Survivor players get a high volume of feedback while their seasons are airing. Just last week, I wrote a story about new player Carson Garrett yelling at former players on Twitter to stop being so critical, but even in the harshest of cases, that former player feedback is nothing compared to what castaways hear from fans. Viewers can be absolutely ruthless, which explains why new contestant Carolyn Wiger recorded a video telling people to stop DMing her to say she’s an “ugly crackhead.”
If you’ve watched even ten minutes of Survivor 44’s two episodes, at least the parts that weren't major medical issues, you’re probably familiar with exactly who I’m talking about. The thirty-five year old drug counselor from Minnesota talks openly about her history of addiction and her current work as a drug counselor. In a related story, she’s also fantastic and one of the quirkiest and most likable contestants in the history of the show. Tons of fans have hit up Twitter to talk about how much they’re loving her, but plenty of others have also jumped on social media to talk about why they don’t. She’s okay with that hate. She just doesn't understand why people are sending negative messages to her DMs. Here’s a portion of her quote…
I keep getting these messages calling me an ugly crackhead, and trust me, I value the freedom of speech. Say whatever you want but say it somewhere else. I don’t need it directly sent to me. The reason I’m saying this is because I do value going through my messages and responding to people, but (having to) constantly be sifting through these crack messages (is) offensive.
Sending a DM to an actor, celebrity or reality show contestant to hate on them is an embarrassing move I will never understand. I can’t imagine there is very much overlap between people doing that and people who are genuinely happy and content with their lives. If you want to say something, fine, but specifically sending it to someone’s inbox because you want them to read it is such a low class move.
You can check out Carolyn’s entire video below…
PSA for assholes! Let’s talk about it. 🌈💜☮️ pic.twitter.com/dJdameEccnMarch 13, 2023
But for the record, I think Carolyn is great. Having the courage to completely be yourself on national television is something very few people are willing to do, and that raw authenticity makes her uniquely watchable. I have no idea what her trajectory is going to be in the game, but given the fan response, it seems very likely we’ll see her play again or do another reality show if she’s interested in that. Watching her bounce off fellow weirdo Yam Yam has been an absolute highlight among numerous highlights this season.
Keep doing you, Carolyn. Most of us are loving it, and for those of you who don’t, say whatever you want— just don’t tag her or send a DM. That’s rude.
Survivor 44 airs on Wednesday nights on CBS. You can watch old seasons with a Paramount Plus subscription.
