New Adventure Brings 'Survivor' Winner To PBS

The adventures of Cook Island may be over for "Survivor" winner Yul Kwon, but you can soon catch him on his next endeavor. The technology expert and communications attorney is hosting the PBS show "America Revealed," which premieres on KPBS Television April 11 at 10 p.m.

Kwon told "Evening Edition" he has always had a passion for PBS because, as a child of immigrants, shows like "Sesame Street" and "3-2-1 Contact" helped educate him.

"My parents emigrated to this country, they were dirt poor, didn’t really speak English, didn’t have resources," he said. "They couldn’t afford to put my brother and me into preschool or daycare. So the way we learned English, learned how to count, was by watching PBS."

Kwon said after "Survivor," he was not interested in returning to television, but decided to host the PBS show as a way of giving back.

"PBS really provided that first rung of opportunities so that we could live the American dream, could work hard, study, go to good schools and make a life for ourselves," he said. "Ultimately I wanted to give back to PBS by helping out with the show."

In "America Revealed," Kwon hopes to help viewers discover what makes America work and the people who keep it going. He will explore things like how food is made, how people travel, how we generate energy and power and how we manufacture things.

Some of this exploration comes through an aerial perspective, so we can "see things occur before our eyes," Kwon said.

That perspective required Kwon to skydive and rappel down a wind turbine, among other adventures. Unfortunately, he said, he is afraid of heights.

"When I'm screaming on TV, I'm not faking," he said.

Kwon was in San Diego to host the Local Heroes Awards as KPBS and Union Bank celebrate those making a difference in our community.