After conquering her fellow castaways on “Survivor” and bringing the heat as a rookie on MTV’s “The Challenge,” Dee Valladares is setting her sights on a third reality competition series run.
In an exclusive interview with Parade, the former “Survivor” champion – who will return to the Emmy-winning series for its milestone 50th season next year – revealed that she would “definitely” be interested in joining Peacock’s hit murder-mystery reality series “The Traitors.”’
Dee Opens Up About Embracing the ‘Challenge’ Lifestyle
Dee Valladares is no stranger to high-stakes competition. In 2023 she claimed the title of “Sole Survivor” — alongside a handsome million-dollar grand prize – on “Survivor 45” thanks to her physical prowess, social finesse and stragetic savvy.
More recently, she made the move to MTV for a run of Season 41 of “The Challenge.” As new-comer to the series, Valladares competed alongside other rookies for the “Vets & New Threats” season. While her appearance on the long-running series demonstrated her appetite for competition and her ability to adapt to challenging circumstances, she was ultimately eliminated during the season’s 12th episode, which aired on October 15.
MTVReflecting on her physical and mental growth from “Survivor” to “The Challenge,” Valladares told Parade: “I think I’m in the best shape I’ve been in my entire life… ‘The Challenge’ was extremely physical. But I think it’s more mentally, I’m a lot stronger coming out of that.”
With her new mindset, similarly strengthened by her already recorded run on “Survivor 50,” Valladares added that she’s ready for “something new.”
Valladares Wants to be the Next ‘Survivor’ Star to Win ‘Traitors’
When asked what reality competition series she’d like to join next, Valladares singled out “The Traitors,” saying, “I would love to do ‘The Traitors’.”
If she does eventually join the series, Valladares would become the latest in a long line of “Survivor” alumni to appear on the Alan Cumming-hosted murder mystery competition, which has previously featured familiar faces like Rob ‘Boston Rob’ Mariano, Parvati Shallow, Sandra Diaz-Twine, Jeremy Collins, Tony Vlachos and, perhaps most notably, Cirie Fields, who emerged victorious from the series’ first-ever season in 2023.
That being said, her ambitions don’t stop at reality TV fame.
“When I think five or ten years ahead, I don’t want to just do reality TV. I want to get into producing or working behind the scenes,” she revealed. “Reality TV is fun, and right now I’m young and I’m not married, I don’t have kids…But we’ll see. This year coming up is going to be a big one with [‘Survivor 50’]. So who knows what could come from that?”
