Meet the 'Survivor 46' Cast! Soda Thompson Wants to Provide Morale, Not Leadership
Soda Thompson
Forgive the pun, but Soda Thompson is sweetness incarnate. The 27-year-old's infectious energy and boisterous attitude make her a portable light source, something she hopes to bring to Survivor during its darkest days. That optimism comes out of necessity, as she parlayed a dysfunctional childhood into a passion for children and education. But don't get it twisted; the special education teacher is seated and ready to go to the head of the island class. And she already has some possible friends–and enemies–pinging on her "Sodar."
Read on for my interview with Soda, and check in with Parade.com daily for interviews with this season's contestants and other tidbits. Survivor 46 premieres on February 28 with a two-hour premiere on CBS.
Related: Meet the Full Cast of Survivor 46
Interview with Soda from Survivor 46
To start, give me your name, age, and occupation.
Hi, my name is Soda. I'm 27 years old, and I'm a teacher. I teach elementary school special education.
Did you always teach special education?
I didn't always teach special ed. I didn't always teach at all. I just found myself later on in life finding this as a passion. I was a camp counselor and a director of summer camp. But since college. I mean, I guess that's where you start working.
Have you just always been interested in working with children?
No, honestly. I was so against working with kids when I was younger because I had a really dysfunctional, tumultuous childhood. So I didn't really like kids, because I didn't really like myself. But I found working with students to be really healing, and they're actually super awesome. And I can't imagine not working with them.
From the limited scope I've had talking with teachers, I do feel like it's an opportunity to learn a lot about yourself through the lens of interacting with students, especially at such a foundational age as elementary school.
Yes, it's 100% foundational. They need to learn real people skills as soon as they're out of the womb. Like communication, like advocacy for themselves. It's so important. So I'm there to give them that push they need and the tools they need to be independent with that kind of thing.
So then, what has led to you becoming a Survivor student? What made you decide to want to apply?
Oh my goodness. I've been playing Survivor in real life for my whole life. So, this seems like the ultimate hero's journey for me. I've been picking up pieces of myself from all over the world and all over different places and putting my puzzle together. And I know there's a piece out here somewhere, and I'm ready to find her. Maybe she's wrapped up inside an idol, who knows. [Laughs.]
[Laughs.] You might be manifesting something!
Oh, I'm all about manifesting! The universe has brought me through so many things. So I am so glad to be here. I feel like I belong here.
Can you elaborate on what you meant when you said you've been playing Survivor your whole life?
I mean, I grew up in a really dysfunctional household. The person raising me dealt with mental health challenges. I didn't know my dad; he battled with addiction. I know that because my biological mother battled with addiction. And I found him recently, and he confirmed that for me. So, from a young age, I kind of had to just make my own way. But I fell into education as a way to be myself outside of this kind of dysfunction in my home. So that's how I was able to free myself, and also why I have a passion for education, because I've just always loved going to school. It was my way out.
How long have you been watching Survivor?
I came into it maybe four years ago. I've been binging every season ever since. And it's just something that I'm hooked on. Every time that a season comes out, I'm right there. I'm ready, spaghetti. I love Survivor, the thrill of it. And I love talking [expletive] from my couch. But also, I'm gonna go do it. You know what I mean? I'm not necessarily talking [expletive], but being like, "Okay, this is what I would do. Oh, see, that makes sense. I would totally align with that group of people. Why is she doing that? Is she crazy?" And now I'm gonna figure out why she's doing that, whoever that is, because I'm out here doing it myself. [Laughs.]
Well, let's look back on the past. Give me one Survivor winner and one non-winner you identify with the most.
