Kim Wolfe's Journey From Survivor To HGTV Star
Some people devote their whole lives working toward a career in television. Whether it's as an actor in a scripted series or an on-air personality a la Ryan Seacrest or Oprah Winfrey, those who appear on TV screens will typically have spent years striving toward that goal before ultimately they ultimately end up achieving it.
Not so for Kim Wolfe, about as unassuming a TV star that the medium has ever produced. Wolfe — then known as Kim Spradlin — was a successful retailer in her hometown of San Antonio, Texas, when she sent in an audition tape for "Survivor." Chosen from thousands of wannabes to be one of the castaways in the series' 24th season, Wolfe went on to outwit, outplay, and outlast her competitors to victory, taking home the million-dollar prize in the show's 2012 "One World" season.
While a few "Survivor" alums over the years have gone onto showbiz fame — say, Elisabeth Hasselbeck's stint on "The View," or Chase Rice of "Survivor: Nicaragua" becoming a country music star — most go back to their normal, non-celebrity lives. Wolfe, on the other hand, rebranded herself as an interior designer and landed at HGTV. As star of her own home reno show, "Why the Heck Did I Buy This House?" Wolfe helps homeowners with buyers' remorse remodel the houses they purchased before realizing how dysfunctional they actually were. To find out how she ended up where she did, read on to explore Kim Wolfe's journey from "Survivor" to HGTV star.
Before she got into reality TV, Kim Wolfe opened a bridal store
Kim Wolfe was just 26 years old when she opened her own store, a San Antonio franchise of a national chain called Bella Bridesmaids. So how did she become interested in the concept of selling chic and attractive bridesmaids' dresses designed to have a second life after the wedding? "About the first time I paid $350 for a long red taffeta bridesmaid dress that I had zero interest in wearing again," the former bridesmaid told San Antonio magazine.
At the time, Wolfe and her best friend were keen to launch their own business instead of working for someone else, despite their youth and apparent inexperience as entrepreneurs. "Being so young was largely why opening the store was so appealing," she said, explaining that they didn't want to look back at their lives, decades later, and regret not having at least tried to start their own business.
Once they became aware of the franchise opportunity that existed with Bella Bridesmaids, it was a no-brainer. "I loved the concept: truly cool, fashionable, re-wearable bridesmaid dresses," she explained. "When you've been in five-plus weddings, you get the brilliance of it."
She competed on Survivor and crushed it
Like many Americans, Kim Wolfe tuned in each week to watch people just like her have their mettle tested on "Survivor." As a faithful viewer, Wolfe wondered how she would fare in that challenge. Propelled by the same drive that led her to start her own business at 26, she decided to stop wondering and give it a shot. "I'm a crazed fan! I've always watched and loved the show," she told San Antonio magazine. "I finally went from 'should apply' to 'did,' and I heard back pretty quickly. It goes without saying that I was pumped!"
While viewers saw a strategic and shrewd competitor who'd clearly been paying attention while watching those previous seasons of "Survivor," there was far more going on beneath the surface, thanks to a recent divorce. "I had been a really confident person my whole life, but going through that divorce, and it was such a mess, and it made me question everything about myself and if I could make good decisions or not," she told Entertainment Weekly.
However, her decision-making ability proved to be impeccable; not only did she rebuild her shaken confidence through the experience, she emerged as the season's winner — taking home not just the usual $1 million, but also an additional $100K for winning the fan-favorite prize. "I strategized until I was blue in the face," she told the Associated Press of how she managed to pull off the win (via Global News).
Kim Wolfe got married and had three kids right away
The year after winning "Survivor," Kim Wolfe returned to the beach — this time, however, to Cabo San Lucas on the Mexican Riviera, where she tied the knot with Bryan Wolfe in March 2013. "We chose a private beach near our hotel," she told People of the nuptials. "It's by a cove. I just wanted it to feel very organic and natural."
The couple wasted no time in starting a family, welcoming their first child — son Michael Thomas — in February 2014. The couple then had a second child just over a year later with the arrival of daughter August Jane in May 2015. Then, in June 2016, the family was joined by son Walt. After having three babies within a span of about 27 months, she told People that her third child would definitely be her last. "The appropriate surgeries will be had to ensure that," she quipped.
