Paloma knew that the minute that she hugged that pole in last night’s reward challenge that she was in trouble. Two players from the opposing tribe would have to pull her off and drag her through the sand to their finish line, which they did with great ease. The idea to put Paloma in the competition was Ace’s, undoubtedly to expose her weaknesses as a physical player. When her name was brought up for elimination, she wasn’t surprised but didn’t go out before trying to turn her tribe against Ace. Today, she spoke to BuddyTV in an exclusive interview and this Survivor spoke her mind when it came to strategy, alliances, and her fellow players.
Below, you will find the complete transcript and mp3 of the interview.
Can you tell me if you were a fan of Survivor coming into the game and had you watched a lot of seasons previously?
I had watched a lot of seasons previously before going into the game, so yeah, I was a fan of the show.
Do you think it’s helpful to know a lot about the game and previous players?
I think it is helpful. I wanted to watch as much as I can as possible before I was actually in it. Strategically, watching as many episodes as you can and seasons that you can is one of the most important things you can do going into the game. Basing your strategy on how other people played might not be the smartest technique just because everybody’s different, everybody has a different strategy, and you’re put in a completely different situation with different people. Anything can happen on Survivor, I think that’s the most important thing for everybody to realize going into the game. You’re never sure what’s going to happen or who you’re going to get stuck with.
Were you happy that you ended up being part of the Kota tribe?
I like the Kota tribe as far as the people were concerned, but right off the bat when I looked at my tribe mates when we were standing on that mat at the beginning of the game, I knew I was pretty much screwed because they’re such an athletic tribe. Kota just bleeds triathlons and athletic people, and I knew that because I’m not as physically in shape as everybody else, I would have trouble trying to prove myself.
If you had made it further in the game, who would you have aligned yourself with?
I was in an alliance with Kelly. I was really close to Bob and Charlie, but it’s hard to say now knowing they had their own alliance. Bob didn’t really have an alliance with anybody, so I feel that I would have aligned myself with Bob. If we made it into the merge, there were people in the Fang tribe I had my eye on that I would’ve liked to get to know and maybe form an alliance with.
Who do you think on the Kota tribe is playing a really sneaky game? Is there anything that you watched in the episodes that you didn’t know?
For me it’s easy to say that Ace is playing a sneaky game just because I feel Ace is a sneaky person in general. But now in retrospect actually watching the show, Marcus is sneaky. Marcus has the whole Onion Alliance and he has that totally under control. Jackie, Corinne and Charlie are all over it and the adore Marcus, so he’s probably playing the best game right now as far as I’m concerned.
Do you think that Ace threw you into that challenge on last night’s episode so he could turn around and use it against you?
For sure, Ace has been throwing me under the bus since the beginning of the game, even from the first challenge. You don’t really see it because there’s not much they can show in 45 minutes, but any situation that Ace could make me look weaker or put me somewhere he knew I would not do as well, he would put me in for sure. He wanted me out, it’s obvious.
Before you got voted out last night, you really let him have it in tribal council. Is that your personality to be straightforward and just say what you think?
Yeah, I’m usually really straightforward. I usually get along with everybody, I can’t think of anybody that I don’t get along with in real life outside of Survivor. I’m sure Ace is a cool person outside of Survivor, but when someone’s arrogant and cocky and all about himself, I tend to be straightforward and be like, “Hey, just because you’re like this doesn’t mean I’m going to be like everybody else and be OK with it. I’m not. That’s who you are, and I want everybody to know it before I leave.” I knew I was leaving, so I knew that I might as well do a little damage before I left.
Is it safe to say that you’d be happy if you saw him get voted out on next week’s episode?
Oh yeah. Maybe not next week, but anytime that he got voted out before the final three, I’d be a happy camper.
What’s life been like since you’ve been home?
I’ve just been elated. Being on Survivor is not just going and filming the show for the time we were in Africa, but you come back and you have press and all your friends know. Any time that you run into people you haven’t seen in a long while, you’re known as “Survivor Girl” now. So it’s been weird, but I’m keeping myself very busy. I’m taking five classes this semester in my credential program, so I’m actually a full-time student keeping busy with school. I’m still working as a server on the weekends and sometimes during the week, so I’m just keeping as busy as I can. Survivor was a huge part of my life, but I don’t want it to control my life. I have to move on.
– Gina Scarpa, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Image courtesy of CBS)
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
