"Survivor" Scandal?

Contestant's Tale Of Woe Gets $50G From Show Honcho, But Was "Lunch Lady" Lying?

(CBS)  In the season finale of "Survivor: China" Sunday night, Denise Martin, a former school lunch room worker who finished fourth in the competition, told everyone that, when she returned home after the taping of "Survivor," she had lost her job.

"I went back and I talked to the food service director, and they didn't give me my job back," Martin said, "so I ended up having to go -- I'm a janitor now. I clean the toilets, I wash the floors of the bathrooms, I vacuum the kids' rugs. I miss dinner with my family. I haven't been to a field hockey game yet. I'm missing out on a lot more than I originally had planned on doing."

Near the end of the show, host Jeff Probst announced a surprise for Martin -- a spontaneous one, at that.

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Photos: "Survivor: China" Finale

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"This is very much a live show, and our boss and the creator of this show, Mark Burnett, was backstage listening to Denise's story. And, I'm not kidding: Just now on a break, he said to let Denise know that Mark Burnett is going to give Denise $50,000!"

The next day, school officials where Martin works received thousands of e-mails accusing them of treating her unfairly.

But it turns out, the lunch lady's story may be out to lunch.

Nancy Lane, the superintendent of Douglas Public Schools in Massachusetts, says Martin didn't portray what happened accurately -- and had in fact been promoted, at her own request, to the new position, which pays better and has better benefits.

The two of them faced off on The Early Show Tuesday -- with Lane in New York, and Martin in Los Angeles.

To watch the video of their confrontation, click here.

[towill2]

This is very unfortunate. I think Denise got caught up in the excitement and forgot this is a"reality" show and everything you do is real. I''ll bet she wishes she had treated Phee-gee differently now. She also owes Courtney an aplogy.

[yongamerica]

A born liar

[chitown639]

What a liar!!! During the season, Denise was one of the participates that I thought had the most character and straight-forward honesty. I''m very disappointed in her actions.

[misssuzq]

How could she think she would get away with this fabrication?

[gunownerdan]

"Reality" shows can make people very dumb too, just like celebrity worship.
It''s all part of the "DUMBING-DOWN OF AMERICA".

[killtheliars]

make the liar give the money back. Who cares if she has to clean toilets for a living? If she wanted a beeter job she should have gone to college.

[ladyephesus1]

This is sad. She probably needs the money, but shouldnt lie to get it. Maybe stated she wasnt making ends meet would have been best.

What an embarrassment..haha

[texkamaka]

GET AN AGENT !!! MAKE MORE MONEY, "AINT THAT AMERICA FOR YOU AND ME"

HER BOSS NEED TO GO ON THE SURVIVOR SHOW,

EVERYBODY LIES,, ALL OF US, WHO GOING TO THROW THE FIRST STONE ??? HOW CAN YOU GET A SPLINTER OUT OF HER EYE WHEN YOU HAVE A 2 BY 4 IN YOURS.

Give Denise the money,

Her Boss lady looks very unrelenting, unforgiving, unbending, unsympathetic,and disapproving.

The real working people in America knows what it is like to " suck at live " and be humiliated by having a thankless job.

Denise take the money and help you family, take this ticket and work it and get into celebrity house,GET AN AGENT, When life hands you manure, real Americans make fertilizer, make more money Denise so you can tell your Boss lady how you actually feel about her, I could see you fear her..

Walk tall, "Take The Money and Run!"

[tdg68]

ok... she fibbed. We all know she played the guilty feel sorry for me card on survivor. I think when she told the story, the last thing on her mind was to get anymore money.. I''m sure she felt horrid going through all that and getting where she did in the game and coming out with nothing.
I think she should offer the money back and the producer should decline it back. If nothing else, donate it back to the school or town that she say''s she loves and then everyone will be happy. The producer shouldn''t have hoped on better ratings by offering this on the night of the announcement of the winner and maybe should have done the homework and if it proved good, to award it to her the day the check was issued.

[vanest]

this woman is dumb!! when she didn''t vote todd off now this! she deserves to clean toilets and she needs to give the money back. a lot of people struggle to make ends meat but they don''t lie to get $50,000.

