On The Clock
Survivor's Jenna Morasca

Jenna Morasca became a millionaire this past May when she outlasted the competition to win the sixth edition of the CBS reality series 'Survivor'. The South Fayette High School grad won one million dollars and a brand new Saturn in the biggest landslide victory in the show's six-season history, getting six votes from the seven-member jury to runner-up Matthew Von Ertfelda's one. Morasca spent 39 days in the Amazon, withstanding sickness, rain and a fire that destroyed her shelter, to claim her prize. The 22-year old appears in the August issue of Playboy. She plans to return to the University of Pittsburgh and complete her zoology degree. PSR's Tony DeFazio caught up with her a few days before she began her Playboy press tour.

PSR: What have you been up to since you won?

JM: It's been crazy - 've just been really busy. I was out in LA last week meeting with the networksÉ so, it's been very busy, but it's been fun.

PSR: Did you play any sports in high school or when you were younger?

JM: I played basketball when I was in 7th and 8th grade, I played volleyball all the way through high schoolÉ I played soccer when I was just real little, and I cheered in college at Duquesne, so I've pretty much done it all.

PSR: Did your athleticism come in handy on the show?

JM: Oh definitely. I think you have to have some athletic ability to get past the challenges.

PSR: Do you view what's happening in your life right now as a path to something greater, or do you view this as your 15 minutes of fame?

JM: I think anybody who limits themselves to 15 minutes is basically digging their own grave. I understand that there are a lot of reality TV shows and the fame from that won't last forever. Its business for me, and I'm going to capitalize from the fact that I was on Survivor for as long as possible, and then I'll move on. The lucky thing for me is that I won, so I have a million dollars. Its not like it's the end of the world if I don't get that big TV job.

PSR: What are your immediate plans?

JM: We'll see what happens from the meetings that I had (with network executives), but then I plan to go back to school. That's a definite. I have a year left, and I'll finish at Pitt. I plan to start this coming semester.

PSR: What type of reaction or reception to you expect on campus?

JM: You know what, Pitt's a big school; I don't think it'll be a big deal. Plus, when I go class I pretty much dress down, wear a hat, that sort of thing. People won't even notice.

PSR: How many phone calls did you get from guys you went to high school with after you won?

JM: It was actually more females than men. People saying 'remember me from here, there, or wherever 'People who know me pretty much know that they probably shouldn't call me about that.

It's so blatantly about the money. They'll call and say 'Hey let's go out to dinner.' People I barely know actually call and ask me for money. I don't even answer the phone anymore. I only answer my phone if I know who's calling. We changed our home number, so that really stopped a lot of it. Now it's just my cell phone, and not too many people have my cell phone number - the people who do are my true friends or people who have it for business reasons.

PSR: Speaking of business, how to you come to have Ralph Cindrich as an agent?

JM: My father knows Ralph, they used to wrestle together. I know his daughter Christina very well. I've heard nothing but good things about him, so I went to meet him. Things went really well, we liked everything we saw of his company, they're really hard workers over there, so I'm really, really happy about it.

PSR: You've talked in the past about your mother being a hero to you - would you like to tell our readers why that is?

JM: Why she's my hero? Because she's a true survivor. She's been dealing with breast cancer for 12 years and she's still here. Not only is she still here, she's still trucking and she's still as strong as she ever was. She's amazing to me.

PSR: Why did you decide to pose for Playboy?

JM: There were a lot of reasons. Heidi (fellow Survivor contestant) and I are best friends, and to have the opportunity to do something like that with your best friend is hard to pass up. It's the number one selling men's magazine. We felt very comfortable with the deal that was presented to us Ð in fact it's a very good deal, the kind that would have us kicking ourselves later if we passed it up (reports indicate that Jenna stands to earn as much as one million dollars, depending on sales of the magazine). They were very professional, they treated us very well, the pictures came out very tastefully done, and I'm really happy with it.

PSR: Do you have any future commitments to Playboy?

JM: Oh yeah, we're doing an entire press tour. Starting with the CBS Morning Show, Howard Stern, The O'Reilly Factor, Fox News,

PSR: What's Stern's show like?

JM: I like people who challenge people, so I like his questions. They're certainly interesting, they're hard - I think that's fun. I don't have a problem with Howard at all. I don't think you can be intimidated by him, because when you're intimidated by Howard Stern that just makes it worse. I haven't been in an interview yet where I've felt that I needed to back down, or where I've been intimidated. I think I can handle controversy pretty well.

PSR: You've done a lot of modeling in the past, and you've been naked in front of a camera - but this is Playboy. Were there any nerves?

JM: First of all we weren't getting naked for foodÉ we were getting naked for a lot more. Plus, we felt better about it because we looked better. We looked pretty haggard in that episode with the peanut butter and chocolate. They are so professional at that magazine, its really a dream to work with the people at that magazine. A lot of females who I know have told me that they'd love to be in Playboy, let alone be on the cover like Heidi and I are.

It's a closed set, I felt very comfortable, and I think that comes through in the pictures.

PSR: Did you get to meet Hef?

JM: No - not yet. We'll probably make our way over to the mansion in the next month or so. I know they have a big Mid-Summer Night's Dream party in August that we may be able to attend. Either way, we'll meet him eventually.

PSR: What was the reaction like from friends and family?

JM: My friends have been so supportive. They're so excited for me, telling me it's the opportunity of a lifetime. They're really happy for me. They've been fabulous. A lot of the people from the show have really been our support system, and they've been great.

My family has been great, of course they support me in whatever I do. They know I won't let anything come out of that if its not classy.

PSR: What about Survivor? How will that be a part of your future?

JM: Well, we're under contract with them for a year, so I'll be involved that way. But Survivor will always be a huge part of my life. I don't think I could ever repay Mark Burnett (the producer) or Jeff Proebst (the host) or any of the cast for everything they did for me. It will always be in my heart. Survivor was the best thing that ever happened to me. Whether I would have won or not, I'd still say that.