Wendy Diaz

Wendy Diaz is a contestant from Survivor: Edge of Extinction.

An underdog, Wendy displayed a strong sense of positivity and kindness, oftentimes struggling to separate the game from her personal relationships with her tribemates. A shocking vote at a Joint Tribal Council sent Wendy to the Edge of Extinction, where she would ultimately raise the mast alongside Keith Sowell, signaling her departure from the game.

Profile[]

Retrieved from CBS.com

Age: 25
Hometown: Los Angeles
Current residence: Bell, California
Occupation: Small Business Owner
Hobbies: Swimming, rock climbing, anything active, karaoke, and getting into shenanigans!
Pet peeves: I cannot stand when people don't carry their weight. I also hate quitters! Find a way to get something done! Don't just give up when the going gets tough.
Three words to describe you: Idiosyncratic, fun-loving, and spontaneous.
What is your personal claim to fame? Starting my own business from the ground up.
Who or what is your inspiration in life? My mom is my greatest inspiration. She worked hard and raised three daughters all by herself. I don't know what I would do without her!
If you could have three things on the island, what would they be and why?
I would definitely need to take a small jar of Vaseline, my lips get dry!
Hair ties: I cannot stand when my hair is in my face! I need it up to win challenges.
Last but not least, I really want to take Scruffy. Okay context time: I have a stuffed animal that I have had for 20 years and I have never slept without him even to this day. My sister and BF insist I don't take him because what if I get him sandy or ruin him. I'm conflicted.
Which Survivor contestant are you the most like? I am a hybrid of many players! I think I would play the game like Sandra, I would be the second Diaz to win! But my attitude towards people would be more like Tai. He is just so full of life and I love his outlooks on things.
What's your reason for being on Survivor? I would like to be on the show because I want to see how tough it really is. I love putting myself in these kinds of situations and when watching the show, I have a sense that I can do this with ease. My second motivation would probably be the money. Not in the typical sense. I have always said that I want to be rich just so I am able to help other people. I grew up poor, and I am by no means well off now, but I am content with my life and need nothing more. I could use that money to help people, even in the smallest way. Especially my mom and people like her.
Why do you think you'll "survive" Survivor? I think I have the agility and the cunningness to win. I love outdoorsy stuff and can't wait to see what the wilderness throws at me!^[1]

Survivor[]

Wendy started the game on the Manu tribe where she was joined by returning players David and Kelley. Right away, Wendy was liked by Reem as she taught her how to weave palm fronds; she then revealed to her tribe that she has Tourette syndrome. Later, Reem and Wendy helped teach Keith how to swim. However, their bonding caused them to be pinned as outsiders as they had isolated themselves. When Manu lost the Day 3 Immunity Challenge, Reem wanted to target Kelley and Lauren for being a power couple; however, Keith turned on Reem and Wendy due to Reem's overbearing attitude. Wendy was later approached by David and Wardog with a plan to vote Reem off, but rebuffed them. Wendy's stubbornness caused the majority alliance to pin her as a secondary target. At Tribal Council, Wendy voted Lauren, while Reem voted Kelley. However, the majority alliance split their votes between Reem and Wendy, with the former being voted out. After Reem's "elimination", Wendy was disappointed that Reem was voted out and continued to campaign against Kelley for being the ringleader of the majority alliance. While David and Rick considered joining Wendy's plan, Kelley led an open hunt for the Hidden Immunity Idol to prevent Wendy from finding it and Lauren, Kelley's closest ally, ended up finding it. When Manu lost their second Immunity Challenge in a row, Kelley and Wendy continued to target each other. While Chris was also on board in targeting Kelley, Wardog tried to convince Chris to get rid of Keith to keep the tribe strong and use Kelley as a shield. At Tribal Council, Wendy was once again left out of the vote as Chris, David, and Rick sided with Kelley in voting Keith out.

