Denise the Not-Quite-Lunch-Lady Returns

Don Aucoin at the Globe landed an interview with Denise the Not-Quite-Lunch-Lady, the Survivor contestant from Douglas who said she had been demoted from lunch lady to janitor. Mark Burnett gave her $50,000 since she had it so rough, but the Douglas School Superintendent swiftly revealed that Denise had actually been promoted.

So, why did Denise do it? In an interview Aucoin said took 90 minutes, Denise told him that she got nervous on television and that what she really meant to say was that she didn't like working nights. Although she had higher pay, she wanted the better hours. While Bostonist doesn't intend to doubt her--why kick a woman when she's down?--the "nervous on television" part is surprising because Survivor casting directors pick people who are at ease on camera. Reality television is like being in a lab experiment, and the camera is always there.

To the Douglas School District's credit, they let Denise stay on even after they were the target of a hate-mail campaign. However, not everyone in the town is happy with her, and in a small town like that (about 8,000), everyone knows everything, and relations become venomous quickly. Even without the mullet, the whole town likely knows who she is, and she's going to have to tough it out. But it's probably easier than dealing with several weeks of Meow-Mix Survivor competitors and starvation.

Image of Jeff Probst putting out Denise's torch from CBS.com.