J. P. Calderon Biography
J. P. Calderon is a professional volleyball player, model, and reality show personality from the United States. He appeared on the 13th season of CBS reality show Survivor: Cook Islands in 2006.
How old is J. P. Calderon? – Age
He is 47 years old as of 5 September 2022. He was born in 1975 in Santa Monica, California, United States.
J. P. Calderon Family – Education
Calderon was born to Edwin and Xinia as the second son after his older brother Peter. He was raised in Marina del Rey, California. He was raised in a Roman Catholic family of Costa Rican descent. His mother died of breast cancer when he was nine years old. He wanted to be a model since he was a child, but his father discouraged him, so he turned to sports instead. When Calderon’s modeling career took off, his father was won over.
Calderon attended St. Bernard’s Catholic High School for two years before transferring to Santa Monica City College for two years before enrolling at California State University, Long Beach, where he was a member of the school’s nationally ranked men’s volleyball team. His family is into soccer, so it was a source of contention for his father that he chose to play volleyball instead, until he began winning volleyball awards. In the year 2000, he received his bachelor’s degree in speech communication. Calderon was born in Costa Rica.
J. P. Calderon Boyfriend
Julz Heaney, his longtime boyfriend, proposed to him in Hawaii in October 2013. They’ve been dating since 2007. Calderon came out as gay in their February 2007 swimsuit edition, which included the cover, a photo spread, a feature story, and an interview.
J. P. Calderon Instinct Magazine
Calderon was approached in the third episode to appear on the cover of Instinct magazine, a publication that requires its male cover models to be openly gay. Despite being “in and around gay people and nightlife,” he had not publicly discussed his sexuality with the media. He had been aware of his sexual orientation since high school and even worked as a bartender in a gay bar. There were rumors that he was gay, but he declined invitations to interview with gay publications like Instinct.
J. P. Calderon Survivor
Calderon’s father died in 2005, just before the Survivor opportunity, and it freed him up to express his emotions because he had never had a good relationship with his father. While having breakfast with some friends, he was approached by a CBS recruiting coordinator about appearing on the show. Calderon debuted on Survivor: Cook Islands (2006) as one of five members of the Hispanic “Aitutaki” tribe.
On day eight, the tribes were merged, and he became a member of the “Rarotonga” tribe. In retrospect, he regrets viewing the series as a sports competition rather than for the social aspects that foster alliances. Calderon was the fourth member of the cast to be voted off in a 7/2 split. He credits the show with opening his eyes to the fact that he could control his choices and had options.
J. P. Calderon Professional
He began his professional volleyball career in 2004 and quickly rose to the top of the Association of Volleyball Professionals rankings. Calderon was offered a pro volleyball contract in Barcelona, Spain in 1998, but chose to finish his degree instead. He was hired as an assistant coach for Long Beach State University’s women’s volleyball team. He did it for five years, first as a volunteer for three years, then as a paid employee for two more. He attributes the time spent to learning the differences in men’s and women’s volleyball styles. At the same time, he accepted a position as a local club coach at Mizuno Long Beach Volleyball Club and began coaching for Junior Olympics.
J. P. Calderon The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency
Calderon’s modeling career began in 2007 when he joined the cast of The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency. Calderon attended an open casting call held in the first episode of Season 2 after stating that he had always wanted to be a model. He said the process and Dickinson were enjoyable, but they did force the models to be naked and in their underwear all the time. In episode 2, he was called back and eventually signed with the agency. He attributes his coming out to help him reorganize his life. He was also the cover model for the popular French gay magazine Têtu in 2009. Calderon will lead the agency’s male division when it relocates to New York City, it was announced during the fourth season finale of The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency. Calderon is also represented by Germany’s KULT Model Agency.