Survivor 51 contestant Kristin Flickinger refused to eat live grubs on the CBS show, and then she took to social media to explain why. Fans who would also say “Hell to the Naw” seemed to find a kindred spirit. Read on for more details.
The Gross Food Challenge
The gross food challenge isn’t anything new on the show, and Flickinger anticipated it might go down. The scenes aired on the November 4 episode, and all 13 remaining castaways faced the test of chowing down on two live grubs.
The reward for the first ten contestants was a coveted spot at the merge feast. Kristin’s refusal eliminated her from the reward, but she wasn’t alone. Per Parade, “Kristin was among the three who didn’t complete the task.”
Explaining Her Issues
It’s unlikely that too many people watching the Survivor show would sit down on a Tuesday night to a plate of live grubs. They saw that contestants like Brady Booker eating different things happily, chewed and swallowed. But that wasn’t anything Kristin Flickinger would consider.
On her Instagram post on Saturday, she wrote a short caption that said, “Be free! and no regrets 🐛.” Then, in her reel, she explained that she objected to taking the lives of those little grubs because she’s a vegetarian.
She told her Survivor 51 fans, “Why would I kill creatures in a game for charcuterie that I wasn’t gonna win?” Then she added, “Here’s where I was coming from, I’ve studied a lot for a lot of aspects of Survivor.”
But then she said, “I’m a vegetarian, so when you put something in front of me [that’s] alive, that’s next level.”
Doubts Emerged
It also bothered her that the little grubs “were trying to get away.” So, she thought, “I’m not sure I’m going to be able to do this.”
Hoping she could maybe kill them quickly, like on the sides of the plate, she said that she had more reservations. She explained, “Wow, it’s very unlikely I’m going to be able to pull this thing off.”
While she admitted that folks might think she was just being “silly,” she’s good with that because she went with her “truth.”
Fans React
In the comments section, it became clear that plenty of CBS viewers would also have their reservations. One of them wrote, “as a vegan I appreciated this. I especially absolutely hate all of the chicken slaughter scenes they include, wish survivor would quit it.”
Here are a few more responses from the discussion:
- “Gratitude and Respek. No need to harm to Survive.”
- “That was a boss move! And your grubs are now your super fans! 🐛”
- “Doing something like that challenge is my worst nightmare omg u handled it in the only acceptable way.”
- “Most relatable thing. I saw you toss them and say “be free” and I was like yep that’s what I would have done ✔️”
What are your thoughts? Join the discussion and then come back for more reality TV news and updates.