Survivor 41 contestant Genie Chen recently revealed what went wrong on the show following her elimination, and where things could have gone better. Genie played a good game but was unable to keep her torch from being put out. Genie shared which of the alliances may have failed her in the end, and how she feels about comments other contestants have made about her.
Survivor 41 was first set to premiere in 2020 but was delayed due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. Before 46-year-old Genie appeared on Survivor 41, she was a grocery store clerk. From the beginning, Genie revealed her strategy was to make several alliances. However, in the end, the strategy Genie felt might be enough to win the competition became her downfall as she found herself betrayed by none other than Shan Smith and Ricard Foyé, whose trickery previously aided in the elimination of JD Robinson.
Genie says she found herself incredibly surprised by the elimination, believing that Shan would choose to side with her rather than with Ricard, whom Genie feels was behaving in an untrustworthy manner. "There was always something about Ricard that nobody on the tribe truly trusted," Genie told Entertainment Weekly. Genie added that she is kicking herself to some degree about the situation and feels she should have expected the betrayal, recalling that Shan "was like the common denominator for pretty much every single person that got booted." Genie feels that the best strategy for winning the reality competition series is to remain aligned with the most loyal players and is still "baffled as to why [Shan] didn't just go with me, man. I was honest with everybody." Genie also shed light on her attitude following the elimination of Brad Reese, largely attributing her negative behavior to a lack of food, saying "Nobody had food. It was like seven days with literally one handful of coconut and two earthworms that we all fought over." Similarly, she recounts a confrontation with Ricard, where she lashed out in response to a "snarky" comment about Genie choosing to handle only her own food rather than the whole team's.
Genie also opened up about some of the comments made by some of her fellow contestants. In response to Ricard referring to Genie as a "spare tire" he and Shan would soon abandon, Genie says she doesn't feel particularly offended but says "it was just interesting to see that he was able to compartmentalize me as an item." JD had previously suggested that part of the reason he was unsuccessful in his plans to vote Ricard off the show was that Genie was unwilling to help him. Genie, however, disagrees with that, saying that she had actually intended to work with him after discovering he had an extra vote but he didn't seem willing. After finding out that Shan had a plan to trick JD out of his extra vote, Genie says she wanted to find JD and warn him about the situation. Unfortunately, Genie says she was unable to get to JD in time. Genie feels the whole competition might have gone differently had she not taken a trip to the bathroom before JD's elimination, saying "I left for literally 10 minutes to go to the bathroom, and when I came back, she already had it."
In spite of all the backstabbing, food deprivation, and poorly timed bathroom breaks, Genie was a strong competitor this season. The cause of Genie's downfall on Survivor 41, however, seems to be a common one. In a game that seems to be primarily won through sneaky behavior and betrayal, contestants seem to be reliant on their trustworthiness and loyalty all too often. If there are game elements that allow or encourage contestants to engage in less than scrupulous behavior, more often than not players will jump at the opportunity, and Survivor 41 has added several new twists of this nature.
Source: Entertainment Weekly