Non-winner, Karla, because she's so badass. And she's a bigger woman. I've always been a bigger girl. My body weights fluctuated so much. But she came, and she conquered. "What about the big girls?" And she's super sociable, sassy, and spicy. And I just really identify with that. And a winner, I don't know. Everyone's gonna say I look like Maryanne. I really feel like that's going to happen. Because we're giggly and bubbly, and I feel like we have the same cheeks. We always have our mouths open. I feel like we look alike, even though she's a lot younger than I am. Socially, she's really likable. And so that's something that I feel like I have really strong social skills. And social skills like Shan, too. She's so calculated, but she's an active listener. And that's going to be my keystone to my game, which is just actively listening and trying to fit into all these different groups of people that are forming.
Would you say that's the biggest superpower you're bringing into the game?
Oh, 100% my social skills. I will crack jokes. I will find the perfect little moment to crack a joke make someone laugh and ease the tension. And they'll be like, "Ooh, I want Soda around." And I'm like, "Yeah, you do!"
On the other hand, what's your biggest piece of kryptonite?
Oh, gosh, you know what? I feel like I don't know how I'll do physically. Even though I feel like I'm a strong person. Something that really gets under my skin is the repetition of the same thing over and over again. That'll piss me off. Or like staring into my soul, which people are already doing. I'm like, "Can you please stop?"
Who's doing that?
Everyone! I'll literally be minding my business, and they'll be like…[Stares intensely.] I'm just like, "Oh my God." But, also, I'm an empath. So, feeling is a really big part of who I am as a person. I use feeling to educate me on how to interact with other people, and to learn about other people. So that could end up being an Achilles heel. I'm not going to make emotional decisions, but I'm going to use emotion to get the information I need to inform my decisions, if that makes sense. Or at least I'm going to try my best.
You talk about using your feelings to get to know others. Do you feel that will impair your ability to crush people's dreams to better your game?
No. You have to have some sort of mantra to put you on autopilot, in a sense. "It's a game. It's a game. It's a game. It's a game." As much as that hurts, and it's crushing, and I don't understand that yet, I will be crushing someone's dream or someone will be crushing my dream or whatever, knock on wood. You have to remember that it's a game, and we're pawns in a game. And, at the end, someone's going to win a million. I'm really trying to make that be me. And hopefully, everybody can respect that so that we all come out of it feeling betrayed, but being like, "Good [expletive] move. Amen."
What's your favorite moment in Survivor history?
Jesse and Cody, man! When Jesse was like, [Holds her breath.] and Cody was like, "[Pause.] Alright, I'm gonna dap you up." That, to me, is Survivor. That's so good. Or Drea, when she got voted out, and she was like, "Ahhhh!" She was celebrating and laughing, and everybody was almost hugging. That, to me, is like, "Let's do it." I might hate you if you vote me out. But we're gonna hug at the end of this. It's gonna be amazing.
What are you looking for in an alliance partner? Are you seeking something similar to what Jesse and Cody had?
Honestly, I'm coming in trying to be as flexible as possible. I feel like that's another one of my strengths is I'm adaptable. So, I need to be able to honestly move between alliances when it's necessary. I mean, riding an alliance to the end can work out. We saw it with Tika. But also I feel like fluidity makes other people in different groups like you more, or have knowledge of your game more, which is also really important. So I mean, of course, I'd like to have somebody who'll stick to the side of me. But somebody who's so aligned with me that we can both be like, "Alright, I need to go tag on this person. I need to go tag on that person." I'm describing a perfect Survivor world. Probably not gonna happen, but we'll see.
You're all about manifesting, though! Let's make that perfect world happen.
Yes I am, honey! I'm here right now. Come on. Anything good happens, I'm up for it.
You talk about being compared to Maryanne. How do you think you'll be perceived in this game?
I think people are gonna think I'm funny, that I crack a lot of jokes. I have to be careful with that. Because if people think I'm looking to be funny and looking to be sociable too much, then that could be perceived as a threat or annoying. It could go either way, social contract. But I think people are going to perceive me as smart, calculating, and adept. I'm not going to try to hide necessarily all of my wits, because I want people to see me as useful as contributing something. And we'll see how I do in challenges. I personally think I'm strong. I can hold a lot of weight, things like that. But I've never run a Survivor challenge. So we'll see what happens when I get out there. And that will also alter people's perception of me, probably.
