Stephenie Danielle LaGrossa Kendrick is a contestant from Survivor: Palau, Survivor: Guatemala, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, and Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans.
Regarded as one of the most memorable and likable players to play the game, Stephenie's resilience showed as she weathered the dwindling of the Ulong tribe during her first season in Palau. Her courage, willpower, and fortitude made her one of the series' biggest fan favorites, and despite showing a more villainous side to her personality in Guatemala, she remains canonized as one of Survivor's most iconic heroes. Her legendary status led her to receive a spot in the show's commemorative 50th season.
Profile
Retrieved from CBS.com
One of five siblings born to Stephen and Marguerite, Stephenie LaGrossa is the youngest and only girl of the family to grow up in Briarcliff, Glenolden, a suburb of Philadelphia. She graduated from Archbishop Prendergast High School, where she played varsity lacrosse, field hockey and swimming. After graduating, she attended Temple University in Philadelphia before transferring to Monmouth University in Long Branch, New Jersey. She played Division One Lacrosse at both universities and was a four-year starter. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in business administration with concentrations in marketing and management. She currently works as a territory sales representative for a pharmaceutical sales company and bartends part-time. LaGrossa enjoys yoga, Pilates, water sports and going to the beach. She describes herself as relentless, persuasive, extremely competitive, dramatic and friendly. She is most proud of being offered athletic and academic scholarships to two different universities and purchasing her own home when she was 23 years old. An avid lacrosse player in college, LaGrossa won many awards signifying her outstanding athleticism and leadership. At Monmouth University, she was the team captain her senior year, made the NEC Academic Honor Roll and the Dean's List. In addition, LaGrossa was a three-time NEC All-Conference selection, NEC Scholar/Athlete Award recipient and Female Athlete of the Year Nominee. LaGrossa is currently an active member of the Monmouth University Blue and White Club and continually involves herself with local high schools and Monmouth University to help coach local clinics. LaGrossa has been dating her boyfriend, Michael, for six years. She lives in Tom's River, New Jersey. Her birth date is December 6, 1979.[1]
One of five siblings born to Stephen and Marguerite, Stephenie LaGrossa is the youngest and only girl of the family to grow up in Briarcliff, Glenolden, a suburb of Philadelphia. She graduated from Archbishop Prendergast High School, where she played varsity lacrosse, field hockey and swimming. After graduating, she attended Temple University in Philadelphia before transferring to Monmouth University in Long Branch, New Jersey. She played Division One Lacrosse at both universities and was a four-year starter. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in business administration with concentrations in marketing and management. She currently works as a territory sales representative for a pharmaceutical sales company and bartends part-time. LaGrossa enjoys yoga, Pilates, water sports and going to the beach. She describes herself as relentless, persuasive, extremely competitive, dramatic and friendly. She is most proud of being offered athletic and academic scholarships to two different universities and purchasing her own home when she was 23 years old. An avid lacrosse player in college, LaGrossa won many awards signifying her outstanding athleticism and leadership. At Monmouth University, she was the team captain her senior year, made the NEC Academic Honor Roll and the Dean's List. In addition, LaGrossa was a three-time NEC All-Conference selection, NEC Scholar/Athlete Award recipient and Female Athlete of the Year Nominee. LaGrossa is currently an active member of the Monmouth University Blue and White Club and continually involves herself with local high schools and Monmouth University to help coach local clinics. LaGrossa has been dating her boyfriend, Michael, for six years. She lives in Tom's River, New Jersey. Her birth date is December 6, 1979.[2]
