Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick Reveals She Nearly Flipped the MrBeast Coin on 'Survivor 50' (Exclusive)

Survivor 50 is here! Every week, Parade‘s Mike Bloom will bring you interviews with the castaway most recently voted off the island.

When Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick heard the words “Welcome to Survivor” for the first time in 16 years, she felt like a completely different person. Regarded as one of the most popular contestants to ever play back in her first season, she had spent years out of the spotlight, focused instead on building her own tribe back at home. But, like a lake festooned with jellyfish, she had dipped herself back into the cloudy, yet electrifying waters of reality TV slowly but surely, with stints on a couple of other shows. So, when Survivor came calling for Season 50, she was fresh out of the oven like a filet mignon pizza, ready to play. And, while she entered the game as a very different Stephenie than the one we last saw, she was actually looking to connect with that younger version of herself, a way to prove that part of her was not permanently left behind like a sacrificed chicken carcass.

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Stephenie told Parade going in that her approach was going to be more of a quiet and observant version of herself, hoping her reputation as an old-school player and loyal ally would get her in the numbers early on. And indeed, that’s exactly what went down. She immediately linked up with old Heroes vs. Villains ally Colby Donaldson, and formed a majority with Q Burdette, Genevieve Mushaluk and Kyle Fraser. Unfortunately for Stephenie, a series of unfortunate votes would take away all of those allies from her by the time the jury started. Once again, she found herself in an alliance of one.

Much like the last time this happened, however, she was able to metaphorically take her boat, paddle it to another beach, and find new friends. She became part of an old-school postmerge coalition, working alongside Coach Wade, Chrissy Hofbeck, Joe Hunter and Jonathan Young. On top of that, a fortuitous rock draw took her on a literal journey, as she was forced to confront the excruciating pain of the shoulder she dislocated in the opening minutes of her last season. But, showcasing the tenacity that made her a legend forty seasons ago, she pushed through, leaving with a “Steal-a-Vote” in (raised) hand.

As the days went on, Stephenie was showcasing her slow-playing and adapting skills from her time on Snake in the Grass and The Traitors. Unfortunately, the person who would lead to her undoing is the one who was there next to her in both of those shows: Cirie Fields. When Stephenie and Jonathan attempted to take a shot at Ozzy Lusth, Stephenie lied about the plan to Cirie, knowing how close they were. But their experience in a different jungle setting had the six-time player easily catching Stephenie in a lie, which pushed her to start turning the votes against her. It didn’t help, of course, that Rick Devens also called her and Jonathan out for targeting Ozzy before his butt even touched the stumps at Tribal Council. But that was only the beginning of one of the wildest nights in Survivor history, which included a cameo from MrBeast, a game-changing coin flip, and a live scramble to figure out where the votes are going. Luckily, the group was able to derive order from the chaos of the day. Unluckily, Stephenie was that order. And so, her chance at the now-$2 million prize was tossed away, like a gold coin with a tiger’s profile on it.

Now out of the game, Stephenie talks with Parade about how she nearly flipped the MrBeast coin herself, how she reacted to Rick calling her out at Tribal Council, and the tense confrontation with Cirie that didn’t make the edit.

Related: Read our Survivor 50 pre-game interview with Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick

Alright, let’s try to break down your perspective on everything that happened at that wild Tribal Council. After all the scrambling that was done in the moment, by the time you sat down, did you think you were going?
No. So the plan, after all the whispering and all of that, they’re all a bunch of really great liars. If it couldn’t be Devens, it was going to be Aubrey, which is why Aubrey says to Devens, “I don’t really want him to flip the coin.” Because if he’s safe, she knew it was going to come
on her. Or that could have been just like Tribal talk to make me believe that.

