Kelley Wentworth is back again! The two-time Survivor fan-favorite has returned to compete on Survivor: Edge of Extinction. The show’s 38th season, which premiered on Feb. 20, began with 14 new players, along with four veteran contestants. Along with Kelley, that includes Joe Anglim, David Wright and Aubry Bracco. The four vets were split amongst the two tribes, with Kelley and David competing for Manu and Joe and Aubry on Kama. Kelley played a solid game the last time she was on Survivor, so she’s obviously a threat and will have to fight hard to stick around this time! Here’s everything to know:
1. What’s her ‘Survivor’ history? Kelley first played during Survivor: San Juan del Sur, the 29th season. It was the second installment of Blood vs. Water, and Kelley’s dad, Dale, was also a contestant, although loved ones were split onto two different tribes. Kelley’s tribe won the first several immunity challenges, but she was immediately targeted once they lost during episode four. However, she was able to team up with the women on her tribe to blindside the man who was pushing to vote her out. After that, there was a tribe switch, and Kelley found herself on the same team as her dad. However, she became a target once again after his tension with another tribe member, and she was the next one voted out, right ahead of the merge.
Despite her short time on the show, Kelley gained popularity with fans, and was voted by viewers to return for season 31, Survivor: Cambodia. This time, she played much more aggressively. She found a hidden immunity idol in the very first episode, and managed to survive the first two votes, even though her tribe lost the challenges. Kelley made it to the merge, and quickly emerged as a strategic threat. She was able to avoid the first vote when another tribe member stirred up major drama, but she was still considered a strategic threat. At the next vote, she shocked everyone when she played her hidden immunity idol and was able to negate nine votes against her. After surviving a few more votes, Kelley found another hidden immunity idol to save herself once again. She then won the immunity challenge at the final five vote, but unfortunately, the three remaining players were very strongly aligned and she was voted out at the final four.
2. She grew up on a farm. Kelley had some experience with the outdoors before she competed on Survivor! While growing up on a farm, she’d “seen and done it all,” according to her CBS bio. Her duties on the farm included feeding cows, cleaning up poop, driving a tractor and more.
3. She’s married. Kelley married her husband, Arlen Pritchard, in June 2017. However, they still have no kids, which is part of the reason she felt this was the right time for her to return to Survivor. “I feel like you can’t always let opportunities pass you by,” she told Entertainment Weekly. “Still no kids. I’m married now, but it’s just like…you never know, in the next few years what might be in my life, and this just seemed like the perfect time.”
4. She works in marketing in Seattle. Kelley is the Program Director at Highway 9 Marketing & Events in Seattle, according to her LinkedIn. She’s held the position since 2017, and before that, she was a Senior Account Manager at the company for one year. She previously worked as a Field Marketing Manager at KeVita, Area Marketing Manager at CytoSport Inc., MBN Supervisor at Legacy Marketing Partners, and Team & Event Manager at Switch.
5. Did she go to college? Kelley received her Bachelor of Arts in Business from Bellevue Community College in 2006.