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And here's your final three Survivors: winner Sandra, Parvati, and Russell, the last three Villains standing. Read on in this somewhat contentious mess of an interview - three at a time is just too much! - about what each one thought of the finale. I'm sure none of it will surprise you.
First question is for Russell: what do you think of Jeff’s statement that your strategy is flawed, that it gets you to the finals but never a win?
Russell: My strategy is just to play the way I want, you know? I don’t care. Jeff, he can play his game, he needs to go out there and play his way. When it comes down to the final vote, I’m not gonna say what Jerri wants me to say, and what Rupert wants me to say. I’m gonna say what I want to say. That’s why the fans love me, because I do what I want to do. I don’t do what people want me to do. And I don’t care. I don’t care what Jeff says, because I’ll play it the same way every time.
So, you technically go in knowing you’re not going to win?
Russell: If I don’t play the way I play, guess what? I won’t be sitting with you right now, because I won’t be in the final three. So we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
How would things have been different if Sandra burned your hat earlier in the game?
Russell: Yeah, if she would have done that, it probably would have been a good strategic move. Because I’d have been looking for my hat, it was aggravating me, and it would have been a good strategic play. But she didn’t see it like that, she just burned it because she wanted to be vindictive.
Sandra, you seemed to be one of the few brave enough to talk back to Russell. Was that because of your hidden immunity idol or something else?
Sandra: No, I just tell him how it is, I wasn’t scared of him. Even if I wouldn’t have had the idol.
You weren’t afraid of Russell at all?
Sandra: I wasn’t afraid of him! I wasn’t going nowhere, don’t forget - he keeps telling me every day how my game shouldn’t be respected, I don’t know how to play, nobody will vote for me. So I have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Fair enough. How did your strategy change after you talked to Rupert and the Heroes didn’t believe you?
Sandra: Well I actually tried to save Rupert on day 36, and I wanted to offer him my idol but Russell was coming up, and then he turned around and told Russell I still wanted to get rid of him, which was what we were talking about. And then I debated still giving him my idol but I didn’t want to pull a Eric move and send myself home, because Rupert still wanted to take Russell to the end because Russell was a goat. So why would I give up my idol and still go home, so I said “You know what? I’ll save it for myself.” And that’s why I got Rupert’s vote because he knows that I wanted to give him my idol and he screwed it up for himself.
Good move! Parvati, how sure were you that you were going to win?
Parvati: I wasn’t sure at all! I mean, going into that final tribal council it was very clear how the jury felt about me and Russell versus how they felt about Sandra. I didn’t exactly get glowing reviews, and Russell got scathing reviews. Sandra was like God’s gift to creation during that tribal, so I figured she was definitely getting the vote.
Wasn’t that the whole reason you brought Russell with you?
Parvati: I didn’t bring Russell with me. I didn’t win that final tribal challenge! Russell picked me to go with him in that final challenge.
Speaking of challenges, how proud are you of how well you did?
Parvati: I’m real proud of myself, I thought I did really good. I stuck through those things even though I honestly didn’t realize how important it was for me to win them. I think I just realized it’s mind over matter, no matter what. You just set your mind to something, and.... that’s the way I am, if I focus and put my mind to something, the more determined I am, I’m just gonna get it done.
Russell, did you know you had lost Samoa when you played Heroes vs Villains?
Russell: Yeah. I knew I lost. I mean, you know because you can read what they tell you and how things are going. Just like I knew I lost Heroes and Villains. You know by the way they talk to you. It’s not hard. If you can get people, read people, it’s really common sense to know that you did not win.
Was it a disadvantage for you to not know the reaction from Samoa when you played this season?
Russell: Yes. I figured it went both ways, because I went straight from one season to the next, so I was weak. I lost fifty pounds, I was sick, I was tired, I didn’t know anybody. As far as I know, they was all talking to each other on the phone before they got there! They all know each other, they all party with each other, or whatever. I don’t know. And guess what, I’m a Villain, so, by being a Villain, it puts me on another spot. Like, okay, we don’t know this guy and he’s a Villain? He has to be a Villain for a reason. So it can go both ways, advantages and disadvantages.
