Andrea Boehlke Talks Survivor 50 Ep 2

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Coming to you live from my apartment.

It's Rob has a podcast.

And now here is a man who's proud to say no gastrointestinal distress over here.

I'm Rob Cisternino, hello everybody.

And I'm so excited to have the chance to talk to this person.

What a homecoming this is.

Somebody who has quietly racked up so many Rob is a podcast appearances over the years.

Please welcome back.

Of course, we know her as a three-time legend of survivor,

but I know her as mis-survivor.

Please welcome in.

It's Andrea Balky.

Andrea, how are you?

Hello.

Oh my gosh, it's so nice to see you.

It's been a while.

It's incredible to see you.

You look fantastic.

And it's such a nice thing about survivor 50 that we get to catch up with so many old friends.

Yeah, I haven't been on the podcast in a while,

but do you know how many podcasts that we've done together?

Oh, I would guess well into double digits.

I don't know off the top of my head.

Yeah.

Do you know?

Do you have a list?

I don't what?

Do you have a list?

Do you know?

No, I have no idea.

I just thought like Rob, isn't there like Rob?

You have like a fact checker.

Well, let's see if the fact checker can pull this up because

you came in at the, like this is like Malcolm Gladwell could talk about this,

that you came in at the perfect time to really

stockpile a number of opposite podcasts appearances.

Yeah, I mean, I kind of look at that as the good old days, you know?

Yeah.

You know, it's like the heyday for my survivor career.

You were a staple always going on checking in with you, giving you the scoop.

The tea.

Yeah, I'm still bummed that you don't do that anymore.

You couldn't handle the drama or what?

There was a lot of drama that came out of that.

Do you think we should bring it back?

Do you think that, like, but because now because people love drama,

now I think it would be maybe that we could like steer into it.

I think you could because there was, I do feel like with online commentary,

there was a time where I strayed really far away from the drama because I was really in it.

And then I hated having anything negative about me.

And now I'm kind of getting back into it.

Yeah.

Where I don't really have a lot of haters anymore.

But I said no to a lot of podcasts, not because I was afraid of haters,

but I just didn't want to stir anything up.

And now I'm not a, I don't really care.

Yeah.

You need a little bit of heat to keep people interested.

So maybe it might be a good time to bring it back.

It's a different time because now any heat is just a flash in the pan.

No one cares.

They move on.

Don't be cares.

Yeah, you have a controversy.

You just move on.

And so that's I think that people like they're looking for.

If it's too boring, they don't care.

Yeah.

Yeah, I got to keep them hooked.

Oh, okay.

I mean, I've resigned.

I was Mr. Viber once.

I don't, I'm not going to try out again.

We got beyond survivor.

Those are the rules.

We have to come back.

Oh, okay.

Yeah.

Now three times wasn't enough.

Three, I guess.

I mean, you have a legacy.

Maybe we could just come back as like the first one.

It's like, okay, we've missed all this time.

Maybe like let's bring in a legacy,

Mr. Viber to start it back up.

Yeah, yeah.

Okay.

Now, speaking of going back on survivor,

can you tell me did they call you for survivor 50?

I did get a call, like an initial call,

which was shocking.

Yeah, why is it shocking?

I don't know.

I mean, I think that I know that survivor people will say I'm a legend,

but I just don't really see myself in that sphere.

But I think who was cast?

I'm like, oh, I could have easily been there.

Easily, easily, and especially that one of the complaints about season 50

has been that there's nobody from the 20s who they brought back,

really from that whole era that you're talking about,

that early days of Rob is a podcast.

No you, no Malcolm, nobody from anything in the 20s.

And it is like a hole in what they put together.

I would have loved to see Malcolm out there.

I think for me, I mean, they cast three people from Game Changers.

I think casting out the person from Game Changers

wasn't going to happen.

But it is weird for me watching and going,

I could have easily been out there.

If Aubrey or Ozzy, I mean, obviously,

to reach next level.

But it was interesting because I'm like, wow,

I actually could have been out there.

They, so they called me and I was like, oh my gosh,

it can not believe this is a possibility.

And I'm at a place in my life where I would play again.

I'm not dying to play again.

I think it's what you want, what you need.

What I want to play again?

Sure, do I need to?

No.

And for my sanity, it's probably better

if I don't go back on reality TV.

But I did say yes because that's just such a hard thing

to pass up and then didn't really hear anything back.

There was a confusion because I think I confused people

on Instagram.

I got just a barrage of people asking

if I was contacted for 50.

If I was bummed, I wasn't on the cast.

I had so many people say I'm so sorry, you're not cast.

And I made like an Instagram post saying just,

hey, I did get a call but honestly,

you don't have to feel bad for me.

I'm so happy to watch my friends

and I don't really need to play again.

And then I think people interpreted that as I passed it up

because now I have all these people saying,

I can't believe you turned it down.

Like I didn't, but I think it's just,

I'm super happy for them.

But knowing how much it takes out of you,

just mentally, physically, emotionally,

it's not a big deal for me.

Well, it would have been great to have seen you go back.

And I would have told you definitely go back

if you wanted to.

Yeah, let's not let the people forget.

That when I was contacted for game changers,

every season, I guess I told you about it or something.

I think it was like widely circulating

like what the cast list was.

It was like the rumor mill was really firing up.

And I think that I feel like that people just knew

who was gonna be on game changers.

Yeah, and then you reached out and you said,

you're not going on game changers.

I didn't, so when you were doing the people.com

in the morning, not the pen fan forum

that I had come on to talk about whatever season

was like leading up to that.

And I told you, I was like,

Hey, Andrew, you've got all this going on.

What do you need to go back?

And I always, one of my biggest professional regrets

was that I thought like what do you like

even getting involved in Andrew's business?

But it really was from a place of that.

I was felt like, you know, you had so much going on.

Like what do you, you could go and have a bad experience

and then you're like, why did I leave this?

Oh my gosh, you don't have to keep that

as one of your professional regrets.

It was, I feel very stupid about that

that I was like, you know, giving bad advice to people.

And I just feel like, hey, if that's what you want,

you know, go do it, you know, you only live once.

Yeah, I mean, it worked out for me

by totally understanding where you were coming from.

That was also what, 10 years ago,

so it was a different time.

And I was really bringing out and doing all my celebrity TV

stuff and like really becoming my own as a host.

And that was a time where I feel like

you kind of had to separate yourself from survivor

a little bit to be taken seriously

in the TV world.

Now everything's different and everyone's

on a million reality shows.

And so the whole, you know, media landscape

has changed so much in the last 10 years.

So now it's kind of like, do whatever.

For cares, whatever.

And then like use whatever you can

and it'll all work out, but that was a different time.

And also I think, you know, I was getting opinions

from other people.

I think my parents didn't want me to play again.

So there was other people that also were in my ear.

So it's not, yeah, I don't really think too much about that.

Okay, well, what are you working on these days?

What do you, have you been busy with?

Well, so I kind of view my career as I've,

I climbed the ladder so hard in New York.

And I've done the coolest things ever.

I mean, you know, I worked for People magazine

for seven years and interviewed everybody,

Robert Niro Brad Pitt, all of that.

Did, I still do New Year's Eve in Times Square

for the ball drop, did stuff for Good Morning America.

Like I've had such a fun life and career.

Now I'm on the come down.

So I am not climbing the ladder.

I'm just focused on being happy.

I'm still super busy and I'm only working in TV media.

So that's so cool.

And I'm so grateful that that's even possible

because I'm back in Wisconsin.

So I host a TV show out here called Discover Wisconsin.

I host and produce a Wisconsin podcast.

I mean, Wisconsin.

Yeah, I see the clips of it.

Yeah, it's doing well.

It looks great.

Yeah, and if you're, if you like Wisconsin,

then it's for you.

It's very niche, but that's been going so well.

And then just like random stuff, you know,

I've been filming a movie in April.

I just shot a commercial in Florida.

So I still audition a lot.

I've kind of just sprinkling in like a more of a steady job

with the podcasts and the TV shows out here,

but then also taking other opportunities that come my way.

So honestly, I think this is the happiest and most stable

I've been maybe in my life.

