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JP Calderon is a reality television star, model and professional volleyball player. He made his first appearance on television in 2006 as a popular contestant on "Survivor: Cook Islands," the 13th season of the blockbuster CBS series. Calderon also appeared on three seasons of reality show "The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency" on Oxygen, where he was handpicked by Dickinson at an open call and became one of the agency's most successful models. His real-life decision to come out publicly as a gay man became a major storyline during the show's second season in 2007.
He starred on "Survivor: Cook Islands" during one of the franchise's most controversial seasons, where contestants were split into four tribes based on racial ethnicity. Calderon, of Costa Rican descent, was one of five members of the Hispanic "Aitutaki" tribe.
Though Calderon remained closeted during "Survivor," he made a life-altering decision during the "The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency" to appear on the cover of the February 2007 issue of "Instinct" magazine and come out as a gay man. After a strong response to the story, Calderon was also the March 2008 cover story, making him the first person to ever appear twice on the cover of "Instinct." His "coming out" episode remains one of the highest-rated episodes of "The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency" ever.
Calderon's modeling career remains strong, and today he is signed with Ford Modeling Agency. He continues to work in various high fashion and editorial campaigns, magazine shoots and runway shows around the globe.
Born and raised in Marina del Rey, California, Calderon is also an expert volleyball player. He began playing professionally in 2004 and became a nationally ranked member of the Association of Volleyball Professionals. He started as a member of the prominent men's volleyball team at California State University, Long Beach, where he graduated with a degree in speech communication in 2000. He went on to become an assistant coach of the Long Beach State University's nationally ranked women's volleyball team for five years.
Calderon also coaches and administrates the Mizuno Long Beach Girls Volleyball Club, which helps young girls improve their abilities and work toward full university scholarships. His leadership over the years has led the group to earning eight medals at the Junior Olympics, including the team's first-ever gold medal in July 2009.
Calderon is active in many charities and has been featured at events for organizations including GLAAD, APLA, The Trevor Project and Susan G. Komen Foundation for Breast Cancer, and remains committed to furthering his philanthropic work.
