A Survivor Winner Explained How She Handled Armpit Hair And Other Beauty Concerns

If you’ve ever wondered anything about Survivor or what it’s like to be on the island, chances are someone from the 49 cast is ready and willing to answer. The other day I covered fan favorite second place finisher Sophi Balerdi explaining in graphic detail the options for pooping when you’re in Fiji. Now, we have her friend and fellow finalist Savannah Louie talking about armpit hair and why she didn’t really have any despite being on the island for almost a month. She responded to a fan question about her grooming with an extremely direct answer and also talked about some other beauty things fans always wonder about.

Let’s tackle the armpit hair thing first. During the early seasons of Survivor, most of the contestants get hairier by the end of their runs on the show, but it’s typically not as noticeable now. Savannah said in her case, she got laser hair removal before going on the island. She said it’s something she’s done in the past, and she did it again because she knew she was going to be on national television and wanted to look her best, or at least as good as she could under the circumstances.

Savannah was obviously only speaking for herself, but others have talked about laser hair removal in the past. Lauren Ashley-Beck from Island Of The Idols said she was shocked to get to Fiji and discover the other women had done laser hair removal while she had a “mini jungle” under her arms. It seems like there was a slow evolution over the years in which it went from no one really getting laser hair removal to some women getting laser hair removal to most women getting laser hair removal.

That’s definitely not the only beauty choice women are making before going on the island. During the same video, Louie talked about a ton of other things she did before heading back out for 50. She got botox on her forehead. She got her fingernails and toenails done. She dyed her hair. She did not, however, do anything with her eyelashes. Much to her surprise, many of the women who played Survivor 50 did have extensions or lifts, which Savannah thinks may have something to do with the extra experience many have on the show.

Survivor is a game about comfort and discomfort. It sucks being on an island without food or a comfortable place to sleep, surrounded by strangers and dangerous outdoor stuff. The people who win are typically those who can center themselves and figure out how to make wise choices amidst all that discomfort. So, I’m all for people doing whatever they need to do to get mentally prepared (or physically prepared). If that involves an extensive beauty routine, that just sounds like good pregaming to me, which is something the Survivor 49 cast knows plenty about.

You can catch Savannah and all the other returning legends when the long-awaited Survivor 50 hits the TV premiere schedule on February 25th. The cast is absolutely stacked, and I cannot wait to see so many beloved castaways from different eras interacting with each other.