Subject to both a bad season and having a target placed on her back because someone else couldn’t control themselves, Mikayla Wingle turns 28 today.
Player: Mikayla Wingle
Occupation: Lingerie Football Player
Hometown: Tampa, FL
Season: Survivor South Pacific
Tribe: Upolu (Blue Buff)
Finished: 14/18
The middle seasons of Survivor have a rough reputation. There’s a good reason for that; plenty of casting decision focused on creating over-the-top cartoons characters on television, and gameplay twists ranged from unfair to pointless. Complex players that make you think twice about judging a book by its cover were rare, making players like Mikayla Wingle stand out less.
She was one of the players on Survivor South Pacific, part of returning player Coach’s Upolu tribe. While she brought a physical presence to her tribe, especially when doing more than her fair share of work to help build up a camp, Mikayla Wingle had a problem that was outside of her control.
She made Brandon Hantz uncomfortable because she was too attractive for him to handle it.
You see, CBS really liked their stunt casting in the early 20s of Survivor seasons. The season after Russell Hantz made his final appearance on the show, production couldn’t help but bring on his manic cousin. Being a young man who found God after falling astray, he was in a vulnerable place where he felt that he needed not be tempted to sin or have sinful thoughts.
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Mikayla Wingle, being a strong, attractive woman that didn’t carry herself in the manner that adhered to a strange man’s whims, was considered a target by Brandon Hantz. He even went behind Coach’s back and tried to have the tribe vote Mikayla out, ultimately failing and owning up to it in Tribal Council. Eventually, as tribemates Christine and Stacey were voted out, she found herself without an alliance, sent to Redemption Island, and lost to Christine.
She may not have had the social acumen of a great player (you need to make an alliance fast), but Mikayla Wingle had a “get it done” attitude and strength that makes her a great possible returnee should another “Second Chances” season come around.
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A successful model, bikini competitor and recently happily married, we wish Mikayla Wingle a happy 28th birthday today! She may have even celebrated her 11th birthday by watching the first Survivor episode of the show’s history.