Playing Survivor is a dream come true for fans of the show, but the next best thing might just be staying at Ponderosa. After all, ousted castaway Caroline Vidmar says “it was shockingly one of the highlights of [her] whole Survivor experience.”
For those who are unfamiliar, after the merge on Survivor – which brings the castaways together on one beach into one tribe – the individual and jury portion of the game. Contestants who are eliminated after the merge typically become members of the jury, living sequestered at a Fijian resort called Ponderosa, leaving only to attend Tribal Council. Watching the game unfold in real-time as Tribal Councils come and go, each member of the jury will eventually cast a vote for which of the finalists should take home the title of “Sole Survivor” and the million-dollar prize at the Final Tribal Council.
When they’re not at Tribal Council, the jury spends their time eating and drinking to their heart’s content, soaking up the sun, and spending time with their former tribemates. You may be wondering, what’s the best part of being at Ponderosa, though? Well, the Survivor 47 jury — consisting of Sierra Wright, Sol Yi, Gabe Ortis, Kyle Ostwald, Caroline Vidmar, Andy Rueda and Genevieve Mushaluk opened up on it in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
Kicking things off, while Gabe fancied “the post-tribal info dumps from whoever got voted out that night” and Sierra fancied “getting in a workout circuit or walking 20,000 steps with Sol,” the copious amounts of food after practically starving on the shores of Fiji were a smash hit amongst all members of the jury. After all, the queen of Ponderosa – AKA Sierra, as she was the first post-merge boot – specifically referenced “waking up, grabbing any breakfast of [her] choice [and] a delicious cappuccino” in her interview.
Besides the food, something else seemingly everyone was in agreement with, though, was the camaraderie built within the Survivor 47 jury specifically. Caroline, Andy and Genevieve, in particular, praised the friendships they built while sequestered in the tropical paradise:
Caroline: “Ponderosa was shockingly one of the highlights of my whole Survivor experience, and hands down a big reason for that is my fellow jurors… It’s hard to put into words how cathartic it is to debrief the game with people you just played with. Given we’d just backstabbed each other, it’s easy to be bitter, but this group of people chose to be thoughtful, lighthearted, and soooooo much fun to be around. I’m still in awe that I got to enjoy Ponderosa with such a phenomenal group of people.”
Andy: “Ponderosa was a euphoric experience… It was healing in every way, and the perfect decompression from the game. My favorite part was the camaraderie of this jury group. We all went through our Survivor deaths, and Ponderosa was the heaven on the other side. It was a chance for us all to get to know each other outside the game, and to be honest, quite a few of us are different in real life than we were in the jungle, and so that time was an awesome reset, and the foundation of some lifelong friendships.”
Genevieve” “The best thing about being at Ponderosa was getting to meet my cast mates who were on the jury. Obviously, you ‘meet’ everyone within the game, but we all hide so much of ourselves while playing — our jobs, our real personalities, our thoughts about Survivor, etc… When I got to Ponderosa, everyone was so warm and welcoming, and the conversations with all of them were so wonderful, it gave me a new appreciation for everyone I was playing with. I wish they gave out multiple million-dollar checks, because my cast is so amazing!”
Ponderosa wasn’t a pleasure for everyone, though, as Kyle struggled with missing his family at home. Although being a part of the jury earns you a “free vacation with no distractions from the outside world,” he said that it was also a serious struggle for him, “because if [he’s] not going to be in the game fighting for the money, [he] would rather be home with [his] family.” Given how family-oriented he is, we do not blame Kyle whatsoever…
Nevertheless, with their time at Ponderosa winding down, who will the Survivor 47 jury award the title of “Sole Survivor” and the million-dollar prize come Final Tribal Council: Teeny Chirichillo, Rachel LaMont, Sam Phalen, or Sue Smey? To see the “tremendous finish” for yourself, catch the second part of Survivor‘s two-part finale on Wednesday (Dec. 18) via CBS, with next-day streaming via Paramount Plus as well.