Watch CBS News

New Home For 'Survivor'

Tina Wesson had a 1,200-square-foot house with just one bathroom before she became a contestant on “Survivor: The Australian Outback.”

After winning the $1 million top prize on the CBS reality show, she bought a 4,500-square-foot house — with five bathrooms — where she lives with her husband and two teen-age children.

That's just one of the ways the 40-year-old former nurse from Knoxville, Tenn., spent her winnings. She also paid off a debt for runner-up Colby Donaldson, who became a close friend, and bought him a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

“I'm having a great time,” Wesson tells Us Weekly magazine in its Aug. 20 issue. She's traveled about 25 days each month during the summer, making public appearances and television guest spots.

“Now is just a permanent vacation. I used to get so excited when it was Friday. Now I don't know what day it is, and I am like, `This is what it's going to be like for the next year.' It's wild.”

Wesson is now speaking out about her struggles with rheumatoid arthritis as a spokeswoman for the Arthritis Foundation, USA Today reports. As an unpaid advocate, she'll mostly be publicizing the foundation's 26-mile "Joints in Motion" fund-raising marathons and talking about her experience with the disease. The newspaper says she was being treated for the disease during her six weeks in the Outback.

© MMI Viacom Internet Services Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.