[apdepetris]

I think this is a case of half-truths on Denise''s part and people''s misconceptions. She was probably a lunch lady when she applied to be on the show. People didn''t know she had changed jobs. So when she said they wouln''t give her the lunch lady job back it was misleading. And the part about being a distraction was not true. Later she said that they didn''t give her a reason. Maybe that was an assumption on her part. Truth is they had already filled her old position so they couldn''t give it back to her. Another part was the publics'' misconception that being a janitor is worse than being a lunch lady. Since it seems that people feel cleaning toilets is worse than serving food, I think people assumed this was a demotion when really it was a promotion because janitors are full time positions with a better salary and benefits. I think what happened is that she was away from her family a long time and decided when she got back that she wanted a day job again so she could spend more time with them. But she couldn''t get it and possibly the reason wasn''t explained to her. I''d like to give her the benefit of the doubt and hope she isn''t an outright liar. Although, she did side-step the question about giving the money back.

[greenisnice]

She should not be rewarded for sobby pity untruthful stories. I was disgusted watching her telling those lies. What is to say many other of the contestants are not "in the money"too. Maybe they are honest and have dignity. I will hate it if she gets that money.

[zippiez]

This should not surprise anyone.
This whole show is based on rewarding those who can pitch the biggest pile of bull.
The show''s name should be changed to Lie, Cheat, & Slander or maybe Who''s The Next Congressperson.

[greenisnice]

texcamaka....her boss looked like an honest person. I can only assume you are Denises Mother or friend.....in other words, cut out of the same mold.

[texkamaka]

" GREENISNICE "
DO I scare you ?? cut out of the same mold..LOL do you fear the truth if not you should, Her Boss did not have any empathy, She was COLD, her eye hardly even BLINKED in the interview, If you want the TRUTH, then I say;
Give Denise the money,

Her Boss lady looks very unrelenting, unforgiving, unbending, unsympathetic,and disapproving.

The real working people in America knows what it is like to " suck at live " and be humiliated by having a thankless job.

Denise take the money and help you family, take this ticket and work it and get into celebrity house,GET AN AGENT, When life hands you manure, real Americans make fertilizer, make more money Denise so you can tell your Boss lady how you actually feel about her, I could see you fear her..

Walk tall, "Take The Money and Run!"

[greenisnice]

tex...you totally ignore that Denise is a liar. Is that what you said to your four....lie and run and be as big a cheater as you can? You called me ignorant..well, I call you an IDIOT for keep posting the same stuff.

[texkamaka]

EVERYBODIE TELLS WHITE LIES, except Jesus,, So Greenisnice, you just as good as Jesus ???

What ever you call me I do not take it personal;

I just keep it simple

Give Denise the money,

Her Boss lady looks very unrelenting, unforgiving, unbending, unsympathetic,and disapproving.

The real working people in America knows what it is like to " suck at live " and be humiliated by having a thankless job.

Denise take the money and help you family, take this ticket and work it and get into celebrity house,GET AN AGENT, When life hands you manure, real Americans make fertilizer, make more money Denise so you can tell your Boss lady how you actually feel about her, I could see you fear her..

Walk tall, "Take The Money and Run!"

[swhinfield]

The Survior game is about lieing, cheating and underminding. It is teaching everyone how to do this in their daily life. Our society gives credit to the person who gets ahead no matter how decieving they are. Todd did it and was rewarded. Where does the game stop? I believe what Denise said to Todd about his soul was right on target. If he can do this in a game he WILL do it in real life. Is this the person we want in our society? Is this the kind of person we want to run our country, oh that''s right, we do.

So, back to Denise, she had no idea that she would get any money for a story that elevated her. It''s not that her taking the money bothers me. It''s what she did to her words of honesty to Todd. Honesty is washed away when money is applied to it. God help america.

[texkamaka]

Lets keep this real,, most every RICH PERSON on this planet, I said MOST, not ALL.. lied, cheated, to get their wealth and to hold on to it..most companies have two sets of books, If you want to play by the rules and be all high and mighty, I have some toilets for YOU to CLEAN !!!

Even the Dalilama wrote
"Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly,"




Give Denise the money,

Her Boss lady looks very unrelenting, unforgiving, unbending, unsympathetic,and disapproving.

The real working people in America knows what it is like to " suck at live " and be humiliated by having a thankless job.

Denise take the money and help you family, take this ticket and work it and get into celebrity house,GET AN AGENT, When life hands you manure, real Americans make fertilizer, make more money Denise so you can tell your Boss lady how you actually feel about her, I could see you fear her..

Walk tall, "Take The Money and Run!"

