Why Stephenie LaGrossa was mad at Survivor after Heroes vs. Villains

It is hard to overstate how popular Stephenie LaGrossa was when she first appeared on Survivor. As a member of the ill-fated Ulong tribe on Survivor: Palau, Stephenie watched her tribe lose, and lose, and lose again, then lose some more, then keep losing, and cap it all off with a big loss. Ulong lost every single immunity challenge, yet Stephenie proved herself the ultimate Survivor — still managing to make it all the way to the merge as the only Ulong tribe member left. Yet when she did join the Koror folks, Stephenie's days were numbered as the only outsider in the new post-merge group.

While the game never went her way, viewers loved Stephenie's moxie, fight, and underdog spirit in the face of adversity. She was so popular that she became the second contestant ever (along with Palau tribemate Bobby Jon Drinkard) to play back-to-back, returning the very next season of Survivor: Guatemala.

Monty Brinton/CBS Danni Boatwright and Stephenie LaGrossa on 'Survivor: Guatemala'

While this time Stephenie made it all the way to the very end, she did it on one of the most difficult seasons ever — one that began with an 11-mile hike that caused Bobby Jon's eyes to roll back in his head, one that regularly topped over 100 degrees, and one in which the players were not even allowed to go in the water due to crocodiles. Not only that, but she had to deal with a pretty angry jury, who blamed her for their blindsides along the way, giving the million-dollar prize instead to Danni Boatwright in a lopsided 6-1 vote.

Even with the drama and disappointment of her first two outings, Stephenie was persuaded to return one more time for season 20, Heroes vs. Villains, but this time she would suffer both insult and injury. Stephenie separated her shoulder mere minutes into the season during a brutal opening challenge, which this reporter just happened to film from a few feet away.

Things only got worse from there. Stephenie ended up on the outside of the majority alliance and was berated multiple times by tribemate James Clement before her early exit on day 6. The experience, Stephenie says now, made her immediately regret coming back on the show, and ended her relationship with the program for over a decade.

Speaking this week on the Surviving Snyder podcast (hosted by yours truly and former players Rick Devens and Brendan Shapiro), Stephenie — who now goes by Stephenie LaGrossa-Kendrick after marrying former Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Kyle Kendrick — explained why she decided to return for season 20. "After Guatemala, I went to the end," says Stephenie. "How much better can you do, right? You get all the way to final two, you don't win. So I was like, 'What the hell? Like, this sucks.' So I move on with my life. I meet Kyle, I'm busy with him. We get engaged, and they call me again."

She was torn. "I'm thinking to myself, I don't know, I've been so out of the scene for so long. I don't do any of the events. I don't really even know all these new people. But after talking with Kyle, and we don't have children yet, we're not married yet, we're engaged — I decide to do it."

Monty Brinton/CBS via Getty Images Stephenie LaGrossa on 'Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains'

It was decision she would almost immediately regret once she ended up on a Heroes tribe that voted her out on day six. "I couldn't help it if James didn't like me, and Rupert didn't like me and didn't want me taking his air time or whatever it was. I'm like, I'm done."

And when she says done, she means done. "I was so mad at Survivor that I literally stopped watching. I didn't even watch Heroes vs. Villains." That's right, for years, one of the players of what many regard to be the best Survivor season ever was so upset didn't even bother watching it.

"Going back to that reunion show in New York, I didn't know what the hell was going on," laughs Stephenie. "I didn't know who was gonna win. I was like, I don't even care. I was so mad because I was just done with it. I was just over it."

Stephenie LaGrossa on 'Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains'

One of the most hardcore competitors in Survivor history could not abide being tossed aside after proving her toughness in the opening challenge. "Really, you're going to get rid of me second? I just dislocated my shoulder and put it back in and went back in the challenge, and you're gonna get rid of me? Like, I'm done with you people…. I was just, I was done. I was done with it."

While Stephenie has since watched all of her seasons with her husband and three children, she did not take in any new installments since her infamous last outing — that is, until she returned to reality TV on USA's recent Snake in the Grass and then decided to check back in with the current season of Survivor 43. (Her winner pick? Owen Knight.)

To hear Stephenie talk lots more about her experiences on Survivor: Palau, Guatemala, and Heroes vs. Villains, and get her take on season 43, check out the latest episode of the Surviving Snyder podcast.

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