So what made you decide not to play your Shot in the Dark and use your Steal-a-Vote against Rick?
I went over and spoke with Jonathan, I spoke with Cirie, I spoke with Ozzy, I spoke with Joe. I spoke with multiple people, and I was like, “I have the Steal-a-Vote. So I can vote and use my Shot in the Dark.” And everyone, even Jonathan, assured me, “You don’t need to. Don’t.” And I knew some of them could be lying. But Jonathan was my one person, I felt, since Colby had gone, I could really trust out there, and was really going to be there for me in my best interest. And I was like, “Okay, you’re sure?”

And I even considered trying to be the person that flipped the coin. Because I was getting a little nervous after Devens goes on his whole rant and his pitch and all that. A lot of people, told me, “No, you don’t have to flip the coin.” And I knew it was going to be a battle anyway against Devens if I tried to flip the coin. And then you second-guess yourself, because you’re like, “It’s a 50/50 shot. Do I want to take this chance? I still have a Steal-a-Vote. I still do have a Shot in the Dark. Let’s just see how it plays out first with Devens. Let’s just let him do that.” So there was a lot going on that a lot of people didn’t see.

And then back at camp, after Joe goes and tells Cirie that now we’re trying to flip it to Ozzy — I can’t believe Joe did that. Because, whether Joe’s with me or not, he really is supposed to be main allies with Jonathan, so I don’t know what he was thinking. I mean, this is the second time now Joe kind of screws us over, if you will. Because we’re supposed to be definitely the three of us, and we’re hopeful Cirie and Ozzy are with us.

Back at camp, after everything, I go over, and I talk to Ozzy. And I say, “Well, I heard you threw my name out and you don’t trust me. That’s how this all started.” And he admitted to it. He was like, “You’re right. I did. I wanted to see if it would get back to me, and it did.” And I was like, “Okay, well, why do you not trust me? Last week at Tribal Council, the whole time your name was out there. And we sat next to each other, and you’re asking me, ‘Do I play my advantage? Do I play it?’ I’m like, ‘No, you’re good, you’re good, you’re good.’ It was either going to be Christian or it was Devens. ‘We’ll split the vote with them, I promise you, you’re good.'” I gave him no reason not to trust me. Until this week, his name comes up, but it comes up because he’s telling Jonathan for a couple of days he doesn’t trust me. Even though Jonathan says I exaggerated it a little bit, there was truth to it. Because I went over and I cleared it with Ozzy.

Well, you didn’t get a heads-up that you were going, and your departure was due in part to a heads-up on a coin. Do you feel that if Rick hadn’t flipped the coin, he would have left instead of you?
I really do. I really, I really do. And that’s why Rick went on that whole tangent and then did a whole plea, because he knew he was in the hot seat as well. And then everyone’s like, “Well, why didn’t you throw Jonathan under the bus?” That’s just not who I am. He’s the only guy at this point I truly do trust in the game. He and I, as a team, are now in the hot seat. And somebody is throwing us under the bus, I’m not now going to throw my number one ally under the bus. I’m going to try to flip it back on them. And that’s what I tried to do.

What was your reaction when Rick sat down at Tribal Council and started calling out you and Jonathan? Did you feel the mood shift towards you?
Yeah, Tiffany and Rizo wouldn’t even look at me. So I’m like, “Okay, they’re done. They’re dead to me.” Joe is still acting like he’s with me. Joe wasn’t with me since, at the beach, I sat him down, like I sat Jonathan down, and I was like, “I want to tell you something. I have a Steal-a-Vote. I should have told you sooner.” I didn’t, because Cirie immediately got it out of me, and she told me, ‘Don’t tell anybody. You don’t have to tell anybody. Everybody knows everything out here. Your secret’s safe with me.'” So that’s why I chose not to tell anybody. So when I call Cirie out of Tribal Council, Jonathan, Joe, a few others already knew Cirie knew.

But to answer your question, I’m thinking to myself, “Remain calm. Do not get defensive.” Which I did. I think I did a really good job of staying calm. But I did reiterate and re-explain, “Yes, that was a plan that came up, but you guys started that plan.” Now, what I meant by that was “you were part of that plan.” Because they were really totally interested in that plan. But I think Rick got wind that the whole plan went back to him. It was no longer going to be Ozzy. It was going to go back to him, because Joe screwed that up with telling Cirie. So then we tried to go back to Devens, and Devens was like, “I’m gonna blow up the whole Tribal Council.”

