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“Survivor 41” castaway Ricard Foye played an impressive game this season. The Washington native secured several challenge wins and formed strong relationships that helped him land a spot in the final five, but in the end, it wasn’t enough to take home the win. He was voted off after losing an individual immunity challenge to Erika Casupanan.
One of Ricard’s most significant game moves was his decision to blindside his number one ally, Shan Smith. Ricard spoke to Parade magazine about all things “Survivor 41” in a December 2021 interview.
Ricard on Shan’s Blindside
Ricard formed a tight bond with Shan, the D.C. Youth Pastor, early on in the game. The savvy duo seemed to be running the show until episode 10, when Ricard shocked fans by formulating a plan to vote out his number one ally.
Ricard dished on the decision to blindside Shan in an exclusive interview with Parade in December 2021. Ricard said two factors influenced his decision to flip the vote against Shan. The first factor was the “Campout” alliance. After the merge, Shan formed an all-black alliance with Danny, Deshawn, and Liana. Ricard told Parade that he knew he was “on the outs” of that alliance, which made him nervous about his standing in the group. The second factor that led to the blindside was Shan’s indecisiveness about voting out Deshawn.
“The second big piece of this is the fact that she was so down to get out Deshawn when he was gunning for me,” Ricard told the outlet. “And I think her biggest mistake is that she told me before the Immunity Challenge. It was a huge mistake, then I won immunity, and she’s like, ‘okay, you know what, let’s keep the person that hates you and wants you out of the game in the game a little bit longer. It’s fine.”
Ricard told the publication that he knew at that moment where Shan’s loyalty lied. “If you really were with me, you would still want to carry through with the Deshawn vote. But you’re not with me fully. You’re not. You’re prioritizing them. And I’m still the outside element. You would continue with this plan if you really wanted to go to the finals with me. And so, with that backpedaling, I knew it just had to be the time. It had to be that moment,” Ricard told Parade.
While it may have been in his best interest to get Shan out of the game, Ricard assured fans that their bond was real. He told Parade that Shan was his best friend on the show.
“We were inseparable. She was my absolute best friend. And even if we bickered, we instantly were better. Like we would hug and kiss it out. We had a great time,” he said.
Ricard Received Threatening Messages From Fans
“Survivor” castaways expect some backlash from fans when they make a big game move, but some fans take it to the extreme and go as far as sending contestants threatening direct messages on social media. After Shan’s elimination aired on CBS, Ricard took to Twitter to share a screenshot of a string of disturbing messages he received from a disappointed fan. One of the messages read, “I hope ur baby gets ran over.” Another message read, “ill kill both your kids tbh.”
Ricard posted the photos to shed light on the toxicity of social media. He wrote in a tweet, “Here is the thing. We have to have tough skin to be on this show but all of you that think you’re cute, you’re funny, making passive threatening remarks & cuss me out…I understand when you lose your person, but you are adding to truly disgusting behavior.”
Fans replied to the tweet to voice their support for Ricard and thank him for speaking out about the dangers of social media. One fan wrote, “You don’t deserve this. It’s one thing to not like a player on the show, but to send them this garbage is so disturbing. As if they don’t have anything better to do. All love to you Ricard.” Another Twitter user chimed in, writing, “Im so sorry you have to experience that Ricard. You’re such a good player and it’s so fun to watch, thank you for putting yourself out there and for such great entertainment.”
Season 42 of “Survivor” will air in the Spring of 2022.
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