Survivor 47 castaway Sue Smey might not have taken home the title of “Sole Survivor” and the million-dollar prize — falling short to Rachel LaMont and Sam Phalen at the Final Tribal Council, receiving no votes — but she might have taken home the award for having the dirtiest face in Survivor history. After all, why on Earth was she always covered in dirt and soot?
Despite “battling severe stomach issues” and “a relentless migraine,” Sue had quite the journey on Survivor 47, finding a Hidden Immunity Idol and winning an Individual Immunity Challenge, as well as coasting her way to the Final Tribal Council after losing her closest allies (Gabe Ortis and Caroline Vidmar) along the way. Despite losing the game, the 59-year-old made Survivor history nevertheless, becoming the oldest woman to win an Individual Immunity Challenge, as well as the oldest woman to make it to the Final Tribal Council.
Because of this, longtime host Jeff Probst thought Sue’s journey was so impressive, he couldn’t help but gush about the flight school owner in an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly:
“I loved Sue. I hope Sue inspires other 50+ women to apply. She really showed that if you have the drive, you can amaze yourself. Sue competed against people nearly four decades younger than her. Just take that in. It’s a massive accomplishment! If there was an issue with Sue’s game from the jury point of view, I think it would be the lack of risks she took. It speaks to what I just said about how you get to the final three. Being loyal is commendable and finding an idol is impressive, but it’s what you do in the gaps that wins you a season of Survivor.”
One thing that was not addressed, though, was the dirt and soot seen on her face throughout Survivor 47, with the New York native finally addressing her cleanliness (or lack thereof) in an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly as well.
When asked by Survivor journalist Dalton Ross to explain the dirt and soot seen on her face throughout Survivor 47, Sue explained that she grew up a tomboy — splitting her time between living in the woods and living on an island with her family — so she was “not afraid of getting down and dirty” throughout her Survivor 47 journey. Constantly looking for Hidden Immunity Idols and other advantages, Sue knew that she was getting rather grubby throughout the game, but she had no idea how dirty she actually was until it aired on our television screens.
She explained:
“Unbeknownst to me, like wiping your face or whatever, I never really realized how dirty I was, and I was even more surprised that no one told me! Once or twice, Rachel would be like, ‘Sue, you got a little dirt right there’ … I could tell it wasn’t coming off, and I finally would be like, ‘Just forget it, it’s no big deal,’ just because I didn’t realize how bad it was!”
Sharing some laughs with Dalton, the Survivor 47 castaway concluded with a smile, “There’s a difference between dirt and soot, and maybe there was dirt here and there … We didn’t have soap, or I lost the soap along the way.” Nevertheless, to see Sue’s face get dirtier and dirtier — or to see Rachel’s eventual victory — you may stream Survivor 47 from start to finish via Paramount Plus now.