Survivor’s [Spoiler] Details the One Merge Mistake That ‘Bit Me in the Butt’
The following contains spoilers from Wednesday’s episode of Survivor 47.
The Survivor auction returned this week, and while it’s always a hoot watching players lose their minds over Applebee’s burgers, peanut butter and margaritas, the game was still afoot — and for one player, chips and guac would become her last meal in the game.
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At the top, the big question was: Would Gata and Lavo team up to take Tuku out? It looked like a distinct possibility. But after Sue and Kyle both won individual immunity, the tables started to turn against the former Gata members, as a majority of the cast continued growing wary over Sierra and Sam’s close-knit bond. After the first vote came back as a tie between the two friends, a unanimous revote sent Sierra on her way to Ponderosa, where she became the first member of the Season 47 jury. (Read a full recap here.)
Below, Sierra talks to TVLine about where she went wrong with Andy, why her friendship with Sam made her a target and what we didn’t see at the auction.
TVLINE | When the first vote came through and it was a 4-4 tie for you and Sam, what was going on in your head?
SIERRA WRIGHT | I was nauseous. I was like, “This cannot be freaking happening.” And as soon as you hear your name — and that was the first time I heard my name put down at Tribal — you’re just filled with so many different emotions and I already knew. I just had that feeling. I’m like, “Oh, I’m a goner.” I just had that intuition and in that moment, I was kind of just in disbelief.
TVLINE | We saw so many conversations about Lavo potentially joining up with Gata to target the former Tukus. Why do you think that ultimately never came to fruition?
Ultimately, it was once we started to see Andy and Genevieve form that little alliance that they had going on. I think Andy was just pushing to separate Sam and I, and that’s why it never really came to life. I know Teeny and I had formed a great relationship. Even with Sol, it was shocking to hear him throwing my name out there because I felt really good with Sol. Genevieve, unfortunately we just definitely never clicked. We didn’t really game together. But I think Andy just was like, “You know what? I’m ready for revenge. I’m coming after Sierra and Sam. They doubted me for so long in this game,” which also, it’s kind of hurtful to hear because I didn’t exactly doubt Andy. I think you hear me talk negatively and just say, “Oh, he’s a sloppy player, this and that,” but Andy knew that himself. Maybe that was a part of his strategy. But I just think he steered that. He steered Lavo against Sam and I at that time.
TVLINE | How far would you have taken Andy in the game?
I would have taken Andy until I felt he was dangerous to my game. Lo and behold, he was dangerous for me, but I felt like he was bringing the information. I still felt good. I think we definitely lost our relationship in the merge. I let him slip through the cracks because I didn’t touch base with him as much and I went into the merge. I was like, “I gotta continue to talk with Andy, touch base, see where his head’s at.” And I just got too ahead of making other relationships and alliances with other members, and that kind of came and bit me in the butt.
TVLINE | Why do you think the group voted for you instead of Sam on the revote?
It’s a great question, Nick, because that’s what I’m living with. Why me over Sam? Of course, once you’re out of the game, you get explanations as to why. You kind of get that answer. I know Kyle was mentioning that he felt I was the glue between Rachel and Sam. He wanted them as two vulnerable individual players. And then you get the meat shield explanation. That’s why the guys wanted to keep him around. I know Andy thought strategically long term he could work better with Sam. But in that moment and even watching it back, I don’t understand. I don’t think it even makes sense, but, you know, it’s the game of Survivor. I don’t think it’s ever gonna make sense.
TVLINE | This perceived showmance with Sam. Even after the record was set straight, why did people continue to judge you two as such a tight pair?
It’s another great question. Based on when Kyle and Rome jumped off the boat at the journey and were like, “Sam and Sierra, I think those two are people to watch.” What gave them that reasoning? We’ve only been on the mat together. They see us from a distance. I’m not really sure other than [it was] just based off of perception and appearance. Back at Gata, we made it a point to not really communicate. I almost had Anika and Rachel fooled that we didn’t know each other. I feel like Rachel, Sam and Anika had a much closer relationship than Sam and I ever did on the island. So Anika and Rachel actually forced me and Sam to go on a walk, have a conversation and try to get to know one another. But little did they know, that was dangerous. You’re sending me out with Sam and we’re just gonna end up strategizing what vote is next. But yeah, I’m not sure. I thought we did a good job of just being kind of under the radar and low-key but I think it was more so just people looked at appearances and things like that unfortunately.
TVLINE | I want to touch on the auction a bit. Tell me, how good did those chips taste with that salsa, guac and margarita?
Well, I was a little spoiled because I did get to be a part of like the merge feast, and then I had the barbecue. But even with that aside, I freaking love Mexican. It gave me a sense of being at home because that’s what I do with my girlfriends and my boyfriend. We go out and we’re just like, “Let’s go get margs.” I seriously felt like I was at home and that was an indescribable feeling, just my first bite into the salt and my first sip of the margarita. One, and I was buzzed. That typically takes me two or three, but that one sip I was like, “that’s good ass margarita.”
TVLINE | Was there anything we didn’t see that went down at the auction?
When it comes to who I shared the chocolate and the peanut butter with… so it randomly is just like, “Alright, Gabe and Caroline come on up,” [but] Jeff and I talked about it. He would ask questions, like, “Why would you choose Gabe and Caroline?” Because then you see Andy there with no money and this is one of my alliance members. So it didn’t really make sense watching it back, but I knew Gabe and Caroline both got very unlucky at the auction. I hadn’t really formed a good bond with any of the Tuku members, so this was my way of thinking, “You know, food brings happiness. Let me try to start and at least be making some moves on the Tukus.” I thought that would have been a good step.
TVLINE | If Kyle hadn’t won immunity, do you think your fate would’ve been different?
I actually do because a lot of us were talking, like Teeny, Sam, Rachel and I, and a lot of others sounded like they were on board, but it was almost guaranteed. We were like, “If Kyle loses immunity, that is all of our opportunity to get him out,” because we knew he was a challenge beast. He would just keep going and going. And we knew you didn’t want to sit at the end with Kyle. He’s such a great family man.
He would take it all, so absolutely. He was on the list. The second Kyle loses, we’ve got to get him out.
TVLINE | Who do you feel most betrayed by and why?
Initially Andy. Looking back, obviously now there’s been some time in between the game, but it did hurt because I think, again, you see me saying, “Oh, he’s a sloppy player, this and that,” but I did stay loyal to Andy. I would continue to bring him information and I would have gone farther in the game with him. Even though we used him as a decoy vote, we knew he wasn’t going to go home at that time, so that was just a name to toss and that was a way for them to not think that Andy and I were working together.
TVLINE | What’s something that we didn’t see on TV that you wish was shown?
When it comes back to the Anika vote, a lot of people are now like, “Oh, well, it bit you in the ass. You kept Andy. If you kept Anika, your game could have been different.” I don’t really know how much truth that holds. I feel like there were times in the game, like I’ve said, when Anika found an advantage with Sam, Sam, Rachel, Anika and I are sitting in the water. I’m like, “Anika, did you happen to find anything with Sam when you guys were out looking?” And she straight up was like, “No, we didn’t find anything.”
And at that point, I already knew that they found something. So there were multiple little checks that I did to see if the trust would lie there with Anika. [There were] lots of red flags and they didn’t really show that, which is kind of upsetting because, for me, it wasn’t an easy decision to choose Andy over Anika. I didn’t really have much of a choice. I was in a really tough situation there, but ultimately I knew Anika would burn me at some point later in the game.
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