And he has an epic plan if he wins the money.

“I have no constraints,” says the season 13 champ.

Can he adapt to the newer, faster format?

And does his long layoff help or hurt his cause.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: First off, I’m so excited you are back.

And I’m going to give everyone a little perspective on how good you are.

You’re the only contestant that figured out the twist.

After I wonCook Islands, I did a bunch of different things.

I did a lot of charity work.

So I went out to D.C. in 2009, did that for a couple years.

Then I left to host a miniseries for PBS calledAmerica Revealed, which was awesome.

It’s like the best job I ever had.

When I was working at the FCC, Cochran was a law student at Harvard.

And he was an intern at the FCC.

He really wants to meet you."

And I’m like, “Cool.

Bring him up.”

They were like, “Oh, he says he’s not ready.

He’s too scared.”

I’m like, “No!

I’m not going to bite him.”

So that was John Cochran.

Yul, there’s so much to get into with you.

So, what’s it feel like now, not having to worry about that?It feels liberating.

Just because you don’t see a lot of Asian-Americans, especially men, in mainstream media.

So, I played really hard.

I’m proud of the way I played, but I can’t say it was fun.

The great thing about this time around is I don’t feel those constraints.

I can play any way I want.

And obviously there were times on the show where you couldn’t come back because of career and family.

Was that frustrating?Yeah, that was interesting.

So, for my season,Cook Islands, it was stacked in terms of talent.

We had Ozzy Lusth.

We had Parvati Shallow.

We had John Penner.

And we had Candice Woodcock.

All four of those people have been invited back multiple times.

For me, though, it wasn’t something that bothered me.

What I wanted to do was use the 15 minutes of fame.

I had to do something positive with it.

So I worked with a lot of different non-profits, and organized bone marrow drives.

But beyond that, I didn’t stay a part of the community.

And so whenever someone else came on, I thought it was great to see them play.

In some cases, I think people really evolved their game.

Ozzy, not so much.

The guy has one way of playing, and he plays it very well.

But it’s not a winning strategy.

You’re considered one of the smartest players for sure, but it’s been a while now.

So, coming in, I have a lot of trepidation, because look, there are 10 men.

I don’t know who’s playing on the women’s side.

Of the 10 men, five of them have played multiple times.

And in some cases, they’ve played with each other.

I played 13 years ago.

So, coming in, I’m already at a disadvantage.

There are probably connections that have already been made pre-alliance, or pre-game, to form these alliances.

So, it’s a very good chance that there might be literally nothing I could do.

I’m just not in one of these alliances.

I might get booted out.

And they’re not as close to it.

You’re in that latter category.

I know a few winners, but none of them are playing.

John Cochran, obviously, is someone that I know well.

Earl is someone that I had gotten to know, and he’s not playing either.

You referenced this also, that it’s such a different game when you played last time.

Now there are lots of idols, lot of advantages, lots of different twists and things happening.

And that’s one of my fears coming in.

Finding an idol seems to be a thing now, like there are idols all over the place.

I’m probably at a disadvantage, right?

Now, everyone is focused on strategy.

They’re just trying to come up with the strongest strategic game, and move quickly.

I’m cutting this stuff out."

Uh-oh.And that was probably not a smart thing to do.

There was a limitation on the use of the idol then, that doesn’t occur today.

Back then, you could use the idol after the vote’s been cast.

But you couldn’t give it to somebody else, unless you gave it to thempriorto Tribal Council.

Then they could’ve flushed out the idol at the next round.

That’s what they should’ve done.

I love hearing about stuff like that we didn’t see on TV.

As you mentioned, you’re here with nine other male winners.

You don’t know who else is going to be out here.

I’m sure you have some suspicions, but…There aren’t that many female winners.

It’s a small pool.

We could work out well"?You mean among the men?

Yeah.That’s a good question.

I think what I’ll attempt to do is feel everyone out.

One person I’d love to work with is Boston Rob.

He’s going to be a big target, but you know, I love his game.

He’s very rational, in terms of the way he approaches the game itself.

He’s probably more aggressive than I am, but I think we’ll understand each other well.

And we’d partner together well.

Sandra … oh, just talking about the guys?

you’re free to also talk about other people that you suspect might be out here.

She’s the only other person I’ve played with.

Want to play on the same side this time?"

I think we’d make a pretty good power couple.

So, that would be an interesting kind of way to play.

Sandra, obviously, two-time winner.

She is a fantastic player.

I’d love to align with her.

You talked a little bit about this, and how you’rehopingpeople will see you as very trustworthy.

But how do you think theydosee you?

And it might be the same answer.

You have your book on other people; they have their book on you.

I dropped off the map.

I haven’t been following all the seasons.

I don’t really know how it’s played nowadays.

I feel like I need to align with someone who has more relevant experience.

What I can offer you in return is a loyal vote."

But the reality is I’m planning on playing a much harder game than I did last time.

This time around, I have no constraints.

It’ll be basically me, playing to the full tilt to the best of my abilities.

I also think I’m coming into this season in a comparable position that Sarah Lacina did.

She played her initial season, played a clean game, got booted out.

The second time around, I think people assumed she’d play the same way.

I think that’s how I’m coming into this game right now.

Are you too analytical?I don’t think I’mtooanalytical.

I’m very analytical.

And I think it made them a little bit nervous.

What is your biggest weakness then?

I think all the other dimensions, I check all the boxes.

Like strategically, that’s something that I consider to be a strength.

Socially, I think that is actually something that was underplayed, the first time around.

So, they had no incentive to flip on me, whether or not I had the idol.

And then the athletic side, you know, I went against Ozzy.

And I don’t think I could beat him in the majority of competitions.

He’s a guy that’s just a phenom.

So, my goal was to just kind of coast in behind Ozzy.

Can I mention one other thing?

Coming out ofSurvivor, we stayed in very close touch.

I’ve gotten to know his wife, his kids, and vice versa.

His wife, Stacy Title, is suffering from ALS.

And it is an absolutely brutal, devastating disease.

And maybe some rough head movements.

And it’s just been an incredibly, incredibly difficult burden on her and Jonathan, and their kids.

I mean, again, we all want a million dollars, right?

All the prize money.

That would be an epic ending to what is sure to be an epic season.

And this is why people love you so much!

It’s a great idea, and it’s a great cause.

And any support that can go that way is obviously welcome.

Yul, good luck out there, man.

And before I let you go: Are Becky and Sundra somewhere still trying to make fire?

Is that still happening?

Is that competition still going on?I don’t know.