I'm A Survivor: Exclusive With Survivor China's Jaime Dugan

When the show Survivor first came on many years ago, I was definitely a fan. I just couldn’t believe they got a million dollars!

I always rooted for the underdog because I thought if they can overcome all the odds and obstacles, they deserved to win. Of course, I also rooted for the best people as well; I always liked All-Stars like Amber and Rupert from the other Survivors.

As for my own chances of winning, I always thought that if I got along with my tribe I could at least hopefully make it to merge, and that’s what happened. I got along well with my whole tribe. We had some great friendships. I knew I had to make bonds with those people because they’re kind of your fate out there.

I decided to try out for Survivor because I played a lot of sports in high school, but I haven’t been able to be involved in much competition since I’ve been in college. I thought Survivor would be a great challenge, both mentally and physically.

To get on the show, we had to go through a lot of interviews with the producers. When I heard I was chosen and would be going to China, I was so excited; I ran out of my house screaming for about five minutes straight.

I took one suitcase, which couldn’t be more than 50 pounds, and packed a lot of athletic clothes, a sports bra and sneakers. I knew we were going to do a photo shoot, so I took some clothes for that. You also have to keep in mind that you need to have stuff for in case you get kicked off the island.