Each weekday, EW will post the answers from a different player.
In many ways,Dawn Meehanlived theSurvivordream.
It was a traumatic end to a wild two-season ride.
Monty Brinton/CBS via Getty Images
But it wasn’t all bad.
And she says she is now a stronger person for having gone through it all.
The fan-turned-favorite relived both the good and the bad in herSurvivorQuarantine Questionnaire.
DAWN MEEHAN: Wow!
It’s been a long time, so much has happened.
They were so small when I playedSurvivor; and now they are “young adults.”
SinceSurvivor, we’ve had four high school graduations; our oldest son got married (ah!
That time meant everything to me.
What is your proudest moment ever from playingSurvivor?
The “Shoulder the Load Challenge” in season 23.
That was a game-changer for me.
I would have had a much different game had I not won that challenge.
What is your biggest regret from yourSurvivorexperiences?
The game is justbrutal.
That took a huge emotional toll on myself AND so many players in the game.
So season 26 was hard for me to wrap my brain around.
And then, in season 26, I was super close with Corinne.
In all honesty, THAT decision to vote her outphysically hurt.
(Thankfully, we are still friends.
She is one of the most genuine and hilarious people I know.)
How do you feel about the edit you got on the show?
I feel like my edit was a complete representation of me “in real life.”
Well, I don’t cry like that in real life, but everything else was pretty spot-on.
I am grateful for that: you saw the good, bad, and ugly Dawn.
What was it like coming back to regular society after being out there?
Was there culture shock or an adjustment coming back?
After season 23, I came home overwhelmed.
Just being able to go anywhere I wanted seemed kind of paralyzing.
I didn’t want to make decisions; they overwhelmed me.
It was hard to trust people.
Life seemed kind of flat after the game: nothing was as exciting in my daily life.
Those were all adjustments.
(Talking on the phone with other players helped ease that transition.)
After season 26, I had a literal breakdown.
Some of our younger kids didn’t know I even had the retainer.).
So season 26 was a HARD exit from the game.
The show took really good care of me.
(Jeff Probst and Mark Burnett both spent time with me on the phone.
That meant a great deal.)
After season 23, I was ready to train for an ultra-marathon.
I could not believe how fortunate I was to playSurvivor.
So no regrets before, during, or after.
During season 26, I think I talked about needing to leave the game a few times.
Thankfully I didn’t.
During final Tribal Council, I definitely regretted playing.
BUT, as time has passed, I see season 26 as one of the most life-changing experiences.
I do not regret any of it now.
I learned so much.
And I have learned that you really can endure/survive hard things.
That’s a lesson our whole family understands now.
Whom do you still talk, text, or email with the most from your seasons?
So, my contact with other players is wonky.
I think primarily because I was so much older than most players.
Aside from the game, we didn’t have very similar lives.
And there has to be life afterSurvivor(in my opinion).
I do keep in touch with Cochranand will my whole life.
I know I could talk to or see them anytime.
I did go to Whitney and Keith’s wedding in Tennessee (Jim officiated!).
I keep in touch with Corinne on Instagram.
I’d give her a kidney if she needed it.
And finally, I keep in touch with Michael Snow via phone, text, or Instagram.
He’s incredible, kind, funny, and the most amazing bread baker.
Some of them, I talk to weeklyand have for years.
That’s one kinda cool part of playingSurvivor: the community.
I’ve definitely watched episodes, but never followed a season from beginning to end.
For one, it makes you miss the island life, so that’s hard.
So, I’m happy to just watch here and there.
Who’s one player from another Survivor season you wish you could have played with or against and why?
I’d like to ask her how in the hell she carried those sandbags in the Hot Pursuit challenge.
I nearly died in that challenge.
If you could make one change to any aspect ofSurvivor,what would it be and why?
I’d sequester the jury once they are voted off the island.
There’s so much group-think once you are out of the game and a member of the jury.
Finally, would you play again if asked?
I feel like I had the best of both worlds as a player.
One season, I was kind and well-liked.
In the second season, I was determined and cutthroat.
AND I’ve played all 39 days.
I don’t think I could do any more than that!
