Back on Wednesday, May 28, the Survivor 50 cast was finally announced. As this upcoming milestone of a season has a history that includes over 600 players and 25 years of gameplay, no matter the cast, people were bound to react. While the Survivor production and casting team certainly had a tough challenge ahead of them, they bafflingly chose the most confusing route- choosing people who have played over four times, too many new era cast members, not respecting the 50% BIPOC mandate, and still doubling down in not listening to what fans want to see on the show.
Between the multiple egregious decisions that Survivor host and executive producer Jeff Probst and his fellow team made, there is one that stands out for all the wrong reasons. For some odd reason, the Survivor team decided not to cast the OG Survivor Black Widow and three-time legendary player Jerri Manthey.
Jerri first played on Survivor: The Australian Outback as part of the Ogakor tribe, where she used the femme-fatal type of gameplay, particularly alongside the "American cowboy", Colby Donaldson. Jerri became infamous because viewers weren't accustomed to seeing what Jerri brought to the table on TV, and people celebrated when Jerri was voted out in 8th place. Jerri's reputation of being a villainess carried into her second season, Survivor: All-Stars, where she was booed off the stage at the season's finale live reunion.
Jerri wasn't deterred and awaited her return to the game to prove once and for all what she was truly capable of, which she did in the epic and fan-favorite season of Survivor: Heroes vs Villains. Jerri fully embraced her villainous persona, showcasing her challenge skills and social gameplay, and even had a bit of fun when she developed an unexpected showmance with fellow villain Benjamin "Coach" Wade. At the Final Four, Jerri was unfortunately voted out, but not before being recognised as a full-fledged threat to win the game. Overall, Jerri's Survivor arc could've been seen as complete, but without a win yet, Jerri still deserved another shot to get the Sole Survivor title.
Then, Survivor 50 was announced, with Jeff Probst saying that this season would be a "celebration of the show's history". What better way to commemorate the game we all know and love than with one of the most recognised faces of the franchise? Well, now, as we all know, that's precisely what production didn't do, and Jerri was eventually cut from the casting process.
On her Instagram account, @jerrimanthey, Jerri first posted a silent video with the following caption, "SURVIVOR SEASON 50 #nuffsaid." Jerri's demeanour demonstrated that she was upset. Still, it wasn't until Jerri uploaded a Cameo video to her Instagram account that fans truly understood the depth of betrayal she felt over what transpired with Survivor's production.
During the nine-minute video, Jerri said:
"The outpouring of support and encouragement from everybody online has just been so helpful in helping me start the process of healing, but I'm not going to lie: I am pissed, I'm disappointed, I'm sad, and I sometimes am asking that very same question too: How am I going to get through this?"
With the Joshua Tree National Park in the background, Jerri also said:
"I've also been sitting still with my own thoughts and processing what happened, and the utter disrespect for the fact that I have spent the past 25 years of my life, which is almost half of my life, involved in, supporting, being a part of making an effort to be a part of the Survivor community."
As Jerri is still gathering her thoughts, Jerri ultimately reveals that her Survivor journey is officially and irrevocably over after what has transpired.
"My Survivor chapters are closed. It was very clear that what Jeff Probst and [executive producer Matt Van Wagenen] thought was that I should be grateful because I am the only person to experience a three-season character arc. Oh! I should just be so grateful for that. But you know what? You know what's even better than that? Watching someone come full circle."
As previously mentioned, Jerri was unfairly booed off the stage during Survivor: All-Stars' live reunion, an event that still causes her pain. A couple of days after her Instagram post, Jerri made a surprising reveal in an interview with fellow Survivor players John "Johnny Fairplay" Dalton from Survivor: Pearl Islands and Survivor: Micronesia and Gabe Ortis from Survivor: 47.
On Reality After Show, Jerri made several revelations:
"So, during the casting process, Jeff apologised to me for letting people boo me on the All-Star's reunion, and I told him that I accepted his apology. I was very grateful to hear that apology from him, but I also think he doesn't really understand what he should be apologizing for."
Jerri goes on to explain that after that situation, no one from casting, production, or even Jeff checked in on her to make sure she was all right, nor helped her get through it.
During the RAS interview, Jerri also commented on her thoughts about seeing Colby on the season, as it would be his first time playing Survivor without Jerri.
"I've played with him three times, and the past two times, I took him out. The first time, I was young and dumb, and I fell for his flirtation. Now, I'm older, and I don't fall for that [expletive] anymore."
Regarding the double standard in which she and Colby were and are regarded ever since playing together back in Australia, Jerri made a confession.
"And the fact that he's out there being celebrated and appreciated, you know, for putting in the same amount of time I did, but without watching a single season, without ever going to a single event. He did not support the community whatsoever, and he treated all of us like we were less than him... Misogyny is real. It is. And I'm sick and tired of it. As a woman now in her 50s, it stings even more."
Regardless of what anyone thinks or feels when it comes to Jerri as a player, it's heartbreaking to see how the show disregarded her not only as an OG but as a person as Jerri voices how because of her edit on the show, her career as an actress never took off as no one wanted to work with her.