Carolyn Wiger

Proudly eccentric and unwilling to conceal her emotions, Carolyn formed numerous friendships and was unashamed to let her decisions be guided by her feelings. After attempting to establish herself as a credible threat by playing her long-hidden idol at the final seven, Carolyn narrowly escaped elimination at the final six when her allies Carson Garrett and Yam Yam Arocho stayed committed to their alliance. Ultimately, she made it to Final Tribal Council, but the jury was unmoved by her emotion-based plea and proved to be better persuaded of Yam Yam's strategic influence. With no votes to win, Carolyn finished the game as the second runner-up.

Profile[]

Retrieved from Parade.com

Age: 35
Hometown: North St. Paul, Minn.
Current Residence: Hugo, Minn.
Occupation: Drug Counselor
3 Words to Describe You: Passionate, a little bit loud, open
Why do you want to be part of SURVIVOR? I want to share my story. I want to bring the hope. Addiction looks different for everybody and recovery does too. SURVIVOR is so much more than a game to me. It's the human interactions, the growth and the fun! Of course, I want to be a part of that!
What's one life experience you feel has prepared you for the game? Overcoming my addiction and learning how to forgive, love and accept myself. Active addiction is mental and emotional torture. It took me years to realize my mistakes don't define me. I've worked hard to become this person I am proud of. I know this game will break me down but I am strong, resilient and most importantly I believe in myself!
Which previous player do you identify with the most? Who do you think you will play most like? I so badly want to be like, "Yeah, I'm going to be as strategic as [Kelley] Wentworth and cutthroat like Parvati." But that isn't happening because I am way more Noura. My entire life I've been told that I'm too this, I'm too that, I'm too loud…too much. It has been my dream to play this game as myself and Maryanne is proof it can be done. I want to have fun like Tiffany, be lovable like Maryanne, and free-spirited and spontaneous like Noura.
What will you value in an alliance partner? I know this is a game but we are human first. My alliances will go deeper than strategy because my bonds will be real. I value authentic connections and interactions. My alliance goal would be something like the beautiful bond between Shan and Liana, or the partnership of Christian and Gabby (pre-merge though).
Favorite Hobbies: Gardening, ice skating, rescuing bunnies
Pet Peeves: When people ask me if I'm sick if I'm not wearing makeup. People who make fun of what is different from them or what they don't understand. Gel polish that chips quickly.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Staying sober for the last 13 years and raising my son in recovery.
What is something we would never know from looking at you? I eat so much candy, it's ridiculous. I've had three crowns because I keep cracking my teeth from jawbreakers and atomic fireballs. I've fallen asleep eating chocolate too many times to count.
Who in your life is your biggest inspiration and why? My mom and dad. My mom is the most selfless person I know. She's my rock and never hesitates to help, even when her own needs are pushed aside. My dad dropped out of school and joined the circus. He decided to turn his life around so he went back to school, got a law degree and was elected into the Senate. He believed in me when I didn't believe in me and pushed me to do better no matter what my past looked like.
Why will you be the Sole Survivor? Because my authentic connections will win me the game!^[2]

Survivor[]

As soon as the game began, Carolyn stood out for her unrestrained personality as she squawked through her struggles at the opening Reward Challenge. After single-handedly blowing Tika's lead on the challenge, Carolyn joined her tribe in returning to camp empty-handed, but they were fortunate to win their supplies through the Savvy or Sweat challenge. Thereafter, Carolyn bonded with Bruce Perreault, but this short-lived friendship ended when Bruce was evacuated for a concussion he had sustained earlier at the Reward Challenge. During this time, a three-person alliance between Tika's younger members Carson Garrett, Helen Li, and Sarah Wade had taken shape, leaving herself and Yam Yam Arocho on the outside.