Stephenie LaGrossa (29) Tribe: Heroes |
Survivor
Palau
- Main article: Stephenie LaGrossa/Palau
| Episode | Tribe Affiliation |
Challenge | Challenge Type | Sit-Out? | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | None | Race to Shore | Immunity | Lost | |
| Ulong | Supply Dump | Reward/Immunity | No | Lost | |
| 2 | The Gauntlet | Reward | No | Won | |
| Heads Up | Immunity | No | Lost | ||
| 3 | By Any Means Necessary | Reward | No | Won | |
| Hot Pursuit | Immunity | No | Lost | ||
| 4 | Build a Better Bathroom | Reward | No | Lost | |
| Sumo at Sea | Immunity | No | Lost | ||
| 5 | Sea Salvage | Reward | No | Lost | |
| 6 | Shooting Gallery | Reward | No | Won | |
| Build It Up, Break It Down | Immunity | No | Lost | ||
| 7 | S.O.S. | Reward | No | Lost | |
| Floating Puzzle | Immunity | No | Lost | ||
| 8 | Cool Hand Balut | Reward | No | Lost | |
| Under Current | Immunity | No | Lost | ||
| Switched Tribes, Day 22 | |||||
| 9 | Koror | Perch | Immunity | Lost | |
| 10 | Water Tower | Reward | Lost | ||
| Last Gasp | Immunity | Lost | |||
| 11 | Missing in Auction | ||||
| Kamikaze | Immunity | Lost | |||
| Voted Out, Day 30 | |||||
| Episode | Stephenie's Votes |
Voted Against Stephenie |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jolanda | - |
| 2 | Ashlee | - |
| 3 | Jeff | - |
| 4 | Kim | - |
| 5 | Bobby Jon; Angie1 |
- |
| 6 | Ibrehem; James2 |
- |
| 7 | Ibrehem | Ibrehem |
| 8 | No Vote3 | |
| 9 | Coby | Janu |
| 10 | No Vote | |
| 11 | Caryn | Caryn, Gregg, Ian, Jenn, Katie, Tom |
| Voted Out, Day 30 | ||
| Voted for Sole Survivor |
Tom | |
^1 In "The Best and Worst Reward Ever", the vote ended with a 2-2 tie between Angie and Bobby Jon, forcing a revote. Stephenie changed her vote to Angie on the revote.
^2 In "Jellyfish 'n Chips", the vote ended with a 2-2 tie between Ibrehem and James, forcing a revote. Stephenie changed her vote to James on the revote.
^3 In "Neanderthal Man", there was a fire-making challenge instead of a vote at Tribal Council between Stephenie and Bobby Jon. Stephenie won the challenge and remained in the game.
Guatemala
- Main article: Stephenie LaGrossa/Guatemala
| Episode | Tribe Affiliation |
Challenge | Challenge Type | Sit-Out? | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yaxhá | 11-Mile Hike | Reward | No | Lost |
| Paddle Battle | Immunity | No | Won | ||
| 2 | Web Over Water | Reward | No | Lost | |
| Dragged Through Mud | Immunity | No | Lost | ||
| 3 | Blind Build | Reward | No | Lost | |
| Holding Court | Immunity | No | Lost | ||
| Switched Tribes, Day 9 | |||||
| 4 | Nakúm | Rows and Throws | Immunity | No | Lost |
| 5 | Slave to the Grind | Reward | No | Lost | |
| What's for Launch? | Immunity | No | Won | ||
| 6 | Boulder Smash | Reward1 | No | Won | |
| Sudden Death | Immunity | No | Lost | ||
| 7 | Spooling Around | Reward | No | Lost | |
| Tomb Raider | Immunity | No | Won | ||
| Tribes Merged, Night 18 | |||||
| 8 | Xhakúm | Pot Head | Immunity | Yes2 | Lost |
| 9 | Atlatl | Reward | 4th3 | ||
| Bridge It | Immunity | Lost | |||
| 10 | Mud Slide | Reward | Won | ||
| Around the Bend | Immunity | Lost | |||
| 11 | Shattered Dreams | Reward | Lost | ||
| Maya Folklore | Immunity | Lost | |||
| 12 | Survivor Auction | ||||
| Watch Your Step | Immunity | Lost | |||
| 13 | Second Chance | Reward | Invited | ||
| Pole Dancing | Immunity | Won | |||
| 14 | Maya Maze | Immunity | Lost | ||
| Wobbly Boots | Immunity | Lost | |||
| Runner-Up, Day 39 | |||||
| Notes: ^1 Both tribes were sent to Tribal Council. The tribe that won the Reward Challenge earned the right to compete in an individual Immunity Challenge.
