Carolyn Wiger was a fan favorite on both Survivor Season 44 and The Traitors Season 3. Known for her quirky personality, being unapologetically emotional, and cunning gameplay, she is a reality legend. During her stint on Survivor, she placed third overall, proving that her competitors underestimated her gameplay.
In The Traitors, Carolyn was thrilled to be chosen as a Traitor. However, the turret was tumultuous and filled with big personalities. Fellow Survivor alum “Boston Rob” Mariano, along with Big Brother star Danielle Reyes and Bob The Drag Queen, made for a contentious quartet. In the end, Danielle managed to banish Carolyn, ending her traitorous dreams.
Now, Carolyn is taking part in the Cozy Earth Bed Rot Challenge. Reality Tea sat down with Carolyn to chat about why she decided to rot in bed, what surprised her about the Bed Rot Challenge, and which reality show was the most difficult.
Why did Carolyn sign up for the Bed Rot Challenge?
“I’m a lazy bum, and so I like rotting,” Carolyn explained. “I like sleeping, and so it’s like, why not? I mean, it’s like how can you turn that down? So, it’s like who doesn’t want to lie in bed, until you realize it’s more than just lying in bed.”
In this competition, the person who stays in bed the longest claims the $100,000 prize. However, there were challenges along the way, and the situation wasn’t as cozy as imagined.
The series, which is hosted by London Lazerson, will stream live on Cozy Earth’s YouTube channel on June 18. Several other reality stars competed, including Survivor and Traitors alum Natalie Anderson, Survivor star Ben Katzman, and Chase McWhorter from The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. Rounding out the cast were Love Island alum Vanna Einerson, Aaron Kahng from The Bachelorette, and four normies.
“I thought this was literally going to be a cake walk. I thought this was going to be you just sit there, you sleep, you nap when you want to nap. Especially with these Cozy Earth sheets and blankets,” the Survivor star said. “Like I was thinking, this is going to be kind of like a little vacation. No. This was not what I expected, but it makes it fun because otherwise, what are you doing?”
Carolyn added, “So, it’s like I’m glad there were activities and things that were always happening. I mean, you’re wanting them because you’re so bored.” According to Carolyn, dealing with the different personalities was difficult.
“To preserve my own mental health and just well-being and sanity, early on, I’m like, ‘I ain’t talking … there’s people that I’m just not going to ever vibe with. So, I’m just not talking to you,’” she explained.
Expect the unexpected in the Bed Rot Challenge
“What surprised me most was just that it was not what I thought it was. I thought it was simply rotting and sleeping, and the hardest thing would be just sitting still in the bed,” Carolyn said. “But like, no. It was so much more psychological than I thought it would be. It was very, just, mentally exhausting.”
She continued, “It was just not what I thought, in the best way, because I truly believe it’s going to be really entertaining and really great. And crazy and full of drama, which is going to be fun to watch.”
For Caroyn, this was an experience like no other. “This is like some sort of psychopath came up with this concept. It’s just unhinged,” Carolyn remarked. “All of the twists and the turns and just the psychotic stuff that I did not think was coming.”
So, did Carolyn have a strategy entering the Bed Rot Challenge? “Absolutely not. My strategy was to just … well, initially it was like, ‘I’m going to bug as many people as possible.’ Then I’m like, ‘I don’t know how that’s going to work out,’” the alcohol and drug counselor explained.
“And so, I just thought like, ‘You know what, I’ll just give it my best.’ My strategy was like, let’s see how long Iong I can frickin’ last before I want to literally do something bad,” the reality star added.
“People try to pregame, have alliances, have a master plan of what they’re going to do before they go in. You don’t ever know until you get there,” Carolyn said. “And I got there, I’m like, this is a whole different game. Crazy!”
Which reality show competition was the hardest?
Carolyn previously survived living on an island in Fiji and skulking around a castle in the Scottish Highlands. So, which competition was the toughest to navigate? “If this would have been longer, this is a contender. Like, I’m not kidding you. That’s the thing, too, with produced shows,” Carolyn explained.
“Survivor’s produced, but it’s like there’s so much free time. There’s so much time when you can just wander, and the cameras are there, and you forget about them. Versus, ‘Okay, next up we have this, and this activity.’ And it’s so, on to the next, on to the next.” She added, “If this were like a longer period of time, I would be like, ‘This is psycho, and this is really hard and could be the hardest.’”
Meanwhile, fans were disappointed that fan-favorite Carolyn wasn’t part of Survivor 50. “I was cut. So yeah, I was asked, then I was cut, so. But I’m over it,” Carolyn said.
She continued, “It was a great season. Of course, I watched it. It was great. And you know it’s like onward, forward. I’m grateful to have played one time, truly.”
Carolyn had no regrets about her Survivor experience. “It was so hard to get on Survivor the first time. If I don’t ever do it again, I’m fine. Like, I am grateful for the experience that I had,” Carolyn shared. “I have some cool souvenirs. I have a goat skull that I found in Fiji. Like, I’m good.”
Would Carolyn return to Traitors as a Faithful or a Traitor?
“I’d still want to be a Traitor. I just wanted to have fun in that role, and I just think that I was kind of with people that didn’t really want to have fun like that because they were taking it so seriously,” Carolyn said. “But I just wanted to like bust out more. So, I would have had more fun as a Traitor, I think, if I was just with some goofier people, to be honest. Even if I’m playing a game, how serious is [it] … we’re in a fricking castle, we’re like cosplaying. Like, come on.”
Carolyn added, “Again, some people, they like that, and they’re more like that. I’m not. No.”
If Carolyn could pick one player from Survivor or The Traitors to be part of the Bed Rot Challenge, who would she pick? “Yam Yam [Arocho] for the fun. People like that are so necessary. I’m not one of those people who take anything too seriously,” Carolyn stated.“This is the Bed Rot Challenge. I’m not breaking my back over it, nor am I going to die while bed rotting. So it’s like you need that comedic relief in environments like that.”
However, not all competitors on reality shows embrace having fun. “But there’s people that are just so, so intense with this stuff. Where it’s like, I’m not taking anything that seriously. I played like that with Traitors, Survivor as well, where it’s like I’m going to prioritize having fun. Or I’ll lose my dang mind,” the reality vet explained. “And so, you don’t always get to pick who you’re with, though, on the Bed Rot Challenge, and so you need more fun people.”
Are there more reality competitions in Carolyn’s future?
If Carolyn could play Survivor, The Traitors, or the Bed Rot Challenge again, which would she choose? “Oh my gosh. Traitors, a hundred percent. Survivor. All of them,” she said. “There’s something beautiful, unique, and special about them all. I can’t say that, like for Bed Rot, I’m dying to go do this weird sh*t again.”
Meanwhile, Carolyn has some reality show opportunities on the horizon. “I just did something that I can’t talk about yet because it’s not out. I’m always working on stuff and doing stuff,” Carolyn said. She continued, “I’m a mom full-time, obviously, so that comes first. I’m still a drug counselor. I have my life. But yeah, I love this stuff.”
Carolyn explained, “It’s like the opportunity to just travel and go places that I never would typically go and do things that I would never typically do. Of course, I’m all over it. When I’m able to, I try not to turn stuff down because it’s just fun, you know?”
You can check out Carolyn in Cozy Earth’s Bed Rot Challenge on Cozy Earth’s YouTube channel and via Cozy Earth’s TikTok.
This interview was edited for conciseness and clarity.
Survivor is available to stream on Paramount+, while The Traitors is available to stream on Peacock.
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