Stephenie LaGrossa Is the Center of Controversy as a Past 'Survivor' Player Calls Her Out

Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for Season 50, Episode 10 of Survivor.

There's no good time to get voted off Survivor, but it must hit especially hard to get voted off immediately after the prize pot doubled. That's exactly what happened to Stephenie LaGrossa, who became the latest member of the jury in Survivor's chaotic Season 50.

That said, we know of one person who certainly won't be shedding any tears over Stephenie's crushed Survivor dreams. In fact, a former contestant has been lamenting Stephenie's involvement in Season 50 ever since the cast was announced! See who has an axe to grind with the player, and what the controversy is all about.

Stephenie's hater is none other than former Survivor contestant Eliza Orlins. Interestingly, the two have never actually played the game together and have likely never even met. Stephenie was on Survivor's Seasons 10, 11, 20, and 50. Eliza, on the other hand, was on Seasons 9 and 16. Rather than an on-screen tiff, it seems Eliza's issues with Stephenie stem from the latter's political beliefs.

Eliza took it upon herself to call out CBS for casting Stephenie in Season 50, despite the latter having outspoken political views. Based on the information Eliza shared, it seems Stephenie supports MAGA, although she's since deleted much of her online political content in anticipation of returning to reality TV. Bordering on obsession, Eliza made a Substack titled, The Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick Files: MAGA, Misinformation, and Deleted Receipts, in which she laid everything out for the public.

Why former player Eliza was weighing in on CBS's casting decision — and seemingly expected to be taken seriously by showrunners — remains unclear. It's a bit like going to eat at McDonald's a couple of times, and then showing up at your local branch with a revised menu. Then, getting mad at corporate for ignoring your suggestions.

That said, Stephenie's reaction to Eliza's comments was absolutely unacceptable. In a perfect example of everyone involved being a jerk, Stephenie filmed a video in which she criticized and insulted the former castaway. The clip included antisemitic sentiments and derogatory names.

After some well-earned backlash, Stephenie apologized. Per People, she expressed, "I misspoke in a way that was abrupt, poorly worded, and offensive. What I meant to express was frustration that someone who is Jewish was not standing up for their own community in a moment that called for unity and support. However, the way I said it was wrong, and I take full responsibility for how it came across."

Stephenie also shared that she may have had a bit too much to drink prior to making that video (we all already knew that). The Survivor player added, "To those I hurt and offended: I hear you, and I am truly sorry. I am committed to learning from this and continuing to be a vocal ally for all marginalized communities, including the Jewish community."

Ironically, Survivor fans have split into two tribes, with one supporting Eliza and the other backing Stephenie. Upon Stephenie getting sent to the Season 50 jury, Eliza took to X to celebrate with a post that read, "They saw it on the island. We all saw it online. Stephenie LaGrossa is a terrible person, and CBS should never have cast her. Bye, b---h."

Naturally, the comments section was a mixed bag. One person wrote, "Look, it's Eliza clocking in for her monthly attempt to stay relevant." Another shared, "There's a reason I no longer watch Survivor. They keep bringing back horrible humans for the views." Meanwhile, a third person played both sides with, "You’re both terrible people, just supposedly on different sides of the political spectrum."

We have no idea how either of these women behaves other than what's on our screens, nor do we know who will win Survivor Season 50. That said, here's something we do know: Stephenie will not get the $2 million. However, she probably won't need it, since she can always live in Eliza's head rent-free.