Sometimes you have to tell it like it is, which is what Survivor legend Carolyn Wiger wishes she had done on Season 44. Known for not holding back, Carolyn recently revealed she wished she had told one jury member to “f— off,” proving that she’s one of the most unpredictable players in reality TV.
Joined by host and fellow Survivor alum Ben Katzman and a playful mock jury of Survivor veterans, Carolyn reflected on her clashes with Danny Massa, who finished seventh that season, during an appearance on the Masters of Reality podcast. Despite her bold strategy and strong social game, Carolyn admitted she sometimes tried to be “nice” to castmates who disrespected her — a choice she now regrets. Her candid conversation offers fans a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the tensions, alliances, and emotions that made her one of reality TV’s most memorable competitors.
Carolyn Wiger Admits She Wishes She Would Have Given Danny a Piece of Her Mind
Carolyn made a pretty surprising move, admitting she wished she was bolder on Survivor, considering she also had no issue going head-to-head with Danielle Reyes on The Traitors last season.
In a podcast segment called “recreational therapy, otherwise known as the Theater of Pain Improv Theater,” Ben brought in other Survivor superstars Sugar Kiper from Gabon and Heroes vs. Villains, Season 43’s Owen Knight, and David Wright, who competed on Edge of Extinction and Millennials vs. Gen X, to form a makeshift jury. At her own Final Tribal Council session in Season 44, Carolyn was eliminated when she lost to Yam Yam Arocho and Heidi Lagares-Greenblatt, who received seven votes and one vote, respectively, and Carolyn did not receive a single vote. But this group promised Carolyn, “We’ll go easy on you. We’ll go easier than the 44 jury.”
Sugar begins the segment by asking, “Is there anyone from your season, Carolyn, that you did not get to tell exactly how you feel?” Before the question even left Sugar’s mouth, Carolyn answered, “Yeah, Danny.” Danny Massa, the seventh-place finisher from Season 44, butted heads with Carolyn throughout the season, and eventually, Carolyn began work behind the scenes to whip votes, which led to Danny’s elimination. Carolyn has spoken about Danny publicly before; in a post-season interview, she reflected, “[Danny] did not respect me simply because I’m loud, crazy, and I wasn’t good at challenges. It started to get to me…[he] completely disregarded me.”
Her Survivor Season 44 Castmates Subscribed to the “Not Here to Make Friends” Mentality
Carolyn didn’t hold back — on the podcast at least. “I wish I would have [been] like ‘f— off,’” she recounted. “Did I tell people how I felt? Well, yes. But I wish I would have told them off more. Yes I do. Why am I being like ‘I’m going to be nice to you…’ Like you don’t respect me! You don’t like me, so what the f— am I doing trying to appease you?” Carolyn didn’t expect her emotional style of play and zany disposition to be rejected so harshly and decisively by her castmates.
Apart from her three-person alliance, Carolyn felt like an outcast on her season, an experience she realizes on the podcast she still needs to process. “Some people just click, and some people don’t. But I still genuinely want to know about people, and I cared and I thought, ‘isn’t that what people do on Survivor?” But that wasn’t the case for Carolyn. Many of her castmates, she felt, adopted the classic reality television mindset of “I’m not here to make friends.” She’d hoped the others would have been as excited to bond as she was, “but no one does. And that’s the truth.”
Survivor is currently streaming on Prime and Hulu.
Survivor
- Release Date
-
May 31, 2000
- Showrunner
-
Jeff Probst
- Directors
-
Jeff Probst