Survivor: It's a jungle out there
PR major Jaime Dugan lasted 21 days on Survivor: China. But she still has to navigate the media attention that accompanies her reality TV experience.

by Anna Groos

Since she was voted off of Survivor: China on Nov. 1, senior Jaime Dugan has been on a full-fledged media tour. Starting with the CBS Early Show on the morning after the show aired she has given interviews to dozens of newspapers, Web sites, magazines including In Touch and TV Guide, and more than 100 radio stations. Media inquiries have come from as far away as Singapore.

As a public relations student preparing to graduate and enter the field in just a few months, Dugan couldn’t have planned a better way to learn how to interview and work with the media.

Survivor contestants are prepared for this kind of media parade. They know that once they get voted off, they’ll be working closely with their CBS publicists to respond to media inquiries. CBS does not allow Survivor contestants to talk to the media while they are still on the show.

But surviving life after the show has been exhausting, and Dugan said that balancing the media demands with school and work has been difficult. Nonetheless, she graciously agreed to this interview.

When asked what the media has grilled her about the most, Dugan said she had fielded lots of questions about her relationship with fellow Survivor castaway Erik Huffman.

Dugan, 22, and Huffman, 26, bonded on the show and were often shown talking, swimming, and strategizing together. Huffman, who graduated from Furman University and now plays with a rock band, outlasted Jaime in the competition.

During this interview, she could not confirm rumors that she and Huffman are dating; in fact, CBS has a rule that Survivor cast members can’t even speak to each other until the final episode airs.

But she didn't have to say a word; it was obvious by her smile that something is brewing between the two. I asked her about their relationship knowing that she wouldn’t be able to say much; not surprisingly, she gave me a scripted answer.

“We get along really well. In China he was my best friend, and he was my comfort zone. We hope to get to know each other better now that we’re back in civilization.” (Editors note: Dugan revealed in the Season Finale that she and Huffman are dating.)

Dugan spent 21 days in the Survivor camp before she was voted off. During that time, camera crews followed her and the other cast members’ every move. But only a smidgeon of the total footage ends up on the show as we see it—like most reality shows, CBS producers edit and condense weeks and weeks of filming into just 16 or 17 44-minute long episodes (excluding commercial time).

“A lot of the friendships that I made, and the fun times that we had, haven’t been shown,” she said. “Sometimes the things that we find important are not what the producers find interesting enough for TV.” (Among the fun experiences that haven’t aired was a group dance lesson. True to her roots, Dugan taught the cast how to shag.)

Dugan seemed surprised by the amount of time that producers spent in one-on-one interviews with the cast. “Often the producers would get us up at 5 a.m. to do interviews, but very little of that material has made it into the show,” she said.

And, she defended her decision to play what she thought was an immunity idol during Tribal Council. (The night that she was voted off the show, Dugan tried to play an immunity idol to save herself, but host Jeff Probst revealed that the “idol” was fake).

“I was fairly certain that the wooden board I had wasn’t the immunity idol, because it didn’t have a message on the back of it,” Dugan said. “But I thought there was a one percent chance that it was the idol, so I played it. It certainly gave the cast a chance for a good reaction.”

When Dugan gave the board to host Jeff Probst, he tossed it in the fire pit. Several of the castaways laughed at Dugan’s mistake, and she lost a six-three vote a few minutes later.

But Survivor contestants can’t anticipate everything they’re in for. And when she was asked what most surprised her about the experience, Dugan said, “How hard it really was.”

Dugan lost 20 pounds during her six-week stay in China, and developed a parasite. The parasite probably came from drinking lake water that, even when boiled, can cause problems. The castaways had access to well water, but, according to Dugan, “It was a long hike to the well.” Fortunately, she didn’t get sick until after she’d been voted off, at which time she was being housed in a cabin and had access to medical treatment.

The entire cast, even those voted off, stayed in China until the show was finished taping and the sole survivor was determined. By the time Dugan landed in Los Angeles, she was feeling better and ready to eat. USC roommate Bri Purdy picked her up at LAX. Their first stop? A five-star sushi restaurant. Dugan said it became clear that night that she’d been in the wilderness for too long.

“I accidentally dropped a sushi roll on the floor at this fancy restaurant, and without thinking I bent over, picked it up off the floor and popped it in my mouth. I didn’t even realize what I’d done until I noticed my roommate giving me a funny look.”

What’s a dusty sushi roll, though, to a girl who’s eaten two foot-long eels with heads and eyeballs still attached?

Life on the Survivor camp was hard. Food was scarce, shelter was minimal, and the castaways had hardly any privacy. But was it worth it?

“Definitely. It made me tougher. I think you could drop me off anywhere and I’d be fine. I can take what comes and get through anything,” Dugan said.

Dugan also said that being exposed to the Chinese culture was “amazing”, and that the experience has spurred her to travel more. She plans to embark on a month-long backpacking trip through Europe after she graduates from USC in May. A “close friend” will be making the trip with her; chances are, that “close friend” will be equally well-prepared for whatever challenges come their way.

Dugan has been voted of the show, but her role in Survivor: China isn’t yet over. Students and faculty can hear Dugan speak about her Survivor: China experience in person. She will give a presentation during I-Comm Week, to be held March 31-April 4.

	Anna Groos is a graduate student in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications working on her Masters of Mass Communications degree. A 2004 graduate of Wake Forest University, she worked for several years as an outreach counselor for Child Care Resources, Inc., a non-profit organization in Charlotte.