Hai Giang

Hai Giang is a contestant from Survivor 42.

Originally on the bottom at Vati, an unusual Tribal Council led him and his closest ally Lydia Meredith to form a majority alliance with Mike Turner. At the merge, Hai began pulling the strings in the background, which did not go unnoticed as Omar Zaheer devised a plan to turn the tribe against him by framing him as a "puppet master." Ultimately, Omar got his way and Hai was blindsided on Day 19.

Profile[]

Retrieved from CBS.com

Age: 29
Hometown: Atlanta, GA / Gia Rai, Bac Lieu, Vietnam
Current Residence: New Orleans, LA
Occupation: Data Scientist
Favorite Hobbies: Traveling to new cities and using their public transit system to explore, bringing my dogs to dog parks, recreating all my favorite dishes from scratch using recipes I find online.
3 Words to Describe You: Aggressive, astute, and audacious
Pet Peeves: I hate judgmental people. Looking down on someone for their lifestyle or choices because they're not the same choices you make is so stupid. I hate patronizing people who talk down to others. Oh, and I hate when people wear shoes in my house.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? I'm the first person from my family to go to college and graduate. I bought my first home at 24. I paid off all my student loans ($40k) by age 26. I am the youngest associate director of analytics at my company, by age 27. Most importantly, I'm mentoring my younger brother to ensure he surpasses me in all aspects. Watching him make strides in school and in his personal life is my greatest accomplishment.
What is something we would never know from looking at you? People would never guess that I grew up in extreme poverty by looking at me now. My family and I have very comfortable lives today, but we've had to hustle and fight for the past two decades to improve our socio-economic class. We started in a one-bedroom apartment, shared with another family. My parents both worked seven days a week to provide for us, so I was often left alone to fend for myself from the age of 8. I learned to survive and be resilient from a very young age. People don't see that now, but I'll always cherish those tougher years. They made me strong.
Who is your hero and why? My mother is my hero. Cliché answer, but it's true. She came to the U.S. with my father and me as a 23-year-old refugee with no grasp of the English language and $40 in her pockets. I could only imagine how much courage that takes. She worked hard, took no breaks and was able to provide for me despite all the challenges she faced.
Which past Survivor will you play the game most like? I want to say Parvati, but I'm not that hot nor charming. I will realistically be similar to Aubry. She was just a strategic mastermind. She understood social rankings and was able to strategize across very nuanced alliances. She's also non-threating, similar to myself, so I'll focus on keeping bigger physical and social threats around to ensure myself a shield. She was also not afraid to cross-alliance lines and work with people who could further her game. Don't rule anyone out.
Why do you believe you can be the Sole Survivor? I believe that I am a well-rounded individual with great logical sense, a strong ability to read social situations, amazing speaking abilities, and a strong desire to better my family's lives. There is no alternative besides coming home with a million-dollar check.^[2]

Survivor[]

During the first challenge of the season, Hai along with Drea Wheeler of Ika and Lindsay Dolashewich of Taku were faced with a dilemma: to continue the challenge or untie 20 knots to each receive an advantage. Opting for the latter, each member of the trio received an Advantage Amulet, which grants the user an Extra Vote when three are in the game, a Vote Steal with two left, or a full powered Hidden Immunity Idol with just one left. This concerned Hai, but then he shifted his attention to navigating the Vati tribe. Hai initially struggled due to his vegetarian beliefs which caused him to eat very little with no rice provided, but he put those beliefs aside in order to stay healthy. Vati split into three pairs, with Hai growing close to Lydia Meredith and also wanting to work with Chanelle Howell and Daniel Strunk. Hai grew suspicious of the swing vote pair when Chanelle approached them about splitting the vote between Mike Turner and Jenny Kim. Hai and Lydia kept their votes uniform, and fortunately Mike and Chanelle lost their votes, causing a 2-2 tie between Lydia and Jenny. When it came time for Hai and Daniel to either break the tie or draw rocks, Hai's determination along with Daniel's immediate self preservation sent Jenny out of the game. With Mike alone and distrustful of Chanelle or Daniel, Hai recruited Mike to form a new majority alliance. The new trio trusted Daniel less than Chanelle, voting him out at the next Tribal Council visit.

Although Hai was on the winning team on the Day 12 Immunity Challenge, Rocksroy Bailey's decision to break the hourglass left Hai as one of the few vulnerable players in the upcoming vote. Hai initially felt safe as he, Lydia, and Mike were part of the majority alliance, and it seemed like either outsider Maryanne Oketch or physical threat Jonathan Young would be voted out. However, Omar Zaheer decided to shift the vote toward Lydia, putting Hai and Mike in a difficult spot. This time, Hai could not save Lydia and reluctantly voted her out. Hai remained loyal to the majority and believed he was calling the shots, becoming one of the more vocal strategists in the game. This annoyed Romeo Escobar, who voted against Hai on Day 16 to cause him to panic. Hai was disappointed to receive a vote against him, but despite his growing rivalry with Romeo, he opted to join forces with him after Rocksroy tried to recruit Hai for a men's alliance. Hai did not want to go down that path and didn't enjoy working with Rocksroy, but he needed Mike's approval to carry through this plan. Mike reluctantly agreed, but started to grow tired of Hai's gameplay as well. Omar noticed this and told Mike a lie that Hai viewed Mike as his puppet. Hai still believed to be safe, thinking the tribe would rather vote out challenge beast Jonathan over him. He was proven wrong in a Day 19 blindside, voted out 6-2 in 8th place and becoming the 4th juror.

At the Final Tribal Council, Hai contributed to Maryanne's 7-1-0 win over Mike and Romeo respectively.

Post-Survivor[]

• On March 26, 2023, Hai got engaged.^[3]

Trivia[]

• Hai is the only member of Vati to have never become ineligible to vote at Tribal Council.
• Hai is the first person to vote against the same person across three rounds of voting at the same Tribal Council.
  • Hai is the second person to vote against the same person three times at the same Tribal Council, after Shan Smith.
• Hai lost 17 lbs. during Survivor 42.^[4]

References[]

Survivor 42 Castaways
Chanelle Vati	Daniel Vati	Drea Ika	Hai Vati	Jackson Taku	Jenny Vati	Jonathan Taku	Lindsay Taku	Lydia Vati
Marya Taku	Maryanne Taku	Mike Vati	Omar Taku	Rocksroy Ika	Romeo Ika	Swati Ika	Tori Ika	Zach Ika