Throughout the history of Survivor, Jeff Probst's beloved reality show has featured many beloved and hated players. For example, even some fans who are still figuring out which seasons to watch first may know that Rupert Boneham was incredibly popular. Additionally, fans who know that some former players have refused to return and that others have been medically evacuated may remember how beloved Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick was.

Considering that Stephenie was such a big deal, it seems like she should have watched every Survivor season, know who every winner is, and praise the show's best players. However, as it turns out, Stephenie once walked away from Survivor because she was so mad at the show that she refused to even watch it.

Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick Was So Furious At Survivor That She Even Refused To Watch A Season She Starred In

When the cast for Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans was announced, some fans were surprised to see Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick would be playing. Mostly gone from the Survivor community for years now, Stephenie had last been seen during the first season of The Traitors US.

In terms of Survivor, however, it had been more than 15 years since fans last saw Stephenie play. The last season of Jeff Probst's show that Stephenie was part of was Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, which finished airing in May of 2010.

Of course, it isn't abnormal for a Survivor player to go many years between the times they play the game. However, this absence was different since Stephenie once revealed how furious she was after the last time she played Survivor.

In October 2022, Stephinie made an appearance on the "Surviving Snyder" podcast which was summarized in part by Entertainment Weekly.

During that discussion, Stephenie explained that she was so mad after filming Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains that she didn't even watch it.

"I was so mad at Survivor that I literally stopped watching. I didn't even watch Heroes vs. Villains."

After making that remark, Stephenie elaborated on why she was so angry.

For anyone who doesn't remember why Stephenie would have been so frustrated with Survivor at the time, she had good reason to be. During Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, Stephenie had an experience that was about as bad as she could have had. During the first challenge of the season, Stephenie dislocated her shoulder and clearly experienced a lot of pain. On top of that, James Clement was very insulting to Stephenie during the season and only a couple of her tribemates defended her. Then, Stephenie became the second person voted out during the season.

During the podcast appearance, Stephenie explained she was so angry with Survivor because she'd been put through all that and then was unceremoniously voted out.

"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."

From there, Stephenie explained the unique position she wound up in because she didn't watch the season.

Up until Survivor's so-called "new era," each season ended with the cast coming together to film a reunion. Of course, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains wasn't any different, which meant that Stephenie attended the event.

Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick's Origin, According to Famous Birthdays

• Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick Was Born on December 6th, 1979
• Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick Was Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• As of July 2025, Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick Is 45 Years Old

While talking to the podcast hosts, Stephenie explained that when she attended the reunion, she had no idea what had happened during the season.

"Going back to that reunion show in New York, I didn't know what the hell was going on."

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By the time most Survivor finales are about to start airing, fans tend to have very strong opinions about who they think will win the season. The Survivor players who are attending the reunion are bound to have an even better idea of who will prevail, especially if they made it to the jury or final tribal council.

When Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick competed during the first season of The Traitors, she went very far in the game. Ultimately, Stephenie came in 7th place after she was "murdered" during the 9th episode of the season.

However, during the podcast appearance, Stephenie explained she had absolutely no idea who would win Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains when she attended the reunion.

"I didn't know who was gonna win."

At that point in the conversation, Stephenie elaborated on wanting nothing to do with Survivor at that moment.

As she finished up explaining how she felt back then, Stephenie explained she wanted nothing to do with Survivor at all at the time.

"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 Kendrick Didn't Even Want To Return For Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains

Considering that Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick joined the cast of Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans, she clearly wants to return to the show. However, it turns out that she didn't always feel that way. During her aforementioned appearance on the "Surviving Snyder" podcast, Stephenie explained why she initially didn't even want to return for Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains.

Before Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, Stephenie made it to the final tribal council during Survivor: Guatemala. During her podcast interview, Stephenie explained that coming so close to winning Survivor made her feel like moving on from the show.

"After Guatemala, I went to the end. 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."

After moving on with her life, Stephenie received the call asking her to return for Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains. While speaking to the podcast hosts, Stephenie explained that she initially wanted to reject the season because she felt disconnected from the show at the time.

"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."

During the interview, Stephenie explained why she ultimately changed her mind and competed during the season. "After talking with Kyle, and we don't have children yet, we're not married yet, we're engaged — I decide to do it."