- - Why are “Survivor” alums Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick and Eliza Orlins feuding?

Wesley StenzelAugust 21, 2025 at 4:16 AM

Robert Voets/CBS via Getty; Jeffrey R. Staab/CBS via Getty

Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick and Eliza Orlins on 'Survivor'Key points -

Eliza Orlins criticized fellow Survivor alum Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick for her alleged conservative political views.

LaGrossa responded with a tirade against Orlins in an Instagram video.

Orlins called LaGrossa's comments antisemitic and called for CBS to address the video.

There's trouble in paradise for two Survivor alums.

Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick, who competed on three seasons of the show and is set to appear on the forthcoming 50th season, has come under fire for controversial remarks she made about Eliza Orlins, a two-time contestant on the show who wrote a Patreon exposé about Kendrick's political inclinations.

Kendrick called Orlins "f---ing Jewish" in a now-deleted Instagram video that was partially captured by Daily Mail. Orlins then accused Kendrick of antisemitism and called for CBS to address the incident ahead of Kendrick's appearance on Survivor 50.

How did this feud between Survivor alums begin? What should we expect to happen next? Read on for a detailed explanation of everything that's occurred between Kendrick and Orlins so far.

Did Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick and Eliza Orlins ever compete against each other on Survivor?

First, some context: Kendrick and Orlins never overlapped on Survivor.

Kendrick first competed on Survivor 10, then returned the next season for Survivor 11 and again on season 20. She's set to compete on her fourth season, Survivor 50, which has already finished filming and will air in February 2026.

Orlins, on the other hand, first competed on Survivor 9. She later returned for Survivor 16.

Monty Brinton/CBS Photo Archive via Getty

Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick on 'Survivor'How did the feud between Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick and Eliza Orlins begin?

The conflict between the two women began a few days after Kendrick was announced as part of the Survivor 50 cast. Orlins, who works as a public defender in New York City and is a vocal advocate for progressive politics, published a Patreon post about Kendrick's conservative Instagram activity on May 30.

The post, titled "The Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick Files: MAGA, Misinformation, and Deleted Receipts," documented how the posts that Kendrick has liked and the accounts that she has followed on Instagram suggests her support for the Trump administration. (At the time of writing, Kendrick follows six accounts that belong to members of the Trump family, as well as Vice President J.D. Vance and conservative media personality Candace Owens.)

What did Eliza Orlins say about Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick on Patreon?

In her Patreon post, Orlins deemed Kendrick "a full-blown Trump supporter who’s spent years promoting far-right talking points, mocking public health officials, and engaging with xenophobic, anti-immigrant rhetoric," and accused her of deleting political material from her social media pages before beginning production on Survivor 50.

Kendrick did not immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly's request for comment on Orlins' Patreon post.

Orlins explained her rationale for collecting screenshots of Kendrick's social media activity.

"This isn’t about punishing someone for their views," she wrote. "It’s about being honest about what those views are. If you're going to publicly support someone who incites violence, spreads hate, and undermines democracy, you don't get to hide behind nostalgia or reality TV glory. Everyone has a right to their politics. But everyone also has the right to know what those politics really are. So if you're still cheering for her on Survivor 50, cheer with your eyes open."

Monty Brinton/CBS via Getty

Eliza Orlins on 'Survivor'What did Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick say that caused controversy?

On Sunday, August 17 — nearly three months after Orlins' Patreon post — Kendrick posted a video on Instagram sounding off against her fellow Survivor alum. The video is no longer public on Kendrick's account, but clips from her rant remain viewable via Daily Mail.

"Eliza tried to bury me about Donald Trump," Kendrick says at the beginning of the video. "Don't come at me with your political status when you're f---ing Jewish and your parents are one percent of the population of wealth."

Kendrick also tried to prove her working-class bona fides as she addressed Orlins on Instagram.

"We were poor as f---. I worked my ass off to get where I am right now," she said. "Don't you dare try to say I'm some right-wing bigot."

The Survivor star later attempted to distance herself from potential accusations of homophobia.

"Don't you dare try to say I'm some anti-f---ing-gay s---," she said. "If you think you're gonna try to f---ing ruin me for one second, you are sadly mistaken."

What did Eliza Orlins say in response to Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick's rant?

Orlins did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment on the matter; however, she gave a statement to Daily Mail, accusing Kendrick of antisemitism and calling for CBS to address the situation.

"I'm not surprised by Stephenie's defamatory or bigoted remarks because I've known her for nearly 20 years," Orlins told the outlet. "I didn't know she was anti-Semitic — but again, given her history and the fascistic president she supports, it's not surprising."

Orlins continued, "I hope CBS sees this video ahead of Survivor 50 airing, because I doubt this is the kind of person they want representing their network on the national stage."

Virginia Sherwood/Peacock via Getty

Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick at 'The Traitors' photo call on Dec. 14, 2022Did Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick apologize for her remarks?

Kendrick did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment on the video or Orlins' response. In a statement to Daily Mail, she condemned antisemitism and apologized for the way that she articulated her points, claiming that she made the video after "drinking wine." She stopped short of apologizing to Orlins directly, however.

"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."

Kendrick continued, "I want to be absolutely clear: I stand fully and unequivocally in support of the Jewish people. I condemn all forms of antisemitism, discrimination, and hate. My comment was not meant to target the Jewish community in any way, and I deeply regret that it may have come across that way."

She concluded, "To those I hurt and offended: I hear you and I am truly sorry. I am committed to learning from this and continuing to be a vocal ally for all marginalized communities, including the Jewish community."

How will CBS respond to the controversy?

CBS has no history of intervening in controversies involving Survivor contestants that occur off the island. Additionally, across 48 seasons, only one competitor has ever been ejected from the show for their conduct: Dan Spilo, who was removed from season 39 following accusations of inappropriate touching.

All that is to say: there's no precedent for CBS publicly punishing Survivor competitors for controversies that happen outside of the show.

In 2020, however, RuPaul's Drag Race — which airs on VH1, also a subsidiary of Paramount Skydance like CBS — opted to disqualify contestant Sherry Pie after allegations of catfishing surfaced. Sherry Pie had already filmed the majority of Drag Race season 12 by the time VH1 opted to disqualify her, which meant that her removal from the show was executed in the edit rather than on set.

That's not to say that CBS will necessarily follow a similar path when it comes to Kendrick, though, and the network may ignore the controversy altogether.

CBS did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment on the conflict between Kendrick and Orlins.

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