So that's why when Survivor 50 was an option,

yes, I would do it, but I'm just so happy.

And I finally feel like my life kind of just started in a way

because I just dealt with so much mental health stuff

in my late 20s and when I was on Survivor

that now I'm like, wow, I'm so happy.

And I'm maybe doing less cool stuff than I used to do,

but it's just really the the age old tale, you know,

that the most money, like the year I made the most money

and did the coolest stuff in the biggest interviews,

I was extremely depressed.

So now like maybe my stuff's not as cool, but I love it.

But cool in whose eyes, you know, it's like, okay,

oh, that people that you don't really know

are gonna be more impressed with things

that weren't making you happy.

Like that's not the right way to go.

So yeah, so very happy to hear that for you.

And I know you have some survivor stuff going on locally

that next week, from what I understand,

you have a huge event coming up where you're gonna be

welcoming one of the cast members of Survivor 50.

Dragon Slayer coming to Milwaukee.

Yeah, so I've been doing watch parties in Milwaukee.

When I, I think I started them a few years ago,

just kind of casually put it on my Instagram story.

There's a, like any city,

there's a huge fan base of Survivor Watchers.

And we do these parties and then it's kind of built into,

sometimes they'll do a bigger event like one a year.

So this year, Coach is coming in.

It's gonna be a watch party of season 50

and then a concert with Coach and Ben Katzman,

because they're starting their tours

playing across America tour.

Then a DJ set by DJ Jerry Manthy.

Wow.

Killer lineup.

Yes, wow.

Coach and Jerry reunited from Heroes versus Villains.

I mean, that's gonna be quite a lineup.

It's gonna be so fun.

Maybe my last event, because it is a lot to plan.

Would you perform musically?

Do I?

Yeah.

No.

But I juggle.

That's.

Yeah, I have a lot of skills, like a party tricks,

like the worm, as you know,

I've been struggling, the splits, back,

stuff like that, which I'm always willing to whip out.

I mean, there's always like, with these events,

you know how it goes.

I'm like super stressed out about the projector.

And I'm like, if the projector just stops working

with 350 people,

listen, you need to tell me about that.

Like I will be putting on a show.

Hmm.

Okay, well, let's get into the show

that we are here to talk about.

And Survivor 50, I've just really enjoyed

this first four and a half hours of Survivor 50.

What's been your experience with the kickoff of Survivor 50?

I love it.

I think it's so good.

It's so funny.

I overall, I love it.

I think it's pop in.

I think I have a probably similar take

as a lot of super fans is I just don't need

as many of the twists or like this swap coming up.

Like I want to see now the relationships they build,

but besides that, I just think it's super fun.

Does this in any way feel like game changers

where that was another season that you were in

with all these old returning players

who've come back from the new school

and the old school coming back together in any way?

It does feel like game changers

because you have legends and then you have people

that only played once.

It's kind of a weird mix up.

I kind of felt like the game changers cast

where you're like, okay, so Surrey's here and JT

and then Sierra Don Thomas who played once

and wasn't like a huge, huge character.

So it's kind of like this mix of like,

what is this season?

But for game changers,

I just remember and Jeff told us the theme.

I was like, what?

Game.

And then all the interviews were like,

how'd you change the game?

And I'm like, I went home with an idol.

Like I don't know if that's like really game changing.

But it was like, it's an interesting mix up of people.

For sure.

But this season, I do feel like that the players

seem like they're having so much fun.

And it's such a mishmash of everybody.

But I really feel like that the players are having fun

and the show I feel like is having fun giving us

a lot of these character moments of these players

where I feel like it hasn't been so much game

in the early going of the season.

Is that how you felt?

Yeah, I mean, that's what makes Surrey the best.

I feel like the first episode,

I was watching with a group of people

so I wasn't like a booth and maybe I wasn't a giggle bubble.

But I was like laughing so hard.

I was like, my bike face was hurting.

I'm like, is this actually this funnier

or are we just like caught in a giggle bubble?

Like I just thought it's like highlighting all of the characters.

So I think it's, they're doing such a good job

showing the personalities.

I really feel like it's been maybe the calm before the storm

because when we take a look at this and now,

of course, we're in the new era

where it's only a 26 day season

and we're six days into Survivor 50

and only three people at home

and we even had a medical evacuation.

We would have had only two people have gone home.

I like what they've done here

where I feel like they're letting the players

get to know each other and play

and then I wonder at some point,

are we just going to have to increase the speed

in which people are going home?

Yeah, I mean, yeah, probably it's probably gonna be less fun

I think as we go on.

Yeah.

I know that was the answer to your question.

No, I just, I think that this is really like

the nice happy time and maybe we'll look back at this

where it's going to really turn into this war of attrition

very soon in the game

and I feel like that we have how many days to get rid of,

I don't know, like 18, 19 people.

Yeah, I mean, that's kind of where like,

I'm kind of bound to see that there's a preview

that there's a swap because then it's just gonna be

a little bit like luck.

Yeah.

I don't love, but that is kind of the new era thing

where it's like a lot is more luck-based

than maybe, you know, older survivor.

But yeah, I feel like once we swap

and then it's just gonna be kind of like,

they're gonna have to speed it up.

Yeah, can you remind me in game changers,

I remember that there was, it was like a,

I think it was just a two-hour episode to start that off,

but there was, I think Sierra went home

and Tony went home and then there was a swap

and then you all swapped to, was it too true?

Did you stay in two tribes and you go to three tribes

after that?

So this is why I've been avoiding Rava's podcast

for years now. You don't remember.

I have the memory of a goldfish.

Like you'd be better having like super fan representing me

on this podcast, let me think though.

So we did, we did swish into three tribes.

Yeah, it's okay, yeah, that makes sense.

Yeah.

We'll know when we, yeah, maybe Brandon can pop on.

I believe we swapped into three tribes

and then we swapped back into two right before March.

Okay, yeah.

So when you have these groups and where you were in the group

that didn't even go to a tribal council, right?

And now you go into a swap.

How are you, are these players that kind of know each other

from the outside, but how would you think

they're gonna approach a swap?

Well, I think in all these returning seasons,

there is the element of pre-gaming

and people that kind of know each other.

So even just at the basic level of over friends on Instagram,

I think like if you have anything connecting you,

it's you have an advantage over other people

that have never met that maybe even aren't on social media.

Like someone like Colby's not gonna do great in a swap.

But somebody that's a little bit more active

and has been in the community,

probably is gonna have a huge advantage

because they've at least like associated

with some of these other people.

I mean, the swap's gonna be moving so fast

and it's just gonna be kind of like a luck

and who you can grab.

But then it comes down to social skills.

So still have to kind of work your way into it.

Well, I would love to know if you have any thoughts

on how these players approach this pre-gaming

where I almost feel like that the older school players

put more stock into it than the newer school players do.

Interesting.

I don't know.

I would say I can't imagine Colby and Stephanie

did a ton of pre-gaming outside of pre-gaming together.

That would be my guess.

I would think though that, I don't know if I mean,

I think that, for example, on game changers,

now that's we're going back a bit.

But game changers, the final three, can I say this?

I don't know.

I mean, I think it's known.

Like Sarah, Trojan and Brad, they like apparently,

I'm gonna say allegedly in case I'm mad at me.

They all like met up before the season.

I think that's out there.

I think we heard that.

Yeah.

We've physically met up.

And so that was the final three.

It's kind of crazy.

Or I do think the seasons I've been on,

the people that pre-gain the most,

sometimes they can bite you.

But a lot of times it does help you.

You have to do some sort of pre-gaming

or you will be left behind.

So I'm imagining on this season,

there probably was a bit of it.

Now, of course, once the season starts,

it kind of helps, but also it all depends on dynamics.

I don't know how much the new school players

would abide to pre-gaming alliances,

but yeah, you can't have to hold it.

I mean, it's like your experience.

So the pre-gaming for the one season

that I went back on, it was definitely happening,

but I also feel like that nobody had ever played before

together in Survivor All-Stars.

So they had announced that they were gonna do

Survivor All-Stars than everybody was talking to everybody.

But then you had Boston Rob,

who was really the one person who didn't really put any stock

into the deals that were made for people.

