Apparently you learn how to survive on a desert island. And how to beat out your fellow competitors for a $1 million cash prize, on one of America's biggest reality television shows.

Yul Kwon, the newly crowned winner of "Survivor: Race Wars" "Survivor: Cook Islands," is a lawyer, former Second Circuit law clerk, and 2000 graduate of Yale Law School. This makes him one of the best-credentialed reality show contestants EVER.

We realize that Yul was working as a management consultant at McKinsey before joining the show. But he's still a member of the California and D.C. bars, so we'll claim him as one of our own. Congratulations, Yul!

P.S. Yul certainly has the best body of any YLS grad we've ever met. Not that we've seen so many Yalies shirtless. But you know what we mean -- Yul Kwon is formidable competition.

P.P.S. Ann Althouse was rooting for Ozzy. But she also thought that Yul was cool, and sends her congrats as well.

Update: In response to this comment, we did some fact-checking. We can now confirm, as previously suggested, that Yul Kwon clerked for Judge Barrington D. Parker, Jr., on the Second Circuit.

Yul Kwon Survivor bio [CBS]
Survivor: Yul Kwon of San Mateo "represents" in win [Mercury News]
Kwon tops `Survivor' heap: Brains beat brawn in `Cook Islands' finale [Chicago Tribune]

Earlier: "First Thing We Do, Let's Vote Off All the Lawyers"

Attention reality TV junkies: the new season of Survivor debuts tonight.

This edition is formally called "Survivor: Cook Islands." But as some have noted, you may know it better by its nickname: "Survivor: Race Wars."

Tonight, CBS kicks off the social experiment/ratings gimmick that is executive producer Mark Burnett's latest and brashest attempt to give his reality show an attention boost.

This time, blacks, whites, Hispanics and Asians will initially be separated into four tribes. That's 20 contestants divided along racial and ethnic lines, an idea that's stirred up a hot stew of outrage and curiosity.

We've never been that into "Survivor" (despite a general weakness for reality television). But maybe we'll tune in tonight. Why? Because two of the contestants are lawyers -- including a guy we went to law school with!

The two attorney contestants are both Asian-American -- and ridiculously good-looking. This is interesting, since (1) law isn't a profession widely associated with Asians, and (2) not many lawyers are ridiculously good-looking (ERISA hotties excepted).

Their names are Becky Lee and Yul Kwon. You can read more about them -- and check out their photos -- after the jump.