Let's talk about some of these people who have been giving you intense stares in the preseason. Who are you getting good vibes from?
I'm a vibe person. My "Sodar" is always looking for things that are going on.
Sodar?!
100%. She's a real thing. My "Sodar" has antennae. My feelers go out, and I'm like, "What is that I smell? Oh, you flipped your hair a certain way. You looked at me with a little side smile. Love it. We're gonna do that again later. We did it three times? [Claps hands.] Perfect." There's [this one], she's so beautiful. She was wearing orange pants and a cute little white top. I vibe her so hard. We are always smiling at each other, which is really hard because we're really not supposed to be letting each other in too much. But I would totally align with her.
Who else was I really feeling? There's this chick who's dressed so wildly. She came in with a Fresh Prince of Bel-Air shirt on the first day. She's got this headband around her head and glasses on and curly red hair, really vibe her. Because the first time I looked at her, she was like…[Grins wildly.] And I was like, "Oh, yeah, you're my people." We have a really hard time with poker faces, but we have to bring it in.
You're not saying, "Yo homes, smell ya later" to her.
No, no, no. And then there's this Black guy. I can say that because I'm Black. He's got blonde braids. He's amazing-looking. He is so giggly. His skin is like porcelain. And he's just bumping, listening to his own music in his head. I want to know what you're listening to. I need to know that. So yeah, these are people I'm sussing out. And I think everyone's just so beautiful. I just want to go, "Oh my God, you look so great. Oh my God, tell me where you're from. Tell me about your whole life." So I'm ready to do that.
On the other side, is there anyone you're not getting those good vibes from?
There's this one guy that I don't really know about. I'm trying not to prejudge. But he seems like that kind of guy that likes to be known and in the center. He's got curly black hair, like a full black beard with a mustache. I don't know. I'm not trying to prejudge, but he just seems like he's cool and he's sweet. But he's also saying a lot of things every now and then. We're not supposed to talk. So I'm like, "Huh, wow. Why are you trying to make your voice audible? Where's it coming from?" Oh my god. He's one of those intense stare people. And I see him intensely staring at other people. In New York, you don't do that! You get hit, you get pushed. You do not do that in New York. And I'm from New York. We do not do that. And I know we're all trying to sus each other out. I'm probably doing it, but I'm at least trying to make sure it's in passing. Stop for a second, park, pass, run. That's already annoying me. Like I said, it was a pet peeve. It's already getting on my nerves.
[Author's note: The contestant Soda was describing was an alternate cast member for 46 and ultimately did not make the season's final cast.]
What's your preparation been like for Survivor?
It's been really introspective, internal. My whys, thinking about why I'm here, making sure I'm ready to be alone and getting comfortable with my inner love and inner monologue, which I do. Anyway, I'm very weird. I talk to myself all the time. Did a lot of fire making, a lot of swimming. Got a pass for the YMCA, was swimming all the time, with and without a cap. Very different, by the way, swimming with a swim cap and without. I'm working out a lot, bodyweight stuff. Just trying to get comfortable with those moments where I want to stop. I've been explicitly pushing myself to moments where it feels like I'm gonna die. And I'm like, "Keep going." I've been doing that in a lot of my workouts just to get comfortable, being like, "I cannot take a break." So that's been a big part of it.
Related: Everything to Know About Survivor 46
Let's say a boat shows up at your camp on Day 2, asking one person to go on a journey. How would you approach the situation?
I feel like you have to do some sort of thing that looks like you're not trying too hard. So get white rocks and a black rock or draw sticks or something. That's my go-to. Because if I volunteer, it's all eyes on me now. And I don't know if that early in the game I would do that. Talk to me maybe 7, 8, 9 days in, I would do that.
Talk to me about advantages in general. Are you actively looking for them?