And I don't know if it was necessarily deals,

but it was a little bit of like, hey, watch out for me,

you watch out, we'll work together.

And it was sort of more loosely based,

rather than I think that this is the alliance,

but I think that that was a lot of the drama

in that season where Lex felt like that Rob went back on

whatever sort of assurances he had had before the game

and in the game and Rob was like,

did you and Tom and Kathy have a deal beforehand?

And then they've always like denied that that was the case.

So there was definitely, it was a part of that season.

I mean, I will say on game changers,

I did way less than I did for the season

before fans for his favorites.

And I did pretty well.

So I would say, yeah, I'm game changers

because I didn't know that much of the cast.

So who did I even talk to?

I feel like Troy Zan, and I like FaceTime

a few times before game changers

and we didn't work together on the show.

So I think that it is kind of.

But he did take modeling pictures of you, right?

On the beach, click, click, click, click, yes.

Yes, the click, click.

But we've ever even worked together on the show.

So I probably talk.

So I feel like, yeah, sometimes it can go either way.

It can go either way.

So I don't know.

Sometimes I'm not too worried about the pre-gaming, yeah.

OK, so tell me where we saw Savannah be the player

who got voted out last week.

And then General Lewis, even before her,

who was kind of like, you had interesting

the person who was from the oldest season

and then the person from the newest season,

both were kind of left out in terms of talking

to anybody beforehand.

Do you feel like that Savannah was in a really bad spot

coming back, coming right off of playing in season 49?

Yeah, I mean, look, I really like Savannah.

I loved watching her games.

Fellow reporter.

Yes, fellow reporter.

I respect it.

I really like her.

She's a great character.

She's super smart.

She clocked three.

She knew exactly what three was doing.

I don't know if it was really the best

to have Savannah and Rizzo on, right away.

It's like two weeks.

How do you even get to reflect on your game?

And then she has a complete disadvantage

with people knowing she won.

And people don't know her game.

They don't trust her game.

She goes on the journey.

I think going on that journey just kind of seals the deal.

I really don't think she's still the chance.

And so I wish they would have cast somebody different.

Not that I don't want to see Savannah play again,

but just give something.

No, I come down on the same way

and nothing against Savannah.

We'll see how it goes for Rizzo.

But it seemed like that they were up against

so much opposition to come back

and nobody knew who they were.

And they could just do more returning player seasons.

And this isn't necessarily a new take or a hot take.

I've actually come around a little bit more

on the 48 people that are in the cast

where I was so impressed with what Kyle did.

I think that Joe is getting a lot of flack

and we'll talk about him.

But I think that he is an interesting player

that the other players are forced to work around.

I always think that's fun to have on the show.

And Camilla is very funny to watch.

So I don't have as much of an issue with the 48 people.

But to bring the 49 people right back

where they could just do more returning player seasons

instead of having, say, Marianne or Andy

or some, you know, Jesse or Carolyn.

Like there were other people that, you know,

weren't, wouldn't have come in so disadvantaged

that we could have brought back for season 50.

And we just saw them.

And look, I love big fans.

Savannah and Rizzo, yeah, really entertaining.

I want, I think they should have more returning seasons.

And this one as 50 should have been more legendary

mainstays of survivor.

I mean, yeah, you just listed somebody,

like Jerry Manthe would have been so good.

Yeah.

Yeah, Jesse, whatever, have with Carolyn.

Like there's just, yeah, everyone, I feel like that.

Yes, we're all on the same page with this.

But do you think that based off of the success

of season 50 so far, do you think that it's more likely

we're gonna get more returning player seasons?

I hope so.

I like returning seasons.

Yeah.

Because we already know the characters

and then we see them grow.

And I, yeah, I think so.

I mean, obviously everyone was super hyped for this

and CBS did a lot for it.

But I want to see more returning seasons.

There's so many, I sometimes think about this.

Even though part of me doesn't like

that I played survivor at 21, 23 and 26,

because before my personality was truly formed,

before my prefrontal cortex was formed,

and it wasn't like my true self.

I think after those seasons, I became more of who I am now.

So that, I kind of wish I had started

survivor maybe in my 30s.

However, if I didn't play back then,

I would not have played three times.

That's like, you look at someone even like,

I look at like Cassidy.

She had such a great story, similar player as me,

and like, we may never see her again.

So I am grateful that I got to play three times

and I think it only would have happened

playing in like the 20s, starting at like, 22.

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In Survivor Game Changers,

you had a very close relationship with Suri,

and we got to see Suri really on full display last night,

and we saw her go to work to try to help her new BFF Ozzy.

And it did seem like that the origins of that friendship

was happening in Survivor Game Changers,

and it's carried over to this season.

But we got to see Suri, who was in kind of a bad spot

last week, really take the lead based off

of what we saw in the show to make the case against Savannah.

What have you thought about watching Suri so far?

Oh my gosh, I just love Suri.

I mean, she was so fun to play with,

and that has gotten me a little nostalgic watching her

when she and Emily Flippin were on the hammock

plotting strategy.

I was like, oh, that used to be me.

Like we used to sit in the hammock and plot,

but I think she's so good.

I also recognize something when I played Game Changers,

I was very surprised with how when Suri strategizes,

it's like in front of everybody.

It was really shocking when it first happened.

Everyone could be around the campfire,

and she'll put her hand right here like she did on the show,

and she'll be like, are we gonna get JT out?

And you're like, what is right here?

Like, he's two feet away, and you're like, really like,

oh, okay, now it's happening.

So I did see a little bit of that as well,

but she's just so fun to work with.

I think with Suri, she's somebody that she's so,

she's somebody wanna get close to,

because she does respect having people in her alliance.

And I think people are so afraid of her,

but if you actually decide to align with her,

she won't just cut you for no reason.

So with Jenna going out and targeting her right away,

I'm like, Jenna could have just came to Suri

and been in her core group.

Suri's really fun to play with,

because she's not gonna just make a crazy big move decision

for just to do it.

She's actually like really would wanna work with you.

So yeah, I think the players that decide to kind of work

with her instead of like targeting her

are gonna go further.

Yeah, from watching her on Big Brother

and getting to see how she played even in that,

she seems like she likes to have like a group of people

to talk things through with.

And she's talked about you as being like a person

who she likes to have somebody who's like really

more of the strategy person that she can bounce at.

And you would think of Suri as the strategy person,

but I've heard her say this in interviews

that she likes to have like an Andrea or an Izzy

or somebody that she could really bounce

some of these ideas off of.

Yeah, I mean, she's very collaborative.

And so I see that the way she's strategizing with Emily

Flippin with other people, it reminded me of playing with her

and she's really fun to play with.

Now, she's very smart, so she could make it seem like,

oh, that was Andrea's idea to do that.

But I do think she hears you out

and she actually wants to work together as a group

and those are the people I like working with.

Like I don't want to work with somebody

a lot of the newer players, I feel like,

just for any rhyme or reason, they'll just flip.

Like I still will always kind of have more

of an old school approach.

Yeah.

I think Suri's definitely that.

Now in game changers, it was funny

because it was Suri, Ozzy, and me and Aubrey.

And Ozzy, we were working with him,

but Ozzy, I think at that point, still had a guard up.

He wanted to trust women in general,

like, you know, after he got totally like rex in the past.

Like he wanted to trust us,

but he was just like, I don't want to get burned again.

But we actually were, we were like down with Ozzy.

So I think with game changers, he learned,

oh, I actually can trust some people.

And then now we're seeing that come to fruition

where he had enough of that experience with Suri,

knowing, oh, wait, okay, we actually

are working together.

Because Ozzy and I, when we both got voted out,

I was like, Ozzy, I was working with you.

And he's like, well, I was working with you too.

I just, I didn't know, I wasn't like 100%.

I'm like, oh, I was like totally down with you.

So I think maybe now he's a little bit more eager

to like trust those relationships.

Then of course, you know, what happened

when Suri really got burned, but.

Well, here's Ozzy trusting in these relationships.

We saw Ozzy give his extra vote to Suri.

Did you think that that was a good move for Ozzy?

I tend to think yes in this situation.