[texkamaka]

You people who say, " O my kids should not see or hear this," you live in a bubble and it very sad, It is what it is, LIFE, the REAL WORLD, and the sad thing is your setting your children up to be unhappy with what is in actual fact, actually, in reality, in point of fact, as a matter of fact, in truth that is what is going on in the real world..you make them ignorant, much worse than what Denise did in a MILd SHOCK.


Lets keep this real,, most every RICH PERSON on this planet, I said MOST, not ALL.. lied, cheated, to get their wealth and to hold on to it..most companies have two sets of books, If you want to play by the rules and be all high and mighty, I have some toilets for YOU to CLEAN !!!

Even the Dalilama wrote
"Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly,"




Give Denise the money,

Her Boss lady looks very unrelenting, unforgiving, unbending, unsympathetic,and disapproving.

The real working people in America knows what it is like to " suck at live " and be humiliated by having a thankless job.

Denise take the money and help you family, take this ticket and work it and get into celebrity house,GET AN AGENT, When life hands you manure, real Americans make fertilizer, make more money Denise so you can tell your Boss lady how you actually feel about her, I could see you fear her..

Walk tall, "Take The Money and Run!"

[chitown639]

At the reunion show, Denise lied and played on the viewers sympathy and got $50,000 from the producers of the show. What makes the actions of Denise and so many others that lie so outragous, is that this kind of behavoir damages our trust in individuals claiming to be in trouble. Denise did a tremendous disservice to people who are honest about their plights in life and truly deserve a helping hand.

[melfaun]

I think that it was extremely small of the spokesperson/personnell director top espose Denise so callously before national television... shame on her... and yes shame on Denise for misleading

[texkamaka]

Shame her all the way to the bank, lol

[erasmus6]

I actually wondered about her. When it was the final four, she was talking to Amanda and was telling her that she would have to go back to her family and to being a lunch lady, making only $7 an hour. She was actually whining. It didn''t look good and she obviously was lying just like she accused her and others of doing.

AND on the reunion show she said that they did not give her, her job back. She made out that the other job was worse, when in actuality she is getting better pay and benefits. When she said it I thought that it sounded stupid because it is obvious that the janitor job would pay more money. She may not have known that she was going to get $50,ooo but the fact is she still lied and she made the people she worked for look BAD in front of the WHOLE world.

She needs to give the money back because if she doesn''t she will end of having to MOVE because people are not going to be very nice to HER now.

Another thing, when Jeff was announcing that she was going to get the $50,ooo, he hadn''t even said it yet and you could tell by the expression on her face that something was going to happen. So maybe this was what she expected to happen by giving her LYING sob story.

[erasmus6]

texkamaka

You sound like you are one of those poor people that think everybody owes them something just because they have more money than you.

I know someone just like you.

[texkamaka]

Being a lunch lady pays less, but a more enjoyable Job than a Janitor which pays more.

Denise GET Johnny ROTTEN AGENT, make a better life for you family,

And for these people who shame you, and call you names, do not take it personal,, they do not pay your bills, they are SHEEP, with malice in there heart, and they live in a bubble.

[texkamaka]

I am a far cry from being poor..LOL and i have a wonderful life, There is no shame in being poor it is just dam inconvenient,

I just say make money, it is AMERICA the best country on the planet !!!!!!

[texkamaka]

Lets keep this real,, most every RICH PERSON on this planet, I said MOST, not ALL.. lied, cheated, to get their wealth and to hold on to it..most companies have two sets of books, If you want to play by the rules and be all high and mighty, I have some toilets for YOU to CLEAN !!!

Even the Dalilama wrote
"Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly,"




Give Denise the money,

Her Boss lady looks very unrelenting, unforgiving, unbending, unsympathetic,and disapproving.

The real working people in America knows what it is like to " suck at live " and be humiliated by having a thankless job.

Denise take the money and help you family, take this ticket and work it and get into celebrity house,GET AN AGENT, When life hands you manure, real Americans make fertilizer, make more money Denise so you can tell your Boss lady how you actually feel about her, I could see you fear her..

Walk tall, "Take The Money and Run!"

[gunownerdan]

"THE DUMBING-DOWN OF AMERICA" is moving full speed ahead.

[chitown639]

$50,000 is a lot of money, lets not kid ourselves. But, that money will most likely be gone by this time next year. Who among us would trade our honor, particularly the honor our children hold for us, for $50,000? Some would argue that there''s little honor in poverty and cleaning toilets for a living, and that Denise shouldn''t feel a moral obligation to return the money. But, I would say that there is no honor in the humiliation of liars and the profound consciencousness of being morally bankrupt.

