Erika Casupanan was one of the first people I met at Western University. She was an orientation leader for the media, information and technoculture (MIT) program. Erika recently won Survivor 41 and I was fascinated by her journey from marketing manager to reality TV!
How did you decide what clothes to pack for Survivor?
Erika Casupanan: I have always loved clothes. Since I was a kid, I never thought of myself as a fashionista or anything, but I’ve always loved clothes. We went to the same program at Western where we were doing media theory. We have always grown up to be quite critical of everything we watch. So, when I was thinking about what to wear, I now have all of these different considerations.
Number one, what are the colors I’m supposed to wear? Number two, having worked in marketing and PR understanding the types of fabric, types of patterns that look good on TV, what would look good? Then I think about what do I want to look like? What’s the self that I want to portray to the audience within the confines of the story that they need to tell about all of us as characters and then of course, what would be good to have out there that could still provide function? One last thing that I wanted to do for myself was try to wear as many Canadian brands as possible.
Going through my wardrobe selection, I had all of these different factors in mind. I had to figure out what would provide the sweet spot. I was able to find these patterns and these items that I think represented me and represented where I came from, but at the same time were still a little functional. That floral maxi skirt is awful to swim in during the marooning episode, but it was actually great to have a maxi skirt up there so you have an extra layer. So, I ended up being really happy with what I wore on the show.
Did you think that your headband would become so iconic?
Erika Casupanan: I did not think the headband was going to blow up as big as it did. I actually remember Xander telling me he thought that my purple bomber jacket would be the thing that people associated with me. But that headband has really had my back. I don’t actually wear headbands a lot outside of Survivor, but I knew that it would be a good thing to have. It got my hair out of my face. And it held up. There is not a single pearl that fell off!
How did the MIT program at Western University help you on Survivor?
Erika Casupanan: There’s one particular line that I remember reading. I think it might have been in my third year. It’s so unrelated to Survivor, but it was from a reading from my meaning of technology class. It was by Amiri Baraka, and it was “nothing needs to look and function the way it does”. That theory was applied to technology and that’s how we’re able to innovate in technology. That’s something that I’ve really taken with me in my life. Just because the path has always looked like this, it doesn’t mean that it has to look that way in order to move forward.
What makes TV doesn’t always move you forward in the game. So, there’s a conflict between what I think I need to do before I came in here versus now being in the situation and doing what I need to do to move forward. I would always remember that it doesn’t really need to look the way that it normally has. It doesn’t need to function the way it normally has. If I can figure out the way forward for myself, then that’s my course to the end.
How did training at Second City prepare you for Survivor?
Erika Casupanan: I never thought that doing Second City was going to be as valuable as it ended up being. It was truly a pandemic hobby to be honest. And through doing Second City I’ve actually made such incredible friends. There’s this concept in improv of “yes and”. It’s saying that, yes, you’re going to accept whatever your partner throws at you, or whatever suggestion you get from the audience, and then you’re going to add on to it.
I felt like having that ingrained flexibility helped me get through the pandemic and all of the craziness of living at home. It also helped me in Survivor when everything changed, not even the length of the game was the same. And it really helped me accept that so many things could be thrown at me. If I just accept them and figure out what to do rather than get upset at what just happened, then that would allow me to find more opportunities to move forward in the game.
Diversity was a major topic on the show this season. Given your background as a Canadian and Filipino woman, how would you like to see diversity discussed in the media?
Erika Casupanan: That’s such an interesting one, knowing the background I have in being critical of anything I consume in the media and also historic in terms of the Survivor franchise for being the first Southeast Asian winner [and] the first woman of color ever. I think that there’s been a lot of positive steps in terms of how diversity has been talked about onscreen. More conversations about diversity, more onscreen storytelling about diverse people, is something that for sure should continue.
I think that another step on this journey would be ensuring that there’s the right people behind the camera, who are able to tell that diverse story as well. So, making sure that it’s not just diverse talent, and let’s say very uniform people behind the camera trying to tell that story. Figuring out how we can make sure that there’s also the people who are making the decisions in terms of how something’s edited or how something’s produced or distributed that also understand the story that the diverse talent is telling.
What surprised you the most about your experience?
Erika Casupanan: When I was on the show, I think what shocked me was that some of the things that totally terrified me ended up being the best experiences that I had.
One example was the first immunity challenge in episode one. I was terrified going into that challenge. Nobody wants to be the weak link on their tribe. Nobody wants to be the one that’s the first one voted out. And I remember being so scared. As soon as the challenge started running, I had to just go for it and focus and just do the best I could. And then I ended up being the reason why my tribe ended up winning the challenge. So that was an incredibly happy moment.
Another moment is when I was exiled. My nightmare was being exiled for one night and then I ended up being exiled for two. I cried a lot while I was there. I think as soon as I hit the beach, I was just talking to myself trying not to cry. After having done that, lived through two rainy nights and being able to feed myself, really take care of myself and do all the chores, when I was leaving exile, I almost felt a little sad because I felt like this is a place where I really found a new strength in me, and I really got to know myself better.
