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On Sunday night, the sixth season of CBS's reality game show Survivor wrapped up with a jury of seven kicked-off Survivor: Amazon contestants choosing a $1 million winner. Like in years past, there was much discussion about the means with which the final two contestants got there.

On the show, 16 participants are arranged into" tribes." Every three days, the tribes vote out one member. Besides surviving the elements, contestants also compete politically to stay in the game. Sunday night's finale had the traditional allegations that those competing for the top prize lied, manipulated, and backstabbed other players.

In a game with so much deception and maneuvering, it may be surprising that several past survivors have been Christians. In fact, two of the six winners, season two's Tina Wesson and season four's Vecepia Towery-Robinson were regularly shown practicing their Christian faith.

Christianity Today assistant online editor Todd Hertz talked with Towery-Robinson this week about winning Survivor and how the game's tactics correspond with Christian ethics.

Two of the six Survivor winners have been openly Christian. Is that a coincidence?

I consider myself first and foremost a Christian who loves the Lord. I had a great opportunity to go on a game show and to win. You can do anything with faith. I think Tina and I both went out there believing that.

I needed my faith out there. There were times when I got down, but I went to pray and I knew the Lord didn't bring me onto Survivor to falter. A strong faith and belief in myself and in the power of God was definitely something that helped. A lot of people won't buy it, but I stand true to that.

How did you decide to be on Survivor?

At first, both my husband and I wanted to go on Survivor, but we knew they would never take a husband and wife team. He told me I should try it, so I searched for information on applying. I called CBS in New York, I searched the Internet, I looked everywhere, but I couldn't find anything. Then the Holy Spirit told me to stop looking.

About a month later, I was at work and the Holy Spirit moved me to look up Habakkuk 2:2-4:

Then the Lord said to me, "Write my answer on large, clear tablets so that a runner may read it and tell everyone else. But these things I plan will not happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, wait patiently for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed. Look at the proud. They trust in themselves and their lives are crooked. But the righteous live by faith."

I prayed, "Lord, what are you trying to tell me?" I felt him say that it was time to start looking again and to go to www.cbs.com. Lo and behold, there was the application for Survivor 4.

Did you believe from then on that you would make it?

After sending in my audition tape, I put a Post-It Note on my computer that said, "I will be a survivor." Every day, I continued to name and claim that. I said, "Lord, you told me to write my vision down and I am believing in you that I will be a survivor." Eight days later, I got the phone call.

When I knew I'd finally made the show, I took that first sticky note off and put a new one that said, "I will be the ultimate survivor." I would pray, "Lord, you have ordained my steps and set this in place. I am believing it will happen." I even took the sticky note to the island with me. Every day I prayed for God to help me do what I had to do.

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May (Web-only) 2003, Vol. 47