Read on for my interview with Maryanne, and make sure to check in with Parade.com every day for interviews with this season’s contestants and other tidbits. Survivor 42 premieres on March 9 with a special two-hour premiere on CBS.
Interview with Maryanne from Survivor 42
Why are you here on Survivor? Number one, I love the game. But I think that I could say that everybody here loves the game. But the reason why I’m personally here on Survivor is that I feel as if I have a story to tell. I was a super weird kid. And I want to prove to myself and other people that you can be weird and don’t have to change yourself to succeed. What’s your history with watching Survivor? So I’m actually a relatively new Survivor fan. The first season I watched fully was David vs. Goliath. But then I went back, and I think I’ve watched all but six episodes of the show. But even before watching the whole show, Survivor’s always been trickled in my life. I think I heard of it for the first time in sixth grade. I used to be a fan of a parody show of Survivor. So it was always in the back of my mind. But it wasn’t until 2018 where I was like, “Hey, yo, this show is top dog!” Give me one Survivor winner and one non-winner who you identify with the most. I’m going to be a cheat and go with two for each of them. For Survivor winner, let’s go with Sarah Lacina. Because she was someone who’s like, “Yeah, we’re all friends. We’re all buddy-buddy.” Then she’d stab you in the back. And hopefully, that’s what I want to do. And taking it way back, I’d say someone like Vecepia. Vecepia was someone who was religious like me. She was the first person to orchestrate a flip, which changed the whole tone of the game. And I really see myself in her as well. As for non-winners, on the outside, I’d say I’m more like Lauren Beck from season 39. I’m outgoing and bubbly. My inside is a little bit more like Gabby Pascuzzi from Season 37, where I’m neurotic and emotional. And then maybe we can add a little bit of a dash of Debbie from season 32. Not 34, just 32. (Laughs.) What’s one life experience you feel has prepared you most for the game? I think one life experience that really has prepared me for this game was when I went to get my lifeguarding certificate. I used to be terrified of water because I almost drowned when I was a young child. I started to go and push through that fear. But even when I was doing my lifeguarding, I was a slow swimmer. So I just failed and failed the timed swim portion of it. And since I started late, everyone was younger than me. And they all passed. And I’m the only one just failing continuously. There was a moment when I had to decide, “Am I just going to give up on this dream? Or am I going to push to go achieve it?” I had to just keep on pushing and keep on trying. And then I think on my seventh attempt, I finally got the timed swim. That tenacity is something that will prepare me for the game. What do you think people will perceive you as? I think people will perceive me as someone who’s just super bubbly and energetic. I love talking to everyone. I love making bonds. And I also feel as if people could perceive me as someone who might play a little bit more conservatively based on my faith. Hopefully, I’ll be able to go and tarnish that perception. What will the other players dislike about you? I think the thing that players will dislike about me is that I can just never shut up. I just keep on yada, yada, yada, blah, blah, blah, talking, talking, talking. People are like, “Oh my god, is she going to stop? Does she need to breathe?” That’s something which I know that I’ll need to control. But you have one mouth and two ears. So I need to do more listening than talking. What do you desire in an alliance partner? I’m pondering over the idea of ultimate honesty if we’re both on the same level of threat. A lot of times, what you see in alliances is that if someone says, “It’s mid-game. This person is a threat, and I’m a threat. I’m going to cut them off.” What happens is that the next person actually gets cut off immediately after. So I’m looking for someone who’s risky. Someone who’s like, “We gotta go one more vote. Okay, now’s the time to go and fight against each other.” b So someone who’s willing to be patient, but also willing to go and jump in. What’s the best advice you received before coming out to play? Honestly, the best advice that I received was from my friend. He said, “Just never stop praying.” I’m someone who’s very religious. And you can go, and you can prepare as much as you want to go on the show. But the thing is, it’s all based on the people around you and what’s happening on the island. So all your preparation can be all for naught. I think what’s super important is to make sure that I’m always prepared in my spiritual side. I’m always praying and just being like, “God, give me strength. Make sure that I’m there to see another day. Make sure that I go and make those right decisions to keep me grounded.” Because on an island where you can’t trust anyone, the only person you can trust is God. When you’re at your lowest moment in the game, what’s one happy memory you’ll pull from in your time of need? This is actually kind of funny because it’s not a happy memory. But it’s a good memory. I’ll remember a time when I was just with my friends, and I was just crying because I honestly felt super alone, just because of a situation where I got into my head. And even though I was crying in that situation, I had the support of my friends to be like, “Hey, we support you, don’t worry. We love you unconditionally. And we trust you unconditionally.” It’s something that will bring me from my lowest point, because even if I feel alone on the island, I know that I have a support system at home. What celebrity or fictional character would you want to come out for a Loved Ones visit? I don’t really follow celebrities. And I read too many books just to pick one good character. So this is a hard one. I’m just going to have to go with my gut with the safe bet of Beyonce. Because Beyonce is Beyonce! You can go never go wrong with Beyonce. (Laughs.) But the issue might be that everyone picks her. So it’s like, “Here’s your loved one, Beyonce! And here’s your loved one, Beyonce! And one more person’s loved one, Beyonce!” (Laughs.) Next, check out our interview with Survivor 42 contestant Marya Sherron.
