ENTERTAINMENT BEAT - ETHAN ZOHN (Survivor Africa TV Show Winner) - May 2006

(Fox Soccer Channel photo) Survivor Africa winner Ethan Zohn

James Loving - National Radio Text Service - Friday May 12, 2006

BREAKING INTERNATIONAL BARRIERS - There's More To Him Than Hosting a TV Show

A LOOK at ETHAN ZOHN

There are some people that have a charisma that defies logic. They have something in their persona that penetrates the vehicle in which they are delivered.

Madonna, the Rolling Stones and Michael Jackson have that quality via recordings or video.

Since the emergence and popularity of reality shows one person has jumped out to bigger and better things in the entertainment world. That person is Ethan Zohn, the winner of the Survivor Africa series.

Since I'm based in Southeast Asia I hear about TV shows that are popular elsewhere in the world such as the USA. Some of these shows are televised at a later time in Asia. Survivor Africa is one of those shows.

In viewing the show with all of the competitors prior to eliminations there was something about the mild mannered lad with curly hair that stood out.

He was everybody's friend. He was the one that ruffled no feathers. It was apparent that there was more to this individual than just being a contestant on a reality show. We recently found out that there is… he is a humanitarian and a professional athlete.

At present Zohn is the host of "FC Fox," on the Fox Soccer Channel a weekly series that airs on Friday, April 21st at 7:30 p.m. ET (USA).

The content of the show is "FC Fox" travels throughout the USA to bring soccer fans the most compelling stories about American youth and amateur soccer.

But there more to Zohn than just being the host of a TV show about soccer.

Since winning the Survivor Africa series Zohn has founded "Grassroot Soccer," a non-profit organization that trains Africa's professional soccer players to teach children about HIV/AIDS prevention.

His charity work, however, doesn't end with Grassroot Soccer. Ethan is a national spokesperson for America Scores, an organization that helps inner city kids participate in educational soccer programs.

He has done extensive charity work for Kick AIDS, the Elizabeth Glazer Pediatric Aids organization, YouthAids and the Colon Cancer Alliance.

In recognition for his charity work Ethan has been awarded the 2004 Nkosi Johnson Community Spirit Award by the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care.

He was also honored with the "Heroes Among Us," award by the NBA's (National Basketball Association) Boston Celtics and the Massachusetts State Department and received the Auxilia Chimusoro award from the US State Department in Zimbabwe.

Ethan's non-charity work has included numerous speaking engagements, appearing in a Hewlett Packard commercial, hosting numerous MTV specials, competing in Eco-Challenge and Fear Factor and appearing in various other television and print media.

Winning a contest like Survivor Africa involves teamwork and sportsmanship. Those qualities lend itself to Zohn's sports background.

The 32-year-old native of Massachusetts (USA) has kept one foot in his beloved soccer world.

He has served as the coach of the U.S. National Maccabiah Team at the Pan American Maccabi Games in Chile and is currently hosting the The Metro Soccer Report for the MSG Networks.

In 2002, Ethan hosted "Ethan Zohn's Zone," an online journal summarizing the events of the 2002 World Cup in Korea/Japan.

His accounts provided fans with a behind-the-scenes look inside the U.S. Soccer Team and the event itself.

Originally from Lexington, Massachusetts, Ethan moved to New York, where he attended Vassar College, graduating in 1996 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology.

He eventually became a professional soccer player, having been employed as a goalie for the Highlanders Football Club (Zimbabwe), Cape Cod Crusaders (Cape Cod, Massachusetts) and the Hawaii Tsunami (Oahu, Hawaii).

Ethan also played for the 1997 and 2001 U.S. National Maccabiah Team (Israel).

Off the field, he was the assistant coach for the Fairleigh Dickinson University Men's and Women's Soccer Team in Teaneck, N.J. from 1998-2002.

Additionally, he has worked freelance as a brand name strategist/developer, responsible for creating names for newly invented products.

An added note for the ladies out there, Ethan is a bachelor.

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