Noticing that she had become an outcast, Carolyn hunted for a key to the "idol cage" at their camp; her endeavors paid off as she earned a Hidden Immunity Idol, but she was unable to close the cage before her tribemates had already noticed its being tampered with. Still, by the time Tika lost their first Immunity Challenge later that day and were headed to Tribal Council, nobody suspected that she had the idol. Carolyn's fortunes took an uptick when Yam Yam expressed an interest in working with her. The duo realized they had to pull in Carson to gain the numbers, and at Tribal Council, their efforts paid off as they swayed Carson away from his original alliance to form the Tika Three.

Now in the majority, Carolyn did her best to placate outsider Sarah, but did not entertain any ideas of wavering from her alliance. She did, however, plant the fake idol she received from the idol cage at camp, which she followed up with an elaborate ruse by placing a red X in the birdcage and a corresponding red X where she hid the counterfeit. The ruse successfully baited Sarah into claiming the fake idol right before a surprise tribe switch brought Soka member Josh Wilder onto the tribe as Carson was sent away to Ratu. On paper, the three original Tikas were happy to stick together, but Yam Yam's plan to put up a facade that he and Carolyn were on bad terms backfired and caused Carolyn to doubt her relationship with him. Unbeknownst to Sarah and Yam Yam, Carolyn began entertaining the idea of working with Josh to blindside one of the Tikas; this plan was solidified once he showed her his idol. At Tribal Council, she expressed her frustration to an oblivious Sarah and Yam Yam and ultimately sided with Josh to blindside Sarah, leaving Yam Yam shocked and on the outs.

The next morning, Carolyn and Josh began having second thoughts about their working relationship with each other and both vied for Yam Yam's allegiance. After Tika lost yet another Immunity Challenge, Carolyn was sent to the sanctuary with Ratu's Brandon Cottom and Soka's Danny Massa. There, they enjoyed wraps and drinks, but Carolyn felt left out of the conversation as the pair bonded. She returned to camp in preparation for Tribal Council. During this time, Josh revealed that he had a second idol, though this was quickly dismissed as a bluff once Carolyn and Yam Yam saw the flimsy bracelet he tried to pass off as an idol and the parchment that he had already shown her with the idol he already played. After all was said and done, Jeff Probst showed up to inform the Tikas that Tribal Council was cancelled in light of Matthew Grinstead-Mayle's departure from the game. Though she did not complain about staying in the game, Carolyn remained dismayed that she could not vote out Josh that night.

The next day, the tribes convened at Ratu beach for the commencement of the individual game. Carolyn and Yam Yam reunited with Carson and reaffirmed their allegiance to the Tika Three. At the Earn the Merge challenge, Carolyn found herself on the winning team. At the merge feast, Carolyn's team tried to strategize around the rumor that Josh had an active idol. Though she tried to tell them that it was fake, her inputs were ignored, much to her vexation. Back at camp, the castaways decided to split the votes to flush the idol allegedly in Josh's possession, and Carolyn was onboard with voting against Kane Fritzler as the secondary target. At Tribal Council, she found out that it was Yam Yam that had been the backup plan, but the primary plan proceeded as discussed with Josh leaving that night right before the tribes formally merged.

At the first individual Immunity Challenge, the Va Va tribe was surprised that they would be split into two teams, with the last person standing in the challenge helping their entire team abstain from Tribal Council. Carolyn and Carson ended up being on Frannie Marin's winning team, and found themselves powerless to protect Yam Yam, from whom they had been separated. Thankfully, the Ratu Alliance decided to start their campaign against the Soka Alliance, and they drew first blood by voting out Matt Blankinship and keeping Yam Yam in the game.

With the Tika Three intact, they began to kick their strategy into gear, though Carolyn largely played as a subordinate to Carson and Yam Yam's schemes. After aiding the Soka Alliance in blindsiding Brandon and Kane at the final ten and nine respectively, the Tika Three pivoted towards taking out the Soka Alliance. During this time, Carolyn had bonded with Frannie, who had been identified as a significant challenge threat. Sensing that Frannie was on the chopping block, Carolyn plead to Carson and Yam Yam to blindside Heidi Lagares-Greenblatt instead. However, at Tribal Council, she found that she had been left out of the plan as Frannie made her exit. She returned to camp angry and disappointed, but regrouped with her alliance the next morning.