I mean, Suri went out on a limb to save him.

And if I don't think at that point, I mean, I don't know.

It's something I would have also done.

Suri clearly, I think he had enough information

to know, wait, no, Suri is actually with me.

And she's actually changing this narrative.

And so I do think that they had enough of that bond

that that really shows Suri like, no, I'm with you.

And Suri would take Ozzy to the end.

So if he realizes, wait, no, Suri actually would take me

to the end, then he's best to like do everything he can

to kind of like be aligned with her.

Yeah.

Why do you just do this?

I don't, well, I think it was probably a smart move

for Ozzy right now because I think that Suri

is going to do more with it.

But now if there's going to be a swap and they're going

to be split up, I think Ozzy might need that extra vote.

But I just can't help also forget about what happened

in survivor game changers when Sarah gave Suri an extra vote

to hold on or steal a vote.

And you were, I believe, had just gotten to the jury

at that point when then Sarah said, here, Suri,

you can hold on to this.

And then she tried to steal Sarah's vote

to vote Sarah out with her own vote.

And then, of course, famously non transferable.

And then that really set up for advantage

get into happen next.

So I think that sometimes you can put too much trust in Suri

and then she has another plan.

I agree.

I do think at this point in the game, it's early enough

where like you kind of have the idea that like that wouldn't

happen now.

I mean, I'm super biased because like I've worked with Suri

and I've worked with Ozzy.

So I just am like, well, that's on it.

And they went, Suri wouldn't do that now.

But that's it's early.

It's early.

I think that maybe the better move for Ozzy

would have been, hey, Suri, I have this extra vote.

Can you tell me what to do with it rather than give it to her?

But I guess it must have been such a sign of trust.

I'm just worried for Ozzy now.

Him and Suri are going to get split up.

And now he's not going to have that extra vote.

Yes, he had Suri's trust.

But maybe is he going to end up in a situation

where he needed that extra vote?

Well, did he just, did he get it to her?

I thought he was giving it to her, yeah.

And Suri said in five seasons, I've never

had an advantage before.

So I think he did pass it off.

Oh, I thought he was just letting her hold on to it

for tribal and was going to get it back.

Because I did that.

I mean, Don forced me to do that in Caramoan.

And so I gave her my idol to hold on to just a tribal,

which was kind of stupid.

But it's always a risk.

I thought he was just giving it to her

to hold on to for like one.

I'm pretty sure he gave it to her to keep.

OK, then I take, but I said that.

OK.

I totally get where he's coming from in terms

of the gesture of like, hey, I don't really

know what's going on.

I trust you.

I want you to trust me.

I want to be best friends out here.

And so here's this gesture that I'm making.

I just worry for Ozzy that maybe he, and not necessarily

that Sarri is going to betray him.

But the game changes so much that it's made.

There may be a situation where he doesn't need that,

but he does have an idol.

Yeah, I guess I didn't.

I, yeah.

And apologize if I have it wrong

by do believe he gave it to her.

Well, you might be right.

Yeah, I, yeah.

I want to know from your perspective,

is Sarri comfortable right now in this tribe?

Uh, I don't think.

I mean, she's always kind of thinking through things.

I don't think she's super comfortable.

Yeah.

Sarri's always at risk on game changers.

If my original tribe would have gone to tribal,

they were saying that either Sarri

or because I was closely aligned with her or me

would have been first out.

So I don't think Sarri's going to be feeling super comfortable.

Yeah.

I think that she's kind of just going through the motions

with Christian and Rick and Emily right now.

And I think that she's doing a really good job of faking it.

But I feel like that in her heart of hearts,

she's not feeling absolutely amazing about this group.

But I think that she might even welcome the tribe swap.

Yeah, because right now, I mean, yeah, she is Aussie,

but then that's also kind of a power duo.

It's not great.

It's not looking great for her.

So I think the swap will be helpful.

Yeah.

Tell me a little bit about this Billie Eilish boomerang idol

because that it's an idol that you have to send to somebody

to end up getting them if they get voted out

with the idol in their pocket, then it comes back to you.

Now, Andrea, you were one of the people who sadly

did get voted out with an idol in your pocket.

And even more sadly, then you lost your hidden immunity

idol on the streets of New York.

Yeah, it's gone forever.

I still am wondering where it went.

It could have been, it was either stolen from me.

I went to a party, idolizes house.

There were like seven of us there.

And then I less.

And when I was on the train, I went into my pocket

and I realized my idol was gone.

So I texted Eliza and I said, hey, I've left my idol there.

Can you just give it to me the next time I see you?

And she was like, we don't see it here.

They all look, they looked under the couch, everything.

And apparently just disappeared.

It vanished with an air.

Yes.

Now, it was too early for Genevieve to have been at that party

to go through your bag.

But then thinking back, did anybody like sit down

and have a long conversation with you

that maybe that somebody might have been trying

to distract you so they could steal your idol?

I don't know.

It was a bunch of survivor players and one survivor fan.

Yeah.

I don't know.

I'm just going to trust that all those people didn't steal it

because I can't show it to anyone.

Or I guess it just fell out on the streets of New York.

I don't know.

One or the other.

OK.

It's one of a huge bummer.

It's a great unsolved mystery of survivor.

But that idol was not from Billie Eilish.

No.

OK.

So yeah, it is Billie Eilish need more bummer.

Or they have to say her name every time.

I think the hope was that Billie Eilish was going

to tell people about the Billie Eilish boomerang idol.

But it doesn't seem like Billie Eilish is telling anybody

about that, hey, did you, to all my fans,

you should check out Survivority here

about the Billie Eilish boomerang idol.

Like, I would think that they would have a video pop up

of Billie explaining it.

You would think so.

Because it's kind of just random.

And I do think, yeah, I don't know.

But I mean, kind of interesting concepts.

Better than the Tyler Perry idol, I would say.

Did you see that Tyler Perry was going to put Joe

in one of his new shows?

That's for sure happening, right?

Yeah, I saw the headlines.

Tyler Perry is still keeping a close eye on Survivor.

Kind of salty, because I've interviewed

for Tyler Perry.

I've done several auditions for him.

Yeah.

But I also interviewed him, too, and he's very sweet.

Yes.

But no, I'm happy for Joe, that's awesome.

Tyler Perry is a huge Survivor fan.

When I interviewed him, when I was working at people,

at the very end, I said something about the Tyler Perry idol.

And he's like, wait, no, that's where I know you from.

And he was like, freaking out.

So he was like, no, I love Survivor.

He was like, he was so cool.

So I saw that, that's really exciting.

Yeah.

OK, so the Billie Eilish boomerang idol,

we saw that Christian found it.

And he sent it to one of your other friends from Survivor.

Aubrey was the recipient of the Tyler Perry,

or sorry, the Billie Eilish boomerang idol.

It seemed like it meant so much to Aubrey.

Yeah.

I think Aubrey is having a tough start to the season.

And I mean, she obviously didn't know

that they went through her bag.

But I think getting that it was very emotional for her,

and not like mount my heart.

Like I love Aubrey so much.

Yeah.

She was the shining light on Game Changers for me.

I actually, I think I think Game Changers

was my third favorite season to play.

It was just a darker season.

And Aubrey and I, when we met, the merge

became just attached to the hip.

And I love her so much.

So obviously rooting for her this season.

And I was like, when I saw everybody go through her bag,

I was really sad.

So I was glad she got the idol.

Was there any particular reason for,

I know obviously the Jeff Farner and Zeke incident.

But was it more than that in terms

of there being a darkness over that season?

I think that, yeah, the Varner thing was bad.

That was bad.

And then I feel like just for me personally,

it was like Zeke then came after me for no reason,

just to make a big move.

And then I was at the bottom.

And then sometimes when you're in alliances,

but the in quotations like the enemy,

or like the person, you know, the opposing alliance,

like on Caramoan, the opposing alliance

was Malcolm Eddie Reynolds.

It was hilarious.

So it was kind of like, you know,

ah, you got me this time.

I'm gonna get you next time.

It was all playful.

This time I was just on the bottom with Aubrey

with it was, you know, Brad and Trois Ann and Debbie and Sierra.

