Denise the Lunch Lady

The school lunch lady whose misleading sob story on the season finale of Survivor: China earned her 50 thousand dollars now says she'll donate the award to charity. DENISE MARTIN claimed on the show Sunday night that she was demoted to a janitorial position at a Massachusetts school upon her return from China, inspiring executive producer MARK BURNETT to give her the money. She admitted on CBS' The Early Show Tuesday that her comments were misleading, after the school district for which she works said Martin had been promoted to custodian before she taped Survivor, and had returned to the same position.

The 40-year-old Martin has apologized again in a statement, saying, quote, "I do not feel comfortable about accepting the $50,000. I would instead ask that it be donated to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation."

Nielsen Ratings

Reality doesn't bite for the networks. With the writers strike in full swing, viewers have embraced reality shows to fill the lack of new scripted programming. The finale of Survivor: China was the second highest-rated show in last week's Nielsen ratings, with more than 15 million viewers. The penultimate episode took fifth place with 14-and-a-half million viewers, while the reunion special also placed in the top 15. That's the good news for the long-running CBS reality franchise. The bad? Despite taking second place, only one other finale in Survivor history has drawn lower ratings -- this past spring's Survivor: Fiji.

While episodes of Survivor held the top of the Nielsens last week, other reality shows scored big, too. The Biggest Loser, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and multiple episodes of Deal or No Deal all finished in the top 20.

CBS was the highest-rated network for the week, followed by NBC, Fox, ABC, the CW, Univision, My Network TV and Telemundo

Here are the top 10 primetime programs for the week of Monday, December 10th-Sunday, December 16th

1. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CBS, 19.9 million viewers.

2. Survivor: China Finale, CBS, 15.2 million viewers.

3. Without a Trace, CBS, 15.1 million viewers.

4. Sunday Night Football: Washington Redskins at New York Giants, NBC, 14.6 million viewers.

5. Survivor: China, CBS, 14.5 million viewers.

6. CSI: NY, CBS, 14.4 million viewers.

7. Criminal Minds, CBS, 14.2 million viewers.

8. CSI: Miami, CBS, 14.1 million viewers.

9. The O.T., Fox, 13.5 million viewers.

10. 60 Minutes, CBS, 13.4 million viewers.

Oops!

The school lunch lady who claimed on the Sunday-night finale of Survivor: China that she was demoted from her position upon her return from the show has served up an apology for her "misleading" comments. Forty-year-old DENISE MARTIN was awarded 50 thousand dollars by executive producer MARK BURNETT after she said she was demoted to a janitorial position because of her involvement in the show. The next day, the Massachusetts school district for which she works stated that Martin was actually promoted from her cafeteria position to full-time custodian before she left for Survivor, and that she returned to the same job.

On CBS' The Early Show yesterday, Martin admitted that the school district was telling the truth. She explained that while taping Survivor, she decided that she wanted her old cafeteria job back, but has been told there are no openings. Martin apologized and said, quote, "It was not my intention to be misleading." When asked if she would accept the 50-thousand-dollar award if the offer is still on the table, she replied, quote, "I had no idea that I was going to be awarded that."

Hmmmmm....A Survivor Cover Up?

Did Survivor: China contestant DENISE MARTIN outwit the show when she said she was demoted from her position as a school lunch lady because of her celebrity status? Looks like she just might have.

The 40-year-old Martin claimed on Sunday night's finale that she lost her cafeteria job at a Massachusetts school upon her return from China because her superiors felt her newfound fame was "too distracting" for the kids. She said she was demoted to a janitorial position instead. After hearing Martin's story, executive producer MARK BURNETT awarded her 50 thousand dollars, apparently on the spot.

However, in a statement posted on their official website yesterday, the Douglas Public Schools district disputed Martin's allegation. In fact, they claim that she was actually promoted from a cafeteria position to full-time custodian, with a higher salary and better benefits, before she taped Survivor. The school adds that she returned to the same job after she finished competing in the reality series.

No comment as yet from either Martin or Survivor producers.