[ashiecat1105]

I thought Denise was one of the true people on this show as well. When she started her whining about her pay and her job i lost all interest in her. By the end of the segment i was disgusted by her. She has to learn that it is no one''s fault but her own as to her lot in life. She could have chosen to be further educated and have a better job. I hope they pull the money from her and she lives in shame for the lies she has disgraced her family and community with.

[jmann27273]

Shame on you Denise. I felt that you were trying to weasel something out of anyone you could get it from by whining with your "poor me" attitude. Most of us lower income class people could not afford to take time off from work to go to China and be in a television show. Obviously you are not so poor that your family cannot get along without your income while you are out traveling. Shame on you for making all of us who are struggling to make a living look like pathetic users. I do not know how you can hold your head up in public after such a pathetic display. You are an embarrassment.

[erasmus6]

"I am a far cry from being poor.." posted by texkamaka


Not poor? Then you must be a liar and a thief, I guess.

I am coming to that conclusion because you don''t seem to think anything wrong with her lying and taking (stealing) money that was given to her under false pretenses.

[erasmus6]

"THE DUMBING-DOWN OF AMERICA" is moving full speed ahead." posted by gunownerdan


Although there are some pretty stupid reality shows, I don''t consider Survivor to be one of them. I prefer to watch this REALITY show over some of the make-believe shows, which is what is mostly out there. You see the difference between you and me is, YOU choose to live in lala land and I choose to live in REALITY.

You live in an OBSESSIVE world with your little old GUNS.

[tksk53]

When I watched the program, I thought she was not telling the truth - Don''t know why but I had this funny feeling some thing else was not right
TKSK53

[rpnf1424]

Pathetic - even after Julie called her out on her sob story, she intends to accept whatever money may be given her.
Ungrateful for a family, a job (that pays $17 not $7) a husband, a home, health, experience of a lifetime on Survivor, etc. Be thankful for the many blessings you have, and if what you have is not enough, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! Haven''t you ever seen a Dr. Phil episode?
And the "for a 40-yr-old woman" comment?
Uhhhmmm, there are thousands and thousands of "40-yr-old" women who keep themselves FIT & HEALTHY, maintain good hygiene, look presentable, etc. Being 40 doesn''t mean lay down and die because life is over, boo hoo hoo.
Rise above your background Denise, have some pride, be a positive example for your daughters. You have an education, some college experience, certification, etc. Life is too short to live as a loser.

[tjl5210]

There is no shame in cleaning toilets for a living. It''s an honest living and Denise should be proud that she''s providing for her family. I do believe she should be ashamed of her actions during the finale, as well as her tactics in trying to persuade Amanda to take her to the final three. She was playing on Amanda''s guilt by telling her a sob story that she was "just a lunch lady" and had nothing to look forward to in her life like the other contestants. Her entire attitude/strategy has been feel sorry for me. I just think she should be grateful she had the opportunity to be on Survivor, and be grateful for the positive things in her life. If she''s not happy with certain aspects of her life, it''s up to her to change them. I hope she learns from this experience and changes her attitude.

[melrus-2009]

Denise didn%u2019t know that she was going to be rewarded with $50k. I don%u2019t think that she lied. I think the show may have misinterpreted what she said. She had a janitor job and wanted to go back to being a lunch lady to spend time with her family. She said they wouldn%u2019t give her the job back. Yes it%u2019s true, that she didn%u2019t elaborate on why they wouldn%u2019t give her the job back. We know now that the position was no longer available and if it were then she could get the job back. That being said, it was an informal comment, she was just saying she wishes that she could be a lunch lady again.

I want to comment on Courtney%u2019s comment about her sucking at life. Courtney has since apologized. But even still, I don%u2019t think Courtney is deep enough of a person to realize that Denise is probably the biggest winner. She has a great husband and a great kid. She%u2019s a genuine person and kind and loves people. Somebody like Courtney can%u2019t appreciate that.

[kitty_kath]

In Survivor, lying in the context of the game and owning up to it when it''s all over is ok. What Denise Martin did is lie in the game and not own up to it. She claimed she still is a lunch lady making $7/hour when in fact she was already making $17/hour as a Custodian.

