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Oct 20, 2006 7:19 am US/Pacific
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'Survivor' Casts Off Cao Boi, Cristina
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
"Survivor" players Cao Boi - real name Anh Tuan Bui - and Cristina Coria lost out on the political schemes of the Cook Islands to become the latest castoffs on the CBS reality show.
CBS Early Show anchor Harry Smith sat down to talk with the pair Friday.
"You know, from the beginning I knew you were doomed because you have this huge personality that there's no governor on you," Smith said to Bui. "It all comes out all the time and you were very outspoken all the way from the beginning of the game."
"I tried to pull a little back but I just couldn't," said Bui. "I see something wrong, I gotta say, I gotta do it. If I have a dream, I gotta follow it.
"Initially I came into this game thinking maybe I should hold off, go with the flow," he said. "But once you are on the island and you realize survivor mode kicks in... It's about taking initiative, that first step, doing things like making a fire, getting food."
Born in Vietnam, Anh-Tuan "Cao Boi" (pronounced Cowboy) Bui was a Vietnam War refugee when he was 11 years old. He eventually moved to the U.S. and attended Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He previously worked as a photographer, used car salesman, fisherman and farm hand. He currently works as a nail salon manager.
Bui, 42, is the world-record holder in Marathon Softball where he played for 100 hours while serving in the 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army. Bui is married with two children in Christiansburg, Va.
Coria's departure from the show took a serious, personal turn.
"I don't remember who it was that voted against you, but they put a gun (on the paper)," asked Smith.
Coria, 35, was born and raised in Santa Monica, Calif., and grew up in a family of police officers who worked for the Santa Monica Police Department. At the age of 12, Coria lost her father when he was shot and killed in an unsolved murder.
"You know, this is a game - I understand that," said Coria. "But the context, you are a police officer, you come from a family of police officers... When I saw that go up, it hit me more especially being shot at with a gun and my father being killed. I thought it was a low blow and disrespectful."
A police officer for almost 14 years, Coria survived two life-threatening experiences. She was nearly crushed to death when she was pinned up against her police car by another vehicle driven by an intoxicated driver. Then, on July 4, 2000, she sustained an almost career-ending injury to her left arm after being shot by a murder suspect during a hostage standoff on the Santa Monica Pier.
She sustained severe bone and nerve damage and was initially advised by doctors that she might lose her arm. After extensive reconstructive surgery she was told by doctors that she would never be able to have full use of her arm again nor return back to work. Through dedication, determination, faith and perseverance, she beat the odds and regained use of her arm. In 2001, she returned to work patrolling the streets of Santa Monica.
In addition to patrol duty, Coria has worked as a technical consultant on the movie "Angel Eyes" with Jennifer Lopez. She was also on E! Entertainment for "Red Carpet Confidential" and received a makeover on the show. She appeared on the Discovery Health Channel, a Police Rape Awareness video, MTV's "Y2K Ball" and numerous news programs as a result of being shot on July 4, 2000.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)