Angie Jakusz, a fierce contestant in the tenth season of Survivor filmed in the island country of Palau, died Jan. 8 after a fierce battle with cancer, according to People.
The former reality TV contestant, who was born and raised in Wisconsin, was diagnosed with a rare form of colon cancer in November 2017, according to a GoFundMe created by her nine-year-old husband Steven Calandra.
“ A funeral service was held Wednesday afternoon in Metairie, Louisiana ” for Jakusz, who worked as a bartender and artist, according to the outlet.
A Fighter: Angie Jakusz, a fierce contestant for the tenth season of Survivor filmed in the island country of Palau, died on Jan. 8 after a fierce battle with cancer, according to People; seen in 2004
She is survived by her husband, parents, brother, niece and nephew.
Jakusz was just 25 when she appeared in the 2005 reality TV contest series, where a group of contestants are stranded in a remote location with little more than clothes on their backs and a winning shot of a million bucks.
While she was initially targeted for her 11 colorful tattoos and lost the first challenge, the star performed well in many challenges and won over her tribe and viewers.
Eventually, she voted for 13th place and most recently was seen at Survivor’s tenth anniversary party in 2010.
Memorable: The former reality TV contestant, who was born and raised in Wisconsin, was diagnosed with a rare form of colon cancer in November 2017, according to a GoFundMe created by her nine-year-old husband, Steven Calandra (pictured from the second episode of Survivor: Palau in 2005)
“She broke the barrier of casting. Fans have told her story so much. And a lot of people wanted to see her play for her strength again, ” Coby Archa, a Palau candidate, told People of Jakusz.
He continued, “ She wasn’t famous, just the Survivor experience. She came, she played and she returned to her life in New Orleans. She loved her life that way.
According to a GoFundMe, she was battling a rare form of squamous cell colorectal cancer, but her husband seemed optimistic about her “full recovery.”
A fan favorite: Jakusz was only 25 when she appeared on the reality TV contest series in 2005, where a group of contestants are stranded in a remote location with little more than clothes on their backs.
At the time, he even noted that cancer had an “ 80% success rate among patients ” and reminded fans that his wife was “ healthy and strong ”.
“ Angie is an amazing, creative, fearless, all-around bad woman **. She is a painter, designer, seamstress and baker, ”he said of his wife.
Calandra also noted that “ it took three months to diagnose Angie’s disease ” and, at the time, that she “ had no insurance ”.
Tragic: She’s the second Survivor: Palau actress to die, ten years after Jenn Lyon passed away at the age of 37 after being diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer
“ With all the tests, scans, days off work and medication, his medical expenses quickly piled up. We are looking to raise $ 30,000 to cover these costs. All the money collected will go directly to the bills Angie incurred during her diagnosis, ”he wrote.
His hobbies included painting, reading, traveling, sewing, painting, nail art, snorkeling, scuba diving, among others.
She is the second actress of Survivor: Palau to die, ten years later Jenn Lyon died at the age of 37 after being diagnosed with stage three breast cancer.
Six other Survivor contestants have died since the show’s debut in 2000, including BB Andersen (2013), Caleb Bankston (2014), Dan Kay (2016), Ashley Massaro (2019), Rudy Boesch (2019) and Cliff Robinson. (2020).
“ Angie is an amazing, creative, fearless, all-around bad woman **. She’s a painter, designer, seamstress and baker, ” Jakusz’s nine-year-old husband Steven Calandra wrote.