And they were just not super nice to us.

The vibes that camp were not it.

It was just like brutal.

Like I was, I couldn't stop crying.

I'm surprised they didn't show me as a wreck on the season.

They never even showed it.

I actually got excused from an interview

a confessional one time because I couldn't stop crying.

I also think I was just struggling as a person

without, it's kind of that illuminated that for me of,

oh, okay.

I'm not bright, I wish he tailed like it used to be.

So it was just a tough season.

I can't believe it wasn't fun.

Okay, Aubrey has also talked about her struggles with the game

and she has this love hate relationship with survivor.

And we've really seen her talking about that.

I think it's been a contrast to so many of the other players

that are like, oh my God, I can't believe it.

I'm back. This is so great.

I'm so joyful.

And I think that's been really interesting

in terms of Aubrey's character

that she's willing to explore.

Like, this is a struggle for me.

I'm not sure if this feels right that I'm here.

But we saw her by the end of this episode

starting to have like a little bit of hope now.

Yeah, I mean, she was really vulnerable about it.

I think it's tough with Aubrey.

She's someone she's so smart,

but she has a guard out when you first meet her

and it takes a little bit for her to trust you.

And what she maybe isn't as good at as some players

is faking it.

Yeah.

So when you saw that scene in the first episode

with Genevieve and Aubrey,

it was kind of like Aubrey was like the godfather

like being like, tell me what she got.

Like she was just like, you could tell she was eyeing her up.

And that's how I felt like when I first met Aubrey

at the merge is I was like, I wanna work with her.

But I don't think she trusts me.

And then once you can like prove that to her,

then it's like she trusts you, she's great.

It's amazing.

But I think maybe she just has a guard up a little bit

and can't hide her face with it.

And so I think that's why these by some of the people

aren't like bonding with her right away.

But once you like get close with her,

she's like the best to work with.

So I don't know.

It just seems like maybe a tough go at it to start,

but happy that she found a little bit of that hope

with the Billie Eilish either.

Yes, we surprised that Aubrey came back again.

No, because I think Aubrey and I are really similar

where we both will say, we were not doing survivor again.

It's not worth it.

And then I totally get why she would do it.

It's so hard to see you're like, okay, one more time.

We're like, we're going one more time.

Like I can do it again.

But I think we're older now.

Like that's why I would be down to do it again

because I think the recovery time,

I think I could bounce back.

I think I could care less about what people say

about me online.

I think hopefully the anxiety would be lower.

So I think with like my communication with Aubrey

over the last few years,

that she's really in a good place in her life.

And I think that she probably felt like she could handle it.

Because Aubrey was my girl.

Like when we, after the season,

we would talk all the time to kind of like help each other

mentally get through the process.

Like a lot of survivor people can understand

how it's one thing to go and play.

But then you wait for the season to come

and you're just dreading, what are they going to show?

What are they going to make me the villain?

I mean, am I going to look terrible

because I said this one thing about that person

and then the online hate and getting like death threats.

And it's just like, it's a lot.

As much as you're like, I know myself,

I wouldn't, you know, I don't care what other people think.

It's just so hard.

It's so interesting to see the people who come back

to this over and over and over again.

And I certainly myself would, you know,

be thinking about like all of those things.

Do you think it's more about that people

want to come back for the experience?

Or do you think that everybody is coming back

because, okay, with this time, I'm going to win?

Probably different for everybody,

but I think it's just for me, it's everything.

It's like, man, it's so fun.

It's the coolest thing ever.

The chance to do it again.

It's like such an honor to be asked back

and it's so fun.

I mean, the game of Survivor is so fun

and just like the opportunities are endless.

It's like, I could go and win this game

and I could win a ton of money

or just even like going out there

and meeting all these new people

and like all the things that come from it

and like the fun of it, the dopamine of it.

There's just like a million reasons to say yes.

And I would imagine it's like, I haven't had a baby,

but you know, people describe like, you know,

when you hear, as I say, that's not a baby, I have a baby.

But it's like so hard to go through.

Mike White's at the same thing recently.

So, yeah, we did, he said that on the show.

I think he said it on the night show.

He said it with Jimmy Fallon, I think.

Oh, okay, okay.

Yeah, it's not an original idea.

I think many people have said it,

but it's kind of like, it's like, you forget how bad it was.

You're thinking of like the highlights

and the best parts and then you play again.

Like we saw Aubrey talk about it

and then you're like reminded of how much it actually

kind of sucks.

Mm-hmm.

So, I'd love to talk a little bit about this issue

with Joe and Rick Devins.

I think that this was really one of the more interesting things

about the episode this week, just this clash of styles

in terms of having to play around Joe.

What was your take on how this played out

and why these two people are sort of not on the same frequency?

I mean, I think my original thought was, oh boy,

Joe would be really hard to play with.

Then I kind of thought about it a little bit more

and I also really see where Joe is coming from

because in the scene,

because Joe wants to align with Devins, like,

be really close, like, I believe he wants to be like,

number one, like, they're in an alliance together.

And then he did see Devins lean over

and whisper to Savannah.

So, I don't disagree, I don't like it.

I agree with Joe's wanting to approach Rick

and be like, hey, what was that about?

The way he did it was really abrasive.

It was like, whoa, like, I could feel Rick's stress

of how he approached it.

But I kind of also see where Joe is coming from

because it was right in front of him.

Like, if I was in the alliance with somebody

and then they leaned over and did a,

I'd be like, wait, I don't know.

But I don't know.

It's like, then as a survivor player,

you're forced to be like, all right,

I'm just going to put a pin in that, I guess,

because normally you're not going to approach them.

So Joe approached him,

but he maybe could have done it a little better.

What's your thought?

I really think that Joe has been interesting

to watch this season.

And I wasn't the biggest Joe guy in survivor 48,

but I think that the compelling storyline for me about Joe here

is that he comes into survivor 50

so openly wounded after what happened to him in survivor 48.

And when they played this season,

it was only about two weeks after survivor 48 had aired

and he's still processing Kyle and Camilla.

I thought there were my friends

and they did this whole oaky doke on me.

And now I'm really on the lookout for,

now I'm not going to get dunked on again in season 50.

So he's really like looking of like,

okay, who are the people that I think I can trust

that might be trying to play me?

I'm not going to let that happen again.

And I think he really is trying to build like a foundation

of trust and I get it from the other players

that he might be a lot to or even Savannah this morning

in my exit interview with her was really implying

it was hard to deal with Joe.

But I almost feel like that there was an opportunity to like,

if you sat down with Joe and really put the time in

and I know everybody wants to go fast, fast, fast and play

and I got to go look for idols, I got to talk to everybody

but I really feel like if you put the time investment

into Joe, I think he could be a really great ally

but nobody really seems to want to give him the time

to really put him at ease.

Yeah, it's kind of like a relationship, right?

And we all have love languages.

And I kind of see it as like, okay,

so Joe was a little anxiously attached, you know?

Like he's a little anxious and he needs,

maybe he needs a little bit more reassurance

like his love languages, words of affirmation.

Yeah.

And so like I would approach it like if I was like,

it would be quality time.

Yeah, yeah, he's quality time and words of affirmation.

Oh, actually that's two different things

I was talking about.

There's attachment theory.

Can you tell I've like dove into this

because I'm anxious, I have anxious attachment.

And my love language is words of affirmation.

So what I do in my relationship is-

You do it great.

And what I do in my relationship

is like how you can also approach survivor

where like sometimes I just need a little bit more assurance

and my love language, because I'm anxiously attached,

I need some words of affirmation, so I'll ask for it.

So I'll say, hey, everything does seem like it's going well.

I just sometimes need a little words of affirmation.

My love language like, are we good?

And then my boyfriend will be like, oh yeah, we're great.

Like everything's good.

But like thanks for bringing it up.

And then there's no problem.

So maybe like what Joe could have done

is said like instead of saying, what are you guys talking about?

Because that was jarring.

I think it could be like, hey, I got really wounded

on my last season.

I might be a little bit more paranoid

than I should be.

I kind of saw you lean down to Savannah.

I'm sure it was nothing.

I'm just, can you put me at ease

and maybe just like, is there anything up?

