Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick’s Survivor 50 run ended in one of the most chaotic Tribal Councils in the show’s history, after a Mr. Beast Beware Advantage forced a coin flip that blew up the vote. What had looked like a plan to target Aubry instead turned on LaGrossa Kendrick after Rick Devens exposed key alliances and the vote scrambled in real time.
LaGrossa Kendrick, a four-time player, said Devens’ move made immediate damage control necessary. “When he started going off and outing me and Jonathan, I was like, ‘Oh, here we go. Now I have to do damage control,’” she said. She added, “I cannot throw Jonathan under the bus, even though it was his plan and I’m getting dragged into it.” For her, the moment crossed a line. “This is just not who I am,” she said. “When I give you my word, I give you my word.”
The chaos started before Tribal, when the group discussing the vote included LaGrossa Kendrick, Jonathan, Cirie, Devens, Aubry, Joe, Tiffany and Rizo. Then came the mystery suitcase tied to the auction and the warning that somebody could be “miraculously safe or might have to go home immediately.” At Tribal, LaGrossa Kendrick said there were too many names flying around. “Shit, I want to flip the coin after that mess,” she said, but let Devens take the shot instead. She said she was shocked when the result came back. “I was shocked,” she said.
LaGrossa Kendrick said there was a backup plan if Devens were safe, with Aubry as the next vote. But after another live Tribal, the group shifted again. “Well, apparently they were all going for me,” she said. “It was not going to be Aubry.” Jonathan ultimately went with the vote after learning at the last minute that it was her. That last turn left LaGrossa Kendrick out of the game and answered the question raised by the night’s mess: the coin flip did not just add risk, it decided whose Survivor 50 run survived the evening, and it was not hers.