Marshall woman among ‘Survivor’ contestants
by Mark Lite/Editor
Marshall now has another claim to fame: a contestant on one of this season’s broadcast reality shows — the ninth edition of CBS’ Survivor. Marshallite Twila Tanner is one of 18 contestants competing for a grand prize of $1 million on “Survivor: Vanuatu – Islands of Fire.” While it is known that Tanner had a one in 18 chance of being the next famous “Survivor” winner, what is a secret — of course — is how she fared in the South Pacific competition. This season’s “Survivor” premiere airs at 7 p.m. Central time Thursday, Sept. 16. A spokeswoman for CBS explained that Tanner and the rest of the contestants are not allowed to talk to any media until the episode airs where they are either voted off the show or win the big prize. And, when they are allowed to talk, the CBS’ “The Early Show” gets dibs on interviews before Tanner and others are allowed to talk to other media. But cbs.com does include biographical information about this season’s “Survivor” contestants. According to the CBS bio, “Tanner was born in Osceola, Iowa, where she lived for 11 years. She eventually moved to Missouri, where she attended Marshall High School. She currently works full time for the Missouri Department of Transportation doing highway repair. She also works part-time as a custodian for Marshall public schools and on the weekends for Brown Construction of Gilliam, Missouri, running heavy equipment. “Tanner describes herself as hardworking, problem-solving and a good friend who enjoys riding motorcycles, horseback riding and mushroom hunting when she can find the time. She says her greatest accomplishment was being a single mom and raising her son, James, 23, who spent three years in the US Navy working in aviation hydraulics. Her hero is John Wayne, because ‘he always held his head high and never took crap from anyone,’ she says. Tanner’s main motivation to be on ‘Survivor:Vanuatu’ is for the challenge, while her secondary motivation is the money. She says she could be the sole Survivor because she is ‘strong-willed and determined to make a better life’ for herself, and possibly give her son ‘a jump-start in life.’ “Tanner currently resides in Marshall. Her birth date is Oct. 12, 1962.”
Source: Marshall Democrat-News
