To say that plenty of Survivor fans are in mourning over that triple and brutal elimination is an understatement. We knew there would be a time when this could happen, as 24 players were playing against each other over a 26-day period, but it still really hurt.
During Survivor 50’s sixth episode, the remaining seventeen players were officially merged. As the players celebrated reaching this milestone, their joy was cut short when the show’s host and executive producer, Jeff Probst, announced a triple elimination. As the castaways were stunned about the upcoming slaughter, Probst then revealed the devastating news: these three eliminated players wouldn’t be part of the jury either.
Survivor 47 alum Genevieve Mushaluk immediately knew she needed to work her magic if she wanted to outlast her fellow players, in particular, her season-long rival, Aubry Bracco. Both were placed in the original Vatu tribe, and from the get-go, there seemed to be a tangible tension between them, making it too obvious that one would end up eliminating the other.
As the merged players were then split into three groups to compete for rewards and immunity and eventually to face their respective Tribal Councils, viewers knew this feud would reach its climax when Mushaluk and Bracco ended up together once more. Once Mushaluk lost her shot at individual immunity, she went to work to save herself for the upcoming vote.
Unfortunately for her and her fans, Mushaluk was unable to dissuade Christian Hubicki and Rick Devens from voting with her and Joe Hunter, and she was voted out unanimously after her “Shot in the Dark” also failed to provide her protection. To say Mushaluk has become one of the unluckiest Survivor contestants in its history is also a complete understatement.
Once we realized this episode wasn’t a decoy for April Fool’s Day, there was no other choice but to accept Mushaluk’s elimination. The only thing that could ease the pain was waiting for her press exit interviews to reveal a bit more of what transpired behind the scenes of Survivor 50, in particular, regarding her feud with Bracco.
Luckily for us, that is exactly what happened, as several interviewers asked her about what really happened between her and Bracco that we didn’t get to see. Firstly, Mushaluk told Mike Bloom of Parade that she knew she was in trouble the second she saw Bracco smirking at her when they saw they were in the same group, and even more so once she lost immunity.
Bloom then asked Mushaluk whether their rivalry arc stemmed from the conversation shown to the audience, where Bracco admitted she was hesitant to trust her, or from somewhere else. Mushaluk responded, “There were a lot more elements involved, as you might imagine. But that conversation is probably one of the more pleasant ones.”
If that one was one of the more pleasant ones, the Survivor gods know we need to see the rest to find out more about what transpired. Mushaluk went on to add that perhaps she was unlikable, but that the tension between her and Bracco didn’t allow for any opportunity to work together, which was ultimately unfortunate.
When asked if she ever got an answer as to why the dynamic was so uncomfortable, Mushaluk replied that the only explanation she’s gotten so far was that it was “all out of respect” (whatever that means), which she jokingly shoots down by saying respect looks very different in Canada. In addition, when asked what her relationship is like with Bracco today, Mushaluk quipped, “I don’t know. I would say... I am very comfortable in Winnipeg.”
Lastly, Bloom asked Mushaluk if she would be down to return for a third time. Mushaluk declared she was a better fan than a player, and the only scenario in which she would be open to returning to Survivor would be in a Blood vs Water season, since her husband, Mark, really wants to play.
Stay tuned for more news about Survivor 50!