Ponderosa is typically a positive experience for ousted Survivor castaways -- with Caroline Vidmar going so far as to say "it was shockingly one of the highlights of [her] whole Survivor experience" -- but did Teeny Chirichillo have a good experience after infamously losing the final four fire-making challenge at the end of Survivor 47?
For those who need a refresher, after Rachel LaMont won her fourth Individual Immunity -- tying the female record for the most Individual Immunity wins in a single season -- Teeny was thrown into a final four fire-making challenge that longtime host Jeff Probst deemed "the most dramatic, nail-biting, could-go-either-way showdown" in Survivor history. Up against their arch-nemesis, Sam Phalen -- both trying to secure their seat at the Final Tribal Council, alongside Rachel and Sue Smey -- Teeny began by dominating the challenge.
Well, that is until some wind slowly but surely started blowing their fire away from the rope...With the wind causing a delay in Teeny's fire burning the rope, Sam -- who claimed to have never made a fire before -- managed to make up some time and catch up to the 24-year-old freelance writer, ultimately emerging victorious in the end. Naturally, this resulted in Teeny's elimination.
Despite saying "that moment will haunt [them] for the rest of [their] time on Earth" in their final confessional, Teeny revealed that they are at peace with their Survivor journey nonetheless. "I'm actually really, really, really happy and relieved to say no, it hasn't haunted me," the New Jersey native prefaced, delving into the details in an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly:
"I actually think that there's no more perfect or fitting or representative ending to my journey on Survivor. Obviously, there were a lot of things that didn't go my way throughout the game, and I feel like going out in this really epic and legendary historic moment of the show -- one of the craziest fire-making challenges -- is just a really cool cap-off."
They continued, passionately:
"I have a lot of peace with the place that I came in, and the fact that I was able to sit on the jury, the fact that I was able to vote for Rachel, the fact that I got to experience every single end of the Survivor game -- being on the jury, being able to make it that far in the game, I feel just at peace. I can't say that it haunts me, and I'm really happy about that."
While they "have a lot of peace with the place that [they] came in," what were Teeny's thoughts getting eliminated just shy of the Final Tribal Council? Subsequently, what were Teeny's thoughts arriving at Ponderosa, reuniting with the ousted Survivor 47 castaways? In the same interview with Entertainment Weekly, the "social, mischievous, [and] introspective" castaway reminisced on what they experienced shortly after their torch was snuffed.
For those who are unfamiliar, after the players merge on Survivor, ousted castaways typically become members of the jury, living sequestered at a Fijian resort called Ponderosa and leaving only to attend Tribal Council. Spending their time eating and drinking to their heart's content -- without the pressures of the game we know and love -- it sounds like paradise for the ousted castaways, with friendships growing deeper and deeper along the way.
We all remember when Survivor 44 jurors Matt Blankinship and Frannie Marin started dating at Ponderosa, right? Nevertheless, what was Ponderosa like for Teeny? Well, they spilled all the tea while speaking to Survivor journalist Dalton Ross. "The first thing that happened was Gabe [Ortis] had a Fijian beer in his hand, and he shouted 'Bula bula bula!' to me, and I just got to embrace these people who truly transcend friendship," the 24-year-old prefaced, eventually elaborating on said friendship:
"They're my family. I mean, you saw the first few people who were on the jury were like my best friends with Sierra [Wright] and Sol [Yi], so I got to see them after so long of missing them, and it was euphoric. It was a celebration of literally 15 years of being a fan of the show and how far I came and how well I played, or just how much I played the way that I kind of anticipated that I would in some ways."
"It was super emotional, but probably one of the best nights of my life, honestly," the freelance writer concluded with an ear-to-ear smile. While they might not have won the title of "Sole Survivor" and a million dollars, in the wise words of Survivor 46 castaway Bhanu Gopal, Teeny Chirichillo certainly won a million hearts! To see their Survivor 47 journey from start to finish, you may stream the entire season via Paramount Plus as we speak.