A Reality Check With ... Cheryl Kosewicz (CBS's "Pirate Master")

Cheryl Kosewicz was born and raised on a 22-acre farm in Grand Couler, WA, where she and her family literally lived off the land-their only store purchases were paper products. Growing up, she would fish, hunt, garden, sew her own clothes, work with animals and make things for the farm. Cheryl received her bachelor's degree in English from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she was on the dean's list, on a basketball scholarship and continued on for her master's degree. She then attended law school at Northwestern School of Law in Portland, where she received her Doctorate of Law. Last week, Cheryl was cut adrift on Pirate Master for being too much of a physical threat & not fitting in with the rest of the pirates. Cheryl sits down with RealityCheckByGina to talk about her time on Pirate Master.

RC: What made you want to be a part of Pirate Master?
Cheryl: I had actually tried out for Survivor 3 years ago. Somebody had pushed me to do it. I made it quite a ways through, all the way to the last interviews. When Pirate Master came around, they called me and said, “This is way more up your alley.”

RC: Isn’t it dangerous to be climbing up a pirate ship?
Cheryl: Our training was on the ship & it was scary! Those masts are high. I remember the first time I crawled up there, I got halfway up & was like, “Nuh-uh” and climbed back down. It’s difficult being tall because you have to go on a tight wire up there You have nothing up there but the sails & the seats.

RC: How do you feel you performed in the physical challenges? Were you proud of how you did?
Cheryl: Oh absolutely! That’s where I excelled was in the physical challenges. I trained really hard for that part. That’s just me. I’m very physical in every sport there is.

RC: In the last 3 episodes, there have been 3 different captains. How do you adjust each time there is someone new in command?
Cheryl: You know, that was really difficult, from my perspective. As one of the first officers to JD, I got thrown in. We had to make a lot of rules & changes & we got a lot of grief for that. As the other captains went along, they got to see what the crew wanted & needed & they were more well-liked. As things went along, it was more like a booze cruise than a pirate ship. We’re not there for a booze cruise.
RC: If you could go back, would you change anything about being one of Joe Don’s officers?
Cheryl: If I had to do it again, I don’t think I’d want to be an officer. I’d want to be with the crew & get in with them & learn with them because the crew really had it out for JD, Ben, and I.

RC: Are Ben’s days numbered or was he able to blend back in with the other pirates?
Cheryl: When we went back, he was definitely blending. I tried to in the end & it was a little too late.

RC: Did you feel there was anything you could have done to change the minds of the pirates in court?
Cheryl: Absolutely not! The girls had it out for me, they were jealous of my physical abilities. Jay, who is the mastermind, knew he couldn’t turn me so he wanted to keep the weaker ones.

RC: Did you at least get to take home a decent amount of money before being booted off?
Cheryl: Absolutely! The time that I was on there, I spent a lot of time & did a lot of things. Did it crush me that I went early? Yeah, no doubt about it. That’s my competitive

RC: When you are cut adrift, are you sent home or do you hang around?
Cheryl: We’re there.

RC: What pirates are you rooting for?
Cheryl: Ummm … well … my ties right now are with JD & Ben. We had the pact from the beginning. I know them the best. So from my perspective, I’m with them.

RC: What’s in the future for you?
Cheryl: I love my job as a district attorney, that’s what I’ll continue to do but I’ll also continue to do this to help with community service & working with kids.

Pirate Master airs Thursday nights at 8pm EST on CBS

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