Survivor is truly a game for those who are mentally and physically ready to take on any challenge thrown their way. And in a competition where every step has to be placed strategically, those who cannot deal with the same are shown the door.
One such contestant was Ashley Massaro, who despite facing severe medical issues, denied backing down from the competition. While her stint on Survivor was a short one her attitude and demeanor left an indelible mark on the show. Let’s dive deeper!
Ashley Massaro and Her Interesting Survivor Stint
Unlike many others, Ashley Massaro already had a big name before stepping into the Survivor universe. She was a professional WWE wrestler and also had a brief stint in the modeling world. Interestingly, she left wrestling in 2008 and shifted to working as a radio DJ, something that she continued to do before she passed away in 2019.
Out of the many things that Massaro had put her hands on, her brief participation in Survivor would definitely turn heads. She was a contestant in the fifteenth season of the show titled Survivor: China and was thrilled when she found out that she had actually made it.
But as soon as she entered the show, her bratty nature and constant fights with fellow participant Dave Cruser, rubbed everyone the wrong way. To add more to that she almost immediately became ill with severe diarrhea, making her unable to work as a team player. And in the second episode itself she was voted out with a 6-1 vote after which she went back to her DJ job.
She continued to do the same when in 2019 she didn’t show up at WWSK (a mainstream radio station) for her shift. The very next day paramedics responded to a rescue call, and she was found unresponsive. As they arrived at the hospital she was pronounced dead.
Jeff Probst Talked About the Endless Twists and Turns in the New Era of Survivor
For more than two decades, Survivor has kept fans hooked to their seats wanting more. In this regard, Jeff Probst has worked hard consistently to do full justice to his showrunner duties. While some of his ideas have been well-received by fans, others have also been criticized for their lack of effect on the game. For instance, the “new era” is filled with several twists, and has also been criticized on a number of occasions for being unfair.
Talking about the same, Probst added in his On Fire podcast via Cinema Blend, why producers like adding new things to the game. He added that it was meant to bring more danger into the show, as “On Survivor, danger means fun.” Further, these also help the players adapt to changing circumstances and situations. He also added:
You could have done this temporary switch a lot of ways. You could force the draw to be equal between men and women. You could force the draw to be an equal division of remaining tribe members. You could do all sorts of things to push the game in a direction you wanted it to go. Or you could give the game some autonomy by introducing chance. That is what typically excites us the most.
When it comes to bringing more thrill into the game, the viewers can definitely count on Probst for the same. Apart from his hosting duties, he had been deeply involved in other facets of the show as well, perfectly blending in his hosting and showrunner responsibilities.
While there’s still a whole lot to know about Survivor, with the host in the forefront the viewers can rest assured that he’ll continue to bring in more innovative yet gruesome puzzles and tasks on the screens.
You can watch Survivor on Hulu.
