Viewers will remember that Stephenie was the last player standing of the ill-fated Ulong tribe that lost player after player in what amounted to total domination by the Koror tribe. Stephenie was one of the strongest players in the history of Survivor and with little question the strongest and most dominant female player. Her fate was sealed when the two tribes merged and Stephenie was shortly thereafter voted off.
Of equal interest, Stephanie was one of the most popular Survivor players ever, rivaling Survivor: Panama's Rupert Bonham who was the $1 million winner in the viewers choice prize at the end of Survivor: All-Stars.
Stephanie will return to Survivor: Guatemala along with fellow Ulong triber member Bobby Jon Drinkard who was the second to last surviving member of that team.
In Survivor: Guatemala, Stephenie will compete on the blue Yaxha tribe and Bobby Jon on the yellow Nakum tribe.
Stephenie LaGrossa graduated from Archbishop Prendergast High School in Drexel Hill, where she played varsity lacrosse, field hockey and swimming. She then attended Temple University in Philadelphia before transferring to Monmouth University in Long Branch, New Jersey from which she received her Bachelor of Science degree in business administration with concentrations in marketing and management. She played Division One Lacrosse at both universities and was a four-year starter. At Monmouth University, she was the team captain in her senior year. Stephenie's athleticism was clearly evident in the various challenges in which she participated in Survivor: Palau.
Stephenie, however, was not only a strong athlete. At Monmouth University, she made the NEC Academic Honor Roll and the Dean's List. In addition, LaGrossa was a three-time NEC All-Conference selection, NEC Scholar/Athlete Award recipient and Female Athlete of the Year Nominee.
Prior to her appearance on Survivor: Palau, Stephenie worked as a territory sales representative for a pharmaceutical sales company and a part-time bartender.
Writing in USA Today, Robert Bianco sums up the feelings of millions of viewers about Stephenie, "She brought a quality to Survivor that's in awfully short supply on reality TV: pluck - an old-fashioned and under-siege American virtue if ever there were one. When the odds were against our Stef, she didn't whine, complain or connive. She simply worked harder and hoped for the best."
Survivor: Guatemala premieres Thursday, September 15, 2005 at 8:00 p.m. and airs at that time in subsequent weeks. Locally is can be seen on KYW TV3.