Interviewed by Alamo City Moms, Wolfe was asked whether it was the first 39 days of motherhood or the 39 days she spent in Samoa competing in "Survivor: One World" that was the bigger challenge. "This is a hard one, actually," she admitted. "They are both horrible and wonderful at the same time. But I will say that 'Survivor' was more horrible with a side of wonderful, and motherhood is definitely more wonderful with a side of horrible (i.e., engorgement), so I guess 'Survivor'. At least there is peanut butter in motherhood."
She was arrested by accident
Following her honeymoon, newlywed Kim Wolfe returned to San Antonio. One of the first things she did was to visit the local Department of Motor Vehicles office to officially change her name on her driver's license, from Spradlin to her new married name of Wolfe.
That did not go well for her at all. As TMZ reported, a DMV staffer entered her name into the computer system and saw that it had been flagged — because there was an arrest warrant out for her, for allegedly writing bad checks. She was placed under arrest and hauled into jail, spending eight hours in a cell before posting bail of $1,500.
As it turned out, the whole thing was a huge misunderstanding; the felonious check-writer was another woman named Kimberly who just happened to share the same birthday as Wolfe, resulting in a mixup that landed her behind bars. Contacted by TMZ after her release, Wolfe said that efforts were underway to sort it all out, and she was working at getting reimbursed for the $1,500 that she'd handed over to bail herself out. She also jokingly provided a warning. "Be careful at the DMV, ya never know what's going to happen," she said, while also offering a bit of advice for anyone on their way to the slammer. "Bring a jacket," she said, "it's cold in jail."
Buying a fixer-upper with her Survivor winnings sparked her love of interior design
After raking in the "Survivor" riches, newly married Kim Wolfe and husband Bryan Wolfe came to a decision on how to invest that cool million. "My husband and I bought our first house [with the money], which was a 1940s home in need of total restoration. It was the first real construction project I worked on," she told HGTV.
"It was a disaster," Wolfe confessed in an interview with the alumni association of her alma mater, the University of Texas at San Antonio. "But eventually we got there. That was kind of the jumping-off point for me. I realized how much I love the transformation process of that, and I couldn't wait to do it again."
While renovating the place, Wolfe began to realize that she had a knack for interior design. They ended up selling that house and buying another in need of TLC, repeating the process. All told, they bought four houses within an eight-year period, while Wolfe discovered she'd found her true calling as a designer. Her husband eventually convinced her to strike out and begin offering her interior-design talents to others. "He was like, 'How about you do this professionally and stop making our family move every time you want to try a new tile?'" she told TLC, recalling her husband's words to her. "And so that was really kind of the birth of this as a career for me."
Kim Wolfe launched a new career as an interior designer
Following her "Survivor" win, Kim Wolfe co-hosted a local TV show in San Antonio; when that gig ended in 2016, she decided to heed her husband's advice and embark on a new career in interior design. According to the website of her design firm, Wolfe Home, Kim's design expertise is in high-demand as clients look to her to create livable, one of a kind spaces that are unfussy and effortlessly hip."
Somewhat fittingly for someone who thrived in the outdoorsy environment on "Survivor," the natural world is a big influence in Wolfe's design esthetics. "I'm a nature girl — 'Survivor' speaks to that," Wolfe told Southern Living. "I looked for ways to bring the outdoors in — like installing skylights. I wanted our home to feel organic and laid-back but also modern and special."
That hasn't been the only aspect of "Survivor" that overlaps with her career in design. According to Wolfe, the same competitive drive that led her to "Survivor" victory also comes through in her new gig. "Now I compete at estate sales and garage sales and auctions," she told HGTV. Meanwhile, design has also been a way for Wolfe to exercise her boundless creativity in a way that brings about tangible results. "If you allow yourself the freedom and the creativity to just really reimagine what's there, you can really create, whatever it is that you want for your home and for your family," she added.
Survivor for Winners at War welcomed Kim Wolfe back to TV
In 2020, "Survivor" celebrated two big milestones — the series 20th anniversary and its 40th season — with a unique iteration of the reality TV hit. Dubbed "Survivor: Winners at War," this special edition brought back 20 of the show's most-popular winners to compete for a super-sized grand prize of $2 million. Among the champs returning to the show was Kim Wolfe.