Like I just want to make sure like you're my person.

And I really want to go to the end with you.

And if you could just kind of like, you know,

once in a while throw me a bone and maybe like,

make sure I know everything's good.

Like maybe that would have been better.

Yeah.

Did you ever play with anybody who was this type of player

that really needed like a little bit more time

and attention to feel good?

Now, I don't want to compare because it's hard.

I didn't play with Joe.

So I don't, we're just seeing what's on the edit.

Playing with Dawn was like that.

Interesting.

But Dawn, I can't compare the two.

Because again, I only played with Dawn.

Dawn was someone we had to give a lot of assurance to.

I mean, I had to give her my idol

for her to hold on to because she was so worried

that I was going to blindside her

and I was going to switch the plan up.

But I had been working with Dawn so closely.

I don't know.

I mean, it's survivor, anything can happen.

But sometimes you had to go out of your way

to make sure they felt good.

But I think on a show like survivor,

we were playing for a big money prize.

It's like, you got to do whatever it takes

to make those people feel comfortable.

Maybe it was unbearable.

I don't know.

I feel like Rick could have tried to been like, all right,

this is kind of annoying to deal with.

But I am going to give him what he needs

and make sure he feels good.

And maybe he felt like he was doing that.

It's hard though.

This reminds me too of, you have to check in

with people so much on survivor.

And sometimes you'll think everything's good,

but it's not.

I didn't check in on Zeke enough.

And I totally understand where that's coming from.

Zeke wanted me as his alliance member to check in with him

and make sure everything was good,

especially after what happened.

But I, stupidly, was just like, we're good.

Yeah, I'm sure he's good.

If he has any things he wants to talk about,

he'll come to me, he knows I love him

and care about him, especially in this moment.

But then, because I didn't check in on him,

he started to wonder his Andrew really with me.

And then that builds and builds and builds.

I got to strike first now.

Yeah, so you have to see what does this person need

and how can I make sure they feel good

and check in as much as you can.

But yeah, of course, at that point,

you have to decide what's worth it for your game.

Maybe this is a whole rabbit hole in terms of Dawn.

But was there something that happened in Dawn's first season

that made her feel that way in survivor Karamoan?

Because we've seen a lot of South Pacific nostalgia here

with Coach and Ozzy.

And I just don't remember that being part of her story

from what we saw in survivor South Pacific.

And I don't even remember her being blindsided.

I feel like if anything, she was sort of like a tough lady

who was a challenge beast.

And yeah, Cochran flipped at the merge,

but that really wasn't part of her survivor story

in survivor South Pacific, but she comes back.

And then famously, is that way in Karamoan?

Yeah, I mean, I think it could run deeper than survivor.

I mean, I think it could be wounds from your past

before you were ever on the show.

I mean, it just brings out so much.

And it brings out this paranoia that you,

it makes you feel like you're going crazy.

And so I think on Karamoan, she just somehow like

got into this paranoid cycle and couldn't break it.

And it's just, it honestly just survivor makes you feel nuts.

So I don't know if there was anything that happened

on her first season, but it could even just be like,

somehow it brought up something from,

and I mean, honestly, it's like right to be paranoid.

Yeah, you know, you're asking people to remain calm

on a show that's all about actually backstabbing people

and lying to their face.

So I get it.

I, in that situation with Devins and with Joe,

I saw both sides.

And I was just like, I wonder how he could tinker this

to make it work.

But I could see where both sides were coming from.

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So speaking of South Pacific, that was basically

you coming right off of Redemption Island.

This is when you're carrying on.

No, I'm talking about you.

So you come off of Redemption Island.

And then here comes South Pacific, the season right after you.

And you're really in it at that point, right?

You're, you know, of course, like locked into all things

survivor.

And of course, now here are Coach and Ozzy from that season.

What has it been like for you watching

this coach and Ozzy reunited after all this time?

I mean, I think it's fun.

I don't know.

I'm not someone that, when I watch a show, especially

survivor, because it's just so close to home,

like I don't have any, I don't hate anybody.

I don't find anyone super abrasive.

I can find like things about their game.

I'm like, I don't know, they could have done that differently.

But I think that rivalry is hilarious.

And they both take themselves pretty seriously, you know?

Are you conflicted at all because you did play with Ozzy,

but now you're doing this event with Coach.

No, I think there's, I think you can love both.

It's not like a team Edward team Jacob situation.

No, I know I don't think you have to choose.

I mean, I'm pretty sure that they're, they're like,

the reuniting in Chicago day after my event.

Oh, Coach and Ozzy?

Yeah, look at their Instagram.

There's a whole video where Coach says, I'm going to,

where Ozzy says I'm going to be at Coach's Chicago show

if he wants me there or not.

Oh, okay.

You can still like tickets for the Chicago show.

Yeah.

So they're getting back together.

Okay, all right.

So what do you think about in the real time of the show

in terms of Coach and Ozzy?

Do you think that they will get back together in the season

or is there too much bad blood over the key gate?

I feel like it's, the edit is hyping it up

that they're going to get it together.

You think so?

I mean, that's my guess.

I don't really know.

I'm not spoiled or anything, but I think that the edit

is telling me this, there's more to this

and it's going to, maybe it's going to get worse

before it gets better.

But I could see they're old school.

So they know each other and you'd rather have someone

you know than somebody that you've never met in your life.

Like you could probably trust your adversary

in this situation than like Rizzo

or someone like you've never met

that you don't know what their name is.

Yeah.

You're supposed to be able to trust your enemies a little bit

because your enemies are going to try to make it up to you.

They're going to try to prove, you know,

okay, you were right for trusting them.

But then that's kind of what happened with Coach Nazi

and then coach snake the key from Aussie.

Yeah, I mean, why wouldn't he?

Mm-hmm.

I was able to do the same thing, I think.

You think so?

Yeah.

Well, I hope they keep bringing it up

and I hope they keep seeing more and more about that

because it's just been such a fun part of the show so far.

We worried about Coach in the water.

That was kind of scary.

Yeah.

I mean, the going out and doing the deep fishing,

they were trying to get me to do that on my seasons.

Yeah.

And I was like, I grew up on a farm

so I can do, I can like carry some logs

but like I don't have the skills to spearfish.

Mm-hmm.

So, yeah, I mean, no one's going to,

they're not going to let him die.

We're not going to lose coach like that.

Yeah.

Now you're talking about carrying the logs around.

We disappointed in Riz God not contributing

to being a hard worker at camp.

That was so funny to me because all of a sudden Q

is so old school mentality.

Like all of a sudden it's like, oh,

I guess Q is a really hard worker

and that's when you try to use a survivor player on.

But on my first season, I was a very hard worker.

I was trying to prove to my family,

myself, Wisconsin, that I was going to be out there

and like working hard as this farm girl.

And then by my third season,

I was probably kind of more of like a Rizzo

where I was like, I don't know if that really,

like being a hard worker doesn't really get you

further on survivor.

Mm-hmm.

But I would say, you know, if you notice

that that's something that Colby and Stephanie and Q

really put a lot of weight on,

then you could probably do a bit more.

Now you started your survivor experience

on the tribe with Rob.

I'm sure that Rob wanted to see people working hard

around the camp, although there were probably other,

some people that he didn't mind

if they didn't work as hard around the camp.

Yeah, I don't think he really cared that much.

I thought, oh, I'm going to show everyone,

I'm such a hard worker, they're going to keep me around.

Maybe that impressed Philip,

like I don't think Rob cared one way or the other

if people were working hard or not.

I think that, yeah.

Yeah, you know, now that I think of it,

he has a reputation of being like a really hard work

around the camp.

I think that he like works very hard at certain projects,

but then I feel like if he's not working on something

in my time with him,

I feel like that he was also like laying around the shelter

a lot of the time.

Oh, yeah, yeah, he was just like having a good time.

Like he'll build the house,

but then also he's going to lay in the shelter all day.

Yeah, like work hard, play hard.

I don't think, I mean, Rob's so strategic

that I don't think he would ever say,

oh, this person wasn't really working on

his work, that's we're going to get rid of them.

So I don't think he put that much stock into it.

