Lindsey Richter

Monday October 29, 2001

Former student deals with desert drama while on CBS show

Though often compared to a roasting oven, the Arizona desert is nothing compared to those in Africa.

UA alumna Lindsey Richter can attest to that.

Richter, who graduated from the UA in 1997 with a bachelor's degree in journalism, has become a well-known figure on CBS's "Survivor: Africa."

However, on Thursday's show, Richter, 27, narrowly escaped being the first member voted out of her tribe.

On the episode, Richter figured heavily into the drama surrounding the Samburu tribe. While attempting to clear brush for an immunity challenge, she developed kidney pain and nausea, and briefly lost consciousness.

"I'm going to be really cognizant of my water intake from now on," Richter said during the show.

Richter, a former advertising account executive from Portland, Ore., is also a member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority. During her senior year at the UA, Richter spent a semester abroad, studying at Bond University in Queensland, Australia.

UA journalism professor Susan Knight said she taught Richter during her time as a writer for the Tombstone Epitaph, a newspaper created by the UA journalism department for Tombstone.

Knight said the class was unusually small, and each student had to take on extra responsibility.

"It was hard work. Everybody had to do four or five jobs instead of just a couple," Knight said. "Of course, nobody had to eat bugs."

Knight said the class formed a kind of "community mentality," and Richter was "always excited when it came to production time."

While she would not guess about the show's outcome, Knight said she thought Richter would be comfortable in the tribe's primitive environment.

"She always wanted to hike and be outside, not stuck in the Franklin basement," where the journalism department is located, Knight said.

On Thursday's episode, older members of the tribe showed little empathy for Richter. Her bout with dehydration and overexertion marked her as a target for elimination.

"Barbie goes down in Africa," said Carl Bilancione, 46, a dentist from Winter Springs, Fla. on Thursday's show.

In the end, Richter and Bilancione were up against each other for elimination. Alliances gave both players equal votes. After two ties, voting was abandoned and a test of African bush knowledge decided the outcome.

Richter won on a question about ticks.

"Survivor: Africa" airs Thursdays at 7 p.m.