Survivor season 43 premieres on CBS on September 21, 2022, and Philadelphia-based participant Morriah Young is competing to fulfill her late mother’s ultimate request. Young is a 28-year-old Philadelphia-based performance artist and instructor whose life and Instagram feed can virtually make anyone’s day. Survivor 43 is hosted by Jeff Probst, and a group of 18 castaways will join him on adventures on the Mamanuca Islands in Fiji in the next weeks in order to win the ultimate title and $1 million. Because to game-changing changes made by the reality TV series after season 40, the castaways would be subjected to severe twists, with practically restricted food, for just 26 days instead of 39.
Based on the premiere patterns of the previous two seasons, the new season will allegedly air a two-hour-long program on Wednesday featuring two contestants who were ousted from the competition. The following week, the program will run a 90-minute episode, marking the first time in the series’ history that an extended second episode would air. That being said, here’s all you need to know about Morriah Young, a Survivor season 43 competitor, ahead of the season premiere.
Meet Morriah, a performing arts teacher who believes she might be seen as a threat for her strong social game.🗣️#Survivor pic.twitter.com/tZMM7fzqoV
— SURVIVOR (@survivorcbs) September 2, 2022
Morriah Young wants to participate in Survivor 43 to “commemorate and respect” her mother.
Morriah Young, 28, is a performance artist and educator. She is participating in Survivor 43 after her mother died tragically. Young said that she spent her early years watching Survivor with her late mother, who died not long ago. She said that she is competing in this season just to “commemorate and respect her.”
In an interview with Parade, Young stated:
“So I’ve been watching Survivor since it first aired in 2000, for as long as I can remember. I was perhaps six or seven years old. I grew up watching it with my mother. It was her favorite program. My sisters and I would watch it religiously. We’d sit down on the sofa with the remote and popcorn.”
In a separate interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer, she discussed her line of work and mentioned:
“I teach sixth, seventh, and eighth students in the performing arts at (Uncommon Schools) Camden Prep in Camden.”
Morriah Young expressed her motivation for being on the program this season as wanting to demonstrate to children and teens that being able to sing, dance, and act is great and entertaining, particularly for those who aren’t comfortable being out in public while performing. She said as a performance artist:
“I have to persuade them that it’s a great thing to do.”
Morriah Young believes that as a middle school teacher, she has learned to be patient and to adjust her manner according to the age group of students she is working with. She has also learned how to create connections and read the room. Young describes herself as a “joy liaison,” planning parties and potlucks and bringing people together.
Morriah Young, a Survivor contestant, finds the new period “interesting.”
Morriah Young wants the other participants to see her as a rival with exceptional social abilities. Despite her pleasant demeanor, she wants the audience to understand that she is here to perform, give her all, and win. She feels that in previous seasons of Survivor, participants had more time to analyze and study individuals, to respond to certain events, or to develop their playing plans. Contestants will have to make quick judgments due to the restricted time and resources available after the changes made two seasons ago.
Young believes that although it may be easier to mislead people this way at times, it makes the game lot more thrilling. She claims that it adds an entirely new depth to the game.
Parade quoted Morriah Young as saying:
“And this adds to the intrigue of the game because you never know how you’re going to play. That’s why I’m glad I’m in Fiji! I got Fiji because other individuals get Africa, Guatemala, or the Australian Outback. As a result, the game is becoming quicker. However, the elements are not as harsh.”
The Philadelphia-based instructor also said that losing her mother prepared her for the game and survival.
Morriah continued:
“But losing a parent, particularly a mother, is one of the most terrible losses you can have, in my view. And Survivor is such a visceral experience and game in which you are stripped of everything. All of your goods that make you feel comfortable, cozy, and at home are taken away from you, and you’re left on this barren island.”
Morriah Young went on to say:
“That’s how I felt when my mother died; I felt like everything had been taken away from me. And so, if I can go through losing a parent and yet come out tough and enduring, and find a way to live in life despite the greatest loss, I know I can go to 26 days and win.”