Last night on
Survivor: Samoa, 39 year old Laura Morett, the lobbyist
enabler from Salem, Oregon, became the third member of the jury. Facing
a deadlock and the possibility of picking rocks, rocket scientist John
Fincher switched his allegiance on the Tribal Council revote to send
his long time ally packing.
Laura was a different kind of player than
Survivor has seen in recent
seasons - an athletically strong, strategically-involved older woman
who defied stereotypes. She avoided the pitfalls of several past
outspokenly Christian contestants and became a leader of both male and
female contestants, older and younger. Some of her strategic decisions,
such as alienating Shambo and cutting Eric loose, were game-changing
mistakes in hindsight. But I'll miss her presence on the show.
When I interviewed Laura earlier today I asked her how she avoided the
fates of past outspoken Christian contestants like Leslie Nease, Dirk
Been and John Raymond; I also inquired about her torn Achilles tendon,
her work as a lobbyist and whether anyone saw Natalie coming as a power
player.
Q: Some of the most natural, comfortable strategists in Survivor
history have been Christian - Tina Wesson, Teresa Cooper, Vecepia
Towery. But many strong Christians have been eliminated disappointingly
early, either because they faced rampant prejudice or found themselves
in situations they were uncomfortable with. You seemed comfortable out
there. What do you see dividing these two groups of Christians?
I guess I would have to ask you "What is someone's definition of a
Christian?" I am a Christian. That means I am a sinner. I make
mistakes. I am so far from perfect. I never went in with an attitude of
"I'm going to preach to the people." I went in to win a million
dollars, and be myself, and hopefully they will see that there is
something different about me. I love Jesus. He has changed my life and
my heart. If they ask me what is different about me, I will gladly
share my story; but it is never or was never my intent to shove my
belief's in any ones face. Was that too preachy?
Q: Along the same lines, you had a conversation with Russell a couple
of episodes back about your respective religious backgrounds. Tell us
about that. Was he sincere with you?
First off, we never bonded. Nat and I did. Russell is just plain
creepy. He was aggressive and was trying to bully me. I will say, for
the most part it was a friendly rivalry, but there was a time when he
crossed a line and became threatening. I didn't much care for that side
of him.
Q: I understand that just before the game you tore your Achilles
tendon, but we never saw any sign of it on the show. How did you
compensate in the challenges?
If you go back and watch the footage closely, you see me limping. You
know, I am so competitive and aggressive, so my adrenaline would kick
in and I would just push through the pain and pray that I would not
tear completely, God totally protected me and keep me physically safe
and strong. I wouldn't realize the pain until after the challenge, then
I would have to sit in the ocean and soak my foot and try not to let my
team know how bad it was. Look, I'm a tough girl, I gave birth to 3
kids without even licking an aspirin, I can handle a little torn
Achilles.
Q: Natalie is emerging as an unlikely power player this season. Did anyone recognize her influence at the time?
Nope, nobody realized it.
Q: Tell us about your work for the Washington lobby. What issues are
you working on? Do you ever see yourself running for public office?
Well, I don't work for the Washington lobby, I work at our State
Capitol running the office that our Lobbyists work out of, I have
nooooo intention of running of public office, but I do intend to become
a public speaker and hopefully get a chance to encourage women and tell
them of their value and share the Gospel. God bless.
-Interview by Henry Jenkins
(Image courtesy of CBS)