If you’re not watching Tiffany Ervin’s YouTube channel, you’re truly missing out! Throughout the season, Ervin posted a weekly video answering fan questions about Survivor 50, and while she didn’t reveal any spoilers, she certainly went in-depth on various aspects of her experiences on the show.
Ervin first competed on Survivor 46, where she was part of the hilariously messy Yanu tribe, which included characters such as Q Burdette, Bhanu Gopal, and eventual winner Kenzie Petty. Ervin was a triple threat and was unfortunately eliminated after not playing her immunity idol, finishing in 8th place.
Due to Ervin being one of the "lower threats" before Survivor 50, many fans predicted Ervin would take one of these three routes: being a season filler (such as Hali Ford on Survivor: Changers), go challenge beast mode and be a force to be reckoned with (like Kelley Wentworth was on Survivor: Cambodia), or be underestimated (like Amber Brkich on Survivor: All-Stars—who ended up winning the whole season).
Ervin took the Wentworth path and used being "overlooked" to her advantage, as other players were too worried with bigger threats at first. Later, Ervin emerged as a serious winning contender, with everyone's sights on her, and, just like Wentworth, Ervin was eliminated right before reaching the end of the game.
As the season has wrapped, Ervin now has the chance to share more insights about Survivor 50, which she now has. On her YouTube channel, Ervin's latest upload discloses plenty of Survivor tea about her game, her tribe mates, and more.
While I highly recommend watching the video in its entirety, as well as her other content, I’ll highlight three of Ervin’s revelations:
1. Ervin’s thoughts on Jonathan Young saying the jury was bitter and how her relationship with him was during and post-game.
We all know Young went on a downhill press spiral after losing the game, exclaiming he’d played better than Aubry Bracco and should’ve won instead of her. Young also added that the jury was bitter towards him, especially as Cirie Fields "poisoned" the jury against him. So, Young not only insulted eight people for apparently not being able to think for themselves, but also painted Fields as a master manipulator outside of the game…"If that’s not bitter, I don’t know what is."
Well, Ervin shared her own perspective on the subject and expressed that she didn't agree with Young, as Survivor is a social game that requires social awareness and social management, which Young ultimately lacked. Ervin interjects that Young sees the jury as bitter, as he’s only analyzing it from his point of view—another flaw that hindered his game as well. Ervin adds that Young needs to self-reflect and that the majority of the jury felt Bracco better represented the season. (This is something that even Young’s mentor, Boston Rob Mariano, agrees with as well.)
Ervin was also asked why Young wasn’t targeted or voted out throughout the game, especially given his physicality. Ervin says that Young’s name was indeed brought up at various points, but since no one considered either Young or Joe Hunter a jury threat, they were able to remain in the game.
2. Ervin thinks Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick was pandering rather than advocating for Young on the jury.
LaGrossa Kendrick and Young allegedly came into the season with a pregame alliance alongside Benjamin "Coach" Wade and Chrissy Hofbeck, which is why no one was surprised when these three jurors voted for the total package- I mean, for Young to win. We all were, however, surprised to see how LaGrossa Kendrick went on and on about Young’s game when it was her turn to speak during Final Tribal Council without even asking him a question. Ervin even quipped during this moment whether LaGrossa Kendrick was actually going to ask Young something, which ultimately she never did (at least on the edited version).
During her video, Ervin says she considered LaGrossa Kendrick's pitch at Tribal as pandering and "going off script." For context, Ervin adds that jurors have to pre-plan their questions, and these need to be pre-approved; LaGrossa Kendrick's speech wasn’t discussed beforehand.
Quite ironically, Young himself did not even appreciate the efforts of LaGrossa Kendrick and Hofbeck, as he stated that these pitches ultimately hindered his chances of winning as well. Remember, folks, Young will blame everyone but himself for his loss, even his Zoom friends.
3. Ervin discloses that Joe Hunter blocked her on social media and that they are currently not speaking.
While it isn’t breaking news that Hunter blocked several castmates on social media, including Savannah Louie, Kelley Wentworth and Ervin herself, Ervin has now revealed more regarding this situation. According to Ervin, she and Hunter spoke after the season, and she doesn’t exactly know why he blocked her.
However, Ervin adds that they are not on speaking terms at the moment and knows why they don’t speak. She also says viewers are missing a lot of context (I’m guessing it’s about things that happened off camera and/or after the season), but that she ultimately doesn’t care because she has no relationship with Hunter.
Other interesting tidbits Ervin shares throughout the video include whether she’s really open to returning for a third season, which Survivor 46 players she would like to see return (and the thoughts they have about her Survivor 50 gameplay), and how she really felt about Jeff Probst’s controversial finale question about her imposter syndrome. Ervin also answers if she would play other shows, such as Big Brother and The Traitors.
Lastly, and quite hilariously, Ervin commented on Q Burdette's comments during a live finale interview he did with Tyson Apostol, about the cast potentially fighting backstage. While laughing, Ervin says, "I really need y’all to stop believing Q. That man is absolutely insane. And no, there was no fighting backstage. There were no arguments… I really want y’all to learn your lesson about believing that man and his shenanigans... Some of us didn’t speak, let alone fight."
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