Phillies' World Series Champ Supports Wife in Her Return to Reality TV

Almost 15 years after her husband Kyle Kendrick raised the Commissioner's Trophy and collected a World Series ring as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies, Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick made her triumphant return to reality television.

After 12 years away from the spotlight, Stephenie answered the call and appeared on USA Network's new competition series Snake in the Grass last August. In January, she appeared on Peacock's new reality competition show, The Traitors.

Stephenie has been trying for a win on reality television since she first appeared on CBS' Survivor: Palau in the year 2005.

She became an instant fan favorite on Palau when her 'Ulong' tribe lost every single immunity challenge, and she outlasted her entire tribe. As a tribe of one, she was absorbed into the opposite Koror tribe. Stephenie was immediately brought back, along with her tribemate Bobby Jon Drinkard, for Survivor's next season, Survivor: Guatemala. It was the first time contestants had been brought back the very next season to play with a group of new castaways.

Stephenie placed second on Survivor: Guatemala, then competed on the franchise's 20th season, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, in 2010. She became the face of the Survivor franchise in the mid-2000s, and had a number of opportunities present themselves to her after her time on the island. She became the Philadelphia Flyers' in-arena host, acted on a pair of television soap operas, made several media appearances (including an in-studio guest spot on Howard Stern), and received a number of hosting and high-profile modeling opportunities.

After an early exit from Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, Stephenie suddenly vanished from the world of entertainment, got married, and faded into the background, playing the role of supportive wife and loving mother.

"Kyle and I always had an understanding that — when I met him and we decided to get married and have children, I said to him, I will support you your entire career," Stephenie said earlier this week on the Jack Vita Show. "I will follow you wherever you go. My life will become your life. I will give it all up for you. But when you're done playing, if the situation presents itself, and the time is right for me and our family, whatever that may be, and it's a good opportunity, I'm going to take it. And he always was supportive of that and okay with that."

Kyle made 30 starts for the Phillies' pitching rotation in the club's 2008 World Series-winning season. Kyle was a member of the Phillies for eight years (2007-2014), logging a sub-4.00 ERA four different times.

The Phillies won the National League East five straight times (2007-2011) during Kyle's tenure with the club and boasted a dominant pitching rotation featuring a mix of Cole Hamels, Roy Halladay, Pedro Martinez, Roy Oswalt, Cliff Lee, Joe Blanton and Kyle. In 2007, he started Game 2 of the National League Division Series against the Colorado Rockies, a team he would later sign a free agent contract with in 2014.

Stephenie was there, from their first encounter in 2008 at a restaurant she owned, throughout his entire playing career. She followed him around, traveled to road games and picked up and moved whenever Kyle's career called for it.

Now, with children ages eleven, nine and four, Kyle, 38, retired from professional baseball, and the right opportunities presenting themselves, it felt like the right time for her to return to television.

"(Kyle's) retired (now), and he's fine with being retired," Stephenie said. "He would like to get back in some capacity with baseball, but he likes being home, he likes helping with the kids, he likes being a stay-at-home dad. So when these opportunities came up, he was like, 'you have to."

Kyle last appeared in a Major League game in 2017, as a member of the Boston Red Sox. He made two spot starts that season in May, in place of an injured Steven Wright, after pitching for the Los Angeles Angels' Triple-A team in Salt Lake City for all of 2016.

Four years after Kyle threw his last big league pitch, Stephenie made a quick trip to Costa Rica to compete on Snake in the Grass in December 2021. A few months later, she received a call to appear on The Traitors. This time, she would need to be gone for at least three weeks.

Stephenie was hesitant at first. She would need to board a flight to Scotland on the same date of her son's first Holy Communion, an event she simply couldn't miss. After talking with both Kyle and her son, Kyle Jr., she accepted the invitation, and got on a flight to Scotland hours after celebrating the momentous occasion, with filming beginning the very next day.

