Given the impact that she had on the game, it is impossible to reflect on Survivor 47 without picturing Genevieve Mushaluk — the 33-year-old corporate lawyer.
For those who need a refresher, Genevieve was the orchestrator of some of the greatest blindsides in Survivor 47, notably eliminating her Lavo tribemates — Kishan Patel and Sol Yi — before participating in the iconic “Operation Italy” alongside Sam Phalen and Andy Rueda, which resulted in Caroline Vidmar’s ouster. Seemingly a shoo-in for the title of “Sole Survivor” and the million-dollar prize after repeatedly proving herself a strategic mastermind, Genevieve was unfortunately eliminated after losing immunity to Rachel LaMont at the final five, leaving her powerless at the following Tribal Council. Poor thing!
While she may be sitting on the jury, it is safe to say that the Canadian’s legacy lives on, with Genevieve being discussed on a daily basis by the four remaining castaways in the competition: Sam, Rachel, Teeny Chirichillo, and Sue Smey.
In fact, longtime Survivor writer and reporter Dalton Ross sat down with the final four ahead of Survivor‘s unprecedented two-part finale—with part two airing tonight (Dec. 18)—to discuss the impact the Survivor 47 jury has had on the game. “Of the seven people already on the jury heading into the finale, who was the biggest threat to win the game and why?” he asked Sam, Rachel, Teeny, and Sue. Three of the four castaways responded with the same individual: Genevieve.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Rachel initiated the discussion by boldly stating, “Genevieve Mushaluk would have kicked every person’s a** out there.” The Michigan native continued:
“She is the full package — hyper intelligent, strategically minded, physically capable, and while she may have been guarded socially, her ability to persuade others and incept her ideas within the people she was working with was nearly infallible. She’s a formidable opponent and the rival of my Survivor dreams!”
Naturally, Sam and Teeny shared the same sentiment, with the latter adding a splash of their signature sense of humor:
Sam: “She beats anybody in the game if she’s sitting at Final Tribal Council. I knew as much, which is why I had to take her out eventually and expose her fake idol. She likes to self-deprecate, but she is deeply respected by everyone she meets. She made a deliberate effort to have no friends, but still ended up in a group of 17 people that wanted her to like them, and I don’t think any of that is a facade. She truly doesn’t know how good she is.”
Teeny: “The terminator herself and the person I’d be rooting for the most had I been a fan of season 47 and not a player… Genevieve is one of the greats. Though we were at odds, and her game oftentimes advanced at the detriment of mine, I was always in awe of her as a player. It was never lost on me how lucky I was to be playing alongside someone the Survivor community will be talking about for a long time. Social, strategic, scrappy, complex, quirky, intelligent, articulate.”
The only Survivor 47 finalist who was not in agreement was Sue, deeming her ousted ally, Gabe, as the biggest threat to win the game instead (had he not been eliminated beforehand, of course). Praising his “relentless determination,” as well as his strong social game, she certainly had an interesting take in comparison to her fellow castaways!
Nevertheless, with Genevieve no longer in the competition, to see who takes home the title of “Sole Survivor” and the million-dollar prize, tune into part two of Survivor’s unprecedented two-part finale tonight at 8pm ET/PT via CBS, with next-day streaming via Paramount Plus. With “a tremendous finish to a great season” on the horizon, it is safe to say we’re on the edge of our seats…