Survivor fans were somewhat shocked when season 1 star Jenna Lewis-Dougherty was announced as a cast member of season 50. In Touch takes a closer look at the contestant as she returns to reality TV after a 21-year absence.

Who Is Survivor’s Jenna Lewis-Dougherty?

Jenna was born on July 16, 1977. She’s a native of Maine but grew up in Franklin, New Hampshire. Jenna currently lives and works in Northern California.

When Did Jenna Lewis-Dougherty Compete on ‘Survivor’?

Jenna was a cast member on 2000’s Survivor: Borneo, the first season of the now-iconic CBS competition series. She was part of the show’s lore by realizing too late that Richard Hatch, Susan Hawk, Kelly Wiglesworth and Rudy Boesch formed an alliance of four to pick off other players.

While Jenna tried to band together with fellow castaways Colleen Haskell and Gervase Peterson to save themselves from elimination, the plan was thwarted thanks to Sean Kenniff’s decision to simply vote out people in alphabetical order of their names, eliminating Colleen. Jenna was a victim of Sean’s mindless strategy, getting eliminated in eight place thanks to the first initial of her name being ahead of those of the opposing alliance.

Jenna was on the jury when Richard infamously triumphed over Kelly at the final tribal council to become the first sole survivor. She ended up voting for Kelly in the four to three vote final tally.

The New Englander returned for 2004’s Survivor: All-Stars. Jenna came in third place, after aligning with Rupert Boneham, “Boston” Rob Mariano and Amber Brkich. Jenna voted Rupert out after a rock draw tie, and Rob eliminated her from going to the final with him and Amber, who eventually won the season by a vote of four to three.

What Is Jenna Lewis-Dougherty’s Job?

As of May 2025, Jenna works as a realtor with Lyon Real Estate in Woodland, California, a small town northeast of Sacramento. She’s been at the position for nearly nine years, noting in her LinkedIn profile that the company is the “No. 1 realtor in Yolo County.”

On May 2, 2025, Jenna shared an Instagram post showing her latest sales, including three homes that sold for more than $1,000,000. “It’s been a very busy spring so far! And this is just four of the six I’ve sold in the past two months!” she noted in the caption.

At the time Jenna first appeared on Survivor, she was listed as a college student who attended the New Hampshire Technical Institute.

After Survivor, Jenna got her degree in sports and exercise from New Hampshire’s Keene State College. She went on to work as a high-end spa director for the Discovery Land Company in La Quinta, California, from 2010 through 2015. She also served as a spa director for the elite Madison Club in the same upscale Palm Springs area town during the same time frame.

“I absolutely love working with people! Member service, client satisfaction and attention to detail is my forte,” Jenna noted in her Metro List profile as of May 2025.

Jenna Lewis-Dougherty Is a Mom

At the time Jenna went on Survivor in 2000, she was already a mom of twin daughters, Sadie and Sabrina.

Jenna shares two more children — son Dan and daughter Evie — with husband Dillon Dougherty.

The outdoors lover noted in her Metro List profile about her brood, “We enjoy our time golfing as a family and visiting our home on Lake Tahoe, hiking, swimming, boating and paddle boarding! I enjoy learning a new craft or two as well!”

She added, “Having been on the first season of the hit tv show Survivor, Survivor: All-Stars, it is no surprise that my family and I are an active bunch!”

Jenna Is the Only ‘Survivor: Borneo’ Cast Member on ‘Survivor’ 50

While she only finished in eighth place on Survivor‘s debut season, Jenna was chosen over all other Borneo cast members to represent where the show began.

Jeff – who in addition to being the host is also an executive producer on Survivor – shared how competitive the casting process was when making the Survivor 50 announcement on May 28, 2025.

He explained on CBS Mornings that it was “kind of like casting the ultimate, all-time movie.”

“And you think about all the actors that are alive today that you could put in that movie, but there’s only so many roles,” Jeff continued.

He added about the 24-person cast, “We wanted 50 to be a little taste of everything. We wanted to taste every flavor, every type of personality, all the eras. We went from 200 [names] on a list, to 100 to 80 to 50. Then those last 26, they were brutal cuts.”