^2 Stephenie elected to sit out of the challenge to eat at the merge feast. ^3 The reward was dependent on each castaway's finish in the challenge. Stephenie originally finished 5th, but moved up to 4th place after Jamie volunteered to take last place. Also, Judd shared his first-place reward with Stephenie. | |||||
| Episode | Stephenie's Votes |
Voted Against Stephenie |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yaxhá Tribe Immune | |
| 2 | Morgan | - |
| 3 | Brianna | - |
| 4 | Brooke | - |
| 5 | Nakúm Tribe Immune | |
| 6 | Margaret | - |
| 7 | Nakúm Tribe Immune | |
| 8 | Brandon | - |
| 9 | Bobby Jon | Bobby Jon, Danni |
| 10 | Jamie | - |
| 11 | Gary | - |
| 12 | Judd | - |
| 13 | Cindy | Individual Immunity |
| 14 | Lydia | - |
| Ineligible | - | |
| Jury Votes for Stephenie |
Rafe | |
| Runner-Up, Day 39 | ||
Heroes vs. Villains
- Main article: Stephenie LaGrossa/Heroes vs. Villains
| Episode | Tribe Affiliation |
Challenge | Challenge Type | Sit-Out? | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heroes | Battle Dig | Reward | No | Won |
| Lock, Load and Light | Immunity | No | Lost | ||
| 2 | A Crate Idea | Reward/Immunity | No | Lost | |
| Voted Out, Day 6 | |||||
In the Hands of the Fans
| Episode | Tribe Affiliation |
Challenge | Challenge Type | Sit-Out? | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TBD | TBD | Reward | No | TBD |
| TBD | Immunity | No | TBD |
| Episode | Stephenie's Votes |
Voted Against Stephenie |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | TBD | TBD |
Post-Survivor
After many years, Stephenie returned to reality television in Snake in the Grass alongside fellow Survivor contestant Cirie Fields.
- Stephenie married high school history teacher Michael Ward on July 7, 2006. 8 other Survivor castaways attended their wedding, including Palau castmates Tom, Ian, Gregg, Jenn, Katie, and Caryn, and Guatemala castmates Amy and Rafe.[4] The two divorced within a year of marriage.
- In Summer of 2009, Stephenie appeared on the TV Guide special "Survivor Millionaires: Where Are They Now?" in a segment focused on non-winners.[5]
- On January 9, 2010, Stephenie attended Survivor's 10-year anniversary party along with all of her Heroes vs. Villains castmates.
Stephenie's promotional image for The Traitors.
- In February 2010, Stephenie appeared on Late Show with David Letterman as Top Ten List Presenter #8 along with nine of her Heroes vs. Villains castmates.[6]
- After her elimination in Heroes vs. Villains, Stephenie stopped watching Survivor altogether and did not even watch the season.[7]
- On November 13, 2010, Stephenie married again, this time to Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Kyle Kendrick.[8] Stephenie and Kyle have three children: Sophia Marguerite (born 2011), Kyle Jr. (born 2013) and Sloane Danielle (born 2018).[9]
- Sometime after Heroes vs. Villains, Stephenie became a co-owner of "GiGi Restaurant & Lounge" in Old City Philadelphia. The establishment closed down and was replaced with a new food establishment.[10]
- In 2022, Stephenie participated in an episode of Snake In The Grass alongside Cirie and former Big Brother contestants Rachel Reilly and Janelle Pierzina. She failed to win $100,000 after being exposed by the majority as the "snake".