At this juncture, the Tika Three had popped up onto everyone's radars, and Heidi and Danny Massa decided to target them to even the numbers between the original tribes. Observing Danny's body language, Carolyn picked up on the conspiracy against the Tikas and informed Carson that she would play her idol to save him. Meanwhile, Carson pitched to the former Ratus Jaime Lynn Ruiz and Lauren Harpe to vote with them. At Tribal Council, Carolyn kept her promise and played her idol for Carson, but Jaime and Lauren ended up siding with the Tikas to send Danny home regardless. After returning to camp, Carolyn gushed about the long journey she had embarked with her idol, prompting her tribemates to start considering voting her out before the Final Three. Despite his long-time friendship with Carolyn, Yam Yam strongly entertained this idea and discussed it with Carson, Jaime, and Lauren. In the minority, Jaime and Lauren were more than happy to proceed with the plan, but Carson spared no effort in persuading Yam Yam to stay Tika strong so that they could hold the majority heading into the final five. At Tribal Council, Carson and Yam Yam spoke broadly about being torn between head and heart, causing Carolyn to worry about being voted out. However, this turned out to be an elaborate ruse to keep Jaime and Lauren comfortable, and Jaime was voted out instead, leaving Carolyn confused but relieved.

At the final five, the Tika Three affirmed their plan to go to the Final Three together by eliminating Lauren and Heidi in the next two cycles. However, after the Reward/Immunity Challenge, Carolyn was left out of Carson's sanctuary reward and spent the afternoon stewing with Heidi and Lauren, with whom she discussed the prospect of blindsiding a social threat in Yam Yam. That night, she was surprised to hear Lauren claim that no one had opened any form of communication with her; in the end, she stayed loyal to Tika and voted Lauren out as planned. Heidi then defied the Tikas to win the Final Immunity Challenge, leaving her with the decision of whom to put up for the fire-making challenge at the final four Tribal Council. She expressed interest in relinquishing immunity to take out one of the Tikas, but Carolyn and Yam Yam were confident in their fire-making abilities, leaving Carson as the weak link. Later that night, Heidi followed through with her plan, saving both Carolyn and Yam Yam before defeating Carson by building a fire in record time.

At Final Tribal Council, Carolyn made an emotional plea to the jury and attempted to distance her game from Yam Yam's. However, the jury was indifferent to her case and proved to be more convinced of Yam Yam's strategic control. With Danny casting a vote for his ally Heidi and the rest of the jury backing Yam Yam, Carolyn finished the game as the second runner-up with no votes to win.

Post-Survivor[]

• Carolyn celebrated 14 years of sobriety on May 20, 2023.
• In December 2023, Carolyn announced that she had left her relationship with her husband.^[3]
• In February 2024, ahead of the Survivor 46 premiere, Carolyn and Carson started a Survivor-themed podcast titled "Let's Get Tribal".^[4] The podcast was taken down by production a few weeks later.
• In 2024, Carolyn competed on the third season of The Traitors.^[5]

Trivia[]

• Carolyn is the daughter of politician and Minnesota Senate member Chuck Wiger.
• Carolyn had the first confessional of Survivor 44.
  • The season opened with this confessional, marking a first in the show's history.
• Carolyn lost 19 lbs. during Survivor 44.^[6]
• During her exit interview with Rob Has a Podcast, Carolyn was awarded $100,000 by Australian musician Sia, who declared her as her favorite contestant of all time.^[7]

References[]

Survivor 44 Castaways
Brandon Ratu	Bruce Tika	Carolyn Tika	Carson Tika	Claire Soka	Danny Soka	Frannie Soka	Heidi Soka	Helen Tika
Jaime Ratu	Josh Soka	Kane Ratu	Lauren Ratu	Maddy Ratu	Matt Soka	Matthew Ratu	Sarah Tika	Yam Yam Tika