We heard a whole slew of names in the chaotic lead-up to Tribal Council. But it sounds like, from what you’re saying, the plan had ultimately settled on Rick again. How did that happen?
We came clean. I went over to Ozzy and Cirie, and I said, “Listen, your name was definitely thrown out, Ozzy. And it was thrown out because you said you didn’t trust me, and people want to flush your idol. I’m just telling you the honest-to-God truth. Cirie, I know I told you, sitting next to Tiffany, the plan was still Devens. That is the plan. But Ozzy’s name was also thrown out there. Did I lie to you in that moment? Sure, because Tiffany’s right there. I don’t know Tiffany. I’m not aligned with Tiffany. I don’t trust Tiffany.”

We have this conversation, and you see me saying to Cirie — of course, they cut that all out — “You were going to vote for me. You were going to write my name down.” And she’s like, “Yeah, yeah.” I don’t know, whatever she said. And then I say to them, “I’m coming clean. I want to vote Devens. If Devens is safe for some reason, Aubry, if you guys will do that. If not, and you turn it on me, I promise you, you will be next. I promise you keeping me is in your best interest. If you get rid of me tonight, that’s fine, but you two will not go to the end. You will be next.” I do say that. I cannot believe it doesn’t make the cut.

And I said that to Cirie in Season 20, Heroes vs. Villains. I said, “If you don’t come with Tom and Colby and I, and you vote me with James and them, you’re going to be next.” And she was next.

Going back to the live Tribal Council, it ended up being a unanimous vote against you. In hindsight, do you think there was anything you could have said or done to get enough votes off of you?
They were all done. They all turned on me, because the whole Steal-a-Vote came out, and it was just too much back and forth. I mean, the only thing, I don’t know about a pitch, but I could have just fought harder to try to probably flip the coin or play my Shot in the Dark. That would have been the only thing that would have saved me in this moment. I now know Cirie and Ozzy aren’t with me. Basically, I’m hopeful they are. But I’m like, “Yeah, they’re probably not.”

Let’s stick with the Cirie topic here. Because you two have history across three seasons and three shows before Survivor 50. When the merge hits and you two meet up, did you expect things to pick up from where they left off in Scotland? Or were you feeling it was a different dynamic?
I thought we were solid. And they never show Cirie and I talking at all, which is so funny. It happened on Traitors too. I would never, ever trust somebody ever if I was getting a weird feeling from them or if we never spoke. I would never. I mean, I’m really not that stupid, come on! Cirie is constantly saying to me, “You’re like family. We’re going to the end. It’s going to be like me and Parv. I swear I’m not going to write your name down.” I mean, up until the night she votes me out, she says this to me. She’s good at what she does, and I believed her.

Now, Jonathan does bring her name up to me quite a few times leading up to this episode. And I’m like, “Listen, I hear you. But unless you have the numbers, you better not come for her. Because that’s what happened to Jenna, and that’s what happens to everybody, because she somehow weasels her way into getting the numbers, and you’re done.” And I meant it when Rizo tried to call me out. I’m not ever going to lead the charge up until that point. It was too early in the game. Why would I start calling people out and leading the charge? I wasn’t going to do that. So I was not lying to Rizo and to any of them. Now you come to me with an idea, I’ll hear it. Everybody’s gonna listen to certain ideas. Doesn’t mean you’re definitely gonna go with it.

