Genevieve Mushaluk Says 'Billie Eilish Broke My Heart Twice' After 'Survivor 50' Exit (Exclusive)
Hey Billie Eilish, Genevieve Mushaluk would like a word. The Survivor 47 standout's run on the milestone 50th season came to an end during a historic "Blood Moon" twist that split the remaining players into three groups and sent each to Tribal Council. Unfortunately for her, she found herself without the numbers—and was voted out unanimously.
Both Genevieve and fans alike were left frustrated, especially after she found two hidden immunity idols during the game. They were actually “Billie Eilish boomerang idols,” meaning she couldn’t use them on herself and instead had to give them away in hopes they’d return to her.
Speaking with Men’s Journal, Genevieve ents about the twists that led to her exit, how pre-gaming affected the season, and whether she has another run in her.
Scroll down to read the full interview with Genevieve.
Men's Journal: Hi, Genevieve, how are you today?
Genevieve Mushaluk: I'm doing well. I mean, my bank account is sad I didn't win Survivor 50. But beyond that, how are you? I think I want to have a word with Billie Eilish, to be honest. I feel very lucky to be maybe like one of the few people on the planet who can say Billie Eilish broke my heart twice. I have a very special relationship with Billie Eilish that she is not involved in, but it's like a one-sided heartbreak.
Men's Journal: What do you make of finding two idols that you cannot even use on yourself? The fans are very frustrated for you.
Genevieve Mushaluk: I can tell you that if I had an idol, I would have played it at that Tribal for sure. It would have been really useful. Maybe people thought, "Oh, she would have wasted them. She doesn't need them." No, I need them. I would have played them. I would have done some shit with them. Time travel invented—can we go back and change that?
Men's Journal: When we talked in Fiji, everyone was scared of you as a dangerous player. How did you manage that in the Vaatu tribe because you got into a good group.
Genevieve Mushaluk: I worked hard for that. People were assuming I was going to be standoffish and primed to be wary of me. It took a lot of effort to counteract that, but I tried really, really hard. I put in a lot of effort to make people like me and feel comfortable with me.
Men's Journal: Q [Burdette] mentioned a plan to throw a challenge to get rid of Aubry [Bracco] and her idol. Would that have opened up the game?
Genevieve Mushaluk: I know. And we got very close on Kalo. We also were going to split there. But Tiffany [Ervin] really is such an incredible competitor. She didn't know it at the time, but she saved herself by showing up so hard. There's only so much dragging ass in the water you can do to counteract how amazing Tiffany is. I would have been swimming backwards at that point, going away from the challenge. But in my experience, can't win any of them.
Men's Journal: Did you consider pitching Joe [Hunter] to Christian [Hubicki] and [Rick] Devens instead of pitching Devens to Christian?
Genevieve Mushaluk: I wasn't really confident that any pitch was going to work, and you have such limited time for those ones. In short, no. Had they given any indication that they would have gone for Joe? The problem is, if I want to pitch a plan that involves Joe, the second I sell him out, that closes that door. I thought that I could almost scare Christian with like, "Everyone is saying you're so close with Devens, don't you want to create some distance?" But I didn't realize how locked they have. I also didn't realize how many relationships Christian had going into the game. That’s a big nuance in returning player seasons. The logic you use needs to be drastically different because what makes perfect sense doesn't make sense when you factor in that those relationships may be very, very deep, to the point that people will prejudice their own game in service of them. I was totally blind to that fact.
Men's Journal: How did the pre-gaming in this returning player season affect your game?
Genevieve Mushaluk: I think because people knew I was solo, it made it easier for people to scoop me up. I had to counteract, "You can't work with her," but I didn't have to counteract her being connected to people. It made it tough from an offense perspective because those relationships can be landmines, but it made it easier for people to scoop me up. I didn't inherit the bad will of anyone connected to me. My beef with the Billie Eilish idol is I feel like there's such an advantage to people with relationships, and now you introduce an idol mechanic that further benefits them. Had anyone else found it, there's no one on that cast who would give it to me. They all have connections to other people more than me. If I find it, I always have to give it away. I just don't understand why Billie hates me so much.
Men's Journal: Was giving Aubry your coat on the way out something you thought about beforehand?
Genevieve Mushaluk: I was trying to reheat Angelina [Keeley]'s nachos because Angelina had given her coat. I had been on her tribe and I saw Emily [Flippen] wearing Angelina's coat after. Angelina is classy, clever, theatrical, and pragmatic. It occurred to me that where I'm going, I'm not going to be cold and hungry and sleeping on a beach. Somebody probably needs this more than me. I thought it was a classy, pragmatic thing to do for people who are still going to be in the game. I had used other people's clothes to stay warm, so I was like, "Well, this is kind of participating in that way to help the people who are still going to be struggling, even though you're jealous of them and want to be with them."
Men's Journal: Where do you and Aubry stand today and where did that rivalry come from?
Genevieve Mushaluk: I don’t know the origin before the first things that I heard. Day one or day two, the guys in my alliance were separately running back, and Kyle [Fraser] was the first one to be like, "Aubry is saying you're scary, going around painting a target on your back." All I had heard from Aubry at that point was her saying, "You got me back into Survivor. I love you so much." Then you see that awkward conversation and I'm already like, "What's happening here?" because I'm hearing mixed things. It just never, ever clicks. I have experienced a rivalry with another woman in the game—Rachel [Lamont] is one of my really good friends. I don't think two women competing has to be inherently personal or uncomfortable. That was what it was like on 47. This was a lot more uncomfortable, did feel really personal, was not fun, and didn't have much game utility. I tried to find ways to make it useful, like trying to "microwave" relationships by saying, "Here's who my target is." Subtext: You're not my target, she's my target. It helps you in that way. But it was just a negative that persisted the whole time. I think we're just oil and water.
Men's Journal: Do you have a third run in you?
Genevieve Mushaluk: Honestly, no. The only way I would go back is if it was Blood vs. Water, because my husband is such a huge fan. But then that would be actually so horrible, because for the people that I love, I can be Terminator and totally shut down to acquaintances, but one hair on the head of my husband and I would just go crazy. You would love to watch it; it would be horrible for me. I would just then sit at home with anxiety being like, "Oh no, I murdered that person in Fiji."
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.