by Gina Scarpa

 

This week, Survivor's Parvati Shallow will embark on what may be her biggest adventure yet. CBS is sending her Around The World For Free for their third season and she'll need the help of viewers and fans to make it through her 100 day journey. Today, we talked to Paravti in an exclusive interview about how she prepared for her trip, where she's hoping to go, and how people can get involved.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Obviously, you're the adventurous type so you must've been excited when you got the call from CBS to do Around The World For Free.
A. Parvati: Oh my gosh, I was thrilled. I was beyond right on board with it. It's something I've been watching since season 1. I've been following the hosts and watching their journeys and lives since they got back. If I had to put together a show for myself, it's something I would love to do.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Did you watch any previous seasons of the show to get an idea of what you were getting yourself into?
A. Parvati: Oh, I'm completely unprepepared. I have no idea what's in store for me. It's up to the viewers and the audience. The coolest part is that the viewers are guiding me. It shrinks the world. It kind of shows that the world is smaller and you're much more connected than you think . I think we get really isolated. It'll be cool to watch everyone reach out and lend a hand.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Tell us about the interactive part of this trip and how fans can become involved.
A. Parvati: You can go to cbs.com/world. You sign up and there's an interactive map. I'll write in and say where I'm trying to get to and they find me someone to pick me up. I think the coolest part... the locals are going to know more than I could ever know. I'll be living with the locals. The more research I do, the more questions I have.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: There's a lot of unknowns going into this adventure. Does that scare you at all or just excite you?
A. Parvati: I am excited. I am very excited. Fear and excitement can be pretty paralell. I feel exhilarated. This is a dream come true.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Is there a country in particular that you're hoping to get to visit?
A. Parvati: Yeah, I definitely want to go through South America and through Brazil. I've never been there. I wanna get deep in the jungle. I wanna get to Africa and be in the core of the world, where life all began.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: How did doing Survivor prepare you for this?
A. Parvati: Survivor prepared me in a way because I was stripped from every comfort that I'd had before. I realized my own internal strength. I can be uncomfortable, I can sleep in the dark, I can not have food and I'm okay. I'm not gonna die. I'm okay. I can deal with my surroundings and adapt to that I was able to conquer that show. Having that experience prepares me more than anything.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What was the reaction of your fans when you were announced as the host?
A. Parvati: My Twitter fans and followers are going crazy. They're so excited. I have a lot of fans in Brazil. They're like, "I'll show you around, I'll take you out." I'd love to run into my fans while I'm traveling.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: When do you leave and when will you be back?
A. Parvati: I leave July 8th and I'm coming back 100 days later... mid-October.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: It must be hard to be away from your family and friends.
A. Parvati: It's definitely going to be hard to be away from everyone. In the beginning, I'll be caught up but later on, I'll start missing people. I'll miss my best friend. I'll miss my clients at ESP. I'm going to be checking in with my business partner and my clients to see how things are progressing. That'll give me a little taste of home.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Being the first female host of Around The World For Free, do you think it'll make the show different?
A. Parvati: It's gonna be a completely different show, simply because I am female. The way that life has gone for me is that being a girl can open a lot of doors. I'm counting on that. I'm really excited to experience and learn about women around the world - what women around the world think about beauty and fashion and how that comes into play, how women are treated, and what their lives are like. It's going to be a completely different experience.

 

 

Follow all of the action from Around The World For Free on cbs.com/world.

 

(Image courtesy of CBS)

 

 

Follow Parvati @parvatishallow.  Follow Gina @ginascarpa and "Like" her on Facebook!