“Survivor: China” Lunch Lady Denise Martin Donates $50,000 to Charity

It pays to tell the truth, kids. “Survivor: China” lunch lady/janitor Denise Martin learned that the hard way and now she’s donating $50,000 to charity.
Denise Martin said during the live “Survivor: China” finale that she was demoted at her job as a result of being on the hit reality series. And then Mark Burnett awarded her $50,000 for her sorrows. More details plus a video clip after the jump.
The superintendent for the school Denise Martin works at called her on the lie and set the record straight – the two even appeared on The Early Show yesterday.
But what about the $50,000? Denise Martin is donating the money to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.
Denise Martin said in a statement:
“I do not feel comfortable about accepting the $50,000. I would instead ask that it be donated to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Please accept my apology. I would also like to thank all the people who have supported me through this experience.”
The following video clip gives the rundown of Denise Martin’s lie gone awry:
What's Hot at PopCrunch?
Related Articles:
- Survivor China Lunch Lady Denise Martin on The Early Show
- Who Will Win Survivor China Finale?
- Survivor: China Denise Martin Not Demoted to Janitor (Video)
- Todd Herzog – Winner of “Survivor: China”
- Survivor: China – a first peek


On December 20th 2007, John wrote:
Your article claims that Denise said she was demoted yet she never used that word. I guess your article is misleading.