"They stink!" she said. "It was this horrible smell, and they were still alive. I put a handful of worms in my mouth and one of them was hanging from my lips. Oh, my God, I felt like throwing up.
"My mom thought I was crazy for doing this. She had seen some of the shows, and there were some that people ate things that were worse than worms. My mom told me to trust in God and he will help me."
Whether it proved to be her prayers or perseverance, De La Luz stunned her mother by beating five other participants, including three men.
A fan of NBC's "Fear Factor," De La Luz heard a radio commercial for "Gana la Verde" and figured it was her destiny to apply. Because De La Luz and her family cannot afford to hire a lawyer, they have not attempted to become legal residents, which prevents her from qualifying for financial aid, loans or grants at UCLA. Although most undocumented immigrants try not to call attention to themselves out of fear of being deported, De La Luz, who has a job and pays taxes, said she had to take the chance.
"Getting my green card will open a lot of opportunities for me that I wish I had," said De La Luz, who crossed the Mexican border with her mother and brother illegally when she was 8 years old. "There are times when you risk whatever you need to risk. You have to risk something to get something."
Richard Sherman, the Beverly Hills entertainment lawyer whose firm represents Liberman Broadcasting and was hired to retain immigration lawyers for the show's winners, said the risks are outlined for all contestants.
"If you're illegal, it probably would be better not to be on anybody's radar screen," Sherman said. "It's possible that there is some risk of that. But I don't think it's going to catch the attention of Homeland Security. They have other things to do now."
Many of the show's participants have student or work visas or are already in the process of becoming residents. Others compete for an opportunity to hire lawyers to help loved ones.
"So far, I'm very happy with the lawyers," said Italian-born Di Giovanni, a 29-year-old actor here on a student visa and the show's first winner. "I'm not sure yet what exactly I'll get from them. I want to have a work visa. This is a big help to me. If I had to pay for this myself, I'd have to manage my limited finances very differently."
