Mitch Guerra Brings Stuttering and Resilience to 'Survivor'

More than a decade ago, Mitch Guerra, now a PE teacher/Coach from Waco, Texas, made the decision to apply to participate in CBS/Paramount+ Survivor. We met Mitch, who is a person who stutters, back in January when the cast of Survivor 48 was announced. Mitch graciously agreed to an interview with the Stuttering Foundation before the season aired about his desire to play the game, and the challenges he anticipated facing when he was accepted to compete for the million dollar prize.

During the first episode of the season, Mitch introduced himself in a short video segment, immediately and openly discussing his stutter, and the resilience he developed to survive the teasing he faced from other kids. Growing up, he was always afraid his stuttering would hold him back, but he planned to use his time on Survivor to prove to himself he was more than capable of doing anything he wanted to do!

Mitch had all the tools that make for a good competitor on Survivor. He’s smart, personable, likeable, strategic and athletic. “I think something I just naturally do really well is, I love people,” Mitch told PARADE Magazine. “So, I'm a big people person. I do good at building relationships with anyone and everyone. So, I think, for me, that's the biggest thing I'm hoping to use here.”

Mitch Guerra In Episode 2, Survivor host Jeff Probst asked Mitch directly about his stutter, and how to be respectful when a person who stutters is speaking. Mitch told him, “The hope is that everyone will just hang in there for me and just give me the opportunity to finish my sentence, but I’m so thankful you asked that because honestly people just naturally want to help others and sometimes, we don’t feel comfortable enough asking that. So, thank you for that.” Later in the episode, Mitch won a Block a Vote reward to help his team.

Fast forward to Episode 4. It’s day 8 in Fiji for the players, and Cedrek and Mitch bond over their shared experiences with stuttering.

“I stuttered from the time I was four. If you stutter, you always potentially will stutter,” Cedrek told Mitch. “Even now, there are triggers that I know I will have. But I have to go back to my therapy sessions… ‘say it slowly,’” he added, as Mitch nodded and smiled. Cedrek discussed the games he played in speech therapy, prompting Mitch to discuss his own experiences with getting help.

Mitch Guerra “We’re going to practice the ‘m’ sound,” Mitch told Cedrek, recalling his own therapy sessions. “Because I always struggle with any ‘mmmm’ or ‘paaaa’ … well that’s my name, I can’t get away from it!” Mitch is optimistic their common bond will not only help in the game but continue beyond the season.

“Growing up I never saw someone who spoke like me who was ever portrayed in a positive way,” Mitch concluded. Clearly, he was out to change that.

At tribal council in Episode 7, Mitch played his Block a Vote advantage and helped vote out Sai.

After eating very little food during the game, Mitch finally shared a food reward during Episode 9, when Joe selected him to come along for a feast. That gathering helped bring Mitch into an alliance to vote out David.

For the next several episodes, Mitch made strategic moves that kept him in the game, earning a spot in the top 5.

Mitch Guerra After the final 5 finished the next immunity challenge, won in a come-back by Kamilla, Mitch learned from the other four players he would be voted out at the next tribal council. They respectfully shared that news with Mitch ahead of the trek to the vote, complimenting him on his charisma, gameplay, and accomplishments. Reflecting on the news he would be the next one sent to the jury, Mitch gave his final thoughts on the game he had played.

“Coming out here I think the biggest fears I had was that my stutter would hurt me out here, that it would be challenging to build relationships with people, but I was able to overcome that. It just goes to show you that regardless of what other people believe you’re capable of doing, none of that truly matters. It just matters what you believe you’re able to do.”

Mitch’s Survivor journey came to an end in the first half of the season finale, allowing him to join the jury tasked with selecting the next winner of Survivor and the one-million-dollar prize, ultimately claimed by Kyle, who received Mitch’s vote to be the winner.

Mitch’s appearance on Survivor provided further understanding about stuttering for all who watched, as well as inspiration and hope to those who stutter. We’re certain Mitch will continue to use his new-found platform to make positive changes throughout the stuttering community. Follow him on Instagram at @mguerski.

Mitch Guerra, Survivor TV Show

Posted May 22, 2025

CELEBRITY FOCUS

King George

In November 2010, worldwide movie audiences were presented with a most interesting and unusual movie release with The King’s Speech, starring Colin Firth as King George VI and Helena Bonham Carter as his wife Elizabeth.

Unfortunately, history may have forgotten the courageous and inspiring story of Prince Albert who stuttered badly and never dreamed that he would ever be king when his older brother, King Edward VIII, abruptly abdicated the throne in 1936 to marry Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee.

Bruce Willis

While the world knows Bruce Willis as an A-list actor, few know that he struggled with stuttering throughout his first 20 years.

Walter Bruce Willis was born in 1955 in West Germany to his German mother, Marlene, and his American GI father, David Willis. The family settled in David’s hometown of Penns Grove, New Jersey in 1957, and the couple has three other children.

Carly Simon

Carly Simon began stuttering severely when she was eight years old.

Bill Walton

From BillWalton.com

Thank you for your interest in my life long problem with my speech and communication skills. I was a very shy and reserved young man who could not speak at all without severely stuttering until I was 28 years old. Always a success in the classroom and on the basketball court, I took refuge in the things that I did well as a youngster. A straight A student, my athletic abilities covered the deficiencies that limited my overall growth and development. The game of basketball was my religion, the gym my church. It was a convenient way of avoiding my responsibilities of developing my human relation skills.

When I was 28, a chance encounter at a social event with Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Glickman completely changed my life in so many ways that things have never been the same since, nor have they ever been better. That day, in a very brief, private conversation (one way, mind you, since I literally could not speak at the time) Marty explained, patiently and concisely, that talking, communicating was a skill not a gift or a birthright and that like any skill, whether it be sports, music, business or whatever, needed to be developed over a lifetime of hard work, discipline, organization and practice. Marty gave me some simple tips that day and then encouraged me to take those keys and apply them to methods of learning that I had received from the special teachers that I had come across in my life, particularly the 6 Hall of Fame basketball coaches that I had played for throughout my career. The beginning of my whole new life was as simple as that. No gimmicks, tricks or shortcuts. Just the realization that with some help, guidance and a lot of hard work that I too could do what seemed so easy, simple and natural to everyone else, yet seemed impossibly out of my reach and comprehension.

Emily Blunt

Actress Emily Blunt struggled with stuttering early in her life. A teacher encouraged her to act in a school play at age 12 despite her stuttering.

Blunt’s name is prominently featured on the Stuttering Foundation's list of Famous People Who Stutter.