- In 2023, Stephenie reunited with Cirie and Rachel in another reality competition series The Traitors. Stephenie, who was not one of the three traitors, was eliminated in the ninth episode. She finished in 7th place out of 20.
Trivia
- Stephenie is the first contestant to win a fire-making challenge at Tribal Council.
- Stephenie is the first player to contribute to the elimination of all of her original tribemates in a single season. During Palau, she successfully voted out 7 of her Ulong tribemates and defeated Bobby Jon Drinkard in a tiebreaker.
- Stephenie later voted out Bobby Jon during Guatemala, making her also the first player to vote out all of the other players on one of their starting tribes (over multiple seasons). In South Pacific, John Cochran became the first player to vote out all of their starting tribemates during a single season.
- Stephenie is the only contestant in Palau to be on more than one tribe during the season.
- Stephenie set the record for the lowest-placing contestant to be the highest-placing member of their original tribe, at 7th place in Palau. This would later be tied by Jefra Bland in Cagayan, Emily Flippen in Survivor 45, and Mary Zheng in Survivor 48.
- Stephenie is the only person to achieve this feat in a season with only two starting tribes.
- Stephenie is the only member of the Ulong tribe to be a jury member in Palau.
- She is the first woman to be the sole representative of her starting tribe on the jury.
- She is the first juror to have never received immunity throughout the season.
- Stephenie and Bobby Jon are the first returning players to be placed with a tribe of first-time players on their subsequent attempt at Survivor.
- She is the only female returnee to compete in a "one returnee per tribe" format.
- Stephenie is the first woman to compete in two consecutive seasons.
- Stephenie is the first returning contestant to participate in the Survivor Auction more than once. She did so in Palau and Guatemala.
- Stephenie is the first player to be the highest-placing member of their original tribe in two separate seasons. She would be followed by Sandra Diaz-Twine, Ozzy Lusth, Tony Vlachos, and Natalie Anderson.
- Stephenie is the first returning player to make it to Final Tribal Council on their subsequent attempt and be defeated by a first-time player. She would be followed by Coach Wade in South Pacific and Michael Skupin in Philippines.
- All three times Stephenie competed, she started on a blue tribe.
- Stephenie is the first contestant to start on the same colored tribe three times.
- Stephenie has the worst challenge win-loss ratio (10:39) of any contestant to play in multiple seasons.
- Stephenie is the first castaway to experience all three phases of the game: being voted out pre-jury, serving on the jury, and becoming a finalist. She became a jury member in Palau, made it to the Final Tribal Council in Guatemala, and was voted out pre-jury in Heroes vs. Villains.
- Stephenie is the first person to be voted out on their third time playing Survivor.
- Stephenie is the first person to play three times and never start on the same tribe as the eventual winner. She would be followed by Jeff Varner and Aubry Bracco.
- Stephenie was contacted to compete on Winners at War before the theme was finalized.[11]
- Stephenie is tied with Tony Vlachos for the lowest-placing player to return for a future season. She placed 19th in Heroes vs. Villains, then returned for In the Hands of the Fans.
References
- ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20211022074222/https://www.cbs.com/shows/survivor/cast/20677/
- ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20221006094206/https://www.cbs.com/shows/survivor/cast/20978/
- ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20230327105321/https://www.cbs.com/shows/survivor/cast/39409/
- ↑ https://people.com/celebrity/survivors-stephenie-lagrossa-gets-married/
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34gJwzTYpwg
- ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1599664/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast
- ↑ https://ew.com/tv/survivor-stephenie-lagrossa-heroes-vs-villains/
- ↑ https://people.com/celebrity/survivors-stephenie-lagrossa-philadelphia-phillies-kyle-kendrick-marry/
- ↑ http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/07/31/3535178/kendrick-falters-phillies-lose.html
- ↑ http://www.yelp.com/biz/gigi-restaurant-and-lounge-philadelphia
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/survivor/comments/xiw4d1/comment/ip7gy27/
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