Survivor's Danni Boatwright Shares Swimsuit Photo of “Pool Days”

1. Training Before the Jungle

Boatwright made sure she was prepared for the hardships of the jungle before taking part in Survivor season 11 in Guatemala. “I trained really hard before I left, working out with a trainer and really preparing myself for the physical challenges I knew I would face in the jungle,” she says. “I also worked on puzzles to prepare my mind and watched all prior seasons of the show and read books on it, as well.”

2. Puzzle Challenges

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Boatwright says her biggest weakness when it comes to Survivor is doing puzzles. “I can be the first to the puzzle, and since I knew I was coming on, I've been doing puzzles,” she says. “Like, my eight-year-old beats me at puzzles. So I don't know how much I've improved. It's just because I've never had a passion for them. I'm so ADD and I'm just always on the go, I never sit down to figure those things out, so I've never had any interest in them. Since I knew I was coming back on, I've been working, working, working on them, so we'll see if maybe I have improved in that area.”

3. Swimming Model

Boatwright once took part in a photo campaign for Speedo Swimwear. “During my modeling career I did an international campaign for Speedo Swimwear that featured all Olympic swimmers—and then lil’ ol’ me,” she says. “I was booked because Speedo thought I had the physique of a swimmer. Guess I missed my calling in life! Maybe I could’ve been an Olympic medalist!”

4. Back On TV

Boatwright was thrilled to return for Survivor: Winners at War 29 seasons after winning in Guatemala. “I don't think, really, I've changed as a person,” she says. “Like, I'm still that same person. My values haven't changed. The only thing that's changed is becoming a wife and a mother, which I think really works great for helping prepare you for Survivor. Because just raising kids, it's a lot of work, a lot of dedication, and a lot of patience. I feel like I'm constantly hunting down hidden immunity idols because I'm trying to find a shoe or a sock or a uniform. So, I've had some practice there. Then, just in being married, marriage is a lot of work. It has great rewards, but it's definitely… you've got to work at it just like you do in the game of Survivor with your relationships you have.”

5. Losing 30 Pounds

Boatwright lost 30 pounds during the 2005 competition, which she made a point of regaining once she was back home again. “We had a wonderful cast. Unfortunately, since tribes swapped I got to meet some other people and it was really great fun as far as that goes, but those conditions were just brutal,” she says. “I mean, I lost 30 pounds. So, at 5'10" I came home 96 pounds. That's awful. Just diarrhea, we were sick from the lake water and we had to eat maggot-infested corn because maggots got into our corn and it was bad. Really bad.”