During the first Reward Challenge, Wendy injured her ankle, but despite that, Manu won their first challenge and chose chickens. Wendy plotted to set the chickens free, but she was sidelined due to her injury. When Manu lost their third Immunity Challenge in a row, Wendy hid the tribe's flint to prevent them from cooking the chickens. This caused the majority alliance to target her. However, David and Rick wanted to blindside Kelley instead and recruited Chris and Wendy. At Tribal Council, Chris and Wendy voted Kelley. In the end, it was Chris, who had betrayed David's trust by divulging the Wentworth plan to Wardog, that was blindsided instead.

On Day 9, a Tribe Switch occurred, and all the remaining Manu members except Wendy were switched to the new Lesu tribe. Wendy stayed on Manu and was joined by original Kama members Aubry (another returning player), Eric, Gavin, and Victoria. Wendy told them everything about her former tribe. Later that night, Wendy fulfilled her plan of releasing the chickens, frustrating her new tribemates. However, when Manu won their first Immunity Challenge on Day 11, Wendy was kept safe. On Day 12, the majority alliance of Eric, Gavin, and Victoria decided to target Aubry over Wendy; Victoria then pretended to align with Aubry and Wendy against the men to make Aubry feel comfortable. When Manu lost the Day 13 Immunity Challenge, Aubry discussed with Victoria and Wendy about blindsiding one of the men, but Wendy was reluctant to commit to the plan. At Tribal Council, Wendy joined the Kama alliance in blindsiding Aubry.

Manu would lose immunity again on Day 16 and were sent to a Joint Tribal Council with Lesu. At Tribal Council, Wendy joined the Kama alliance in voting against Lauren, causing a tie. During the revote, however, Eric, Gavin, and Victoria sided with Lesu and blindsided Wendy. Before leaving Tribal Council, she gave Jeff Probst a hug and was applauded by everyone before running off in excitement. Wendy was then given a chance to come back into the game and, without hesitation, she took the torch and went to the Edge of Extinction.

On Day 17, Reem, Keith, Chris, Rick, Aubry, and Wendy competed in the re-entry challenge. Rick won the challenge and returned to the game. Wendy accepted the offer to continue on the Edge of Extinction. However, when the five of them returned to the Edge of Extinction, Wendy, along with Keith, ultimately raised the mast and departed from the game.

Episode	Tribe Affiliation	Challenge	Challenge Type	Sit-Out?	Result
1	Manu	Social Network	Reward/Immunity	No	Lost
2		Serpent Turf	Reward/Immunity	No	Lost
3		Losing Face	Reward	No	Won
3		Beyond the Wheel	Immunity	No	Lost
4		Yank Your Hank	Immunity	No	2nd
5		True Grit	Reward	No	2nd
		A Bit Dinghy	Immunity	No	Lost
		Rod Screw-It	Reward	No	2nd
		In Through the Out Door	Immunity	No	Lost
Voted Out, Day 16
6	Manu	Back in the Saddle	Re-entry		Lost
Quit, Day 17

Episode	Wendy's Votes	Voted Against Wendy
1	Lauren	Kelley, Lauren, Wardog
2	Kelley	Keith
3	Kelley	-
4	Manu Tribe Immune
5	Aubry	Aubry
5	Lauren; Ineligible	David, Kelley, Lauren, Wardog; David, Eric, Gavin, Kelley, Victoria, Wardog¹
Voted Out, Day 16
6	On Edge of Extinction
Quit, Day 17

^1 In "It's Like the Worst Cocktail Party Ever", the vote ended with a 4-4 tie between Wendy and Lauren, forcing a revote. Eric, Gavin, and Victoria changed their votes to Wendy on the revote, eliminating her from the game.

Post-Survivor[]

Wendy broke the world record for most Rubik's Cubes solved while hula hooping.^[2]

Trivia[]

Wendy is the first contestant with Tourette syndrome.
Wendy was the only member of the original Manu to stay on the tribe after the Tribe Switch.
- This also makes her the first member of original Manu to win immunity.
Wendy received the most elimination votes in Edge of Extinction, with 15.
Wendy and Keith are the first contestants to raise the white flag and leave the Edge of Extinction. They were followed by Sandra Diaz-Twine on Winners at War.