I got a job!”

She wants to be clear that she didn’t apply to Survivor to escape work or leave her family. She loves both.

“I just felt like there was something fun out there for me to do,” she said. “As students, we’re able to exercise so much of ourselves through different avenues like clubs and social events. When you become an adult, and do your normal nine-to-five, you get to exercise one muscle — a lot, all the time. I felt like there were other muscles I wanted to tap into.” 

So, she sent in her Survivor application and video and soon got the call to pack her bags.

“Some people have applied more than once; some have applied since they were 15,” she said. “It’s really, do you have that little thing they are looking for? I don’t know what it was, but I had it in that moment.

Photo credit: Robert Voets/CBS