Published on 23 April 2018
A University of Sunderland graduate has told how she applied for the toughest show on television on “an impulse”.
Sammy Day can currently be seen on TV screens fighting for survival as part of Channel 4 show, The Island with Bear Grylls.
The psychology graduate today told how she spent 35 days on a desert island in the middle of the Pacific with a group of strangers.
Yet despite having to learn to hunt for her own food and make her own shelter, Sammy’s biggest battle was overcoming the loneliness she felt.
She said: “I knew it was going to be tough and I was expecting the problems there turned out to be in getting food, carrying water, chopping wood, building shelters etc.
“But what I wasn’t prepared for was just how lonely it was going to be. I know some people might find it hard to believe because I was there with a group of other people, but they weren’t my friends, they weren’t my family.”
Sammy, who went to Castle View School before the University of Sunderland, said the day-to-day work of life on the island did keep her mind busy, most of the time.
She added: “The majority of the day was just taken up with the various tasks but when I got a second to think I felt I was just in the middle of nowhere, almost like I’d disappeared off the face of the Earth.
So, how did 24-year-old Sammy end up on a desert island?
“Well, a friend I went to the University of Sunderland with had put on social media that they were applying.
“So, on an impulse, I said to myself, ‘well I can do that too’, so I ended up filling in the application.
“Then, as the weeks went by, I started to realise that I wanted to do this to prove something to myself; that I could get by without relying on my mam or my boyfriend.
“By the final stages, I just wanted to prove a point – that I could survive on an island.”
This series of the popular Channel 4 programme sees two separate groups attempting to survive on the island. Featuring wealthy and less well off teams, a class war of sorts has resulted.
Sammy, who is currently working in recruitment, said: “I did become good friends with Ben who was in the camp with me, and we would spend our time having a bit of a giggle.”
So what did Sammy learn from the experience?
“Well, I may not be a gym bunny and I may not look like Lara Croft, but I realised I was quite strong mentally, and that’s what got me through it all.
“I look back now and see what an amazing experience it was but I definitely won’t be heading back to the island anytime soon.”
Looking back at her time at the University of Sunderland, Sammy recalls: “It was brilliant, I loved being there between 2013 and 2016.”
*The Island with Bear Grylls is on Channel 4 every Monday at 9pm.
Sammy Day Q&A:
Sammy, 24, is from Hylton Castle in Sunderland and has a degree from the University of Sunderland in Psychology
What made you want to take part in The Island?
At first it was to prove that I wasn’t a daft millennial, but I also wanted to see if I was
mentally strong enough to get through it.
What were your expectation’s going onto The Island
Just to finish it.
How prepared did you feel?
Physically I didn’t feel too bad, but I was worried about how prepared I was mentally and whether it would be harder than I could handle. I wouldn’t actually know until I got there.
Do you think your profession helped or hindered your ability to survive on The Island?
I don’t think my degree helped necessarily, but I do think some of the islanders were quite shocked that I’m well educated because of the way I speak and aspects of my personality, but that doesn’t define me, who I am is who I am.
What were your initial thoughts on meeting the other team?
That they were quite rude, and that’s it really. I didn’t see a lot of personality; it was just more factual with them. They weren’t really bonding as a family; they were like strangers that just had to survive. My opinion of them changed the more I got to know them. It changed quite a bit by the time we left.
Did you surprise yourself in any way when on The Island - for example how well you coped?
I was surprised by how mentally strong and resilient I am.
What did you take away from being on The Island?
I realised that I am mentally stronger and more resilient than I thought I was.
What one thing did you miss the most when you were on the Island that you wish you could have taken with you?
What I missed most was my family and I could take one item, I think it would be a hair brush, or a pillow.