Jenna Morasca

Jenna Morasca is an American actress, former swimsuit model and American reality TV contestant who was the million-dollar grand prize winner of Survivor: The Amazon in 2003. In 2009, she worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.

Jenna Morasca
Morasca on October 18, 2009
Born
OccupationActress, model, professional wrestler (2009), reality television contestant
TelevisionSurvivor: The Amazon (winner)
Survivor: All-Stars
The Amazing Race 19
Partner(s)Ethan Zohn (2003–2013)
Websitehttp://www.jenna-morasca.com/

In 2011, Morasca and her then-boyfriend, fellow Survivor winner Ethan Zohn, participated in the 19th season of The Amazing Race.[1] They were one of the two teams eliminated in a double-elimination, finishing tenth for the season.

Early life

Morasca was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[2] She is an only child. Before appearing on Survivor, Morasca was a college student at the University of Pittsburgh,[2] where she was initiated into Zeta Tau Alpha.[3] She also worked as a swimsuit model.[4]

Career

Survivor

Morasca's Survivor career began on Survivor: The Amazon, in which she was originally part of the all-female Jaburu tribe. In 2003, Morasca was invited back for Survivor: All-Stars.[5] In 2005, Morasca replaced Richard Hatch as co-host (with Dalton Ross) of CBS's Survivor Live, an internet talk show devoted to the current season of Survivor.[5] She has since hosted the show throughout five entire seasons - Survivor: Palau, Survivor: Guatemala, Survivor: Panama, Survivor: Cook Islands and Survivor: Fiji.

The Amazon

During one immunity challenge on Survivor: The Amazon, Morasca and fellow contestant Heidi Strobel stripped off their clothes for peanut butter and chocolate.[5] After making the merge, Morasca was relatively safe at the start as the majority of the tribe chose to vote off outcasts Roger Sexton and Dave Johnson. With eight players remaining, the new alliance of Morasca, Strobel, Alex Bell and Rob Cesternino targeted Deena Bennett, and she was voted out. At the Final Seven, Cesternino betrayed his alliance by voting out Bell. At the Final Six, Morasca and Strobel scrambled to stay in the game, trying to break up the alliance of Cesternino, Matthew von Ertfelda and Butch Lockley. When Christy Smith would not commit to either side, Cesternino convinced Morasca and Strobel to help vote out Smith, who was indeed voted off. At the Final Five, Strobel was voted out, but Morasca won the next immunity, protecting her in the vote of the Final Four. Morasca, Cesternino and von Ertfelda voted out Lockley. Morasca again won the key final immunity challenge and voted off Cesternino. Morasca beat von Ertfelda in a 6–1 vote to become the Sole Survivor. Morasca was the youngest contestant to ever win Survivor[5] until Jud "Fabio" Birza won Survivor: Nicaragua in 2010, though Morasca remains the youngest female contestant to win Survivor.[6]

All-Stars

As part of the Mogo Mogo tribe on Survivor: All-Stars, Morasca and her tribe won immunity in the first two episodes. However, in Episode Three, Morasca decided to quit the game, regretting having left her dying mother, who had been in a battle with cancer for 12 years.[2][5] Her mother died eight days after Morasca returned home.[2]

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2009)

Morasca made her professional wrestling debut on the March 12, 2009 episode of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's TNA Impact! program, in a backstage interview with Mick Foley. She then appeared in backstage segments with Kevin Nash and his alliance The Main Event Mafia. It was later revealed by Kurt Angle that Morasca was the financial backer to the Mafia, and the money she provided was used to lure Samoa Joe to the stable, establishing Morasca as a heel in the process. Morasca was regularly seen bickering with fellow Mafia valet Sharmell, leading to a catfight backstage on the edition of May 28 of Impact!. On the edition of July 9 of Impact it was revealed that Morasca had hired Awesome Kong to train her for her upcoming match against Sharmell at Victory Road where she defeated Sharmell, in a match that Bryan Alvarez, of Figure Four Wrestling, rated "MINUS FIVE STARS."[7]

Other television and film appearances

In 2003, Morasca had a part in the Off Broadway play Pieces.[2][5] In 2004, she was on the board of directors for Animal Friends in Pittsburgh.[2] In 2005, she appeared in a minor role in the made-for-TV movie The Scorned.[5]

Morasca was a contestant on the February 28, 2005 episode of Fear Factor, which starred former reality television contestants.[8] She was eliminated in the second round by Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth.

