Dec 18, 2007 7:43 pm US/Eastern
School Shoots Down Lunch Lady's "Survivor" Story
DOUGLAS (WBZ) ―
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Denise Martin (file image)
CBS
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School superintendent Nancy Lane, left, and 'Survivor' contestant Denise Martin, talked about Martin's claim about losing her job on CBS's "The Early Show" Dec. 18, 2007.
The Early Show/CBS
A school lunch lady from Douglas who gained fame as a contestant on "Survivor: China" claimed she'd been demoted to janitor because of her participation in the show. So the producer gave her $50,000. Now, it appears the story wasn't really true.
During the finale Sunday night, Denise Martin told the live television audience that when she returned home she lost her job as a lunch lady.
"I went back and I talked to the food service director and they didn't give me my job back. ... I'm a janitor now," Martin said Sunday night.
The producer then surprised her with a gift of $50,000 to help "get her life back."
The next day school officials in Douglas received thousands of e-mails accusing them of treating Martin unfairly.
Douglas Schools Superintendent Nancy Lane and Martin appeared Tuesday on CBS's "The Early Show" to set the record straight.
Lane said Martin was hired for a custodian's job in March 2007 after working more than two years as a lunch lady. The job has better benefits and a much higher salary.
"We granted her a leave to go to participate in 'Survivor' and did everything possible to support her and when she returned. She of course returned to the position that she left, which is the custodial position," Lane told CBS's Julie Chen.
Martin said she wanted to go back to her original lunch lady job and leave her position as a night shift janitor.
Lane said Martin has been back since August. She said she never had a conversation with her about the situation.
"Yesterday (Monday) was the first I had heard she expressed an interest," Lane said. "She can't return to a position that's not available."
"It was not my intention to be misleading," Martin told "The Early Show." "I couldn't say I'm sorry enough."
The fuss was the talk of the town yesterday in Douglas.
"There's a whople bunch of people here who come in, and they keep talking about it," one man said outside Riley's Barbershop.
Many in town were forgiving. After all, it is television.
"You can kinda expect that nowadays," a customer at Riley's said.
So what about the $50,000? Will Martin keep it or return it?
"I did not do this for myself. I have done this for my family, I have done this for my town. My town has rallied around me," Martin responded when asked.
Chen ran out of time for the interview segment and Martin never answered the question.
Martin finished fourth in the reality show, missing out on the $1 million grand prize.
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(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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