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Andrew East: Vanderbilt Athlete, Academic, and “Shawn’s Husband” One”
The University of Vanderbilt was lucky enough to have Andrew East as their linebacker and long snapper for four years. He achieved victories on the field, made the honor roll several times and was a finalist for the Wuerffel Trophy which recognizes the combination of academics, athletics, and service. Nonetheless, he claims that his largest ‘play’ was not on the field but off the field – being able to marry Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson – and he humorously said on Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test that his ‘ego has never had a chance to shine’ because people always say, ‘You are Shawn’s husband, right?’’
Andrew East: Proud to be “Shawn’s husband”
While it looks like a self-deprecating thing, Andrew East actually enjoys playing that part. He shared with E! News that the phrase was a surprise to nobody during a casual car conversation: in a joking manner he said that marrying Shawn is what keeps his ego in check because she is “way cooler than me” and he doesn’t need any extra confidence. “She so easily puts me in my place, and it’s just a great thing,” he said. Shawn remarked that the phrase can sound weird if you don’t know the context—”If you know Andrew, you know how he was saying it; if you don’t know Andrew, it kind of sounded like, ‘Huh'”—but she knows his kind of humor which is self-deprecating. In the course of their interview together, she pointed out to him his own joke: “You always joke, ‘She humbles me.'”
Andrew East: Over the moon being Shawn Johnson’s No. 1 fan
However, the ex-NFL player made it clear that he is Andrew East: Thrilled to be Shawn Johnson’s No. 1 fan-But to be clear, the retired NFL player is proud to play that role. “That’s the thing I’m most prideful in, which is great that it’s not in my own accolades or accomplishments,” he said. “I get to be proud of my wife because she’s freaking awesome.”
In a nutshell, there was not a bit of disappointment in his demeanor when Shawn and another contestant, Gia Giudice, went through the selection process and were announced as the winners of the fourth season of the Fox series. In truth, he was “really upset” when, during the Nov. 20 finale, his armband was taken away as a result of his poor performance in the interrogation.
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Andrew East: First a Worry, Then a Wild Joy Upon Shawn’s Victory
“I was thinking of the worst and a bit worried about Shawn,” said Andrew. “She is really good at handling her stuff, but it is so nice to have someone with us in the hard times. However, the very moment I received the first call from her, I was so excited and couldn’t stop myself from saying, ‘Let’s go freaking awesome!’ To be honest, when Shawn wins it is great for the whole team because she is just going off, piling up victories.”
Although Andrew didn’t manage to get a place on the podium, Shawn is eager to nominate him as the most valuable player of the season. “You were absolutely great the entire season,” she praised her husband, “Not finishing the race because you can’t tell a lie nicely means that I hit the jackpot of human beings.”
Andrew East hailed as “the people’s golden retriever” and the cast’s rock
“And it wasn’t only Shawn that he was cheering for,” she explained. “He was the rock to everyone. You were literally the people’s golden retriever.”
Alongside the NFL wide receiver Randall Cobb and reality star Gia Giudice, podcaster Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia and Sister Wives patriarch Kody Brown were the ones who Andrew spoke with the most to figure out their game plans.
“Every single person who was feeling vulnerable or scared or nervous, they all leaned on him, Andrew, the whole cast,” Shawn said.
Andrew East and Shawn Johnson form lifelong bonds after intense 10‑day experience
Just by doing the 10-day challenge, the couple became entirely new friends. Apart from that, they are still staying connected with the season’s Nashville contingent — Randall Cobb, Ravi Patel, Jessie James Decker, and Eric Decker — Andrew said, “We basically have this group chat now that is quite active, and we’re having a lot of fun. I’m sure it’s difficult to understand that in such a short time, we were able to create these friendships that will last a lifetime. The bonding that occurs through such suffering is very strong and, I think, really nice.”
Shawn also felt that going through fear and being vulnerable together helped them become deeply attached. “Being so vulnerable, scared, and at your wit’s end brings a team together in a very different way,” she explained. “Since we all experienced it side by side, we are very close, forever.”
