Survivor alum Erik Huffman has been arrested for domestic violence following an alleged fight with his wife, Jaime Dugan, who he met on the reality series.
According to a police report obtained by Us Weekly the authorities responded to a disturbance call at a convenience store involving Huffman, 43, in Spartanburg, South Carolina in January.
Huffman told law enforcement he was looking for Dugan, 38, who left him at the store following a disagreement. Huffman said that the pair were arguing after Dugan accused her husband of having an affair and they fought over his phone. He told the police that he was concerned about Dugan’s wellbeing.
After meeting with Huffman, the police got in contact with Dugan who had a different version of events. Dugan claimed that she found Huffman’s burner phone while the pair were in the car. She alleged that they fought over the device and he broke her fingernail and left some small cuts on her hand. Dugan shared that when she and Huffman arrived at the convenience store, she left him there because she did not feel safe.
Upon hearing both sides, the cops determined that Huffam was the primary aggressor. He was arrested later that day on a third-degree domestic violence charge. The case was administratively closed following the incident.
Huffman and Dugan competed on Survivor: China which aired in 2007. The twosome were on the Zhan Hu tribe together. Huffman and Dougan aligned early on in the game and both made it to the merge. Dugan became the first member of the jury after she was voted out following the first-ever fake idol play on the reality series. Huffman ultimately came in 6th place.
While on the island, Huffman and Dugan never made things official. Instead, the pair were allies who bonded over their similar backgrounds.
“Erik and I are both southern. We’re both from the same area of South Carolina. We had a lot in common. He’s a very trustworthy person. I knew he didn’t lie to anybody while we were out there,” Dugan said to Reality TV World in November 2007. “He’s just a genuinely good guy, so I felt like I could trust him. The whole time out there, he was just my comfort. He reminded me of back home, and for once I felt like I [could] confide in somebody, so it was really nice to have him on the island with me.”
One year after filming Survivor, Huffman proposed to Dugan. In April 2009, the twosome tied the knot. Following their nuptials, Huffman and Dugan became the first Survivor contestants from the same original season to get married. The couple share son Harper.
