TDT.com | Survivor 11: Brianna Varela

September 6, 2005

- "A 'Survivor,' 'Apprentice' walk into a bar ...
   I was having drinks with Alex Thomason from The Apprentice at Joeys on Lake Union the other night when a girl approached our table.
   'I'm so sorry to interrupt,' she said, 'but I recognized you from The Apprentice and I had to come over and introduce myself. My name is Brianna ...'
   I looked at her. 'Hey,' I said. 'You're that girl who's gonna be on Survivor.'
   Indeed. It was Brianna Varela from Survivor: Guatemala, the 21-year-old from Edmonds who loves makeup and Britney Spears and hot pink and turquoise together.
   She turned to me. 'I never said my favorite actress was Britney Spears.'
   OK, but that's what the CBS Web site said. (For the record: It's Uma Thurman. Britney is her favorite performer).
   It was Brianna's first day on the job as a waitress at Joeys. I grabbed a cocktail napkin and borrowed her pen. She seemed anxious to get back to her tables. We wasted precious moments discussing how not cute Britney Spears is when she's pregnant: 'She looks like Courtney Love.' Enough small talk. Was Guatemala fun?
   'I think 'fun' is one of the last things I'd call it,' she said. 'I was getting bitten and starving myself.' She started going on about how she appreciates everything more now, like friends and family and ice cubes. She showed me the bug bites on her tanned, skinny little arms.
   'Are you good at camping?' I asked.
   'I can go camping if there's, like, a motor home,' she said. 'I wore pink shorts out there, OK? But that doesn't mean I can't go out and give it my all if I have to.'
   Right. I could go camping in a motor home, too. If I really wanted to, which I don't.
   Brianna looked tiny in person, which made me think she might have stayed in the game for a while because we all know Survivor is the best diet ever. To be honest, if she wasn't such a sweetheart I'd probably have to hate her because she's super cute and she's about to be famous.
   In related news, rumors are flying that fan favorites Bobby 'I Look Like Jesus Christ' Jon and Stephenie from Survivor: Palau will return for the new season, either as castaways or... cave people, I don't know. We'll see what happens when the 11th edition of the hit series premieres at 8 p.m. Sept. 15 on KIRO."

- Pamela Sitt's "TV Addict" column in the Seattle Times

August 12, 2005

- "Edmonds woman voted onto the island

    Edmonds resident Brianna Varela, 21, will be one of the 16 castaways on the upcoming season of the reality TV show Survivor, according to a CBS announcement Thursday.
   The new season takes place among ancient Mayan ruins and ceremonial sites in northern Guatemala. The castaways will begin the competition with a grueling 11-mile hike through the jungle when the season premieres Sept. 15 on KIRO-TV, Channel 7.
   Varela works in retail and is a makeup artist. Her stepmother, Annette Varela, could not say anything about Brianna's involvement with the show and referred all inquiries to CBS.
   Survivor is one of the most-watched shows on television. Survivor: Palau and Survivor: Vanuatu, both of which aired during the 2004-05 season, had an average of 20 million people tuning in weekly."

- Everett (WA) HeraldNet

August 11, 2005

- Officially revealed as a Survivor: Guatemala contestant on the Early Show.

- CBS Early Show site

Date	Story	Source
September 6, 2005	- "A 'Survivor,' 'Apprentice' walk into a bar ... I was having drinks with Alex Thomason from The Apprentice at Joeys on Lake Union the other night when a girl approached our table. 'I'm so sorry to interrupt,' she said, 'but I recognized you from The Apprentice and I had to come over and introduce myself. My name is Brianna ...' I looked at her. 'Hey,' I said. 'You're that girl who's gonna be on Survivor.' Indeed. It was Brianna Varela from Survivor: Guatemala, the 21-year-old from Edmonds who loves makeup and Britney Spears and hot pink and turquoise together. She turned to me. 'I never said my favorite actress was Britney Spears.' OK, but that's what the CBS Web site said. (For the record: It's Uma Thurman. Britney is her favorite performer). It was Brianna's first day on the job as a waitress at Joeys. I grabbed a cocktail napkin and borrowed her pen. She seemed anxious to get back to her tables. We wasted precious moments discussing how not cute Britney Spears is when she's pregnant: 'She looks like Courtney Love.' Enough small talk. Was Guatemala fun? 'I think 'fun' is one of the last things I'd call it,' she said. 'I was getting bitten and starving myself.' She started going on about how she appreciates everything more now, like friends and family and ice cubes. She showed me the bug bites on her tanned, skinny little arms. 'Are you good at camping?' I asked. 'I can go camping if there's, like, a motor home,' she said. 'I wore pink shorts out there, OK? But that doesn't mean I can't go out and give it my all if I have to.' Right. I could go camping in a motor home, too. If I really wanted to, which I don't. Brianna looked tiny in person, which made me think she might have stayed in the game for a while because we all know Survivor is the best diet ever. To be honest, if she wasn't such a sweetheart I'd probably have to hate her because she's super cute and she's about to be famous. In related news, rumors are flying that fan favorites Bobby 'I Look Like Jesus Christ' Jon and Stephenie from Survivor: Palau will return for the new season, either as castaways or... cave people, I don't know. We'll see what happens when the 11th edition of the hit series premieres at 8 p.m. Sept. 15 on KIRO."	- Pamela Sitt's "TV Addict" column in the Seattle Times
August 12, 2005	- "Edmonds woman voted onto the island Edmonds resident Brianna Varela, 21, will be one of the 16 castaways on the upcoming season of the reality TV show Survivor, according to a CBS announcement Thursday. The new season takes place among ancient Mayan ruins and ceremonial sites in northern Guatemala. The castaways will begin the competition with a grueling 11-mile hike through the jungle when the season premieres Sept. 15 on KIRO-TV, Channel 7. Varela works in retail and is a makeup artist. Her stepmother, Annette Varela, could not say anything about Brianna's involvement with the show and referred all inquiries to CBS. Survivor is one of the most-watched shows on television. Survivor: Palau and Survivor: Vanuatu, both of which aired during the 2004-05 season, had an average of 20 million people tuning in weekly."	- Everett (WA) HeraldNet
August 11, 2005	- Officially revealed as a Survivor: Guatemala contestant on the Early Show.	- CBS Early Show site