Last month, Erika Casupanan grew to become the winner of the forty first season of CBS’ “Survivor.” She was the eighth particular person of coloration to win, first Canadian winner, first Filipino winner, and the primary feminine winner in seven seasons. Viewers had been fast to notice that Erika had a comparatively quiet edit in favor of different huge identify characters like Xander Hastings and Ricard Foyé; consequently, followers sadly did not get to see a lot of her gameplay, and will not know quite a bit about her.
So what’s there to learn about the latest “Survivor” winner? As it seems, there’s rather more to Erika’s life each pre- and post-“Survivor” that followers may need to know.
Here’s what it’s worthwhile to know:
Erika Is a Filipino Immigrant Who Moved to Canada at a Young Age
According to the Philippine News Agency,Erika was born in 1989 in Hermosa, a municipality within the northern Philippines, and moved to Canada when she was a younger lady. She was raised in Niagara Falls, Ontario, and attended a neighborhood Catholic highschool there.For school, Erika attended the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, the place she obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Media, Information, and Technoculture. Shortly thereafter, she moved to Toronto, the place she has lived ever since.
Erika is a communications supervisor; based on her LinkedIn profile,she labored at Toronto-basedMedia Profile as a marketing consultant and senior marketing consultant for practically 5 years from 2012 to 2017. She then labored at Kijiji Canada from 2017 to 2021 as “Communications and PR lead.” She left in 2021to compete on “Survivor” (extra on that under).
Although Erika is just not the primary Canadian to ever compete on the show (and even, technically, the primary to win), she is the primary completely Canadian winner, and arguably probably the most well-known Canadian Survivor to this point. Erika has been open about her pleasure at being the primary Canadian resident to win, and has expressed pleasure for representing the Canadian “Survivor” group. As she wrote in an Instagram publish following her win, “It’s an honour to have representedCanadians, Filipinos, Asians, immigrants, girls and anybody else who noticed themselves in me.”
In a post-season interview with ET Canada, she even obtained emotional when discussing the overwhelming assist she had acquired from all of the totally different communities she’s come from. “Knowing that that recreation the place I actually was genuine to who I’m was what led me to the win and led me to signify all of those communities, it is overwhelming, it is an honor,” she stated. “I’m so grateful to all of the assist I’ve gotten…It’s actually an honor to assist folks really feel seen on TV.”
Erika is a Lifelong ‘Survivor’ Fan
Erika has said that she has been a fan of “Survivor” ever for the reason that show first aired (at which level she was 11), and has “all the time dreamed” of being on the show. For the longest time, nonetheless, she could not, as a consequence of the truth that she wasn’t American. “As quickly because it was introduced that Canadians may very well be on the show, I didn’t hesitate to ship in an software,” Erika stated in an ET Canadainterviewbefore the season’s premiere (however after filming was full).
She added, “I believe that after having lived via the pandemic, I felt a lot extra able to play, so I’m actually excited to see the show.” She additionally revealed that in hardships in her life, she would half-jokingly say to herself, “When I’m on ‘Survivor,’ it is gonna be manner more durable, so I [can get] via this.”
Erika cherished “Survivor” a lot, in truth, that she even give up her job in Toronto with the intention to compete on the show. In the identical interview, she described herself as somebody who “was actually devoted to my profession;” nonetheless, when she was accepted onto the show, she determined, “You know what?I’m gonna simply go away my job, I’m going to begin a brand new chapter, and in some ways occurring the show was truly the beginning of this new chapter for me.” As it seems, Erika’s gamble appears to have paid off; with one million {dollars} within the financial institution (extra when transformed to Canadian forex), Erika possible will not have to fret about securing a profitable job, at the very least in the meanwhile.
In an indication for her love for the show, Erika posted a tweet about “Survivor” again in 2010, on the date of the “Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains” premiere, which has lately gone considerably viral. The tweet reads: “Btw I nonetheless watch survivor.” Erika, who was 20 when she posted the tweet, responded to it shortly after her victory was introduced, stating, “Omg I gained”.
Erika’s ‘All-Time Favorite’ ‘Survivor’ Player Is the Only Other Canadian Winner
As beforehand talked about, Erika is just not the one Canadian winner. Although Todd Herzog, winner of season 15, “China,” was Utah-born, he was a twin Canadian-American citizen on the time of his win in 2007 due to his Canadian mom. However, he needed to surrender his Canadian citizenship with the intention to declare his prize cash, based on Canada’s Global TV. Obviously, the foundations have modified since then.
