If you watched this season’s ‘Survivor’, you probably loved Denise Martin, a.k.a. the lunch lady who ’sucks at life’.

You probably felt terrible for her when she revealed at the show’s finale that she did not get her lunch lady job back but instead had to take on a janitorial position in which she now cleans toilets and scrubs floors. Denise looked defeated and devastated yet was very believable when explaining her situation. America ate it up.

However, Nancy T. Lane is the superintendent of the Douglas Public Schools in Douglas, Mass. and she claims that Martin never lost her job - but was instead promoted to the custodial position which actually paid more money.

She told Hollywood Insider, “Yeah, I watched my own jaw drop when she said that, because it’s absolutely not true.”

Lane even released a statement via the school district’s website statement saying that “Martin held a full-time position as a custodian prior to her participation in the series, and she returned to this same position upon her return from China.

Although Mrs. Martin was a cafeteria employee prior to her selection as a contestant, she asked to be considered for a promotion to full-time custodian, and was promoted to this position on March 30, 2007. This promotion came with additional benefits and a higher salary. Following her leave, she then returned to this same position.”

Lane says she spoke with Martin on the telephone Monday and that she apologized but she did not explain herself well. Lane explained,

“It’s difficult to grasp. We did nothing but encourage her. She took leave for almost three months, she was given additional times off when ever she needed it. Now she says this on national TV…. Douglas is a nice little town. Everybody was rooting for her, the local paper was bending over backwards with positive articles. Then to have it end this way. Talk about a letdown.”

Wow,I really felt bad for Denise there at the end. The producers of the show even felt so terrible they up and gave her $50,000 just because her sob story was so convincing.

I don’t think Denise meant to screw over her employer like that, I just think she really needed that $100K that was given out to America’s favorite player at the finale. (Which ended up being James.) Of course she was trying to pull sympathy votes. It obviously worked - she got 50 grand. But it certainly came at a cost!

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