Two ‘Survivor’ Castaways Expecting 1st Child After Years of Trying

CBS The cast of Survivor: San Juan Del Sur, or 'Blood vs Water 2'

Jaclyn Schultz and Jon Misch were contestants on Survivor: San Juan del Sur, which was the second “Blood vs Water” season. Schultz and Misch were dating when they went on the show, which aired in the fall of 2014. They got married in August 2015, with several fellow castaways in attendance.

But now they have some huge news to share — they are expecting their first child via IVF, which is a big deal because of a condition Schultz has where she does not have a uterus or a cervix.

Schultz Has Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) Syndrome

This condition, which affects roughly 1 in every 5000 women, causes a woman’s reproductive system to not fully develop. In most cases, a woman is born without a uterus, cervix, or vaginal canal. They often cannot conceive children naturally, but they can usually provide eggs for a surrogate.

In an interview with Cosmopolitan, Schultz opened up about her condition and how scared she was to tell Misch — and she felt like she needed to tell him very early on in their dating relationship because she didn’t want them to get serious and then drop a bombshell like this on him.

“I remember we had been dating about a month, and I’m like, ‘OK, we’re about to tell each other we love each other, and I can’t have kids, so I need to tell him.’ So of course, I was emotional and I’m like [wailing], ‘Don’t date me anymore, I can’t have kids,’ and being so dramatic about it, and he was just like, ‘Shut up. It’s fine, it’s fine.’ He was great about it! I was so nervous to tell him; I think a lot of girls with MRKH are very nervous about telling their significant others,” said Schultz. “But it’s a good way to weed out the bad ones — that’s what I say to all the girls. I’d dated a few guys who I had told and they completely shut off; they didn’t want to talk about it at all. Those relationships never work out because it’s like, if you can’t talk about the most intimate part of it that is such a big part of my life, then how can I date you?”

After her time on Survivor, in which she finished runner-up to Natalie Anderson, Schultz used some of her winnings to freeze her eggs for when they were ready to start a family. She also said that show helped shed light on having MRKH and after it aired, she started receiving a ton of messages and letters from women who also have it or from mothers who don’t know how to help their daughters who have it.

Schultz and Misch Finally Got Pregnant Via IVF and Surrogacy

In an emotional Instagram post on September 3, Schultz revealed that they have been through “2 rounds of IVF, 2 gestational carriers, 4 embryo transfers” and they are finally here. They have an unidentified “family carrier” who has worked “so hard” to bring them this “selfless gift.”

“It’s a huge sacrifice from her and her family and I just can’t even put into words how incredibly grateful we are,” wrote Schultz.

For the first ultrasound, Schultz and Misch had to watch via Facetime because of COVID-19 safety precautions, but Schultz said she’s still “extremely grateful” because after being diagnosed with MRKH, she never thought she would have a moment like this.

Then on October 2, Schultz shared the first ultrasound picture. The baby was eight weeks, four days old. She also wrote, “As always, THANK YOU for your continued prayers and support! So incredibly thankful for this community in our little corner of the Internet” and uploaded a video of their Facetime session from the parking lot of the doctor’s office.

Survivor hopes to film season 41 in the spring of 2021 for a fall 2021 premiere.

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