SURVIVOR’s Maria Shrime Gonzalez reminded fans that she is a real person after receiving brutal backlash.
The commotion began last Wednesday, when Survivor aired the season 46 finale.
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During the final, Kenzie Petty emerged victorious and took home the $1 million prize.
Survivor host Jeff Probst, 62, revealed that Kenzie won more votes than Charlie Davis and Ben Katzman.
One of Kenzie’s five votes came from Charlie’s biggest ally in the game, Maria.
About six days ago, the CBS reality show’s Instagram account shared a tense clip between Maria and Charlie at the end.
In the comments section, Marie faced backlash from viewers for her decision to vote against Charlie.
“Maria was a cold-hearted traitor to Charlie,” criticized one critic.
“[Maria] could be one of the nastiest players I’ve ever seen play, playing on these people’s emotions,” said another critic.
“I’m so disappointed in Maria, it’s amazing to see people’s true identities coming out,” said a third reviewer.
“Anyone here saying hateful things to Maria needs to touch the grass. Calm down,” added Charlie, despite the consequences.
‘COMPASSION BEFORE COMMENTING’
And now, the Survivor account has shared a long message about kindness and compassion.
“One of the best things about the Survivor community is the passion, engagement and excitement surrounding the show, the gameplay and those who are brave enough to compete,” the statement read.
“So a reminder as we watch and discuss the fun competition, epic blind spots and emotional journeys these players go on, remember that who you see on screen are real people navigating this experience.”
“Please consider embracing kindness, respect and compassion before commenting,” the text concluded.
Maria jumped into the comments and shared her response.
I think I anticipated that people would be upset that I chose Kenzie, but I think you should be proud of what your decisions are. And I won’t take it back
Maria Shrime González
“We are real people with real lives who played a game,” she wrote.
“We can turn off social media, but we can’t turn off our texts and voicemails and close our businesses because people disagree with something we did.”
‘JUST CRAZY’
At the same time, Maria said Weekly entertainment that she regrets her decision after the brutal backlash.
“Listen, I’ve gotten an immense amount of hate thrown at me this season, which is crazy,” the TV star said.
“It’s not something I could have predicted.”
“I think I anticipated that people would be upset that I chose Kenzie, but I think you should be proud of what your decisions are.”
“And I’m not going back. I’m not going back,” said the TV personality.
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