It was a pretty surprising finale of Survivor: Micronesia, when Parvati Shallow was named the winner over Amanda Kimmel. At the final tribal council, viewers and players alike felt that Amanda had it in the bat but something shifted and the votes ended up going Parvati’s way. She played a strong social game all season and was the driving force behind some major blindsides and power plays. Today, Parvati took time out of her busy schedule to talk with BuddyTV about her win, playing the game for a second time, and what helped her walk away with a million dollar check.
Below, you will find the complete transcript and mp3 of the interview.
Hey everybody, this is Gina from BuddyTV and today, I’m talking to Parvati, the winner of Survivor: Micronesia. How has this week been for you? It must have been very crazy since Sunday night.
It has been crazy. It’s been such a whirlwind. It’s so much fun.
The look on your face, you looked pretty shocked when you ended up beating Amanda. Were you surprised with the votes?
Yeah. I think I was more surprised that it was over, that it was done, and that I actually won. I just didn’t believe it. It was very surreal.
When you went into the final tribal council with Amanda, how confident did you feel that you could beat her?
I kind of felt like it was 50/50. I felt like if I could do a job at convincing the jury to respect my strategy, as far as playing the game and being in a position of power, then I would have a good shot at winning. But then I knew I had some good girlfriends that were there that liked me, and I also had some enemies there that didn’t like me. Either way it was gonna work out.
You pulled in a lot of votes from the fans. Why do you think they respected your game over Amanda’s?
Well, I set up an alliance with Natalie and Alexis and protected them in the game, and they probably got a lot further in the game because of that alliance. I think they appreciated that, and then I think I got Jason’s vote just because I was honest and straightforward. I competed with him in that challenge, and essentially beat him in immunity, and I think he respected that a lot.
How did things change between you and Ozzy from the final tribal council to Sunday night’s finale? How did you guys end up fixing your friendship?
I think Ozzy is mature enough to realize that it’s a game, and it’s not real. When you’re out there you have to kill or be killed. Basically it’s survival of the fittest. He said himself that you gotta outwit, outplay, and outlast in the same episode that he got voted out. I think he’s come to terms with that. It wasn’t personal. I do care about him and I think he’s a great person.
If he had made it to the final two could anybody have beaten him?
No, there’s no way anyone could have beaten him. The fans were drooling over him, and every girl was in awe of him.
Do you think that blindsiding him, getting rid of him, and being instrumental in that, was that your best move of the game?
That was a huge move for me. That’s when I kind of outed myself for my strategy, and there was no way I could go back and not be seen as a threat after that, or a strategic player after that. Again I had to just buck up and be really forward about how I play the game after that.
You’ve said several times that you had the reputation from Cook Islands of being the flirt. Was that part of the reason that you wanted to come back and play a second time, to show that you’ve got more in your bag of tricks than just the flirt card?
Well I knew coming back that I would have to play a different way, but that wasn’t the reason. I didn’t want to prove to America that I’m not just a flirt, I wanted to win the game.
Was there anyone who didn’t come back that was a favorite that you wished got to play the game a second time?
Maybe Shane.
A lot of people have said Shane this season. What is it about Shane that everyone seems to like?
He’s just crazy. He’s really entertaining out there, and you’re dying for any form of entertainment.
If you were in control and you could have chosen who you sat next to in final three, who would you have taken with you of everyone who played this season?
I would have stuck with Amanda and Cirie. There’s nothing I would change about how I played the game.
How does winning the money change your life? What do you plan on doing with it? Are you gonna take some time off, will you go on vacation, you gonna do some charity work? What will you do?
You know, it’s so funny, I haven’t even had one second to let it sink in that I have a million dollars back in my pocket. It’s crazy to even think about. I’m going to help build up our charity, gain some more awareness for it, keep working on it, and doing some PR for it. It’s called Knockouts For Girls, and we provide scholarships and boxing training for underprivileged girls. I really want to work with that and gain some more awareness for it, because I think it’s a great thing.
Do you get to get out often with other Survivors and meet the fans during the year?
I haven’t actually. A lot of people do that, but I’ve been really, really busy. If I could fit that in I’d do it for charity and stuff, but I’m not just gonna try to sink in to the Survivor community forever. I kind of want to move on. I’m just really glad, honestly, that it’s over.
Do you have any regrets about the way you played the game at all?
Not at all. Not at all.
Alright, thanks so much for your time Parvati. Congratulations again.
Thank you.
– Gina Scarpa, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Image courtesy of CBS)
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
