“Survivor 46” contestant Maria Shrime Gonzalez may be better prepared than anyone to do what it takes to win. Make no doubt about it, the 48-year-old parent coach from Dallas will “lie, cheat and steal” to win, but there’s no problem because she has her kids’ approval — “It’s okay, mommy, don’t worry.” Watch their full CBS interview above.
Maria is a mother of three that gave birth to all of her children “at home with no medication,” including her first that had her in labor for 36 hours and another that she nursed after completing a marathon. Experiences like that make Maria feel that she’s “built for hard things.” She explains that as a parent “your identity becomes that caregiver” and that for her “along the way, [she] lost sight of ‘me.'”
The decision to play the game of “Survivor” became Maria’s “must,” a chance to step away from the “shoulds” of her life and do something for herself. As an immigrant growing up in Texas, Maria didn’t always get to be the person she wanted to be because she was hyper focused on fitting in, so she says, “I’m playing now. This is for me.”
Don’t miss Maria compete as an original member of the Siga tribe sporting this season’s green buff when “Survivor 46” premieres with two-hour episodes on Wednesday, February 28 and Wednesday, March 6, followed by 90-minute episodes thereafter. The new season features 18 new players divided into three tribes and they’ll vote each other out until only one remains on Day 26 as the $1 million winner. Do you think Maria will be the newest champion?
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