Oh, yes. But I have to be really strategic about it. And I want to make sure I go in a group, but we fan out a little bit. Because you can't go off by yourself, you just can't. But I'm definitely going to be looking 100% for advantages, 100% for idols. But I'm going to be really wary, because with idols, there's so much fake stuff going around. Even if I did find an idol, I'd probably be excited and be like, "It might be fake." So I'm gonna just I'm gonna kind of act low-key and pretend like I don't have it. And if I play it one day, and it doesn't work, and I go out, that's it. Anything can happen. There's so much fake stuff out there.
I'm obsessed with the idea of, true to you being a teacher and camp counselor, being like, "Okay, everybody. We're doing a group activity and looking for the idol together!"
[Laughs.] I would love that. I have to keep that part of me reserved. I'm a real step-up, step-back person. I am a leader at heart. But I also know when to give other people agency and stuff. Again, it's the camp director/teacher in me. So, in a perfect world, I'd love to be like, "So what should we do? What's everybody's name? How are we doing?" Totally lead this whole thing? But I can't do that.
It's interesting, though. Because morale is something that can certainly be necessary out here during some very low moments.
See, morale is different than leading. Morale, I feel, is something like, "Come on guys. We did our best." Or, "How are you feeling about XY?" Starting conversations, probing, I'm great at that. And I definitely for morale. I'll be that cheerleader 100%. But leading people explicitly in directions, I don't know if I always want to be in that seat.
Let's talk about decision-making. Do you have a typical process when making an important choice in your life?
You know what? I think gut and intuition are a collection of previous experiences that are similar. So it kind of educates your stomach and sets your "Sodar"--in my case–off. It's not just a moment thing. It's a collection of experiences. So, I definitely think I'm a gut person at first. But I also sit there and take the time to calculate any questions I have. Maybe my gut says. I don't have enough information. I need to ask questions, whether it's to myself–Do I really want to do this?--or to other people or other situations. Or draw back on my past. What are some missing pieces here? Okay, informed decision, we can go.
Is there a decision in Survivor history that you remember vehemently disagreeing with?
What was his name? Oh my God, from [season 43], I can't remember. He went around telling everybody he had Knowledge is Power, which just took away the knowledge from the Knowledge is Power. I was like, "Why are you doing that?!" He was like, "I don't know if you know, but I have Knowledge is Power." Why would you do that? That's a poor decision. Actually, it's not one poor decision. It's multiple poor decisions. Why are you doing that?
What's your hottest Survivor take?
I'd bring back the auction! [It's] gone. I really, really want it to come back. And I saw a gavel in the preview of season 45. So maybe that means something, I don't know.
What's your dream auction item?
Spaghetti and bolognese with a glass of red wine. With garlic bread that's chewy. I'm weird; I don't like crispy stuff. With butter. Mmm, got me tittilated!
What celebrity or fictional character would you want to come out for a Loved Ones visit?
Sandra. [Laughs.] I just need her to say, "The queen stays queen." I need her to be in my presence. I want to hug her.
What is it about Sandra that draws you to her?
The personality and her overall demeanor got her to win twice. That's some badass [expletive]. I just want to be next to her. See how she moves; see her vibes. Definitely somebody I would want. Or Whitney Houston, because I love her. [Laughs.] RIP. She just popped into my head. Two very different people. But Whitney, God bless her soul.
Finally, what's your emotional cocktail right now? How are you feeling as the big day gets closer and closer?
I belong here. I feel like I'm ready. I feel like I'm just down to connect. It is so hard being in lockdown, not being able to talk to people. My soul is itching. If anything proves, we are wired for human connection and love and belonging. It's absolutely ingrained in our DNA. And this experience of not being able to come out of my shell yet is so unlike me. I'm like, "Wow, that's a lot of stuff I'm saying in my head to myself. I want to talk to people and hug people." So, I'm ready to get going.
Next, check out our interview with Survivor 46 contestant Randen Montalvo.