In October 2006, she appeared in the premiere episode of Celebrity Paranormal Project on VH-1, along with other notables such as Gary Busey.[9]

In 2011, Morasca and her then-boyfriend, fellow Survivor winner Ethan Zohn, participated in the 19th season of The Amazing Race. They checked-in at fourth place in the opening leg. In the second episode, which featured the show's first ever double elimination, Morasca and Zohn arrived at the Pit Stop in 9th place, which would have just spared them from elimination; however, they had to return to the orphanage they visited in that leg to donate all of their money, which resulted in them dropping to 10th place resulting in their elimination.

Morasca and Zohn also appeared together as guest sous chefs on the seventh episode of the first season of the Food Network show Dinner: Impossible entitled "Stranded: Deserted Island: Impossible", and on the premiere of the fourth season of the Celebrity Apprentice, in which they supported their former Survivor castmate Richard Hatch was a contestant.

In 2011, Morasca and Zohn also starred in The Watcher, a 20-minute horror movie included in the Drive-In Horror Show series,[10][11]

Modeling

Morasca's strip with fellow contestant Heidi Strobel led to a spread in the August 2003 Playboy magazine.[2][12]

She also appeared near-nude in an anti-fur ad for PETA with her boyfriend, Survivor: Africa winner Ethan Zohn, that featured the slogan "We'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur!"[13]

Morasca modeled swimwear and was the CEO of a model scouting company called Model Challenge USA, which she founded in 2004.[5]

Personal life

Morasca began dating fellow Survivor champion Ethan Zohn after her victory on Survivor: The Amazon in 2003. They lived in Manhattan, though not together.[14] In an interview on Rob Has a Podcast, it was revealed that Morasca and Zohn were considered to return in Survivor: South Pacific, after applying for The Amazing Race. The couple declined the offer, saying they were not interested in competing against each other.[15] In February 2013, Morasca and Zohn confirmed that they had amicably ended their relationship after ten years together.[16]

On January 25, 2018, Morasca was arrested in Washington, Pennsylvania and charged with driving under the influence and possession of narcotics paraphernalia.[17] A motorist had observed that Morasca was passed out in her car while stopped at a stop sign.[17]

Championships and accomplishments

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
2005The ScornedAngieTV movie
2007Hack! Tim's GirlfriendDirect to DVD
2009End GameCarol Peterlake
Drive-In HorrorshowCherry[18]

References

  1. Hewitt, Michael (June 23, 2011). "Viewers enraged by 'Killing' finale". Orange County Register. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
  2. Owen, Rob (February 14, 2004). "Jenna Morasca departs 'Survivor: All-Stars'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved August 6, 2009.
  3. "Famous Members" Archived July 9, 2012, at Archive.today. The Greek Info Pages. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
  4. Fashingbauer Cooper, Gael and Andy Dehnart (June 21, 2005). "The cost of going on a reality show". MSNBC. Archived from the original on July 24, 2012. Retrieved August 6, 2009.
  5. Bas, Bulent (August 7, 2006). "Jenna Morasca". CBS News. Retrieved August 6, 2009.
  6. Melisurgo, Len. "'Survivor Nicaragua' winner 'Fabio' gets last laugh, dude". The Star-Ledger/NJ.com. December 21, 2010
  7. Sokol, Brian and Chris (July 10, 2009). "Impact: Angle reclaims his gold". SLAM! Wrestling. Retrieved August 6, 2009.
  8. Shaw, Jessica (February 28, 2005). "What to Watch for Week of February 28". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 6, 2009.
  9. Shattuck, Kathryn (October 22, 2006). "What's on Tonight". New York Times. Retrieved August 6, 2009.
  10. "DRIVE-IN HORRORSHOW (2009) - Trailer". JoBlo. June 17, 2011
  11. "Drivein Horrorshow (2011)". Amazon.com. accessed October 7, 2011.
  12. Morales, Tatianna (June 23, 2003). "Jenna and Heidi in Playboy". CBS News. Retrieved August 6, 2009.
  13. "Zohn and Morasca's Fur Ad at PETA website" (PDF). Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  14. Dagostino, Mark; Wren, Jennifer; Helling, Steve; Herndon, Jessica; Wang, Cynthia. "Survivor Where Are They Now?" People magazine, February 18, 2008
  15. RobHasApodcast (October 14, 2011). "We Chew the Fat with Jenna Morasca About Survivor and The Amazing Race". RobHasAwebsite.com. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  16. Caffrey, Jane (February 18, 2013). "'Survivor's' Ethan Zohn, Jenna Morasca break up". CNN.
  17. http://www.wpxi.com/news/top-stories/former-survivor-contestant-revived-with-narcan-accused-of-dui/699847008
  18. Solis, Jorge (October 25, 2009). "Talking THE WATCHER with Jenna Morasca". Fangoria.com. Archived from the original on October 29, 2009.
Preceded by
Brian Heidik
Winner of Survivor
Survivor: The Amazon
Succeeded by
Sandra Diaz-Twine
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