Although it is unclear as as to whether Erika knew Todd was Canadian again when he gained his season, she has been fairly vocal about the truth that Todd is her all-time favourite “Survivor” contestant. When requested which earlier contestant she would play the sport most like in her CBS bio, she responded “Brenda [Lowe] on the skin, Todd on the within.” She went on to clarify:
Todd ismy all-time favourite participant. I can channel his capacity to affect others and all the time bestrategically in command of the sport and put together to pitch myself in an incredible jury efficiency.
In her pre-season Parade interview, she additionally referenced how each she and Todd had been small in bodily stature, which might let their fellow contestants underestimate them early on within the recreation. “When he entered the sport, on paper,” she stated, “nobody believed that he had what it took to win…But he was in a position to construct these relationships that allowed him to make the transfer he wanted to get to the tip. He took possession and allowed his gameplay to make up for any challenges he had in relationships or betrayals…So I’d love to have the ability to play a recreation like him.”
During and after the airing of “Survivor 41,” Todd, who is thought for making a wide range of personalised funko pops lately, made and posted a lot of funko pops of this season’s contestants. On Tuesday, he made two of Erika – considered one of her with the notorious hourglass by her aspect, and the opposite of her carrying her immunity necklace – which he posted on-line. The caption learn, “I provide the fabulous and wonderful SURVIVOR superfan and winner of season 41, Erika!!!” A touched Erika responded, “Amazing thanks!! 😍❤️”
She Is 5 Feet Tall, and Loves to Box
As many followers might have observed, Erika is comparatively brief. She described herself as 5 ft tall “on an excellent day,” in her pre-season ET Canada interview, however stated in her CBS bio thatpeople typically do not imagine she’s 5 ft tall “as a result of my vibes make me appear 5’3.” What many followers might not know is that regardless of her small stature, Erika is an adept boxer.
In her CBS bio, she stated that, amongst touring and health, considered one of her greatest hobbies is boxing. She has posted movies of herself sparring at Stockyards Boxing and Fitness in Toronto, and has even competed in a lot of competitions. In 2017, she competed within the Brampton Cup – a boxing competitors in Brampton, Ontario – the place she positioned second (out of second, as she said on Instagram).
In 2014, on the age of 25, she competed in Marketing Magazine’s (now Strategy) annual “Agency Wars” fundraiser, the place she glided by the nickname “Chili Pepper.” It was her first actual boxing expertise, and she or he educated with professionals over a interval of a number of weeks. As she defined within the article previewing the occasion, she joined as a result of she “needed to show to myself that even for those who’re a petite lady who has by no means performed a sport, it is by no means too late to kick some ass.”
Erika is just not the primary “Survivor” winner to be a boxer. “Survivor: Micronesia” winnerParvati Shallow has been a boxer since 2004, and her official profession title throughout her authentic season, “Cook Islands,” in 2006, was “Boxer.” When she returned to “Survivor” one yr in a while the season that she would finally win, her title grew to become “Charity Organizer.” According to her CBS bio on the time, the charity of which she was an organizer was “Knockout for Girls,” a non-profit which sought to empower younger women via the game of boxing.
Erika Is Prioritizing Her Parents When It Comes to Her Winnings
Having gained a million-dollar prize (which in CAD is about $1.26 million as of as we speak), Erika revealed that her first precedence (after sorting via the taxes) could be serving to her dad and mom with no matter they want. As she defined in her post-season EW interview, “my dad and mom labored so onerous to verify I’m ready to make my dream of profitable ‘Survivor’ come true. So my primary precedence is my dad and mom.” After that, she stated, she is going to give attention to “shopping for some actually costly purses.”
Per her ET Canada interview, she additionally revealed that “[it]could also be irresponsible however there’s a variety of costly footwear I need. And then after that I’ll do all of the sensible stuff you do with cash.”
Although Erika could be very shut along with her household, she truly did not inform them – or anybody besides her therapist – about her win. As she put it in aTVLineinterview:
It was onerous, however I believe it was additionally enjoyable…My dad and mom had no thought. I did not inform them something in regards to the show, so each episode they’d be sweating considering I used to be getting voted out after I knew absolutely properly that I used to be going to win. It’s been a enjoyable secret to maintain for the previous few months, however I believe as soon as it lastly got here out…it was like an enormous exhale. Now I get to share the large information with everybody… lastly!
On the day of the finale, Erika attended a screening of the episode (much like the standard “Survivor” reunion show) at a big venue in Toronto, the place her household reacted dwell to seeing her victory. Footage of this may be seen right here.
As she put it in ET Canada, experiencing her household seeing her win was the most effective moments of her life. “It was so value it to maintain the key,” she defined, “as a result of all of my siblings, my dad and mom simply broke down into tears. Even I began crying seeing their response. It was simply one of many happiest moments of my life.”
