[Dade]

Biography

Born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Erica Durousseau received a track scholarship to Grambling College, also in Louisiana, where she earned her Bachelor's Degree in Mass Communications. She then moved to Jackson, Mississippi for three years before relocating to New Orleans. After Hurricane Katrina, Durousseau was forced to move to Lake Charles and then Baton Rouge.

Durousseau currently works as a youth market director, traveling between two states while managing fundraisers. She previously worked as an advertising sales representative, store supervisor and waitress.

She describes herself as subtle, confrontational and outgoing. Her hobbies include writing, reading and spending time with her family. Her favorite sports are football and soccer. She is a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Currently single, Durousseau's birth date is December 11, 1979.

Favorites

Colors
Yellow

Scents
Fresh linen

Flowers
Lucky bamboo

Board Games
Monopoly, Taboo

Video Games
No favorite

Sports to Play
Soccer, jogging

Sports Teams
The Colts, The Mavericks

Outdoor Activities
Soccer, jogging

TV Shows
Forensic Files, Flavor of Love

Movies
Napoleon Dynamite, Love and Basketball

Music
R&B, rap, hip-hop, country, alternative, gospel

Magazines
O Magazine

Books/Authors
Iyanla Van Sant

Cereals
Raisin Bran Crunch, Froot Loops

Fruits
Orange

Snack Foods
Flamin' Hot Cheetos, Doritos

Cookies
Chocolate chip with walnuts

Candy Bars
Snickers

Alcoholic Drinks
Ketel One dirty martini

Non-alcoholic
Apple juice

[Realityfan]

found her annoying. complaining about her camp as if she wasn't on a show called "Survivor"

[Marty]

She is not going to last long. I don't think she knows how to smile or is even a little bit happy.

[nawlinsgal]

I hope she does go next...I mean a Louisiana girl whose favorite football team is the Colts ....

[Cajunboiler]

going...


going...



GONE!

Well, you got your wish nawlins.

[Realityfan]

so glad she's gone

[castlekeep]

It's too bad she freaked out. If the concensus was to vote Sylvia out, she should of tried her best, while keeing in mind it wasn't the end of her game if she lost. As it turned out, it was the end of the game for her, apparently for no other reason than she freaked out. I like Sylvia, so I'm glad it wasn't her, but I liked Erica too. She would have added a lot to the game, I think.
I bet if Earl hadn't have been exiled, Erica would have had a much better chance of surviving the vote.

[WickedOne]

We were all watching. She wasn't freaking out. She was enthusiastically trying to get her brainless team to listen. They needed a reason to vote someone out. Anything. Any excuse. If she'd really been freaking out she would've picked up a tiki pole & begun smashing those idiots upside the head.

I didn't personally like her. If she'd smiled her face would've exploded.

I don't like these day one game on people.

[castlekeep]

I should have said too bad she freaked out by their definition. I didn't think what we saw qualified as freaking out either. Who knows, maybe we didn't see everything.

[SCRebel]

She wasn't right in how to assemble it though...

[castlekeep]

No, she wasn't. But she wasn't the exception.

[Dade]

Courtesy of: TV GUIDE, INTERVIEWS & FEATURES

Survivor's Erica Is So Shocked, She Could Just Scream
by Angel Cohn


Erica Durousseau by Monty Brinton/CBSErica Durousseau, Survivor: Fiji

Last week on CBS' Survivor: Fiji (Thursdays at 8 pm/ET), Erica Durousseau learned that bossiness was much worse than incompetence. A mere day after she saved her starving and dehydrated tribe by discovering a plethora of pineapples, the Ravu crew decided to oust her simply because she expressed her opinion during a challenge. As a result, a chopping block-bound Sylvia was saved, even though she was deemed a weaker link. TVGuide.com had to find out from the Louisiana native if she thinks that Ravu is just plain hopeless.

TVGuide.com: Did watching your torch snuffing on TV make it really sink in?
Erica Durousseau: It did. And to see everything unfold.... It was surprising.

TVGuide.com: Do you think they voted you out just because of that one freakout, or because you were a strong player?
Erica: I was a strong player, and I think I needed to be really careful about not giving them an opportunity to vote me off. I think I took a chance by screaming in the challenges.

TVGuide.com: It is hard not to scream if they are doing something wrong.
Erica: Right. And nobody was really listening to me, so the more I got ignored, I got a bit louder. I was doing well, but it just took one opportunity for them to say, "Hey, she's a threat, we've got to get her out of there."

TVGuide.com: But then again, if you didn't say anything they'd probably say you didn't contribute.
Erica: It is a game of luck.

TVGuide.com: I couldn't quite tell: When you were yelling, did you have the right piece of that pole to put together?
Erica: No. I think about three of us had some puzzle pieces in hand, and there were a few pieces on the ground that we totally forgot about. One of those may have been the correct one. But the one that I was screaming about, no, it was incorrect.

TVGuide.com: The day before, you were a hero for finding the pineapples. That doesn't count for anything?
Erica: I guess not. All of the battles that are won are short-lived on Survivor, apparently.

TVGuide.com: Earl even wanted to marry you, since you "saved his life" with the fruit.
Erica: [Laughs] That was so funny. I loved that part. I had no idea. There were a lot of surprises when I watched it last night.

TVGuide.com: I wonder if when he gets back from Exile Island, he'll be mad.
Erica: I'm curious to see his reaction to everything, what is going to be the outcome, how it is going to unfold, and how they explain [to him] my absence. I really am eager to see that.

TVGuide.com: Yeah, the tribe defending their decision to go against the plan by keeping Sylvia will be interesting.
Erica: Yeah. That's what got me — I was totally blindsided because before Sylvia even got back [from Exile island], it was already established that she was next to go. I felt totally comfortable in being a strong person and being one of the stronger women. I felt like I was safe, at least for another three days.

TVGuide.com: Did you have an alliance?
Erica: I had an alliance with Rocky, which was another bombshell that I saw last [week]. I had an alliance with him and started developing a friendship with Earl. After Earl left for Exile, I don't think I had a leg to stand on.

TVGuide.com: Did you have a strategy going in?
Erica: Yes, to be strong and helpful. I knew I was going to have to adjust to the people that I ended up with, but my main focus was to go in and be needed by the tribe and to help provide and to be strong in challenges. That's what I did, but it wasn't enough, obviously.

TVGuide.com: What did you think about the haves/have-nots twist?
Erica: In my mind, I kicked it into high gear because I knew that if we lost the good island and we lost the shelter, it was going to be a struggle. I took it seriously.

TVGuide.com: Do you think it is something the Ravu tribe can overcome?
Erica: I think they can. Right now, a lot of them are just playing individually. It should still be a team effort and team focus to get rid of the weaker people. I don't think it is fair, but Survivor isn't fair. It is about the game and outlasting everybody else.

TVGuide.com: What's next for you?
Erica: I'm back in Baton Rouge, where I work for the American Heart Association as a marketing director. I'm open to any other possibilities that can come from this. I'm just excited and happy for the opportunity to be on the show.

TVGuide.com: How's life down in Louisiana these days?
Erica: You have to come and visit! I want people to come and visit New Orleans, keep track of the growth all over Louisiana. We're trying to rebuild and get it back together, and we need tourists. People should just come out and enjoy Louisiana, the food, the people... just everything.