Unfortunately for Wolfe, she didn't fare nearly as well as she did during her first time on the show. She was eliminated in the 12th episode after a bold move to oust Tony Vlachos was scuttled when he unexpectedly won an immunity necklace. She had no regrets, however. "I think it was the right move and the game's not over," she told Gold Derby, noting the season's "Edge of Extinction" twist that offered those voted off a chance at returning to the game.
That didn't happen for her, although her instinct to remove Vlachos proved to be right on the money when he wound up winning the $2 million. Regardless, "Survivor" has remained a big part of the person that she's ultimately become. "It's such an integrated part of my life I sometimes forget and take it for granted," Wolfe told CBS of her experience with the show (via the San Antonio Express-News). "I'm so grateful for all the fun that has come from being a part of 'Survivor.'"
She went on to help homeowners on HGTV
In March 2022, HGTV announced that Kim Wolfe had been tapped to star in her own show for the network, "Why the Heck Did I Buy This House?" As the HGTV press release noted, the series' premise tasked her with helping homeowners who jumped into purchases a bit too quickly, and didn't realize the various problems with their new abodes until it was too late.
Using the skills she'd developed from renovating her own homes, along with the interior design work she'd done for clients through her design firm, Wolfe was ready to dive in. "Kim will go all in pouring concrete foundations, nailing roof beams, installing framing and hanging drywall to bring her design vision to life — and will make these families finally fall in love with their reinvented dream home," the release declared.
For Wolfe, this wasn't just a TV gig — it was a responsibility she bore, knowing that the quality of the work she provided for each of those families would be something they'd be living with for years to come. As a result, she made it her mission to get to know each family as intimately as she possibly could. "That's the part I really enjoyed — getting to go in and kind of try to read people, read their mail, figure out what they love, figure out what makes them tick and then give them the best version of themselves with this house," she told HGTV.
She stars alongside husband Brian Wolfe in Why the Heck Did I Buy This House?
For Kim Wolfe, arguably the most appealing aspect of "Why the Heck Did I Buy This House?" was the opportunity to work closely with husband Bryan Wolfe, who's also a big part of the show as an on-camera presence. While her husband had nowhere near the kind of TV experience she did (as in, none at all), making him part of the show made perfect sense due to the working relationship they developed during all those past renovation projects.
In 2021, Kim took to Instagram to reveal that Bryan was stepping back from his day job in order to focus on overseeing the restoration of a 1929 home that had never experienced any remodeling or renovation in the near-century of its existence. "In the past Bryan has worked a super serious job that has something to do with Data, and hasn't had time to be involved," she explained. "We are taking a mid-life crisis break to figure out what we want to be when we grow up (well, he is) and I'm here for it!"
However, that's not to say that working full-time with her husband hadn't come without any speed bumps along the way. "We are arguing non-stop, but I keep telling people it's productive pain, because we're working together for the first time, and it's really funny to work with your spouse," Kim admitted in an exclusive interview with The List.
Kim Wolfe's HGTV series pushed her out of her comfort zone
In the first season of "Why the Heck Did I Buy This House?" each of the seven episodes featured Kim Wolfe and husband Bryan Wolfe tackling a different home. Due to the production schedule, this meant juggling seven simultaneous renovations during the course of 26 weeks of filming. "There's no words to describe it," she told HGTV. "But it takes a village. I mean, there were so many good people that came alongside us that pitched in, people we didn't even know we needed that showed up. Honestly, it was humbling to need so many people."
While keeping so many balls in the air at the same time may have been a new experience for Kim, it soon became her new normal; after the first season completed its run, HGTV announced plans for a second, citing viewership of 14.7 million.
While helming her own home-reno show for HGTV certainly pushed Kim well beyond her comfort zone, it was still nothing compared to what she experienced during her two stints on "Survivor." Now that her focus is on her successful HGTV show, does Kim envision ever competing on "Survivor" again? "No, definitely not," she told The List. However, she'd also gained the wisdom to realize one should never say never. "Who knows?" she added. "Maybe I'll get bored in 10 years, and I'll go do it again, but right now, it's a 'hell no.'"