'Survivor: Kaoh Rong': Chemist Pled Guilty to Falsifying Katrina Wate

A contestant on "Survivor: Kaoh Rong" failed to outwit, outplay and outlast the feds ... because she pled guilty to felonies for falsifying Hurricane Katrina water test results ... TMZ has learned.

Debbie Wanner, a 49-year-old chemist from Reading, PA, was arrested in 2010 and charged with 3 counts of falsifying test results from Hurricane Katrina water samples.

Wanner worked for a private lab that did testing for various Pennsylvania counties and private companies. Her company was hired to ensure water met various environmental standards.

According to legal docs, Wanner took on clients when she knew her company did not have the proper equipment to provide accurate results. The criminal complaint alleges she falsified water test results.

Wanner pled guilty to 3 felonies for falsifying results. She was placed on 1 year probation.

It's interesting timing ... she's on the show in the middle of the Flint water crisis.

Debbie's strutting her expertise on 'Survivor' on all things water ... if they only knew.