Would you admit you made a mistake in miscalculating the jury?
Russell: You see, she (Sandra) beat Parvati too. She beat Russell and Parvati. And if you tell me that Sandra is better than either of us, that is crazy. They just voted for the person they least hated.
Why did Sandra win?
Russell: I just said, they voted for the person they least hated. And that would be Sandra. Sandra had no physical game, she had no social game, she had no strategic game. Her strategic game was to get rid of me! She said it. That was her speech at the final tribal. “Hey, I did this, I told y’all about Russell, I told y’all this and that.” Well, it never worked!
So you got beat by somebody that had no game?
Russell: Nah, I got beat by a bitter jury. And I don’t know if you can calculate, but I’m not only saying that I’m the best the last two seasons, the fans are saying. It wasn’t Fan Favorite, it was something called Player of the Game. Can you understand that?
Yes, But you have never won a game, how can you be a good player?
Russell: You ever heard of a guy named LeBron James? Ever heard of him? He’s an MVP, he never won a championship in his life, and guess what? They consider him to be the best player to play basketball. So you don’t have to win the championship to be considered the best, my friend.
Okay. Sandra, why wouldn’t the Heroes listen to you?
Sandra: It would have been a different story. And let me tell you about Russell, he’s been saying all morning long about how five million people got it right and voted for him. I told him, I don’t know where you’re getting five million from, Parvati could have easily gotten ten thousand, Rupert could have got ten thousand, Jerri could have got ten thousand, I could have got ten thousand, and he could have got ten thousand and won. I want to know where these five million people are that love Russell so much.
And as far as my game is concerned, I’ve taken bits and pieces of every season of Survivor and I have a do’s and don’ts. Okay? And Russell thinks because he saw Micronesia on DVD and wanted to play Samoa, that he’s an expert. And now, I just heard him say that he knew when he left Samoa that he had lost, that’s the first time I’ve heard him say that. Because other than that, he assumed he won and he went out there and played the same game the second time. And if you’re a strategic player, because from my living room I knew when he did Samoa that he had lost, listening to that jury. How do you go back ten days later and play the same stupid game? That’s not strategy. I feel like I keep on having to defend my title - and yes, I am the queen.
Are you the best?
Sandra: I am the best! And I have two titles, and I have two checks. And if that’s not the best, I don’t know what is. It definitely ain’t Russell.
Do you guys get along in real life?
Sandra: Oh, yeah, like peas in a pod. [giggling in background]
Why did you target Russell early in the game?
Sandra: Because he was a fishy character, he smelled like fish [laughs], I just couldn’t stand him and he was a bully and I went after him. And these people, it’s their fault. It’s their fault that they didn’t listen to me and that’s why I burned his hat. And I have no regrets about the game, none whatsoever. It’s not my fault. And then even (with) the bitter jury, the best players won. So he says just because I won that it’s flawed because I’m weak at the challenges? Everybody knows I’m weak at the challenges, that’s not a freaking secret. I don’t hide that from anybody.
And that’s exactly why Colby went to the end. Jeff said yesterday that he had won the most male immunities - in All Stars he was a threat, they got him out. This time around, he made it to the end because he was weak. When we merged, they said JT’s strong. Candice and Amanda are strong. Rupert, even with his broken toe, is strong. And then comes Colby. So you know what? Colby being weak got Colby all the way to the end when it came time for the last Hero. So you know what, being weak is actually a strategy and it works well. And I love it.
Well congratulations.
Sandra: Thank you very much! Do you want to talk to Parvati now? Yeah, ‘cause you know what? She is actually a great player, and Russell needs to thank her, Jerri, and Danielle for keeping him in the game because those girls saved his butt.
Why did you save his butt, Parvati?
Parvati: Because he was my only line of defense. Everyone else was trying to get me voted out. I knew every single Hero was trying to vote me out, they tried to vote me out before I even got to the merge, before I was even playing with them. If Russell would have been the one voted out, I would have been the next to go.
Would it have been better if Jerri was there instead of Sandra at the end?
