OU career coach Kristina Mills finished fifth in the 49th season of the competition reality TV show “Survivor,” emerging as one of the season’s most emotionally driven players after facing weeks of physical challenges on Fiji’s Mamanuca Islands.
Mills said her decision to apply for the competition was inspired by years of watching the show with her husband, but her connection to the show became more personal while watching Season 45.
“I was going through some rough things in life,” Mills said. “My mom had just passed away due to (a) fentanyl overdose, and I was kind of going through depression there, and … I felt stuck in life.”
She said watching contestants Kaleb Gebrewold and Emily Flippen that season and following their journey sparked something deeper than just enjoyment of the show.
“Watching them, something clicked …,” Mills said. “It wasn't even like, ‘Oh, I should apply.’ It was like, ‘Oh, you're going to be on it.’”
After applying online and completing months of interviews, medical evaluations and other various casting steps, Mills was selected for Season 49.
During the couple months Mills had to prepare, she focused on physical training and preparing her husband and two young children for her absence.
“For me, the biggest thing was making sure my family was OK, …” Mills said. “Writing notes for my kids and making videos for them so that (my husband) could show it to them when I was gone.”
Throughout the season, Mills became known for playing with emotional openness and prioritizing relationships, a style she said was not calculated.
“I could not fake or hide who I was and so you all saw all the authentic parts of me,” Mills said.
Mills said her ability to make connections helped her navigate the volatile dynamics of life in the wilderness. She said that same emotional openness also made the betrayals harder to absorb.
“I went out there thinking that (being) social was going to be my strength. … But that was a big lesson for me, is that I can’t actually be loyal to everyone,” she said.
Those moments pushed her toward a realization that changed both her gameplay and her self-perception.
“This is the first time that you get permission to be selfish and to think about yourself. … Let’s lean into that a little bit,” Mills said.
Though viewers saw Mills as a relationship-driven player, she said much of her strategic thinking never made it to air.
“I would constantly be like, ‘OK,’ doing math and trying to figure out what we needed,” Mills said. “I surprised myself. … I was like, ‘Oh, I’m a pretty good strategist, and I didn’t know that.’”
Still, the most lasting impact of the game for Mills was internal.
“It's the personal strength that has definitely been changed for me,” Mills said. “I have such a newfound respect for everyone that’s come before me and for the people that play this game.”
When her journey ended after other players targeted her as a threat in the final four fire-making challenge, Mills said she felt pride rather than regret.
“I did not practice fire before I went out there, … so the fact that I was able to pick it up and then go out as being a threat was like, oh, OK. I love it,” Mills said.
Off the island, Mills returned to her role at OU, where she works as associate director of career coaching and student experience for Price College master’s students. She said “Survivor” fundamentally changed how she approaches that work.
“‘Survivor’ is … an experience in my life that is reinforced and has truly shown me that you are capable of so much more than you give yourself credit for,” Mills said.
That belief now carries more weight when she shares it with students.
“I say that to them now with so, so much authority, where I feel like before it was kind of just the, ‘If you want to do anything in life, you can.’ Now I feel like they actually see it,” Mills said.
For students who knew her before and after the show, the contrast has been powerful.
“They know I'm not a person that would have gone out and done any of this. … And now you see (me) out there on the TV … living out this dream and doing this crazy thing. I really think that it inspires them,” Mills said.
On the island, Mills said she found grounding in small, joyful moments, like dancing alone at camp, sitting by the water and watching the stars.
“Just remembering: … This is such a gift. Even in the craziness, not sleeping, not eating, stress, just sitting in that moment and being like … I did it. That really kept me grounded,” Mills said.
Now officially a “Survivor” alum, Mills says she would return in a heartbeat if asked. For now, she’s embracing life after the game, connecting with fans and carrying the lessons forward both professionally and personally.
This story was edited by Natalie Armour and Macey Thaxton. Larkin Bock, Mary Ann Livingood and Gretchen Schultz copy edited this story.
