Ten episodes into Charlie Davis’ run as the player cohost of Jeff Probst’s “On Fire” podcast, the Survivor 46 runner-up finally addressed where things stand between him and his ally on the island, Maria Shrime Gonzalez.
“I guess it’s time to dig deep. Maria and I, we haven’t spoken since our season aired,” Charlie admitted. “It hasn’t been all that long, it’s only been a few months, and I don’t know what that relationship holds in the future, but I do know that what happens on Survivor is very, very real.”
Kenzi Petty defeated Charlie and third-place finisher Ben Katzman in the final vote, 5-3-0, with Maria giving her vote to Kenzi. Had Maria voted for her friend instead, it would have forced a 4-4 tie, making Ben the tie-breaking vote. Ben has since said he would have voted for Charlie.
In other words, Maria literally cost Charlie a million dollars, and in the podcast installment accompanying the Wednesday, November 20 episode of Survivor 47 he confirmed the two have not spoken since the season aired.
Charlie’s revelation came as he, Probst and producer Jay Wolff were discussing how emotions and friendships can affect a player’s strategy. Charlie and Maria grew close throughout their season, and even when Charlie voted Maria out he says she told him he would have her vote to win the game.
Charlie said he still stands by his past comments regarding Maria and her decision — that he respects her vote and does not feel she owed him anything.
“I will also say, a message to Maria and fans is that she deserves absolutely no hate,” he said. “We’re all just trying to navigate what is a very, very difficult game, and if it means that if some castaways don’t get along or do get along, that’s just between them. It’s alright to choose your own friends and stick with your friendships on your terms.”
That’s not to say his friend’s decision didn’t hurt. Charlie spoke to Us Weekly after the Survivor 46 finale, and he admitted that it stung to not get Maria’s vote.
“It was really brutal not getting Maria’s vote,” he said. “So it was just a really, really tough pill to swallow,” he told Us at the time. “I thought I did a really good job explaining my game and showing her a lot of respect and love all the way through the game, including at Final Tribal Council.”
Charlie added on “On Fire” that no matter what, emotions are going to play a role in how someone plays Survivor. He pointed to the notorious Russell Hantz as an example. While he carried the persona of the cutthroat Survivor villain, Russell also cried in private moments when his style of play started to wear on him.
Survivor airs on Wednesdays on CBS at 8 p.m. ET
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