Dee Valladares. Chrissy Hofbeck. Coach Wade. Christian Hubicki. Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick. Emily Flippen. Ozzy Lusth. Rick Devens. Cirie Fields. They may have been voted out of Survivor 50, but their work is not done. That’s because the nine members of the Survivor 50 jury (along with two more still to join them) have the biggest decision of the anniversary season ahead of them. They will decide during the three-hour finale and reunion on CBS on May 20 who walks away with the MrBeast-inflated $2 million prize.

However, that decision will only be made after careful poking and prodding of the final three during the final Tribal Council, when the jury pushes for answers during what we hope will be a lively back-and-forth interrogation.

But before the jury can do that, they have their own questions to answer! That’s because every season we here at Entertainment Weekly get to conduct an exclusive interview with the jury members heading into the finale and pepper them with a few questions of our own. And it is officially time for the first nine members of the Survivor 50 jury to be peppered!

What’s the best thing about being at Ponderosa? Which person voted out pre-jury do they wish was there with them? If they had to live permanently at Ponderosa with a fellow juror, who would it be? And who among the jury played the best game? We demand answers! And now, we shall have them.

 

What was the best thing about being at Ponderosa?

DEE VALLADARES: Getting to witness the postgame crash-outs.

CHRISSY HOFBECK: Morning coffee with Coach. Gin rummy and Scrabble ALL DAY with Stephenie and Coach. Sleeping in an actual bed instead of the dirt.

BENJAMIN “COACH” WADE: Not feeling obligated to start another band. The Dragonz legacy will be enough to stand the test of time.

CHRISTIAN HUBICKI: Pondering. Clever, I know. But Ponderosa time is unique. In the pregame, it’s anticipation; in the postgame, it’s reflection. Also, you’re away from all digital distractions, but you’re not being recorded like you are in the game itself — but I wished that precious purgatorial time was preserved somehow. But to my delight, I realized the old MP3 player I brought also had a tiny microphone for voice recording. So, for posterity, I dictated voice notes in my room for the entirety of Ponderosa (pre-game and post-). It’s over 20 hours of material documenting the experience of living in that headspace. Now I can listen back to it all some day, but probably not.

STEPHENIE LAGROSSA KENDRICK: Playing rummy and Scrabble with Coach and Chrissy.

EMILY FLIPPEN: Besides the unlimited access to toilet paper and food? Probably day-drinking with Dee and Devens, dissecting the game with Christian, and playing Catan with Ozzy.

OZZY LUSTH: Letting myself say goodbye to the adventure of a lifetime and licking my emotional wounds for making one of the biggest mistakes of my life. And trying to see how I can alchemize the pain into growth.

RICK DEVENS: It was great to unwind with my closest allies, Christian and Emily, but it was also so rewarding to get to know some of my “adversaries” in the game on a more personal level. Quiet coffee breaks talking about life with Coach and Chrissy. Constant party time with Dee and Steph. And Ozzy squeezing fresh oranges for mimosas every morning.

CIRIE FIELDS: Being there meant I would be home to see my family soon.

 

Which person voted out pre-jury do you wish had been with you all at Ponderosa?

DEE: Kamilla, Kyle, Angelina, Q, Mike. Give me anyone who cracks jokes all day.

CHRISSY: Angelina. She is such a joyful, good person who has an incredible outside-of-Survivor life. I would have loved time to hang out with her. Can this be like when Jeff says “pick one person to join you,” but then lets us pick two? Because I’d like to bring along Genevieve, too, for the same reason. And Jenna. Savannah! This is not an easy question!

COACH: Everyone, but Colby would have been a great addition.

CHRISTIAN: Q. I need to study him. People say he is chaos, but I say “nay.” Q lives by a code. A mysterious but strict book of rules that makes utter sense to him but appears random when mere mortals witness how they interact with the world. But like in theoretical physics, contradictions can start to make sense when viewed from a higher dimension. That’s how Einstein unified time and space — that’s how I unify Q. From his disdain for Coke drinkers to his fear of Dee’s toes. I would have unraveled the laws of the Q-niverse.

STEPHENIE: Colby.

EMILY: Genuinely, everyone. But if I had to pick just one, probably Jenna. Not just to watch her and Devens interact, but also because I really enjoyed the few days we had together on the island, and I remember thinking we had a lot in common that we didn’t get to explore. Castaways spend a lot of time at Pondy reading, and she and I were into some similar books! No, I won’t tell you which.

OZZY: Mike White.

RICK: Kamilla. She’s so funny. I think she would have fit the vibe perfectly. I would have loved to chill with her outside the game. And maybe she would have let me borrow her Nintendo Switch.

CIRIE: Q.

 

If you had to live at Ponderosa permanently with one of your fellow jurors, who would it be?

DEE: Sorry, Cirie, but I’m talking your ear off.

CHRISSY: Coach. He hated the coffee at Ponderosa and, in true Coach fashion, figured out how to get his hands on a French press and better coffee. Every morning, he would make a pot and sit on his little front patio area with his Bible, two mugs, and soy milk (for me). When I woke up, I’d walk over to his little cabana in my PJs for nice fresh hot coffee. Then we’d talk for an hour or two or three about our families, our jobs, our lives, the night before — anything. It was a beautiful way to start a day. Coach is a really incredible and good human — thankful, joyful, accomplished, smart, and actually very humble. I am grateful to have played this great game with him.

COACH: Chrissy.

CHRISTIAN: Rick Devens. O Captain! My Captain! When he came to Ponderosa, I told him I’d book us a couple’s massage. He laughed, so I pretended I was kidding.

STEPHENIE: Tough one, but Coach. He makes me laugh constantly and we could work out together!

EMILY: Well, I would want someone who would cook, clean, and take the trash out without me having to ask. So… none of them?

OZZY: Dee (for the sake of humanity).

RICK:  The obvious answer is Christian, and that’s who I’m going with. But I have to give a shoutout to the mayor of Ponderosa and my fellow On Fire co-host, Dee. Why did I not know she was so cool while we were playing the game!? It could have changed everything. She’s awesome and set the tone for a really fun Pondy. It was a great pleasure getting to know her after the game. Major annoying little sister vibes.

CIRIE: Dee, because she’s hilarious!!

 

Who among the jury played the best game?

DEE: Christian/Cirie.

CHRISSY: Rick Devens. That fake idol shenanigans that ousted Coach and me was an absolutely brilliant long con!

COACH: Devens. What a masterful, colorful character.

CHRISTIAN: Cirie. I get the hype. I’ve now lived the hype. I have joined the hype.

STEPHENIE: Besides Stephenie (me), I’ll give it to Devens. Everyone was afraid to sit next to him in the end.

EMILY: This is such a hard question because I genuinely believe so many members of the jury played great, distinct games. There is no real objective truth for “best.” But from watching it back, it’s hard to argue with the control Cirie had during virtually the entire time on the island. That being said, I have to answer Rick or Christian, not just because I obviously love them as people but because I have so much respect for castaways who have to be scrappy, and I thought they both did that incredibly well with an impressive level of graciousness. It’s rare you get to meet such standup people like them.

OZZY: Cirie.

RICK: Cirie. I mean, come on, man.

CIRIE: Devens. He increased the prize from one million to two million on a coin flip. The fake idol was courageous! He was mentioned as the target for a few votes, yet it always fizzled out. And he’s a hoot to be around!