Parvati Shallow, TV personality and Survivor and The Traitors star, has concluded writing her book, Nice Girls Don’t Win: How I Burned It All Down to Claim My Power. Shallow described writing her memoir as a form of healing and emotional therapy. In the book, she describes her life on and off the island of Survivor, revealing why she went back to the reality show.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Shallow discussed her reason for writing the book, a sneak peek of its contents, and additionally, her reasons for returning to Survivor. After she won season 16, Micronesia, Shallow competed in the show’s 20th season and finished as the runner-up before taking a break. She admitted in her interview that she was focused on her new baby and family while away. She claimed she had always wanted to go back for an all-winner but was unable to because of the baby. When asked about her reason for returning for season 40, Shallow stated that she wanted to have a sense of family with Survivor. The show in which she participated for a good part of her life grew to become a sort of extended family.
Another reason Shallow stated for returning to the show was that she had no money. After winning Survivor: Micronesia and going home with a million dollars, she revealed that she had made atrocious choices with money. “We didn’t have enough money for me to have any sense of safety around,” she told Entertainment Weekly, “so I went back for the money as well.”
Parvati Shallow’s Book Also Includes Embarrassing Stories That Make Her Look Bad
Image via Monty Brinton/NBC
The new author described writing her book as a different kind of torture. She mentioned that the book contained so many embarrassing stories and that she shares these stories to humanize herself.
Nice Girls Don’t Win took Shallow about two and a half years to write. She described it to Entertainment Weekly as the hardest thing she had ever done. However, according to the TV star, putting herself out there was therapeutic and had made her feel so much lighter. The book, she alleged, gave her more acceptance of herself and what she went through. It made her have more acceptance and compassion for people. She also stated that it gave her the power to make authentic choices rather than pleasing people, particularly accepting herself. In her words:
“I didn’t write the book to look good. There are so many embarrassing stories and stories that make me look bad in the book, and I wanted to share those to humanize myself, and for other people to have that permission to accept themselves too.”
Nice Girls Don’t Win will be released on July 8, 2025, from Random House and is now available for pre-order on Amazon.
