These Three Girlies: Survivor....We Are Practically Famous

My husband is pretty excited today. Our local cable service, here in Japan, decided to crawl out of the Dark Ages and offer digital cable. For almost nine months, we haven’t been able to DVR anything and that’s a problem for my man. It means things like Monday night football, aren’t aired until Tuesday morning when he is at work. That….and he only had one remote to hold, instead of two.

But before I make him seem like too much a caveman, the first thing he recorded on the DVR was Survivor for me. I felt so loved! Along with him filling my car with gas and killing spiders, remembering to DVR one of my favorite shows is considered FULL ON “romance”, here at my house.

My husband and I have pretty much watched every Survivor episode to date. When the first season began, he was in Alabama for officer’s training and I was stuck at my parent’s house in Wyoming. We were apart for weeks and weeks, but every Thursday night we would call each other, recap the night’s episode, and talk about when we would be together again. In Mississippi we shared kangaroo lasagna and beers with friends along the gulf coast, during the Australian Outback season. In South Dakota, it was all about Thailand, whiskey cokes, and steaks while listening to the neighbors argue on the baby monitor during commercials. In Minnesota it was just freaking cold, and we longed to make pina coladas on the beaches of Pearl Island, instead of living in frozen hell.

Survivor went with us to Germany, Texas and now Japan. Our kids have all grown up with Survivor nights, that now include buttery popcorn in the living room and foamy root beer floats. We laugh and strategize together about what we would do if we were sent to Redemption Island.

So, you can imagine our excitement when, having only been in Japan for about two weeks, we found out that 10 past Survivor cast members were going to be at our Base Exchange signing autographs.

We knew these people. They had traveled around the world with me and my family for ten plus years and twenty one episodes. I tried to fix my hair, wear something cool, and clean my kids up. It was time hang out with some of our Survivor favorites and soak up some of their fame.

We met these guy first…Russel and Bruce. They were upbeat and funny. I think Bruce wore that tie-die shirt on the show. We were feeling a bit shy at first so we didn't go in for the hugs.

Then, I got to meet Big Tom, his hick accent, and Tina. (Geez, I was grinning like an idiot.)

Tina was so nice and we talked and talked. When she gave me a hug she said I smelled good. I am glad I didn't stink!

Then, we met James and his bicep was bigger than my daughter’s head and my husband got all funny because he thought he looked down my shirt when I leaned over for an autograph.

Cirie was there and looks and sounds, just like she did on TV. She would be a great gal to hang out with on a deserted island.....or any place for that matter.

The coolest and prettiest person I met that day was Sandra. She thanked me for being a military spouse and I thanked her right back.

Sandra also told me my kids were stinkin' cute. I didn't need a Survivor All Star to tell me that, but it made me feel awesome anyway!

Finally, we met Johnny Fairplay. The most evil villain on Survivor…..the one who told everyone his grandmother died and he won a car for it. My girls were so excited.

My husband even overcame his desire to punch James in the face and smiled for a picture with Johnny.

So that was it….our family’s fifteen minute brush with fame. We will probably be the last ones watching Survivor. When CBS eeks out one last season and it is really, really bad and no one else watches the five of us still will.....with a carpet picnic of pizza and soda, and my husband holding two or three remote controls.

This post was written for Mama Kat’s Writers Workshop about my 15 minutes of fame.