Survivor Legend Jonny Fairplay’s Infamous Dead Grandmother Finally Died For Real, And Her Alleged Last Words Are Shameless

Ask any longtime Survivor fans for the most memorable moments in the show’s nearly fifty seasons, and chances are they won’t rip through many before they get to Jonny Fairplay’s infamous dead grandmother. During Pearl Islands, the show’s beloved seventh season, Fairplay tricked his fellow contestants and even host Jeff Probst into thinking his grandma, Ellen Jean Hauser, had passed away. The other players intentionally let him win a reward challenge and poured sympathy onto the reality show villain, but he later revealed it was all an elaborate hoax to help him get further in the game.

Viewers were absolutely outraged (and still are), but his real life grandmother, Ellen Jean Hauser, couldn’t get enough. She leaned into the public backlash, doing appearances with her grandson and even getting a custom license plate that read “DEAD GMA.” She quite obviously loved every second and proved to be every bit the memorable character as her villainous grandson, a quality that extended to her personal life which apparently included seven husbands and affairs/ flings with actor Robert Goulet and country music star Faron Young. She also made her own appearance on the Survivor reunion show...

TMZ reported the passing over the weekend. Hauser apparently died of Kidney Failure at a hospice facility in Myrtle Beach. She was 90, and if Fairplay is to be believed, she had the most shameless last words of all-time. Never missing an opportunity to shamelessly self-promote, Fairplay told the outlet her final confession before she passed was about how she wanted to see him cast on several popular new reality shows. Check out this absolute nonsense of a quote…

I’m sure some people are going to take issues with this story, but given how much she seemed to love being a part of the dead grandmother storyline, which was watched live by more than twenty million people back in 2003, I’m sure she would have loved Fairplay using her memory to try and get cast on a few upcoming shows. Either you have that sense of humor or you don’t. She clearly had that sense of humor, as well as a big love for her grandson, which he talked about in a statement…

I genuinely hope Fairplay gets cast on one of those shows he mentioned. He’s appeared on House Of Villains, as well as an additional season of Survivor, but I’d especially like to see him enter the Traitors castle, which has hosted tons of his fellow Survivor alums. He’s got the perfect personality, and he’s been doing weekly recaps with Rachel Reilly and clearly loves the show. He’d make a really good traitor, or an even better shameless, self-serving faithful.

Regardless, raise a glass for his dear grandmother Ellen Jean Hauser. She quite obviously led a very colorful and full life and had the type of wicked sense of humor that would make her appreciate her grandson lying about her death.