Alex was born in Colombia and moved with his family to Los Angeles, California as a child. He obtained a B.A. in Economics from U.C. Irvine. After graduating from Harvard Law School, Alex was just beginning a big firm legal career when a car accident in 2007 forced him to reevaluate his career. While on a mountaineering expedition, he was discovered by talent scouts and was cast as a contestant on Survivor Fiji. Alex then spent a year studying abroad while working as a model part-time for fun. Alex unexpectedly ended up continuing to model and work as an actor and host, appearing in several TV commercials. This time, he was hooked.