"I told her she would be great on the new show and it would be fun for us as a family to watch together," Kyle said. "I knew how proud the kids would be to watch their mom on TV. It was a no-brainer for her to go."

With Stephenie gone, Kyle took care of the kids, just as Stephenie would when the pitcher would travel for an away series. Now, it was Kyle's turn to be the supportive spouse.

"I love spending time with my kids, so I was looking forward to it just being the kids and I," Kyle said. "It’s a lot more relaxed when I’m in charge, but we had a great time, and had lots of Uber Eats meals."

Stephenie returned from Scotland in May, and did not tell her family how she performed on the new show. She kept the show's outcome a secret for over seven months, and her family found out from watching it on Peacock after its January 12 release.

Stephenie was an All-Conference lacrosse player and 2001 Northeast Conference champion at Monmouth University in New Jersey. Her team competed in the Division I Women's NCAA Tournament that same year. Reality television has given her a chance to channel that same competitive spirit that made her the Monmouth team captain her senior year.

She spent years at the ballpark, watching her husband pitch. Now, Kyle gets a turn to watch his wife compete, and as he watches, he feels some nervousness.

"I do get a little nervous watching her because I want her to do well and I know how competitive she is," Kyle said.

The Traitors places 20 people in a castle in Scotland. The cast is made up of ten contestants that have appeared on reality television before, and ten rookies. Three of the 20 contestants are 'traitors'. The other 17 are 'faithfuls'. Each night, the traitors 'murder' one of the faithfuls, eliminating them from the game. The faithfuls must attempt to figure out who the traitors are. Before someone is murdered each night, the cast meets and votes to banish someone from the castle. The faithfuls attempt to banish the traitors, while the traitors try not to blow their cover.

Meanwhile, the traitors and faithfuls compete in a series of challenges in order to boost the prize pot.

In her return to her first multi-episode competition series, Stephenie did extremely well, reaching the program's penultimate episode before being eliminated, with just seven contestants remaining.

Stephenie formed a close alliance with Big Brother winner Rachel Reilly Villegas and longtime friend and four-time Survivor contestant Cirie Fields. The three vowed to protect each other at all costs. Cirie, however, turned out to be a traitor.

Stephenie and Rachel were on to the traitors. The duo correctly pinpointed the identity of one of the show's three traitors earlier in the season, leading to that cast member's banishment. Cirie appeared to be fearful of the threat that Rachel and Stephenie posed to her game, and played a role in the elimination of both allies. In the show's eighth episode, Cirie turned on Rachel to vote her out and banish her from the castle. Minutes into the next episode, Cirie, along with her fellow traitors, 'murdered' Stephenie, making her the final contestant murdered of the season. The move helped Cirie become the sole winner of The Traitors, and collect the $250,000 prize that went with it.

"When she got murdered, I was pissed," Kyle said with a laugh. "Knowing she was right on most of the traitors and nobody listened to her was upsetting, but that’s the game. I thought Steph played a great game, kept her mouth quiet at the right time but spoke up when she needed to. I'm very proud of how she did, and the kids and I enjoyed watching her."

After five tries, Stephenie remains winless on reality television, but Kyle hopes that The Traitors isn't the last we see of her on reality television.

"Hopefully she can get invited to do more shows," Kyle said. "It would be fun for the family to watch, and I know she enjoys doing them, knowing the kids are taken care of at home."

Kyle is embracing the role of being the supportive spouse, while he takes care of the kids and cheers his wife on. He hopes Stephenie will compete on another show soon, and Stephenie hasn't ruled out the possibility.

"Even right now, he's like, 'What are you going to do next?" Stephenie said. "I'm like, 'I don't know.' I'm not just going to do any reality show that comes my way. It has to be the right fit. It has to be an adventure. It has to be something competitive. We'll see what's next. I don't know."

Stephenie recently visited the Jack Vita Show to discuss her time competing on The Traitors.