Sonja Christopher, the first lesbian contestant to appear on Survivor has died this week, aged 87.
The former teacher and counsellor also held the distinction of being the first contestant ever voted off the show.
Tributes for the reality star have flooded in from former contestants online.
Survivor: Groundbreaking television
Back in 2000 Survivor was a pioneer of reality television.
The concept of marooning sixteen strangers on a tropical island and forcing them to vote each other out for the chance to win a million dollars was a new one.
Marketed as representing Americans from all walks of life the first season saw contestants from all ages and career paths.
Those cast for the first season included a truck driver, attorney, neurologist, a teacher, a retired naval seal and many more.
Joining the cast at the age of 63, Sonja Christopher, the retired gym teacher holds the record as the oldest female to ever compete on the program.
She was cast on the show just three years after battling invasive breast cancer, during this time her partner of eleven years had left her while she was undergoing treatment.
Sonja was best known for her attempts to liven up camp life by playing the ukulele and singing to fellow camp mates.
Unfortunately she struggled under the gruelling physical challenges, sending her tribe to tribal council.
Ultimately they chose to vote her out, making her the first contestant ever voted off the program.
“Every interaction I had with her over the years was lovely”
However that wasn’t the only first for the larger than life contestant.
Sonja also holds the distinction as the first lesbian contestant to feature on the program.
In a unique twist of fate the eventual winner of the program was Richard Hatch, the only other gay contestant on the season.
Whilst Sonja’s sexuality was never discussed openly on the show, it was widely reported she asked producers not to mention it on screen, however Sonja was publicly open about her sexuality.
Sonja passed away over the weekend, her cause of death has not been disclosed.
Survivor host Jeff Probst paid tribute her on the show’s official Instagram account on Saturday.
“Sonya was one of the kindest people to ever play Survivor,” he said.
“Every interaction I had with her over the years was lovely.”
“She would always greet you with a smile on her face and joy in her heart. I’m honoured that our paths got to cross.”
While her time on the show may have been short lived, she paved the way for many after her.
The evolution of queer representation on Survivor
It would not be until eight seasons later that Survivor would feature another openly lesbian contestant.
Seasons two through eight saw a sprinkling of openly gay men feature on the program following the win by Richard Hatch in season one.
But season nine however featured two openly lesbian contestants.
Ami Cusak and Scout Lee featured on the famous “men vs women” season in Vanuatu, which was also the first time a gay “loved ones” visit appeared on the program when Ami’s girlfriend visited her on the island.
It would not be until season fifteen that another gay contestant would go on to win the program when gay mormon flight attendant Todd Herzog walked away with the million dollar prize on Survivor China.
Since then the program has continued to evolve with their representation of queer people.
Although sporadic, their appearance and stories of their personal lives slowly began to make more screen time over the years.
Following the iconic 40th season of the program producers implemented a new diversity casting policy.
In response to pressure from former contestants, CBS promised all future seasons would feature at least 50% people of colour in the cast, including more active representation of the LGBTQIA+ community.
This resulted in the queerest season in the history of the program when season 44 debuted with a whopping six queer contestants.
This marked the first time one third of cast was part of the LGBTQIA+ community, with openly gay contestant Yam Yam taking home the million dollar prize and the title of Sole Survivor.
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