Editor’s note: This article discusses eating disorders, which may be disturbing to some readers.
In partnership with Tulip Tree Counseling, Vanderbilt’s Center for Student Wellbeing hosted four cast members from CBS’s reality television show “Survivor” Feb. 11. Approximately 55 students, faculty and community members filled the audience while the panel discussed their experiences on the show and their tactics for maintaining their mental health.
Director of the Center for Student Wellbeing, Rachel Eskridge, commenced the event by introducing the Tulip Tree Counseling group, founded by Laura Hamilton (M.Ed. ‘17), before then bringing in the four “Survivor” panelists — Julie Alley (season 45 contestant), Savannah Louie (season 49 winner), Dee Valladares (season 45 winner) and Sam Phalen (season 47 runner-up). Valladares and Louie also participated in season 50 of “Survivor,” which premieres Feb. 25, 2026.
“‘Survivor’ is such an incredible game, but it also represents so much about our human experience,” Eskridge said. “There’s connection; pressure; uncertainty.”
The Tulip Tree group led the questions, starting off by asking how the contestants felt their childhoods shaped their response to adversity during the game. Each panelist described their upbringing, detailing how it inspired their determination throughout the show.
“I am the youngest of all my extended family, the youngest on the block growing up. I was always the smallest,” Phalen said. “I think it instilled a competitive chip on my shoulder. That, combined with the overall demeanor of my parents, I became an achiever. … I was okay pushing myself out of my comfort zone as long as I would excel at what I was doing.”
While Valladares and Louie shared similar sentiments to Phalen, Alley discussed how her choice to go on “Survivor” contrasted with how she grew up, as she had always done things for others rather than for herself.
“I always love to make other people feel included, and that was my role,” Alley said. “For me to go on ‘Survivor,’ that was crazy. It was a real risk for me, and it took me until I was 49.”
The next question addressed to the panelists pertained to their experience during and after their season on “Survivor.” The conversation shifted away from its light-hearted tone, as the contestants described eating disorders and difficulty separating themselves from the game. Louie specifically highlighted the over-glorification of starvation, especially on the show.
“The hardest part about my experience was everything that came after,” Louie said. “People don’t talk about the eating disorder aspect of it all. Coming back to normalcy was incredibly difficult when it came to food.”
Hamilton followed by asking how Louie and Valladares prepared for the harsh environment on the show the second time, considering their return for season 50. While Valladares touched on shifting her mindset to being okay with others constantly observing her, Louie mentioned that she went to therapy, an option CBS offers to all the contestants during and after filming.
“I had two months to prep for season 50. I think one of the things I really struggled with was having that fear of being perceived,” Valladares said. “If you first go on a TV show, I have to ask the questions: ‘Do you know who you are, and are you comfortable with who you are?’”
Post-game relationships were also discussed, and Valladares returned the laughter to the room by describing her friendship with Alley.
“You could run me over with a truck, and I’m like, ‘That’s okay.’ That’s how I was with Julie,” Valladares said. “Post-game for me felt very awesome to have someone.”
When asked how their mentality around the show changed since participating, Phalen and Valladares both described how they felt more empathetic and less judgmental toward others following “Survivor.”
“The elephant in the room in this show is the edit. It’s something you become hyperaware of on the show. They do have a television show to make,” Phalen said. “You get to experience things being framed in a different way from your experience. That has helped me watch the show with a little bit more grace and a little bit more understanding. It will be shown in the way that it is shown for TV purposes, and that’s okay.”
Finally, the panelists concluded the event by touching on how they pushed through the game, emphasizing to the Vanderbilt students in the audience the importance of mental toughness.
“If you think about 26 days, it’s kind of a long time. The best thing to do is worry about making it to day 15. Never once during that time did I think: ‘Okay, let’s make it to day 26,’” Louie said. “Big dreams can feel overwhelming when we look at them from that scale. My advice: one day at a time. It’s just about surviving that day.”
Following the event, Hamilton told The Hustler that her love both for the show and for her alma mater motivated her to put the event together.
“Julie lives in Nashville. We’ve connected over social media, and I am also a ‘Survivor’ fan. As my practice has grown, I have always dreamed about having a full circle moment of giving back to Vanderbilt or collaborating with Rachel for student wellbeing,” Hamilton said.
Junior Andrew Lopez-Couto attended the event and shared that he liked how the conversation revolved around mental health and the contestants’ individual experiences.
“It was cool just having players, especially two winners, come to our school and talk about their experiences on ‘Survivor,’” Lopez-Couto said. “It was just really cool to be able to hear about how they grew up and how ‘Survivor’ affected their mental health and the rest of their lives. And I am just really grateful to hear from them, and talk to them and meet them.”
Sophomore Jenny Lee also contributed that she enjoyed the event, despite not ever watching the show.
“This event was really amazing. I’ve actually never heard of ‘Survivor,’ but now I want to watch it,” Lee said. “I think that even though they’re celebrities, this event really humanized them, and it was a really, really insightful experience.”
