by Gina Scarpa

 

For Stephenie LaGrossa, the road to becoming a Survivor all star has had its ups and downs. We first met her on Survivor: Palau, where her tribe was so badly beaten, that she was the only remaining member, the first and only time it has happened in the show's history. She returned for Survivor: Guatemala, where she made it to the final two, only to be beaten by Dani Boatwright. Her third time into the game, for Survivor: Heroes Vs. Villains, she was targeted early for her alliance with fellow Palau player Tom Westman and became the second player voted out of the game. Today, Stephenie spoke to RealityWanted in an exclusive interview about her time on Survivor, and life afterwards.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Did any part of you think you were crazy for playing Survivor a third time?
A. Stephenie: At first, no and then when I got out there, I was like, "Really??"

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Is there anything that you think you could've done to get the target off of your back, because of your relationship with Tom and the tribe's perception of the two of you together?
A. Stephenie: With the exception of Candace, everyone out there played the game together or had a strong connection with somebody else. Are you a target because you played three times? Are you a target because you won before? Not really. There's always a reason to get rid of somebody.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What was the problem between you and James? I have never seen him act like that.
A. Stephenie: It was almost like somebody flipped a switch. What happened was during the challenge, he kept yelling, "Shut the f*** up." Then, when we lost, he was like, "If ya'll would've shut the f*** up, we would've won," I thought he was saying it to me. I was like, "I wasn't the only one talking." I didn't say it wasn't me, I said I wasn't the only one talking. He just went off the deep end and flipped out. He did this whole big thing at camp. Maybe he didn't talk during the challenge but he didn't help us get any further. We weren't even close to solving that puzzle. He lost it and then he starts trying to target me, saying I lost every challenge in Palau. It really had no bearing. In Guatemela, I went to final two. Did you forget about that? I could've said, "You're so smart that you got voted out with two immunity idols!" It's stupid.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Were you happy that Colby and Tom jumped to your defense against James at tribal council?
A. Stephenie: Yeah, they didn't have to do that. That totally put them out there and their heads on the chopping block more then they already were. That show that they're men and gentlemen and have integrity.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Was it a surprise that you were voted out or did you see it coming?
A. Stephenie: I pretty much knew. We were scrambling and I was scrambling with Cirie and Candace and they're saying, "We don't know who we‘re going to go with." I was trying to tell them that the other alliance has people on the other side waiting for them at the merge.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What's interesting this season is that the heroes can't all play like they did the first time around. There has to be some shady deals and backstabbing in order to get ahead. Did it surprise you the way some of the heroes acted in the game?
A. Stephenie: I didn't know any players personally, except Tom. I was a big fan of Rupert and James going in. To get to meet them, in person, and see who they were, I was shocked. I was not impressed at all. They're not the people they were portrayed to be on the show. All these years later, they're on the show and they're burying themselves. Rupert thinks he's Mr. Survivor and he can't even make fire. James is supposed to be this quiet sweetheart and he's turning into this lunatic. It's a lot of ego. They're two people that I've met and I've met a lot of big time celebrities. They think very highly of themselves.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What did it mean to you to be named an all star and, not only that, a hero?
A. Stephenie: It was truly an honor and I knew going into it that if I got voted out early, it's not because I was disliked. It's because I was a threat. I do not toot my own horn. I was sitting at tribal council and I said, "This was an honor," and it was. It was an honor that I got to play and it was an honor that they got rid of me that early.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What are you up to now?
A. Stephenie: I own a restaurant in Philadelphia called Gigi Restaurant and Lounge . It's where I met my fiance, Kyle Kendrick, who plays for the Phillies. We just got engaged two days before I got the call for Survivor. It was bittersweet. We're getting married this November in Napa Valley. The Phillies have gone to the world series two years in a row. We're in Florida right now for spring training and I‘m going back to Philly in a few days. I'm just living my life. Survivor is a part of my life but it's not my life. That's the problem that some of these people have. They're like nobody without Survivor.

 

Survivor: Heroes Vs. Villains airs Thursdays at 8/7c on CBS.

 

(Image courtesy of CBS)

Follow Gina at twitter.com/ginascarpa

 

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