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Home > Today's Christian > 2006 > September/October

Getting 'Real' for God
These reality show contestants turned a moment of fame into a lasting witness for Christ.
By Linda Owen


Getting 'Real' for God
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Whether the object is to snag the most eligible bachelor or win a million-dollar prize, many of today's reality shows are built on greed. Considering the lengths that people will go to win, should Christian contestants subject themselves to such temptations? What happens when a Christian is isolated from society for over a month, interacting with unbelievers and those whose only mindset is "win at any cost"? Does the experience shake your faith or enhance it?

TC found four contestants who saw their involvement on a reality TV show as a chance to spread the gospel, and although some of their efforts may have ended up on the cutting room floor, they feel that God called them to the experience.

Danni Boatwright: Soul 'Survivor'

After the Nakum tribe hiked 11 miles through dense jungle and sat down to eat a meal of corn, Danni Boatwright asked, "Do you mind if we say a prayer over it?" They agreed—and during the next 39 days there were other opportunities for prayers, especially when her team would win a contest. Soon the producers of Survivor: Guatemala had dubbed the tribe the "God Squad."

"It was really stepping out because everyone wasn't a believer. I thought, 'This will work out, or I'll be voted off right away,'" she recalls. In the end Danni, a former Miss Kansas and an international model, maneuvered her way around her bickering comrades, earned their respect and their votes, and won a million dollars.

According to Danni, "The hardest thing for a Christian on reality TV is not to compromise your standards. You have to trust in the Lord—which I did, and He would open doors for me. He took me down a path where I didn't have to lie and cheat," she says. "You just have to watch for those openings so you don't miss them."

During her castaway experience, Danni had opportunities to witness to several of the contestants. One of her most rewarding memories is when Margaret Bobonich started asking questions about salvation and later promised to find a church.

"I was never in my life so in tune with the Lord as I was out there. There was lots of quiet time, and I prayed a lot," Danni says. "There were times during the contests when I needed something more than physical or even mental ability. I needed to draw on something spiritual."

In the final immunity challenge, Danni, who has scoliosis (curvature of the spine), was secretly in agony as she braced her back against a pole while standing on a wobbly board for hours. "I kept picking my nails like it was nothing, trying to psych out the others, but I was really hurting and praying for God's help," she remembers. "I endured only through the grace of God."





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