Matthew Grinstead-Mayle is a contestant from Survivor 44.
Matthew infamously injured his arm on Day 2 after falling off a rock formation, but planned to hide his injury from the other teams. In terms of gameplay, he played in overdrive from the start as he played his Shot in the Dark to keep his true allegiance a secret, found a Hidden Immunity Idol and planted a fake idol within the first week of the game. In bonding with tribemates Brandon Cottom, Jaime Lynn Ruiz, and later newcomer Carson Garrett, he also became the strategic center of Ratu. However, his shoulder injury worsened and he was encouraged to withdraw from the game for his health. He reluctantly agreed to do so on Day 11.
Profile[]
Retrieved from Parade.com
Age: 43
Hometown: Pickerington, Ohio
Current Residence: Columbus, Ohio
Occupation: Barbershop Owner
3 Words to Describe You: Spontaneous, caring, adventurous
Why do you want to be part of SURVIVOR? I have been a superfan since day 1. I love the outdoors and have always wanted my shot to be the Sole Survivor! I love the challenges, beautiful settings and amazingly diverse casts of SURVIVOR. This is a dream come true!
What's one life experience you feel has prepared you for the game? My mom worked for the YMCA when I was younger…so I was always outside, in a forest, climbing trees, swimming in lakes and rivers, surrounded by friends and nature. My unique childhood taught me to love the outdoors and people.
Which previous player do you identify with the most? Who do you think you will play most like? I think I identify with Elaine the most because she was hilarious yet genuine. I would like to think that I will play most like Shan or Ben. Everyone came to Shan and felt comfortable telling her info. Ben was someone who had his baggage and learned how to overcome it and help others along the way.
What will you value in an alliance partner? Trust, trust, trust! You have to be able to trust someone in this game. But you also want someone who has different talents than yourself, so what you offer each other fills the other's weak spots.
Favorite Hobbies: Adventures with my son and husband, rollercoasters, waterslides, eating food from all over the world, growing and collecting plants
Pet Peeves: People that talk in circles, people who don't give others time to talk in a convo, the color combo of purple and white, misformed popsicles, odd numbers, pineapple on pizza, malt chocolate candy
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? My amazing family. I wouldn't be the man I am today without them. I owe everything to them and they are my driving force.
What is something we would never know from looking at you? I have a huge heart and compassion for all those around me. I will help anyone to be the best possible version of themselves. It's so uplifting to see and help someone succeed.
Who in your life is your biggest inspiration and why? My husband Dale. He fell in love with me before I knew how to love myself. I don't think I would be here without him in my life.
Why will you be the Sole Survivor? I have the heart, the drive and the ability to see this to the end. And there will be tons of giggles and rainbows along the way.[2]
Survivor[]
Matthew started the game on the Ratu tribe. After his tribe lost the opening Reward Challenge, Matthew and Brandon Cottom stepped up to perform the "Sweat" challenge to earn the tribe's camp essentials. This proved to be a grueling hours-long race to collect one hundred coconuts in a net and, by the end of the challenge, both men were left utterly exhausted. However, their Herculean efforts allowed them to complete the challenge in time and win a flint, pot and machete for Ratu. During the challenge, Matthew and Brandon agreed to align with each other.
The next day, out of an eagerness to explore the island, Matthew scaled a rock face near his tribe's lagoon. This misadventure ended in disaster when Matthew fell off the rock, lacerating his foot and dislocating his shoulder. The injuries jeopardized his future in the game, but once the Medical Team placed him in a sling, he was good to resume the game. Due to his condition, Matthew sat out of the first Immunity Challenge; on the sit-out bench, he gained valuable information from Soka's Claire Rafson, who asked if Ratu's representative on the first summit had come clean about their experience on the journey. As a result, Matthew realized that Lauren Harpe might have been hiding an advantage from her tribe and, when Ratu lost the challenge, decided to target her. At camp, Matthew and Brandon campaigned against Lauren, while Maddy Pomilla tried to convince Lauren, Jaime Lynn Ruiz, and Kane Fritzler to target Brandon, who had found a Hidden Immunity Idol the previous day. At Tribal Council, Matthew decided to play his Shot in the Dark to deliberately abstain from voting and showing his cards. Then, Brandon played his idol and negated a 2-1 vote against him to eliminate his rival Maddy from the game.
After Maddy's elimination, Matthew and Brandon found themselves in a secure position on the tribe. The next day, Matthew found the re-hidden idol and decided to fashion a fake idol for one of his tribemates to find. At the Immunity Challenge, Matthew competed and put himself up to complete the vertical wall maze, winning the challenge after his tribe had fallen behind early on. After the challenge, Matthew revealed that he had practiced an extensive number of challenges at home, thus explaining his confidence in the challenge.
On Day 6, Matthew and Jaime went on a trip to the water well. There, Jaime found Matthew's planted fake idol and the two celebrated Jaime's discovery. Based on this shared information, Jaime decided to solidify an alliance with Matthew, calling him the "Plant Daddy" to her "Plant Lady". Matthew was open, but not fully committed to the alliance. At the next Immunity Challenge, Matthew helped his tribe clinch another victory.
The next day, Soka won the Reward Challenge and sent Jaime to a summit. She was joined by Carson Garrett from Tika and Josh Wilder from Soka. After the journey, Matthew and the rest of Ratu were surprised to see that Carson had returned in Jaime's stead, discovering that they now had a new tribe member. Immediately, Matthew leveraged this opportunity to forge a bond with Carson by revealing Jaime's possession of an idol. The two men connected and ostensibly formed an alliance. However, this relationship went untested after Ratu won the next Immunity Challenge.
After days of dealing with his shoulder injury, Matthew's gradually intensifying pain crescendoed on Day 11. After the Immunity Challenge, Jeff Probst pulled Matthew aside for a medical evaluation. Matthew explained the situation about his injury, and while the Medical Team agreed that the injury was serious, it was decided that Matthew could have the right to choose whether or not to continue with the game. Despite his reluctance, Matthew concurred with the Medical Team's assessment and pulled himself from the game to recover from his injury. He left the game with his idol in his possession.
| Episode | Tribe Affiliation |
Challenge | Challenge Type | Sit-Out? | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ratu | Crate Wide Open | Reward | No | Lost |
| Paradise Lost | Immunity | Yes | Lost | ||
| 2 | A Bridge You Must Cross | Reward/Immunity | No | 1st | |
| 3 | Box Car Blues | Reward/Immunity | No | 1st | |
| 4 | Air Raid | Reward | No | 2nd | |
| Leap of Faith | Immunity | Yes | 2nd | ||
| 5 | EOC | Reward/Immunity | Yes | 1st | |
| Quit, Day 11 | |||||
Post-Survivor[]
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Trivia[]
- Matthew was originally cast for Survivor 41 before filming was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3]
- Matthew is the oldest member of the original Ratu tribe.
- Matthew is the first player to play his Shot in the Dark unsuccessfully without being voted out.
- Matthew is the third person, following Kourtney Moon and Dan Spilo, whose elimination occurred off-screen. His quit was revealed by Jeff Probst in exposition to the Tika tribe.
- Matthew is the first person to quit with a Hidden Immunity Idol in their possession.
- In post-game interviews, Matthew explained that, since he was removed from the challenge site, he was not allowed to transfer his idol to another player before his departure.
- Matthew is the first person to quit after winning an Immunity Challenge.
References[]
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