Just a few short weeks ago, the jury of “Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans” overwhelmingly voted for fourth-time castaway Aubry Bracco to receive the title of “Sole Survivor” and a $2 million check during the milestone season’s live finale on May 20.
While runner-up Jonathan Young scored a few stray votes from his “Honor & Integrity” allies Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick, Benjamin “Coach” Wade and Chrissy Hofbeck, the other eight Jury members all cast their Final Tribal Council votes for Bracco.
The decision has since led to some contention amongst former cast members, including series legend “Boston Rob” Mariano, who has been a staunch supporter of Young since well before the castaways even stepped foot onto the island for filming last summer.
While Mariano has since admitted that Aubry deserved the win for successfully managing the jury where Jonathan failed to, he did criticize the motivations of perjury members like Cirie Fields and Ozzy Lusth, arguing that they used “excuses” to justify selecting Bracco over Young in a June 4 interview with Parade.
Now, Cirie is clapping back at the accusations.
‘I Don’t Need Excuses. Never Have. Never Will,’ Says Cirie
CBSSpeaking with Parade earlier this month, Boston Rob reported that he found it “interesting” that Cirie ultimately decided to cast her final vote for Aubry Bracco after openly admitting that she played “the middle” during the recently wrapped landmark season.
“Years ago, that would have been considered being called a coattail rider. [Aubry] rode someone’s coattails, and that was looked down upon, and now it’s being reversed,” the former “Sole Survivor” told the publication.
“So, I wonder, is that something they actually revere, or is that the excuse they’re giving to be able to justify their vote?” he continued. “To say she played the middle really well, because they didn’t want to vote for Jonathan, or they didn’t want to vote for Joe [Hunter], so they wanted to vote for Aubry. ‘What’s the excuse we can use for Aubry?’”
During an appearance at the Tribeca Festival’s “Survivor” 50th Season Anniversary Panel on Saturday, June 6, Fields responded to Mariano’s comments, telling PEOPLE: “I’ll be 56 years old in July. I don’t need excuses to justify anything I do or say. Never have, never will. Period.”
What’s Next for Cirie Fields After Her ‘Survivor’ Retirement?
GettyDespite never having won the show herself, Cirie is widely considered one of the best to ever play the game, having appeared on a total of six seasons of the franchise across its U.S. and Australian iterations. Her success on the series later landed her roles on rival reality competition series like “Big Brother,” “Snake in the Grass” and Season 1 of Peacock’s “The Traitors” – which she won.
Her sixth-place run on “Survivor 50” marked her official retirement from the franchise, approximately 20 years after she made her debut on the cast of 2006’s “Survivor: Panama.”
Elsewhere in her chat with PEOPLE, Fields reflected on the decades-long journey, calling it an “awesome” experience overall.
“It was an amazing ride so it’s kind of like you get happy and sad feelings because it came so quickly even though we filmed a year ago and it’s over,” she said of her time on the most recent season. “Wow, that was amazing. And there are lots of memories, so I find myself frequently remembering things from the island, things from the finale – all pleasant though,”
While Cirie has since revealed that she’s officially stepping away from “Survivor” after winning $100,000 as the fan-favorite castaway of Season 50, she revealed that “there’s so much” more to come.
“This has been the best year and continues to be one of the best years of life. So please just stay tuned,” she said, adding, “There may be other shows, there may be some commercials. There’s a lot going on.”
