3 days ago
'Survivor 'Alum Jerri Manthey Is 'Devastated' She Was Cut from Season 50 All-Star Lineup: 'Utter Disrespect'
Survivor alum Jerri Manthey is sharing her reaction to learning she would not be participating in the franchise's milestone 50th season
In a video shared to Instagram, Manthey admitted she felt "disrespected" and "disappointed" that she wasn't cast despite being a recognizable figure in the franchise
The television personality revealed that she was done with the franchise and would no longer be watching or participating in future seasons of SurvivorJerri Manthey is saying goodbye to Survivor for good.
On May 28, Survivor host and showrunner Jeff Probst unveiled the all-star cast that will be competing in the show's milestone 50th season and Manthey's, 54, name was noticeably absent.
Manthey became a household name when she debuted in Survivor season 2 in 2001. Set in the Australian outback, she became the franchise's first true villain and became a standout contestant for her antics. She eventually returned for Survivor: All-Stars, where she was met with boos by the audience during the season's live reunion episode.
In a cameo video shared to her Instagram, Manthey shared an in-depth reaction to not being cast in the upcoming season, which will soon start filming and air in early 2026.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Jerri Manthey (@jerrimanthey)
'I'm devastated as well, as you can imagine,' she admitted. 'The outpouring of support and encouragement from everybody online has just been so helpful in helping me start the process of healing, but I'm not going to lie: I am pissed, I'm disappointed, I'm sad, and I sometimes am asking that very same question too: How am I going to get through this?'
Manthey said she's been "sitting with my own thoughts and processing what happened," and admitted she felt "utter disrespect" for being left out of the moneumental season despite spending the "past 25 years of my life, which is almost half of my life, involved in, supporting, being a part of making an effort to be a part of the Survivor community."
The television personality added that she's faced hardships since starring in season two, but through all that she's "sacrificed" and "given up in my life" for the show, she felt "underappreciated" for her efforts.
PEOPLE has reached out to CBS for comment.
She wondered if her age had anything to do with her casting.
'Being a woman in your 50s is already sometimes difficult enough, because I've always heard the saying that when you get into your 50s, you become irrelevant, nobody notices you anymore, and I can feel that," she said. "And this is actually proof that it is happening.'
Since learning of her snub, Manthey admitted that her time on Survivor was officially over.
'My Survivor chapters are closed," she revealed. "It was very clear that what Jeff Probst and [executive producer Matt Van Wagenen] thought was that I should be grateful because I am the only person to experience a three-season character arc. Oh! I should just be so grateful for that. But you know what? You know what's even better than that? Watching someone come full circle."
"And that is what I was robbed of," she continued. "That is what was stolen from me. I don't know what else to say other than I just need to figure out a way to get through this.… Personally, I am done watching it. I am not going to watch any of it anymore. I refuse to support a franchise that doesn't support and get behind its pivotal people.'
Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Manthey also clarified that she believed there were other casting mistakes and highlighted a few of Survivor's iconic female contestants that were not included in the upcoming season.
'There are so many amazing women. Not just myself. But other people," she said. "Maria! Maria is an amazing strong woman who was robbed of her win and deserved another chance. Abi-Maria! Can you imagine if Abi-Maria and I were on the same season? That would be epic. Karla! Karla is another one. If you want to go new era, get the women who kicked f---ing ass!"
"Come on! This is so upsetting! Not just because I am not on it, but because who is and who isn't," she added.
Read the original article on People
