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As more Netflix subscription holders tune into Outlast: The Jungle, the cast is speaking out about their experiences on the extreme reality competition show. After Team Charlie spoke their piece about the backlash they received from fans, it's time for their former teammate, Sarah Awad, to speak. She specifically talked about the anger she felt while being booted from the group and later rewatching it.
It was during an interview with WTOP that Awad spoke about her recent stint on the addictive 2026 TV schedule offering. She arguably became the talk of the internet along with Leiya Pillitteri, due to how they were treated by Team Charlie. While Leiya has thoughts focused on other former teammates, Sarah confirmed she was just as angry about getting kicked off the team as it appeared on the series. She said:
I wanted to burn that Charlie camp down, I’m not gonna lie. I get it, it’s like you got money on the line and everything, but where’s the integrity, you know, where is the shame for your family that’s going to watch the show and everything?
One thing I'll say about Outlast: The Jungle is that the show does a great job of portraying the contestants' personalities. Every time one of these people does an interview or posts on social media, it feels like they're the exact person featured on the show. That's not always the case in even the best reality TV shows, so I appreciate that.
That aside, Sarah confirmed her Team Charlie exit was traumatic, and it was sparked due to arguments with her teammate, Wes Saunders. While she ultimately was taken in by Team Bravo after being kicked out, she shared that the whole experience was hard to watch, even a year after filming it:
I started feeling like I was back there again, and seeing myself cry, and having my friends and my family call me, like tearing up for me, like they were hurt for me, and it feels really nice that people can see what happened to me.
Team Charlie got their comeuppance on Outlast: The Jungle, after Sarah prevented them from getting necessary supplies by joining Team Bravo, rather than exiting the game. Leiya Pillitteri also got revenge later by joining Team Alpha and stealing Charlie's kayak, which they'd won in another challenge. Team Charlie was ultimately eliminated by Team Alpha, thanks in part to Leiya's primitive firemaking ability.
Sarah was cut from Team Bravo before the end of the game, but she doesn't seem to harbor the same ill feelings toward them that she did toward Charlie. In fairness, her exit from Bravo felt more of a game strategy than Charlie largely voting her out due to how they felt about her.
With Outlast: The Jungle making waves on streaming and social media, I can't wait for news on if or when we'll be getting another season. This season is one of its best, and it reminds me of old-school Survivor in the best way possible. Here's hoping it's the first of many seasons that are set in the jungle, and future episodes live up to just how good this season was! Also, after hearing Sarah Awad's take on her experience, I'm curious as to who else might talk about theirs.
Check out Outlast: The Jungle on Netflix along with the previous two seasons, which take place in colder climates.
