What are Danny Massa’s favorite hobbies? Meet the Survivor season 44 contestant

Survivor season 44 is set to premiere this week and will feature a new batch of castaways as they spend the next few weeks in the wilderness and attempt to be the sole survivor.

One of the 18 castaways set to appear on the show is Danny Massa, whose hobbies include Brazilian jiu-jitsu, running with his dog, breathwork, and meditation.

The upcoming cast member is interested in joining the show since it exposes the human condition and presents people in their rawest form.

Tune in on Wednesday, March 1, at 8 pm ET to watch the season premiere of Survivor season 44.

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Survivor season 44 contestant Danny Massa is a certified instructor for Wim Hof

One of the castaways set to appear on the show is a 32-year-old firefighter from the Bronx, New York, who describes himself as kind, passionate, and determined. As his Instagram states, Danny is a breathwork and mindset coach, a certified breath coach, and a certified instructor for Wim Hof.

The season 44 contestant was bullied as a kid for being overweight, and at age 12, he started training in boxing, martial arts, and physical fitness to overcome the abuse and gain some confidence. He later started competing in MMA and boxing contests, with a record of 10 wins and 4 losses.

Danny's father served as an inspiration for him to pursue a career in firefighting. His father, Captain Daniel J. Massa, was a firefighter for 25 years and was also a part of the rescue and recovery effort during 9/11 in 2001.

The Survivor season 44 cast member spoke to Parade about his appearance in the upcoming season and stated that he’s on the show because his sister and her kids watch the show. He added that they live together in a “two-family house," and the kids wanted him to be on the show.

He added:

"They ran down to my apartment, and they said, “Uncy, you got to come watch this show. You need to be on the show."

Danny stated that they had a chance encounter ten or fifteen years prior and have been devoted viewers ever since. He added that his niece, who is in college, filled out his application and took care of the whole process for him.

The only winner that the new castaway identifies with is Jeremy Collins since he does a beautiful job of being cunning. Danny added that the Survivor: Cambodia winner plays the game but that he "does it in a way."

As for what prepared him to be on the show, he said that he doesn’t think anything can prepare anyone for this game. He added that even if one feels prepared while going into Survivor, they’ll be surprised when things don’t go their way.

He added:

"I'm going into this game expecting things not to go my way. When things start to get difficult, when things go, "Oh, man, I can't believe that happened," I'm going to remember, "Oh, you knew this was going to happen. This is Survivor. It's never gonna go according to plan."

Tune in on Wednesday, March 1, at 8 pm ET on CBS to watch the season premiere of season 44.