Apparently, Q is, he's very important to him.

And Angelina, he's said that she's like a statue, he said.

Yeah, I mean, I don't know.

I think I did both, right?

I worked so hard.

I was like really trying to prove myself.

And then also on game changers,

it was probably almost the merge time,

the first time I opened up a coconut.

So I think you just kind of see how the people are

in your tribe and then kind of like adjust,

but I don't really know if you have to work as hard

as Colby and Stephanie.

Andrea, we saw a very extreme moment

of what it's like to be on Survivor

in the episode last night when we saw a Christian

who had to a mother nature called to Christian

and he was not prepared for the call.

Oh, I feel, I don't really have to show that.

So Christian not do interviews about it.

Like this, this Christian, if he wants to just like,

I'm not talking about this.

Like, could he just not give production anything

about this?

Yeah.

Well, I think the more you play, the more you realize

you could also just know about it.

But also Christian might not care.

It was hilarious.

Yeah.

I mean, Christian is, I don't even really remember.

I mean, was he this funny in his first season?

He was a big deal in his first season.

I remember he was big.

I just didn't remember him being this funny.

He is hilarious.

Everything he does, I think he's like probably

the most entertaining person on this season so far.

I like, I'm obsessed with him.

So that maybe that was funny to him and he didn't care.

One time, I don't know if I ever told you this,

but it's just on Survivor to get way more comfortable

with awkward dumping and talking about that kind of stuff.

That's a good deal.

One time on Game Changers, somebody on our tribe

took a dump in the camp area

and then a camera guy stepped in it

and the camera people were pissed.

They were so mad.

And we were kind of like, why wouldn't you walk

a little bit further into the jungle?

Yeah.

I remember hearing Ozzy being mad about something similar.

So I feel like it wasn't Ozzy.

It wasn't Ozzy.

It wasn't Ozzy.

And I think that you don't have to say,

but OK, we'll leave that as a blind item.

People could say in the comments who they think it was.

Oh, my God.

We would keep it at that.

It, you know, Christian rocked it, honestly.

Yeah, he did.

He made the best out of a bad situation.

I mean, luckily, he's such a huge character

that it wasn't like he's not only known for that,

because Fishbag also had that.

Yes, he did famously.

Yes.

I fear that Fishbag, it was like more of a notable thing for him.

You know, that it was not presented with any sort of humor

when it happened to Steven.

Like Steven, it was a, you know, harrowing experience

for him where he really was sick for whatever reason.

And then it was raining for days and days and days.

And he had to keep getting up in the middle of the night

in the rain to go out there.

So it just seems like one of the worst nights of his life

where I do think that the Christian moment

was a little bit more presented as,

this is a funny thing that happened.

Whenever something's presented as funny,

it's just not a big deal.

Would you be, if that happened to you,

would you embrace it and want it to make error

or would you hide that?

I think I probably would not mind

if it was part of the show.

I feel like what, who cares?

I mean, I thought Christian said it best he's like,

you know, there are certain experiences

that are part of being human and he rattled them off.

And I think that that was a human moment

that happened to him.

When you, when you just a dry something

and you're like, yeah, this is what happened

and you're funny with it,

it takes all the power away from anyone

that wants to make fun of it.

It's just like, oh, yeah, this is what happened.

Oh, and you move on.

I mean, I'd be, yeah.

Okay, Andrea, let me bring in some questions

for you from the listeners of the podcast.

And so, okay, all right, we got so many,

so many different topics that we could talk about.

Okay, we talked about this a little bit already,

but this is from Trustin who says,

who do you think is the player other than perhaps yourself

that you would have loved to have seen play

on Survivor 50?

You mentioned Jerry Mathy.

Yeah, I mean, Jerry had just a big, that's a big bummer.

I mean, I would have loved to see you.

I'm not just saying that because we're chatting.

I appreciate that.

You did a call?

I did get a call.

You did it just one.

I got a call and I was in the mix.

I said, yes.

And then I was talking to them, you know, sporadically.

And then I did, I got to the point where I did a Zoom

with the producers, but, you know,

I guess I wasn't bringing the heat.

Yeah, I'm Ian.

I'm not even, you know, I'm never even like,

complained about it in terms of like,

I totally understand the prerogative.

And in looking back at it, like,

I think in my own personal reflection,

you know, I've had mixed feelings about going back.

And not so much about the game

and being a player on the show

or even what people were going to say.

My mixed feelings come from,

I don't know what it would have done to the podcast

in terms of like, this is my job.

This is what I do.

And so what would that have looked like

for me to be on Survivor 50?

And then, you know, could I,

would I just have to shut the podcast down?

Would it be fill-in hosts for six months

or whatever on the podcast?

And we never really had those conversations.

So I did have some hesitation about that part of it

and maybe that ended up bleeding into,

maybe they were feeling like,

he's not all in, so let's go in a different direction.

Yeah.

But I would have been all in on the island.

Yeah, yeah.

That's how I am, too.

I kind of play a little bit like,

well, we'll see.

I'm not like, every day I'm not thinking about Survivor.

Mm-hmm.

But I'm so sickly competitive.

It's in my phone that if I would be out there,

I would be just, especially now, with this much time.

Like, I would be really good.

So maybe if I would have gotten on the calls with them

and been like, I'm gonna kill it.

You wait, you get me out there.

But, you know, I feel like they,

when they call Boston Rob,

and it's not how he is on those on Zoom.

Yeah, I don't know if that even like matters that much.

Yeah.

I actually know us.

Yeah, I mean, other players would be,

okay, Malcolm, I already said him,

but like, oh, get Malcolm back out.

I would have loved to have seen Malcolm come back.

And I feel like, I don't know,

he did snake in the grass a couple of years ago,

but yeah, he would have been so good,

because I really feel like that he's somebody

who his story is not finished,

and especially in the way he went out on game changers.

Malcolm is one of the best freaking survivor players,

just like as a character.

And yeah, his story's not finished.

I don't think game changers, that shouldn't even count.

Like, that was just like,

he should have gotten back out there,

because like a next returning season,

because that just wasn't fair.

I would have loved to, yeah, he would have been so good.

I'm trying to think who else.

I mean, you kind of already said like the big ones,

like Jesse.

Even more.

Who else from your era though?

Like that whole middle time of survivor

that they did not bring anybody back from.

I mean, we haven't seen Kelly Wentworth in a bit.

Like, she's been good.

Um, who else?

I'm trying to think.

I'm trying to think of middle-era players right now.

Yeah, well, a lot did come back in,

there were a lot of returning players seasons in that era.

Yeah.

Yeah, Dom.

Yo, Dom Vatte is another big one.

Yeah, I don't know why he got lost in the shuffle.

Yeah, he got lost.

Yeah, that's what happens.

It's like you miss, miss out and then I don't know.

OK, let's talk about this and we were talking about this

a little bit in terms of game changers.

You said it was a season that had like a darkness around it,

but PD Mac wants to know,

what do you think makes a returning player season successful

and fun rather than a disappointing returning player season?

I mean, I think the cast has a lot to do with it.

I don't think that game changers cast was that great.

And I think this cast, although I wanted more old-school players,

I do think it's a really like upbeat positive cast.

Like I just think it's so fun.

I think the boot order also just changes the season.

I remember on game changers, it was like, OK,

so Tony's gone, Malcolm's gone, JT's gone, now Sandra's gone,

and I was looking at Post Merge and I was,

because I've been a media now, because I'm on the other side of things,

I couldn't help with this.

Oh, I just remember, I remember somebody from the season

was like, this is going to be the best season ever.

Like this season's so good.

And I was remembering all the people that were voted out,

that were like the best, I think, personalities of the whole season.

They were already gone.

And they remember even saying to a producer, like,

dude, the season kind of sucks, doesn't it?

Like I just was like, I'm like, oh, I don't know about those.

Yeah, and I've never been on any reality shows where that happens.

What?

I've never been on any reality shows where that's also the case.

We're like all the good people go.

Never.

Oh, yeah, yeah.

No, that just happened to you.

Yeah, that's kind of, I feel like your traitor season with my game changers

was the worst, but I don't think I'm going to get any hate for that.

