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Fan-favorite Survivor contestant Jane Bright has died, according to multiple reports. She was 71. 

Bright’s daughter Ashley Hammett shared the sad news in a May 15 Facebook post. 

“Today Jane Hammett Bright was found passed away within her home by a good friend and county sheriff,” Hammett wrote. No details were provided about a cause of death. 

Bright was a castaway on Survivor Season 21, which aired in 2010 and took place in Nicaragua. That season, the cast members were initially split into two tribes based on age. 

“I think there’s a lot of young girls out there,” Bright said in her Survivor introduction. “I could outdo them on any fitness course … you better look out for this. If you think I’m old and a hag, you wrong, honey.” 

While Bright finished sixth out of 20 contestants in the overall competition, she did win the Fan Favorite Award, netting her $100,000 in prize money. She had an intense rivalry with fellow castaway Marty Piombo during her time on the show. 

Jane Bright said ‘Survivor’ taught her not to be bothered by ‘little bitty things’ 

In a 2017 interview with WFMY, Bright said that she’d twice been asked to return to Survivor but ultimately did not make the final cut in casting. The show dog trainer from North Carolina also said that even years after her season aired, she was still frequently recognized by the show’s fans. 

“I just take it in stride, I’m the same person,” she said. “It didn’t go to my head. I get up every day and take care of dogs and if I’m having to cut hay, I cut hay. If I have to cut a tree down, I cut a tree down.”

She also shared what she’d learned from her time on the iconic reality series. 

“You don’t let little bitty things bother you,” she said. “That’s not the big picture. The big picture is family first, you second, friends third.”

‘Survivor’ alums pay tribute to Bright 

Several people from the Survivor community took to social media to pay tribute to Bright after her death. 

“Rest in heavenly peace,” wrote two-time Survivor winner and The Traitors contestant Sandra Diaz-Twine on her Instagram.

“Lord, I sure did get my heart broken when I opened up Facebook after work!” Donathan Hurley from Survivor: Ghost Island posted on Instagram. “One of my favorite Survivor family members, as I call them all, has passed away. I loved Jane so much!!! This lady was a firecracker! Always ready to have a good time and a good laugh!”

In 2022, Bright’s fellow Survivor: Nicaragua cast member Dan Lembo died at age 75.

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