From the moment that Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans was announced, it has been exciting to know that so many players from the show’s long past will be returning. After all, it is fascinating to consider how memorable people from Survivor’s history will handle the current version of the show.
While there are endless reasons for fans to look forward to Survivor 50’s premiere, there also are reasons for the show’s dedicated viewers to be concerned. Not only that, but it is very clear that the people who competed during Survivor 50 should have been worried about returning to the show. One reason that is the case is the fact that Survivor 50’s Jenna Lewis-Dougherty once revealed how brutal the experience players go through after being voted out can be.
Jenna Lewis-Dougherty suffered after being voted out of Survivor: All-Stars
For several years, the team behind Survivor released what is known as Ponderosa videos. The footage included in those videos showed how recently voted-out players reacted in the minutes and hours after Jeff Probst snuffed their torch. While those videos often were lots of fun, and definitely should be brought back, the truth is that they didn’t come close to telling the full story.
Over the years, many former Survivor players have spoken about how the show took a major toll on them after the game ended. For example, many veterans of the show have spoken about suffering from illnesses and lasting physical effects after the game ended. While those stories are interesting and sad to learn about, fans should know that Survivor 50’s Jenna Lewis-Dougherty once gave a different perspective on the post-game experience.
In 2020, Entertainment Weekly’s Dalton Ross questioned several Survivor veterans about their experiences on the show. In July 2020, Lewis-Dougherty took part in one of those Quarantine Questionnaires. One of the questions that she fielded focused on whether she suffered from culture shock as she struggled to return to her normal life. In response, Lewis-Dougherty explained how much she was struggling when she flew back home and during the days that followed her being voted out.
“HUGE culture shock. On All-Stars, I was off the show at night 38, ate a ton, and couldn’t sleep in a bed, it felt too soft—or inside, it felt claustrophobic—so I tossed and turned all night. The next day, I kept to myself at Ponderosa and went to vote. The very next morning, we were on a plane back home. I was emaciated, my body covered in bug bites, and these poor plane saps sitting next to me must’ve thought I was harboring the black plague. Every time I took a bite of food, it was immediate bloating and bathroom trips. Super skinny, uncomfortable with society, oozing puss, and farting like I was rotting from the inside out, I must’ve been the world’s worst middle-seat dweller ever.
“When my parents picked me up at the airport near midnight in Augusta, Maine, they drove through a Dunkin Donuts drive-through and I was bawling as I shoved Munchkins in my mouth. They stopped for gas and I fell to my knees inside the gas station just running my hands over all of the food. I grabbed Hostess cakes and peanut butter. During Christmas break while at my parents in Maine, I couldn’t sleep in a bed, and kept getting up thinking I was in the jungle. Then I’d sneak out and make hot cocoa and dip anything I could find in peanut butter. How has peanut butter not been the ultimate sponsor of Survivor?”
As Survivor fans, it certainly seems like making it to the end of the game is the main goal that matters. However, Lewis-Dougherty’s description of what she went through after making it very far during one season proves that there are definite drawbacks to enjoying that success. After all, people who don’t last that long will have days to adjust before they fly back home.
From the moment that I learned Lewis-Dougherty is returning for Survivor 50, I have believed she is a threat to win the game. Not only that, I have been rooting for her to take the upcoming all-stars season by storm. I certainly still feel that way. However, knowing how she suffered for her success last time will make it a little bit easier to accept if she exits the game early, since I know that will give her more time to adjust.
