J.P. Calderon, star of "Survivor: Cook Islands," comes out to Instinct Magazine in an exclusive interview that lands him the cover of the publication’s February swimsuit issue. The interview with Instinct Editor In Chief Mike Wood took place as "The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency" crew followed the two of them around the set of the cover shoot. The first half of the two-part episode airs on Oxygen this Wednesday, at 10 p.m.

“It’s not every day somebody gets slapped in the face with a major magazine like Instinct, Janice Dickinson, her TV show,� says Calderon in the interview. “I think I’m just supposed to do this!� J.P. has now signed with Janice Dickinson’s agency. “It wasn’t until last year when my dad died that I did Survivor, I said yes to Janice Dickinson, to [Instinct]. I’m coming out and I’m living.�

Calderon (pictured above with openly-gay Survivor castmate Brad Virata) is a former Long Beach State men’s volleyball player (1997-98), and after graduating in 2000, served as assistant coach for the women’s volleyball team for five years and most recently head trainer for the all-girls Mizuno Long Beach Volleyball Club. He also has worked as a bartender at the Long Beach gay bar, The Silver Fox.