Meet the 'Survivor 44' Cast! Lauren Harpe Is Playing As Part of Her Post-Divorce Self-Growth Journey

The 31-year-old teacher from Mont Belvieu, Texas hopes her sweet demeanor will mask her tenacity from being a single mom.

Elementary school teacher Lauren Harpe is ready to hopefully school the competition in the far from elementary game of Survivor. The 31-year-old relishes the fast pace of the game, having undergone some large life shifts of her own recently in becoming a single mother. And having studied the new era particularly copiously, she hopes all her research will have her passing this 26-day test with flying colors.

Read on for my interview with Lauren, and make sure to check in with Parade.com every day for interviews with this season’s contestants and other tidbits. Survivor 44 premieres on March 1 with a special two-hour premiere on CBS.

Related: Meet the Full Cast of Survivor 44

Interview with Lauren from Survivor 44

Why are you here on Survivor?
I’m here on Survivor to really have a challenge for myself. I do everything for my boys. I’m a single parent, and so my day-to-day life is just going to work and taking care of my boys and running back and forth to soccer practice and different things like that. I recently got a divorce, so I’ve been on a self-growth journey just to see what I’m capable of. So this is really for me and to see all that I can do.

What’s your history with watching Survivor?
I started watching when I was really young with my father. But then life kind of took its course. So I would say more so I am a “new era” super fan. I’ve been watching these most recent seasons and binge-watching previous seasons as well. But I’m more of a new era superfan which I think is going to be really an asset for me in this game.

Give me one Survivor winner and one non-winner who you identify with the most.
So the first one will be Parvati, just for her charm. She was so charming. And I hope to just embody some of that in the game. And then also Natalie, just her strength and everything she brought into the game, just as a strong woman, really resonates with me. And a non-winner would be Shan. I just love how aggressive she was in the game and how she went in full force and was just authentically herself. She played as who she was. And I really just liked that about her.

What’s your favorite moment in Survivor history?
I mean, this was not a pivotal moment at all. But I think it would really involve Angelina when they were at Tribal Council, and she was asking for the jacket. (Laughs.) I think she was just very aggressive and really went for what she wanted. It was super funny—just an entertaining moment.

What’s one life experience you feel has prepared you most for the game?
Going through a divorce and then becoming a single mother. Through that, I had to learn how to take care of myself and my boys by myself. It was physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially taxing on my body. I’ve been through a lot mentally, and that’s going to prepare me for all of the challenges that are going to come my way in this game.

What excites you the most about the new era of Survivor?
I love how it is just so fast-paced and it’s so risky. These things that are happening in this new era of the game are things that we’ve never seen before. I’ve studied this new era. And people who haven’t or people who are just gung ho on the older seasons won’t be as up-to-date as me. So I just love how fast-paced it is and how risky it is. It’s just full of unknowns.

What do you think people will perceive you as?
I think that my tribemates, at first glance, may just see me as just a cute sweet girl just coming out here to live the island life. (Laughs.) But I think that they won’t realize that I am 30 years old and I have some life experience under my belt. And I hope the audience will perceive me as a strong woman and a strong individual, someone who went out and just took risks in every aspect of the game.

What type of player are you looking for in an alliance?
I am really looking for someone who is going to be trustworthy and honest. I value that very much. And I want somebody who I’m going to be able to share some things with, but first and foremost, that’s going to be able to share those things with me. (Laughs.) And I don’t think I’m going to trust them until they show me through their votes, show me through sharing some information with me that I may not have known before. So someone honest and someone who’s going to be open and willing to give information.

How eager will you be to look for advantages in the game?
That’s why I’m here! I’m here to play Survivor. So I’m going to be out there looking for idols. I’m going to be looking for those advantages every chance that I get. If you’re coming out here just to fiddle-faddle or twiddle your fingers, you've already lost. So I am very eager to find something that’s going to push me forward in this game.

What is the one thing you told yourself you wouldn’t do in this game?
I don’t care how hungry I get out here. I’m not eating a rat. (Laughs.) I’m not eating anything like that. I mean, I grew up in a very small town in the country with my family. And we ate things like possums and raccoons and things like that. But I’m not eating a rat or anything of that sort, no matter how hungry I get. (Laughs.)

What’s the best advice you received before coming out to play?
The best advice I got was just to be authentic and just be who I am and come play this game as me. I think a lot of times people come out here, they’re too worried about how they will be perceived or what others will think of them. And I think if I come out here and just genuinely be myself, I think that I’m gonna go very, very far in this game, and I will also be proud of the way I played.

Can you come up with your own weird phrase that could be said at a challenge to unlock an idol?
So I like to say, “Kick ass, sea bass.” (Laughs.) That’s something me and some of my friends say back home. That would be the phrase.

What celebrity or fictional character would you want to come out for a Loved Ones visit?
I’d want maybe a fairy godmother or a genie in a bottle to just come out here and give me what I want. To push me forward in the game or to make something magical happen. That’s the best I can get. (Laughs.)

Next, check out our interview with Survivor 44 contestant Kane Fritzler.