Jonny Fairplay's grandmother dies at age 90... 22 years after he lied about her death on Survivor
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Survivor villain Jonny Fairplay's grandmother, Ellen Jean Hauser, died on February 8 at the age of 90.
Her passing is for real this time, unlike in 2003 when he said she died to win sympathy points on his season of the reality TV show.
'I'll miss her every day,' the reality star told TMZ in a statement.
'It's easy to think she was just part of one of the biggest lies in TV history, which made me famous, but I look at her place in my life as a loving grandparent who only wanted the best for me in my life and would do anything to help me get it. Which she did.'
Known as the 'dead grandma' on Survivor: Pearl Islands, Hauser died of kidney failure at Embrace Hospice House in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Fairplay also said that his grandmother 'loved the exposure and attention' she got from his lie on Survivor.
Survivor villain Jonny Fairplay's grandmother, Ellen Jean Hauser, died on February 8 at the age of 90. Seen here in 2003
The lie, which he told in order to get an advantage during a reward challenge, made him one of Survivor's most notorious villains.
At the time, Fairplay – real name Jon Dalton – had a friend break the news which secured his victory in that challenge.
Then in a confessional, he said that his grandma wasn't dead. He said she was 'sitting home watching Jerry Springer right now.'
Survivor host Jeff Probst called Fairplay's lie the 'greatest lie ever told on Survivor,' adding that it 'guaranteed Jon a spot in the Survivor villain hall of fame.'
Fairplay's grandmother lived a colorful life and embraced her unexpected reality TV fame with a personalized license plate that read 'DEAD GMA.'
'Her dying words were something like, "Jonny, I want to see you on Survivor 50, The Traitors and Deal or No Deal Island," he told EW.
'I had no idea she had so many streaming services,' he added.
In 2020, Fairplay admitted that he had no regrets about his big lie and said he did in in an effort to become the first reality tv villain.
It's for real this time, unlike in 2003 when he said she died to win sympathy points on his season of the reality TV show. Seen here in 2005
'I'll miss her every day,' the reality star told TMZ in a statement. Seen here in 2009
'It's easy to think she was just part of one of the biggest lies in TV history, which made me famous.' Seen here in 2010
'When I explained to production that I wanted to be the heel, they were elated and gave me every opportunity to run with my notorious ways, he told EW.
'It was like getting a permission slip to do evil. My heroes growing up were Roddy Piper and Ric Flair. I got to bring all of their villainy to the world of reality TV.'
It is unclear if Jonny's grandmother's goodwill extended to him after he was charged with larceny along with his mother Patsy Hall for allegedly stealing valuables from his own grandmother in 2020.
The pair were jailed after Fairplay's aunt filed a criminal complaint, accusing Hall of mentally abusing her mother and exploiting her dementia.
Meanwhile, Fairplay was accused of removing furniture from his grandmother's house, including bar stools, a leather chair and an end table.
He also reportedly took a silver necklace valued at $5,000.
Fairplay denied any wrongdoing, and released a statement: 'I (we) have been unjustly charged by a family member.
'I welcome the opportunity to vindicate myself (and my mother).'
' I look at her place in my life as a loving grandparent who only wanted the best for me in my life and would do anything to help me get it. Which she did.' Seen here in 2010
The case was eventually dismissed, with the court citing a lack of evidence as the reason.
Fairplay went on to appear on other shows, including Survivor: Micronesia, The Celebrity Newlywed Game, Celebrity Poker Showdown, Celebrity Fear Factor, Pawn Stars, and Camp Reality.
He legally changed his birth name to his stage name, Jonny Fairplay, in 2013 and became a professional wrestler.
In recent years, Fairplay settled in Danville, Virginia, with his second wife, Caryn Finkbeiner, and their two young daughters.
He currently co-hosts the podcast Reality After Show.