What was your reaction when you see she immediately clocks you’re lying to her about not targeting Ozzy?
So I go to her, and she’s like, “Well, you just lied to me in front of Tiffany.” I’m like, “That’s because I don’t know Tiffany. I’m not in with Tiffany. I don’t trust Tiffany. I have not had a chance to talk to you alone.” But it still wasn’t alone. It was with her and Ozzy. And I was like, “I’m coming to you, and I’m telling you the honest-to-God truth right now. Ozzy’s name came up. I entertained it for a minute, and I plan to talk to you about it. But there were no numbers. We were not going to have the numbers. The reason Ozzy’s name came up is because he said days ago he didn’t trust me. For Ozzy, I’ve given you no reason not to trust me so.”

And she just said, “Okay, alright. Well, I hear you. Then what should we do?” And that’s where it’s like, “Let’s just go back to Devens and Aubrey. Unless it’s me and you’re lying right to my face. If it is, that’s fine. But it’s not going to be a good plan for you, because you will go soon after, and so will you.” And she says, “Who are you talking to?” Real cocky-like to me. And I said, “I’m talking to you. I promise you, if you vote me out tonight, you will go shortly after me. And so will you, Ozzy. I am a great shield for you to have around.” They didn’t show any of that.

I want to go back to a point you made earlier. From our perspective, after Chrissy and Coach were voted out, it seemed like you, Jonathan, and Joe were a bloc. But it sounds like it was more like you and Jonathan as a pair, with Joe doing his own thing on the side. Talk to me more about that.
So I thought Joe was always with us, and Jonathan thought Joe was really tight with him. And I learned two episodes ago that Cirie told him the whole plan about Coach and Chrissy, and Joe never comes and tells us. So I learned two episodes ago, “Oh, either Joe is not thinking clearly out there, or he’s just not with us, and he’s playing both sides.” And now he doesn’t tell us, right? Cirie, great job again, she’s like, “The plan changed to Coach and Chrissy. I can’t flip it back. We’re out of numbers. I’m just letting you know.” I’m like, “Oh, thanks for telling me.” She’s like, “Just go with the numbers. Because if you’re the odd man out, you’d be next to go.” So I’m like, “Okay, now I know Joe knows nothing about this.” So I think.

Fast forward to last night. Joe’s still acting like he’s with me and Jonathan, and then he goes and tells Cirie the whole plan. So at this point, I’m thinking Joe’s just trying to play both sides, all sides, whatever. Or Joe really is not with us and is trying to be with Cirie. And Cirie says in her interview, “This is a Stephenie vs. me thing, and I can’t let like her and Jonathan take control. I’ve got to take control with my people and take her out.”

Which is so upsetting, because in my mind, it was never going to be a me versus Cirie thing. I wanted to work with Cirie. Yes, Ozzy’s name came up because of Jonathan, and yes, Ozzy told Jonathan he doesn’t trust me. But I went over, like adults do, and I had a conversation with Ozzy. And I said, “I heard you didn’t trust me. That’s partly why your name came up. Plus you have an idol.” He admitted it. We were adults. We shook hands. I’m like, “Okay, so you still want me out?” He’s like, “No, let’s go back.” We all agree to go back to Devens. So I’m like, “Okay, we had a whole conversation about it.”

But no, I just unfortunately think Cirie was never with me. I thought she was. All those talks we had pregame. During the game, we talked a ton. They don’t show it, probably because this is the end result. She was never with me, so they’re not going to show me and her. It doesn’t fit the narrative. There’s so much else they need to fit in in a short time.

Finally, I know you came out for 50 partially to prove that you still “had it” after so much time away and so many life changes. How do you look back on your fourth time out?
I wasn’t out there to play a cutthroat game. I would have been a little cutthroat if I had when I had to be. But honestly, the people to whom I give my words, I really tried to stick with to the end. As you saw! I mean, I went down for Jonathan. I didn’t throw him under the bus, because I really am a person of my word. And I figured, “You know what? If I go home tonight, I go home tonight. But at least somebody I’m aligned with, hopefully, they get to the end, because I’m really not a sore loser.

Related: ‘Survivor 50’s Christian Hubicki Breaks Down Whether the Jimmy Fallon Twist Cost Him the Game (Exclusive)