Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Dustin Rowles | News | August 21, 2025
Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick first appeared as a contestant on the 10th season of Survivor, where she made her mark as the only member of her tribe to survive before the merge. Though she was voted out soon after, she became a fan favorite. Still, she was also one of those contestants who showed up at the reunion looking noticeably different from how she had on the island in a way that led me to believe, at the time, she was maybe not how she was presented on camera that season.
Those red flags grew louder during her villain turn in Survivor: Guatemala, but what stuck with me was the way she and Tom spoke about James in Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains. It left a sour taste, and I’ve never been able to see her the same way.
More recently, another Survivor alum, Eliza Orlins, published an exposé about her on Substack titled “The Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick Files: MAGA, Misinformation, and Deleted Receipts.” I didn’t read it — paywall — but the gist felt obvious back in Heroes vs. Villains.
In defending herself, Stephenie ended up making Eliza’s point for her.
“Eliza tried to bury me about Donald Trump. Don’t come at me with your political status when you’re f**king Jewish and your parents are 1% of the population of wealth,” Kendrick said in an Instagram video caught by Reddit. “We were poor as f—-. I worked my ass off to get where I am right now.”“Don’t you dare try to say I’m some right-wing bigot,” she also said. “If you think you’re gonna try to f**king ruin me for one second, you’re sadly mistaken. Good luck, bitch.”
Does Stephenie really believe all Jews are in the top one percent? That’s antisemitic, full stop. After Orlins called her out, Stephenie backtracked but didn’t apologize. She did admit she’d been drinking when she made the comment. Like, no sh*t. That is obvious from the video.
“During a conversation in which I was calling out someone for what I perceived as a lack of support for the Jewish community, I misspoke in a way that was abrupt, poorly worded, and offensive,” she said. “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.”
But how does “You’re f**king Jewish and your parents [are] 1% of the population of wealth” translate into calling someone out for failing to support their community? What? You can’t say, “Don’t call me a bigot” one moment and “you’re f**king Jewish” the next without proving the accusation.
Ultimately, Eliza didn’t need to “try to f**king ruin” Stephenie. Stephenie managed that all on her own. I hope she is voted out first in Survivor 50.
