YouTube Marya Sherron in episode 2 of "Survivor 42."
The second episode of “Survivor 42” saw 47-year-old stay-at-home mom Marya Sherron leave the game after unsuccessfully trying her Shot in the Dark advantage. Although it did not pan out for her, Marya has spoken out what led her to play the advantage, and whether she ever got closure after her brother’s death, which was a defining element of why she went out there in the first place.
Here’s what you need to know:
How Lindsay and Jonathan Accidentally Gave It Away
YouTubeThe Taku tribe after losing immunity in episode 2 of “Survivor 42.”
After Taku lost immunity, it became clear that the choice for who to go home would be between Marya and 23-year-old Maryanne Oketch. Jonathan Young and Omar Zaheer had formed a tight bond in the intervening few days, and they had brought in Lindsay Dolashewich to join them to form a majority. As Jonathan said in a confessional, however, they would have to tell both Maryanne and Marya that they were safe, which would mean they would of course be lying to one of them.
It was obvious, given her choice to use the Shot in the Dark advantage, that Marya at least suspected an elimination was possible; enough, at least, to sacrifice her vote in a shot at safety. In her Rob Has a Podcast exit interview, Marya revealed that there were two things her tribemates did that made it clear to her that she was in trouble. For one, shortly before they left for Tribal Council, Lindsay “winked” at her. “Lindsay is a Jersey girl,” Marya said. “I got to know her pretty well. It was way too cheesy for her, so it just made me think, you’re trying too hard now.”
Then, Jonathan casually said to Marya at some point in the afternoon, “Ugh, I’m sure gonna miss Maryanne.” Marya explained: “That just sealed the deal, [he laid it on] way too thick. Way too thick.”
She added that, despite all the time that has passed, she still doesn’t know “to this day” what the deciding factor was that made her tribemates choose Maryanne over her, but suspected it had to do with her age and physical ability.
Marya Did Not Find Closure With Her Brother
YouTubeOmar Zaheer and Marya Sherron in episode 2 of “Survivor 42.”
Marya’s most significant storyline in her “Survivor” arc was arguably that surrounding her brother, Kious Kelly, a frontline nurse in New York City who died of COVID in March 2020, right as the pandemic began to hit the United States. One of Marya’s goals on “Survivor” was finding closure with her brother, and burying a necklace bearing his image on it.
In her exit interview with EW, Marya revealed that she did not find closure, nor did she bury the necklace on the island, though she did learn certain things about herself that may be just as valuable.
For one, she learned to open up a bit more. She said that she has never allowed herself to be emotional, citing Maryanne’s famous reaction to Jackson Fox’s departure in the premiere:
When Maryanne was crying as Jackson was being taken away … I was angry with her, at just the dynamic of, ‘This isn’t about you and you’re making it about you.’ But I also realized I was jealous. … And there was literally a moment where I looked at Jeff and I’m thinking to myself, ‘Is this allowed? Are we allowed to do that?’
She added that that moment “sort of opened up a really important personal lesson [for me] — ‘Do you really think you’re not allowed to do that? You haven’t cried about your brother yet. It was going on a year. You need to allow yourself to unleash like that and be okay.’
We can’t express our thanks enough.💛💛💛 #Survivor
She elaborated on the idea of “looking for closure” on RHAP, adding that she is happy where things are now:
And this idea of looking for closure, I started questioning that! Like, how do you close the door on your brother/best friend all of your life? Maybe there is no closure! You figure out how to move and navigate life differently without that person’s physical presence. … but I like this path, it feels natural and organic and not forced. So it’s good.
“Survivor 42” airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. Eastern on CBS.