There are a few reasons Carolyn Wiger became reality television gold when she first hit screens on Survivor 44 in 2023. For one thing, there are the facial expressions. Just epic in every way. There is also the incredibly inspiring backstory of overcoming major obstacles to the point of not just surviving, but thriving.
However, what truly makes Carolyn can’t-miss TV is the way she is such an open book, telling you exactly what she is feeling and why. We saw it on Survivor and then saw it again on The Traitors when she mixed it up with Danielle Reyes multiple times in both the turret and at the roundtable.
Carolyn Wiger on ‘Survivor 44’.
Robert Voets/CBS
Which is why it might be surprising for some to hear Carolyn taking herself to task for not expressing her emotions enough while on the show, specifically at final Tribal Council, when she was facing the jury and lost to Yam Yam Arocho and Heidi Lagares-Greenblatt in a 7–1–0 vote. Not only that, but she has one jury member in particular she wishes she had shared a piece of her mind with, and yes, she is naming names.
Carolyn’s confession takes place on an upcoming episode of Masters of Reality, the new show hosted by former Survivor 46 finalist Ben Katzman that describes itself as “bringing creative oddballs together — from rockers to reality TV icons — for unfiltered conversations about life, art, and embracing your inner weirdo.” We’ve got the exclusive advance clip for you in the video below.
Carolyn is not the only Survivor contestant guesting on the episode. Sugar Kiper (Gabon and Heroes vs. Villains), Owen Knight (season 43) and David Wright (Millennials vs. Gen X and Edge of Extinction) also appear as a makeshift jury. Sugar starts the segment off by asking, “Is there anyone from your season, Carolyn, that you did not get to tell exactly how you feel? So, if there is anybody — you don’t have to say who it is — but you can go ahead and say it.”
Oh, she says who it is alright. “Yeah, Danny.”
That would be seventh place finisher Danny Massa. After asking what the question was again and then proclaiming “it doesn’t matter,” Caorlyn goes on to explain her “biggest regret” to Ben, Sugar, and the others. “Did I tell people how I felt? Well, yes, but I wish I would’ve told them off more. Yes, I do. And it’s like, why am I being like, ‘I’m gonna be nice to you.’ You don’t respect me. You don’t like me. You don’t! So what the f— am I doing trying to appease you? It’s true!”
In fact, Caorlyn wishes she had acted more like Sugar when the actress and pin-up model entered the Gabon final Tribal Council with a no-apologies approach to certain jurors. “I’m gonna talk about you again, Sugar. You’re like, ‘I don’t care. Don’t vote for me.’”
If she could go back in time, Caorlyn would have done the same. “I wish I would’ve [been] like ‘F— off.’ But yes, we are two very different people and that’s okay and you can still respect each other, but it’s that level of looking down on.”
David Wright, Owen Knight, Sugar Kiper, Carolyn Wiger and Ben Katzman on ‘Masters of Reality’.
Masters of Reality
Carolyn thought that freaks and geeks would be more appreciated and understood by fellow players after the triumph of another goofy fan favorite on Survivor 42. “I f—ing thought after Maryanne won, that’s paving the way. I did. And yes, Maryanne’s really smart and she’s way intelligent, and I’m not saying I’m not smart, but I’m not to that level. So she’s like a freak, but with…. You know what I’m saying? And I just thought… but yeah, what was the question?”
It is at this point that Ben jumps in as host and asks his guest, “If there was something you could say to somebody on your cast, what would it be? And you could either go off or give them a loving piece of advice.”
“A loving piece of advice?” Caorlyn responds incredulously while showing a sign of disgust on her face. “No. Some people just click and some people don’t. But I still genuinely, and this is the truth, I genuinely want to know about people, and I cared and I thought, ‘Isn’t that what people do on Survivor?’”
Apparently not! “No. Let’s sit and talk about our favorite strudel. And I don’t get it. And we spend so much time just sitting on our asses. What a perfect time. And I thought like, ‘We all go through a lot to get cast on this show. There’s gonna be some really interesting people. I’m really excited to meet y’all.’”
Owen Knight, David Wright, Ben Katzman, Carolyn Wiger, and Sugar Kiper on ‘Masters of Reality’.
Masters of Reality
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According to Carolyn, the excitement was not always reciprocal. “No, they weren’t. And so it’s just like, we’re not doing anything else out there. Why the hell wouldn’t you want to take the time? But no one does. And it’s the truth.”
Of course, with $1 million dollars at stake, the old reality TV cliché of “I’m not here to make friends” comes to mind, to which Caorlyn says, “The other side to it is people are here to play a game, and that’s it. That’s fine. But could you have at least faked it?”
Check out the video above and then watch the full episode of Ben Katzman’s Masters of Reality (available on all major podcast platforms, and well as YouTube and Substack) when it drops on Tuesday, Aug. 19.
