‘Survivor’ 41: Shan’s Shocking Reveal After Elimination

Nick Davis

Survivor’s 41st season is in full swing, and that jury is building up quickly. After the longest break between seasons in the show’s history, it feels like Survivor is hungrier than ever. Both in terms of the producer’s drive to make a great season and in terms of how little food the contestants have had.

We’re in the post-merge now and the competition is fierce. One of the game’s most notable frontrunners and villains Shantel Smith, AKA Shan, was voted out in last week’s episode. Fans were split. On one hand, it sucks to lose a great villain who played so well. On the other hand, there’s a kind of satisfaction in seeing the downfall of a great villain.

Ponderosa

For anyone not in the know, Ponderosa is where Survivor jury members go after being voted off. It’s a kind of purgatory between Survivor and the real world since jury members still need to be somewhat connected to the game. They get food and showers and beds, but no voting people off and no chance at a million dollars.

Production continues to follow the survivors through Ponderosa to give us an insight as to how they’re feeling after getting the boot. Viewers get to see all the tears, anger, weight loss and coping that comes with the days after the torch is snuffed. Shan took being voted off like a pro, with not even a semblance of a grudge being held or an excuse being made. She also chose to make a surprising reveal in her Ponderosa video. Something that she’d been keeping to herself the entire game.

“Baby with a Machine Gun” — Shantel Smith at Tribal Council on the tenth episode of SURVIVOR 41, airing Wednesday, November 24 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+. Photo: Robert Voets/CBS Entertainment 2021 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

M.S.

In a dinner conversation with Evvie, Naseer and Tiffany; Shan revealed that she has multiple sclerosis. She talked at length about wanting to be a warrior for people with MS. Shan said she wanted to show other people dealing with the disease that they can do anything, even a game as challenging as Survivor. She also said she had SIX rounds of chemotherapy before coming on the show to help with the condition. It must have worked because she also talked about how happy she was that she didn’t have a flare-up the entire time she played.

Multiple sclerosis is a disease that over a million people in the US currently suffer from. The disease causes nerve damage that results in all kinds of symptoms and issues for those affected. Muscle difficulties, vision blurring, tremors and speech problems are just a few of the issues MS patients can face. If you’d like to donate to the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation you can do so here.

Survivor fans are proud of Shan for making it so far against overwhelming odds. Even if she was a villain with her own dastardly leitmotif.

2 Comments

  1. Why is Shan considered a villain? Because she was an assertive black woman who used her voice to control the game. When white men do it yall call it great game play. When people of color don’t their a villain. #blackandproud

  2. I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis about two years ago at the age of FIFTY. I had no idea what was going on. I had been having severe pain and because I was taking pain medication, everyone just thought I was “a drug addict” due to the sedation. I would be fine then bam! I’d be nodding my head and couldn’t keep my eyes open. I knew that I was not abusing my pain medication but I had no idea what was wrong. I was forced into medical retirement from my job. Then, another MRI found a lesion which led to another MRI of my brain. I had multiple lesions throughout my brain and the lumbar puncture confirmed the presence of oligoclonal banding. I was really shocked. I was on Interferon beta-1a for just over a year now and pain medications for the severe back pain, muscle relaxers for the spasms – and I’m still able to work – Thank God! I purchased Multiple Sclerosis herbal formula from w ww. worldherbsclinic. co m and after three months of using the herbal formula, All symptoms were gone! My family doctor just confirmed that am Multiple Sclerosis FREE. It was a miracle, All symptoms were gone FOREVER! Only w ww. worldherbsclinic. co m can help you.

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