What makes her even more pathetic is continue with the lies at the reunion show when she knows they are no longer playing the game. Sad sad woman. She just puts her whole family to shame. I just feel bad for her kids.

[erasmus6]

"I don%u2019t think that she lied. I think the show may have misinterpreted what she said." posted by MelRus


Did you watch the show? If you did then you would know that there was NO misinterpretation by the show or the millions of people that watched it. SHE LIED.

[erasmus6]

"In Survivor, lying in the context of the game and owning up to it when it''''s all over is ok. What Denise Martin did is lie in the game and not own up to it. She claimed she still is a lunch lady making $7/hour when in fact she was already making $17/hour as a Custodian." posted by Kitty_Kath


I hate to say this, but she must be pretty stupid if she thought that she could lie and get away with it, that it wouldn''t come back to haunt her. I mean millions of people were watching, did she not think that the people she worked for wouldn''t hear it or would let her get away with making them look EXTREMELY BAD?

The most pathetic part is when at the end, she accuses the others of lying. Geez.

[chitown639]

Denise didn%u2019t know that she was going to be rewarded with $50k. I don%u2019t think that she lied. Posted by MelRus

Don''t be so gullible. If you watch the reunion show, its easy to see she was using her sob story to fish for a break. If not a helping hand from the network, then from some well meaning fans of the show. She even went as far as to appeal to anyone watching the show that might need a ''Lunch Lady'' to contact her. As she told her sob story, which later turn out to be lies, it was obvious she was attempting to convey an image of how particpating in Suvivor ruined her career as a Lunch Lady. Dont allow yourself to be conned!!!

[erasmus6]

"READ A BOOK, ENGAGE THE CHILD, HELP WITH HOMEWORK, PLAY A BOARD GAME,... posted by tiddsanbeer


Is that what you do? With a name like "tiddsanbeer" I think we can all tell what your pasttime is.

[kitty_kath]

I hate to rub it in but this is her jury rant directed at Todd & Amanda:

"I''m glad you all can look me in the eye, that''s nice. Um, I''m a lunchlady. I dedicate my whole life to being honest, being fair. You guys all came up to me, shook me in the hand, looked me in the face and said, "You''re with us." None of you wanted to be standing there next to me. You all thought I''d play the kid game. I believe the jury would have voted for me, but because I''m not there one of you has to get it. Amanda has lied. She said, "I don''t lie, I''m not gonna lie, I''m an honorable person. You HAVE lied. You''ve not only lied to me, you''ve lied to Jean-Robert, you''ve lied to Frosti, you''ve lied to James. Todd, he has such a deceptive side to him, you never know when he''s telling the truth. If you have these things in you, that you can do that to people without even thinking about it or batting an eye, your conscience needs to be cleaned. You need to turn over a new leaf. Look inside yourself as well and realize what you do affects a lot of honest people." - transcribed by a poster on a reality tv website.

Dayum! I honestly think she believes her own lies.

[erasmus6]

Posted by Kitty_Kath at 03:45 PM : Dec 18, 2007


Thank you for that post. That should help those that didn''t see it and refresh the memories of the ones that did.:)

[chitown639]

Kitty_Kath- Thanks for that post!!! That''s exactly what she said. And as she uttered those words during the show, I think I honestly can say I''m not alone in feeling a little sorry she didn''t make it to the final three. Since, she ''dedicate life to being honest, being fair''. But, as it turns out, that was a lie too!!!!

[kitty_kath]

You''re welcome erasmus6 :)

And for those of you who are telling us to turn our TV off, I think you are just as fascinated by this show as we are, otherwise you wouldn''t be on this website reading all these. So quit being a hypocrite, hmmmk?

[melrus-2009]

To address erasmus6 and chitown639. You people are funny. You really like this banter huh. I gave my perception. Have a good day.

[rf35]

Go Denise! If the Burnett was dumb enough to offer the money without verifying the story, then that''s his problem. In "Survivor," the best liar is rewarded with one million dollars. Denise took the game one step further to get $50K for being the 4th best liar. Big deal. I say GOOD FOR HER! And it''s not like the creator can''t afford it. That''s pocket change for him. He makes more than that off of one episode. Denise played America and they bought it hook, line, and sinker! Maybe she has an acting career in her future. She deserves the $50K for that great performance.

[erasmus6]

Posted by rf35 at 04:24 PM : Dec 18, 2007


It may be acceptable to lie DURING the game but it isn''t acceptable to lie AFTER.