Because I'm looping myself in that too.

Like Malcolm, JT, Sandra, Tony, they're bigger players than me.

And I felt like we just like lost all the good ones.

But anyway, I think that, yeah, like the boot order matters.

The just the vibes, like the vibes of the game changers were just like,

they were just like a soul suck.

Yeah.

It's funny because I recently talked to Aubrey.

And I don't think she's counting this season in there, but she said,

she told me the game changers was like her favorite season.

Wow.

She played, I'm like, whoa, because that was my least favorite.

But Aubrey was my favorite part of the season.

So it's just so interesting.

I mean, it's hard to beat your first season because for me,

because like the first time you play Survivor, you're like, whoa, Jeff Proves.

I came in on a helicopter.

Ah, we make a shelter.

Where do we get the water from?

I get so excited.

But then the more you play, the more you're just like really disappointed in yourself.

Like game changers, I think I'm also saying that.

I don't know if everyone else feels it was a dark season.

Maybe it's just me and I'm projecting.

It's just like, I was just like, man, Andrea,

you're playing for the third time.

And you just, you know, this was your worst placement.

You're a failure, you're a loser.

It just, for me, was tough.

Well, I can understand why you would feel that way.

But I, and a lot of ways I feel like, in my mind, I feel like that.

Maybe that was the season that you had the best chance to win.

And you really, I mean, when did you come in, did you come in eighth place?

I was on like seven to eight.

Yeah, so you only went down one spot, but you were right there.

No, I trust me.

I know.

Yeah, no.

Yep.

Three time.

Yeah.

Hey, listen, loser so far.

No, also, I had the best case scenario besides opening.

Yeah.

I mean, I think when you get to play, you get a great edit.

They, the edit always made me look maybe even slightly better than actually how I played.

So I came out great because I left on a high note where, oh, she could have won.

Whereas, you know, I didn't get a villain edit.

I, I didn't get it, you know, it was, it was great.

Besides winning, I had the best case scenario, honestly.

Right.

And looking back, that it was a mistake that Cerega already, right?

Yeah, I think so.

Yeah, because advantage getting is around the corner.

Yeah, this is, you weren't coming for Cerega.

No, the problem is Cerega, I think, is like one of the best server players that ever existed.

Yeah.

I mean, I, obviously Rob is really good, but like for her second time to play, she was

die of alcohol.

She was so good.

Like, she is a scary good survivor player.

So Cerega had every single person on that merge thinking they were like one and two

in Cerega.

We all thought Cerega was her actual best friend, everyone.

I got voted off and I was talking to Ozzy and he was like, oh, yeah, Cerega was my number

one.

And then Zeke was like said, Cerega was my number one, Aubrey, Cerega, everybody, I mean,

I have to give it to her.

She was so good.

Yeah, she's underrated as a player.

Yeah, but I think everyone that played with her knows how good she was.

Yeah.

Yeah, Cerega thought, you know, I love this theory about, there are some people,

that have charisma on TV, but then you meet them in person and they don't really have

that.

And I think that Sarah might be one of those people that she seems to have incredible charisma

in person, but it's one of those things where it doesn't necessarily translate to television.

Yeah.

And some people have both made like you.

Yeah, it's really weird because you're exactly spot on because I'm telling you, I thought

Sarah was my best friend.

Yeah.

We were laughing together like we, I thought we were like soul sisters.

So did every single person.

We had so much fun watching it.

You would never think that.

And then you see her the way she actually talks about you and you're like, oh, she actually

didn't even like me.

So it's crazy, but you're spot on with that assessment.

And I think there's survivor players that they may have the charisma where the audience

loves them.

And people on the island aren't really picking up what they're putting down.

And then you have people like Sarah who, the people who are on the island with them just

adore them, but it doesn't really resonate with the audience.

Yeah.

It's interesting.

What are you?

You're the same.

The people in person like me and then, yeah, and people in person do people like you

as much as the screen.

It's hard.

I think that I just, in my own self-reflection, I feel like that.

The people in real life don't connect with me as well as the people connect with me

on the other side of the screen.

And it's been something that I've really tried to work on as a person of trying to bring

some of what I can do talking to you on a screen into the real world.

Wow.

That's a really good reflection there.

Yeah.

Why do you think that is?

I feel like in the confines of this, I feel like I'm never really at a loss for what to

say in the confines of this, but in the real world, I feel like I really struggle with,

okay, now what do we do?

Now, where do we go?

What next?

Where the structure around this, I feel like I feel very comfortable with it and I don't

always feel that in real life.

Yeah.

That's interesting.

I don't know if that's necessarily having the, if it's the same thing, but in terms of

me personally, you know, I'm much more at home doing this and having this conversation

than if we went out to lunch, then I feel like it might be more awkward.

Wait, that's so funny.

I mean, it might be fun, I mean, I think it would be fun.

We've hung out outside of, I mean, mostly at Survivor Things, but I actually know exactly

what you mean.

Because even though this is so easy and seamless, put us at a restaurant for lunch and would

it, maybe it would be kind of awkward, because we could just talk about Survivor, I guess.

No, I think, well, I, I love connecting with people.

I think if we went out for lunch, it would be fine.

I don't think it would be super awkward.

I think we're lying on the knee because I, I'm good at like, I know what you're saying

to, because I'm a very social person and I can connect with like, buddy, I could connect,

you know, I could connect with this wall over here.

So I would make it comfortable, but I know what you're saying.

Sometimes when you're in those situations where maybe you don't know where to lead the

conversation, but I think you, maybe you need to just trust yourself more.

Maybe.

And this just comes more naturally.

I don't think it would be like I would have so much anxiety to go and have lunch, but

this is the part where, okay, we know a little bit more how this is going to go.

And then in the real world, there's so many other X factors.

I mean, I feel that way.

I've interviewed what like thousands of celebrities, and they've all been great.

I mean, tons of talk about, but I don't, if I had to go out to lunch with those people,

I think I'd pass, which like, I don't know.

It's just sometimes I'm more, I think people think I'm extremely, I am extremely outgoing,

but I actually am way more introverted than people think.

Yeah.

I don't, I get my energy not from small talk, and just, yeah, I get that also.

Yeah.

Um, let me bring in a not a therapy carousel on you or anything.

Yeah, not a therapy carousel, but what did you think about the way that Christian handles

the Joe situations to bring up the therapy carousel?

Because I thought that was also super interesting how Christian's approach to Joe was so different

than what we saw with Rick.

Yeah.

I think Christian did kind of what I was saying would be the strategy with Joe.

I mean, he was a little bit more attentive.

He was rocking him in the hammock.

He was peering through the hammock.

He was right there with him.

I think Christian has just an impeccable read on people and what they need.

Yeah.

And so I think he did see with Christian is he knows it's maybe more work, but he's willing

to put in that work and see what that person is going to need to feel comfortable.

So I, yeah, I'm super impressed with Christian.

Yeah, Christian's really good.

If you go back to in David versus Goliath where, you know, he was with Gabby and there

were times when Gabby was not feeling comfortable and he was there to be able to, you know, put

people at ease and he does seem to have a gift in that where somebody is feeling some

type of way on survivor and he's able to bring them comfort and get them back to a place

where they're feeling good.

Yeah.

I, I think that's something I've struggled with in the past.

And I think that you kind of have to put yourself in a situation where you're going above

and beyond what you would normally feel comfortable with because sometimes with me, I feel

that I, my struggle on survivor has been I don't really like if I think someone, if someone's

coming for me or like doesn't like me in the game, I just won't like try to explore

that.

And what I wish I would have done is like try to at least try to build an alliance with

a Brad or a debut or a troise in.

So I think we all have these kind of blocks sometimes.

I think Christians doing a good job of maybe like normally that wouldn't be his approach,

but knowing like, well, you kind of have to go a little bit above and beyond.

Yeah.

Which is the part that you struggle with with being the person who's able to soothe somebody

or a person who needs to get that additional support from somebody?

Um, what you're saying, what do I struggle?

Am I the one that needs more?

Yeah, you say, well, you said that it's a thing that you struggle with and it's that you

struggle with being able to be the Christian and being able to make other people feel better?