'Survivor: China' Dream Couple Erik Huffman and Jaime Dugan Are in Choppy Waters

Some people watch The Bachelor to see new couples form on reality television; some people watch Survivor. This may sound counterintuitive but in each of the past two seasons, there have been two new Survivor couples, so it’s a pretty common phenomenon.

One couple, Erik Huffman and Jaime Dugan, met on Survivor: China (Season 15).

After they filmed the season, they decided to try their hand at a long-distance relationship while Jaime finished college, and they ended up married with a son. However, in March 2024, Jaime reportedly shared on Instagram that the Survivor couple has been facing some challenges, so we break it down.

In 2007, Erik and Jaime’s lives changed forever, and not just because they were on reality television. Jaime noticed Erik’s South Carolina sticker on his guitar case in Ponderosa, and the two of them hit it off immediately. Years later in 2020, Jaime spoke with The Sway, a local blog, about her relationship with Erik.

“It’s crazy because our first conversation is recorded. We spoke for the very first time on national television,” Jaime said. But it wasn’t a typical meet-cute. “The hardest part was definitely the starvation. You’re so gross and you smell. My hair fell out and my eyes sunk in. I lost like, 21 pounds in 20 days, and I think Erik lost like 30 pounds.”

Those aren’t the ideal conditions to meet someone, but after going through that together, one can imagine how strong a relationship would be. “We were automatically connected because we grew up in the same town. We felt at peace with each other. I’d always joke with him ‘if you screw me over, I’m going to tell your mom,'” Jaime added.

After filming, Erik toured as a bass player with his band, Florez, opening for acts such as Gavin DeGraw and the Doobie Brothers. Jaime was finishing up at the University of South Carolina, and they had their dream wedding in 2009. Erik became a physician’s assistant while Jaime became the owner of a marketing firm and lifestyle blog, so they lead pretty normal lives. But now, they might be thrust back into the spotlight amid a potential legal battle.

There’s no better place for Survivor news than Reddit. On March 7, 2024, one Redditor posted, “Rewatched China during the pandemic and was really rooting for Jaime and Erik and their relationship. I looked them up after finishing the season and found out that they were married and she's a lifestyle/home influencer on Instagram, so I began following her page. She has just shared that Erik is going on trial for domestic violence against her and/or her son. Super sad and shocking.”

However, Jaime's Instagram account is currently private, so there’s no way to verify the claim as of now. Even still, others corroborated and shared their sadness at the news. “I was shocked and sad for her, I never saw that coming,” another Redditor commented.

They continued: “I follow her on Instagram and thought that she was just posting 'cause she always posts from time to time informational content about various topics until she posted that she and her son are okay and doing trauma therapy. It's heartbreaking cause they have been married for over a decade and it seemed like a healthy relationship. My prayers for Jaime and her son.”

Sadly, not every reality television relationship can survive, so our hearts go out to Jaime and her son as we hope for the best for their family.