So, I think the big surprise was really how the scary things were so rewarding.
On the show, you said, “People treated me like the intern, but I was running the meeting.” How did you think about careers differently after Survivor?
Erika Casupanan: Before I went to Survivor, I quit my job. Survivor gave me the confidence and really gave me that door to say, go walk through this door and you can let go of whatever you thought you had to do before this. Now you get a fresh start. Being underestimated, bringing all of that into the game and figuring out how something that was such a disadvantage for me before could [be used] to my advantage, I think it really built confidence in me. And now I can use that newfound sense of self and that bigger confidence to help me as I move forward.
Before the show, you were Erika the marketing manager in Toronto. Now you’ve won Survivor, you’re on Cameo, you have your own merch, you’re all over. How did it feel when you became more well-known as a TV star?
Erika Casupanan: It’s so weird because since the show ended, I am back quarantining at home just like I was way before I even found out I was supposed to be on the show again. So, in some ways, it feels like my life is different, but in other ways, I’m wearing the same sweatpants that I was wearing last year when the pandemic first happened.
But I think that I feel humbled when I walk down the street and people come up to me. A lot of times kids come up to me and they tell me they’re rooting for me. So, when kids talk to me, it really affects me and I get a lot of messages from people who are from the Philippines or who are from Canada. I get a lot of messages from people who are parents and they said their kids really liked me. I did not expect to appeal to kids as much.
How are you figuring out what to do with your brand now?
Erika Casupanan: I’ve been so grateful that I’ve had the chance to be on Survivor. It’s a dream come true. Ever since I was a kid I’ve always wanted to be on the show. As a marketer and a former PR person, I’m thinking about how I can build the bridge to kind of go to what’s next. How can I respect the journey that I had survived on Survivor and allow people to celebrate that with me? And then how do I start to build the bridge towards whatever’s next?
I feel like you would understand after being in MIT and really having an understanding of the media and the stories that get presented to us, you have your own thirst for wanting to tell your own story. So now I’m looking forward to thinking about how am I going to do that next.
Since you won, you gained thousands of followers overnight and you’re verified. How has your approach to social media changed?
Erika Casupanan: I think that’s interesting because before I was on the show, I wasn’t a big sharer on social media. I shared stuff about traveling, and just doing things that I thought were super interesting.
Now that the show has ended, I’ve spoken to people and they’ve said that they’re just interested in whatever it is I’m doing. So, I think that I’m removing a bit more of the filter that I put on myself and just start sharing a bit more. There are things that I think aren’t that important, but people have really responded to them. It’s interesting and really fun to be able to build connections with people that way. I know that a lot of people know me for being on Survivor, but there are other things that I’m interested in too. So, I’m trying to find that balance between talking about Survivor and engaging with the fan base while introducing people to other sides of me now.
How do you think you’ll use LinkedIn in a post-Survivor world?
Erika Casupanan: Oh my goodness. LinkedIn unfortunately has been the channel I haven’t been using the most. Sorry LinkedIn. Love you.
I used LinkedIn a lot when I was working in the agency world and then when I went client side. I think that my approach to LinkedIn is going to evolve as I figure out and really solidify what that next chapter for me is going to be because on my personal social channels, the way that I use the channels now is very different than the way that I was using them before Survivor. I’m excited about what the next step is [and] reintroducing myself to my professional network that way.
I saw that you live-tweeted The Bachelor. What other reality shows do you like to watch?
Erika Casupanan: I mean, Survivor has always been my #1 favorite show, not just the reality genre. I’ve always loved Survivor. I also love RuPaul’s Drag Race. I’m a huge Canada’s Drag Race fan. The day after the Survivor finale in Toronto, [I] went to the finale for Canada’s Drag Race season two and got to meet the winning Queen there. I love Drag Race because I love how this competition with all this fun and craziness is a vehicle for us to get to know people with these really layered stories, and with a lot of people who’ve been able to overcome a lot of conflict. I like how that show really introduces us to a lot of new people. You have to at least know what’s going on in The Bachelor because it’s just such a massive franchise.
Now that you’ve won, what’s next for you?
Erika Casupanan: Oh man, it’s so weird because I feel like immediately what’s next for me is continuing to stay home and hope that things will be able to open up and I can really go out and party and enjoy the weather. I had a few days of fun and then I [had] to stay home.
I really can’t say a lot right now, but I’m really excited for the next chapter. I really want to ensure that this platform that I’m given is something that I can use effectively. I know that a lot of people felt very inspired and I think they felt really capable after seeing that I had won since I look so different from a lot of the recent winners and I bring in a different life experience. So, I’m really hoping that I can continue to use the platform I have now to continue to help people to feel like they’re also capable at achieving whatever their dream is.
Interview was edited for length.
Follow Erika on Twitter and Instagram to see what she shares post-Survivor!