On the most recent episode of “Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans,” fan-favorite castaway Christian Hubicki became the latest casualty of the milestone season after a devastating twist, courtesy of “The Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon, resulted in the “David vs. Goliath” alum becoming the first-ever castaway to vote themself out of the competition.
On the show, Hubicki’s visible frustration over the twist was tempered only by his touching message to his newborn son – Michael – who Christian and his wife, Emily, welcomed to the world just six months before he left to film Season 50 in Fiji.
While Christian intentionally kept his son’s birth a secret from his fellow competitors – hoping to use the information to win over the jury if he ever made it to Final Tribal Council – the 40 year old robotics professor did manage to pay homage to Baby Michael before having his torch snuffed by Jeff Probst.
Christian’s Adorable Homage to Baby Michael was Hidden in Plain Sight
“I kept the birth of my son to myself on #survivor50,” Hubicki wrote in an April 27 Instagram post, a snapshot of the Merged “Manuvelu” Tribe flag. “But I left the tiniest homage to him on the tribe flag: little Michael the robot.”
In the photo, the tribe flag is emblazoned with the hand-painted names of each castaway who managed to secure their spot in the Merge: Emily Flippen, Aubry Bracco, Jonathan Young, Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick, Rizo Velovic, Benjamin “Coach” Wade, Dee Valladares, Ozzy Lusth, Cirie Fields, Chrissy Hofbeck, Tiffany Nicole Ervin, Joe Hunter, Rick Devens and, of course, Christian Hubicki, himself.
CBSBeneath Christian’s name, however, is a small blue robot with a white “M” painted on its chest. The figure not only ties back to Hubicki’s own career as a robotics professor, but is also a direct reference to the robot-laden t-shirts he wore on both “Survivor: David vs. Goliath” and “Survivor 50.”
Hubicki’s ‘Core Motivation’ on Season 50 was to Make His Son Proud
During an April 23 visit to “CBS Mornings” to discuss his Episode 9 elimination, Hubicki revealed that son, now a fully fledged one-year-old, was the driving force behind his determination to become the “Sole Survivor” of Season 50.
“There’s a lot going on in your head on the island, right?” Christian said, adding that the thought of Baby Michael back home was able to calm him down when things felt overwhelming. “It was just important to have a core motivation for me, to remember to fight for something beyond yourself.”
That motivation came in handy when Christian found himself alone on a pontoon floating in the middle of the Fijian sea. He’d just lost a do-or-die challenge, a dramatically timed jigsaw puzzle, and now he’d have to travel back to camp and read out his punishment for losing in front of all of his competitors.
Dreading the worst, Hubicki relied on the desire to make his son proud to push through the shame.
“You are not defined by the moments you fall short,” Christian said on the pontoon, speaking to his son 8,000 miles away. “You’re defined by what you do after.”
“Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans” returns to CBS screens nationwide on Wednesday, April 29 at 8:00pm ET.
