10 Questions with Survivor Holly Hoffman

Photo Credit: Photo courtesy Holly Hoffman

Survivor Nicaragua contestant Holly Hoffman.

Dani Peterson, Yearbook editor
July 13, 2011
Filed under Top Stories, Uncategorized

South Dakotan Holly Hoffman traveled all the way to Nicaragua to make an attempt at winning one million dollars on the reality TV show Survivor. Yearbook editor Dani Peterson sat down with her after Hoffman spoke to the freshman and sophomore classes during Dakota Step testing. Hoffman shared her experiences on the show and the life lessons she learned after pushing herself to extremes.

Have you always lived in Eureka, So. Dak.? Yes, I graduated from the Eureka High School, and I attended one year at Northern State University, and then I got married, and then I went back. Now I have about a year and a half to be an elementary teacher, so I’m kind of checking in to taking some classes.

Did you ever picture yourself on national television before? Honestly, I did not. When I applied for this show, it happened so quickly. Jimmie Johnson had applied three times, Marty applied four times, Jill applied three times. I sent one tape in, one application, and it took me a year to get on the show. I thought, you know, there’s a hundred thousand people, I’m just going to try it and see if I get a call back. And when they started calling me back, I couldn’t believe it.

What was the most miserable experience? Most definitely, 100%, I’d say the rain. The rain and the bug bites. I am not kidding you, I would sleep sitting up, curled in a ball, with my forehead on my knees, and I would try to sleep in the pouring rain. And it was freezing. There were some nights where I would just shake constantly and I would try to sleep in the pouring rain. And towards the end of the game I would sleep on bamboo, and I had lost so much weight, and I would lay on my side and I remember my bone starting to burn, and my bone would rub on to that bamboo, like my hips. So, the elements were unbelievable.

What were the most difficult, the physical tasks, or the mental tasks? I think I was more prepared physically for the game. The starvation was really hard, so besides the starvation, missing my family was really hard. Mentally, I wasn’t really prepared, but I really don’t know how you can prepare yourself for this game. The mental part, when you’re sleep deprived, and you are so hungry, the mental part is really hard.

Do you think the right person won the game? People ask me that question all the time and you can never change the outcome of the game. Fabio is the winner; you need to accept that; everyone needs to accept that

Did you think making allies was worth it? This is really going to shock you, but I did not know that Sash was making an alliance with everybody until I watched the show. I think making alliances is a huge thing in this game, but you have to go with your gut feeling. And you have to make an alliance with someone who you can really, really trust. Really, you can’t trust anyone in this game. But, you know, yeah. I think getting in a really strong alliance is huge.

 It seems people either love or hate reality TV. Some say Survivor is rehearsed and not real TV. Can you defend Survivor as real TV? It is not rehearsed, they do not tell you what to say, it all depends on how they edit the show. Casting crew is very important and of course, editing is very important. They could’ve made me look like I was completely crazy, but my edit was perfect. It was exactly how I was. I was overwhelmed at the beginning, I had a complete meltdown, you know. I stole this guy’s $1,600 pair of shoes; I shouldn’t have done that. I had no reason to do it, but he was making fun of me, and I did it out of anger. But I went back and I said I’m sorry, because I said before the show that I was going to be myself. I was either going to make it, or not, and I’m not going to change who I am.

What life lessons did you learn from being involved with Survivor? I would have to say the first one is perseverance. Never give up. You can do anything you tell yourself you can do. And if you never try, you’re never going to know. If I wouldn’t have mailed in my application, and the only reason why I didn’t was I kept thinking, There’s 100,000 people applying for this show, and I kept saying, They’re never going to pick me, and they did. So don’t ever tell yourself or let others tell you that you can’t follow a dream you can’t pursue–because you can.

Fire is life. How does the game Survivor and the theme “fire is life” mimic real life?  On Survivor, fire is life. But I would have to say in real life, making the right choices. If you fail, failure isn’t falling down, it’s staying down. So in life, I would compare fire to survivor to be taking every day at a time and never giving up. And motivate yourself to being the best person you can be because life is short. Even in real life, your fire can be put out at anytime. You never know if today is the day that you’re going to be in a car accident, or if you’re going to lose someone that you love. So take everyday and live it to the fullest.

Do you have any advice on those who are graduating who are about to go “survive”? Surround yourself with positive people. Surround yourself with people that have the same goals as you do. They’re the people who are going to help you get through college. It’s too easy to walk away; it’s too easy to say I can’t do it because of a class. Get a tutor. Real life is about surviving. Real life is about setting goals, self-motivating yourself. You’re going to have to get up in the morning on your own and get up and go to class. You’re going to have to go to the library on your own and study. Your parents aren’t going to be there saying, Come on, you need to get to class. You need to tell yourself that you can do it even in the days that you think you can’t. When you walk out of a high school, it’s a different world. It really doesn’t hit you until you graduate. Your friends are going in different directions. And you have to walk into a room, and start introducing yourself to people; you have to make new friends. It’s the best time of your life. It’s the time of your life where you can be selfish. You have time for yourself, and that’s what you need to do. Take advantage, get involved.