Jenna Morasca

Jenna Morasca

Morasca at the Big Apple Comic Con in Manhattan, October 18, 2009.
Born (1981-02-15) February 15, 1981
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States[1]
Residence Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States
Occupation Actress, model, professional wrestler (2009), reality television contestant
Television Survivor: The Amazon (winner)
Survivor: All-Stars
The Amazing Race 19
Partner(s) Ethan Zohn (2003–2013)
Website http://www.jenna-morasca.com/

Jenna Morasca (born February 15, 1981) 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.

In 2011, Morasca and her then-boyfriend, fellow Survivor winner Ethan Zohn, participated in the 19th season of The Amazing Race.[2] They were one of the two teams eliminated in a double-elimination, finished 10th for the season.

Early life

Morasca was born and still resides near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is an only child. Before appearing on Survivor, Morasca was a college student at the University of Pittsburgh,[1] 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. During one immunity challenge, 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. At the final 8, 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 to voted out Lockley. Morasca again won the next 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, though Morasca remains the youngest female contestant to win Survivor.[6]

In 2004, Morasca was invited back for Survivor: All-Stars.[5] As part of the Mogo Mogo tribe, Morasca and her tribe won immunity in the first two episodes. However, in episode three, Morasca decided to quit the game, regretting leaving her dying mother, who had been in a battle with cancer for 12 years.[1][5] Her mother died eight days after Jenna returned home.[1]

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.

Other television and film appearances

In 2003, Morasca had a part in the Off Broadway play Pieces.[1][5] In 2004, she was on the Board of Directors for Animal Friends in Pittsburgh.[1] 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.[7] 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.[8]

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 first ever double elimination leg Morasca and Zohn arrived at the pit stop in 9th place, which would have just spared them from elimination, however, they were asked to return to the orphanage they visited in that leg to deliver all of their money which resulted in them been dropped to 10th place and their elimination.

Morasca and Zohn also appeared together as guest sous chefs on the Food Network show Dinner: Impossible, and on 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,[9][10]

Modeling

Morasca's strip with fellow contestant Heidi Strobel led to a spread in the August 2003 Playboy magazine,.[1][11]

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!"[12]

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

Professional wrestling career

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. Morasca was regularly seen bickering with fellow Mafia valet Sharmell, leading to a catfight backstage on the May 28 edition of Impact!. On the July 9 edition 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."[13]

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 February 2013, Morasca and Zohn confirmed that they had amicably ended their relationship after ten years together.[15]

Championships and accomplishments

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
2005The ScornedAngieTV movie
2007Hack! Tim's GirlfriendDirect to DVD
2009End GameCarol Peterlake
Drive-In HorrorshowCherry[16]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Owen, Rob (February 14, 2004). "Jenna Morasca departs 'Survivor: All-Stars'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2009-08-06.
  2. ↑ Hewitt, Michael (2011-06-23). "Viewers enraged by 'Killing' finale". Orange County Register. Retrieved 2011-06-23.
  3. ↑ "Famous Members". 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. Retrieved 2009-08-06.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Bas, Bulent (August 7, 2006). "Jenna Morasca". CBS News. Retrieved 2009-08-06.
  6. ↑ Melisurgo, Len. "'Survivor Nicaragua' winner 'Fabio' gets last laugh, dude". The Star-Ledger/NJ.com. December 21, 2010
  7. ↑ Shaw, Jessica (February 28, 2005). "What to Watch for Week of February 28". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2009-08-06.
  8. ↑ Shattuck, Kathryn (October 22, 2006). "What's on Tonight". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-08-06.
  9. ↑ "DRIVE-IN HORRORSHOW (2009) - Trailer". JoBlo. June 17, 2011
  10. ↑ "Drivein Horrorshow (2011)". Amazon.com. accessed October 7, 2011.
  11. ↑ Morales, Tatianna (June 23, 2003). "Jenna and Heidi in Playboy". CBS News. Retrieved 2009-08-06.
  12. ↑ "Zohn and Morasca's Fur Ad at PETA website" (PDF). Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  13. ↑ Sokol, Brian and Chris (July 10, 2009). "Impact: Angle reclaims his gold". SLAM! Wrestling. Retrieved 2009-08-06.
  14. ↑ Dagostino, Mark; Wren, Jennifer; Helling, Steve; Herndon, Jessica; Wang, Cynthia. "Survivor Where Are They Now?" People magazine, February 18, 2008
  15. ↑ Caffrey, Jane (February 18, 2013 ). "'Survivor's' Ethan Zohn, Jenna Morasca break up". CNN.
  16. ↑ Solis, Jorge (October 25, 2009). "Talking THE WATCHER with Jenna Morasca". Fangoria.com. Archived from the original on October 29, 2009.

External links

Preceded by
Brian Heidik		 Winner of Survivor
Survivor: The Amazon 		Succeeded by
Sandra Diaz-Twine
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