Parvati: Jerri would have won. I would have had a better shot against Jerri, but I think that it was a bitter jury, for me, because the people that didn’t want to see me at the end anyways, they didn’t want me to win. They didn’t want me there. Amanda and Candice, specifically, I’ve played with them before and I think they were upset for being beaten by me twice and they just didn’t want to give me a million dollars. Again.
Sandra, is your favorite past moment now burning Russell’s hat?
Sandra: Ah, so many favorites! I like a lot of my sayings, and you know, like spying on Russell and saying “He’s an ass.” You know, stuff like that. I have a bunch of them and a lot of my one-liners that are so funny, that people love. I have a lot of favorite moments, I can’t pick one.
Russell, do you think you repeated mistakes from Samoa?
Russell: I don’t know. What mistakes are you talking about, which ones?
Like, you took Natalie to the finals and she won...
Russell: Jerri was that Natalie. That’s what I was thinking. But the thing is, who’s to say if I don’t play aggressive like I play, I’m to going to make it to the finals. I’m not going to be here talking to y’all. So you know, I have to play that way, unless I want to ride somebody’s coattails and get behind somebody and let them...I just have to be in control of the game. So we don’t know. It would be very likely that I’m not even talking to y’all in the finals if I don’t play the way I play.
How frustrating is it for you that the jury makes the game so personal and social?
Russell: That’s not my fault, you know. It’s just part of it. It takes a strong person to get stabbed in the back and turn around and vote for that person that stabbed you in the back. There’s not many people like that. But I did what I did, and I’m glad it’s the way I played. The fans love me, they vote for me. I don’t care how many votes it was, guess what - I’m the one who won the Player of the Game.
Parvati, what made you know on day one that Russell was the one to align with?
Parvati: Because nobody else was talking to me. Like, when I say that Russell was the only one I could have aligned with, I’m not messing with you guys! [laughs] I don’t know how many times I have to say it, because noone was talking to me, I was pointed out as the biggest threat from the first day - Coach wanted me out, Randy wanted me out. They wanted to keep Randy and Courtney, who was terrible in challenges, over me! So I was like, okay, this is just ridiculous. Clearly there was a vendetta going on. And Russell was the only one who had my back, him and Danielle. So that was my only option.
Sandra, in the final tribal council, did you ever bring up that you were the one who convinced Russell to get rid of Coach? That was a good move.
Sandra: No. I had several moves along the way that I think were good moves that kept me...well, not kept me in the game because the only time I was in danger was the time it was between me and Courtney. Other than that, I wasn’t scared. I can read people and I kind of see what’s going on, and then I played my idol when I knew that Rupert and Colby were coming after me. I kind of wanted to save it but I didn’t want to look ridiculous having an idol and then going home, so I played it just in case. But I had a ton of big moves, I think. Just everything wasn’t shown on TV.
How do you think the idols affected your strategy this time, versus Pearl islands?
Sandra: Well I had never played with an idol before, if I would have found one I would have done the same thing I did when I found my hidden immunity idol, I didn’t tell nobody anything. That’s not something you share, I don’t understand how some people...well, everyone plays their own game. And I’ve learned from different Survivors over the years that when you have an idol, you keep that joker quiet. That is not the community idol. So, we all play different games.
Parvati, how did having Danielle in the game change it for you?
Parvati: It was a big change for me. Not only was it strategically not a good thing for me, like in the end as far as jury votes and stuff, but I was sad because she was my girl. I kind of lost my playmate. But, who knows. Those people just didn’t want a winner to win again, and I think the only reason that a winner did win again was because she was up against a person that everybody disliked so much, that (they) were so outplayed by and felt stupid, basically. And another winner, you know.
Why do you think they didn’t give you much credit for having your back against the wall for most of the game?
Parvati: I think I know why it is, I think it’s just human emotion leading them to vote the way they voted. It wasn’t like they stepped back and said “Okay, let’s see who played this game in every aspect of the game,” because if they had done that, Amanda’s game is like mine. She plays to win in every part of the game. If she would have voted based on the game she respected the most, she would have voted for me. But she voted based on her emotions and the way that she felt about me as a person. So that’s why I think I lost a few votes, because of some resentment, some jealousy, and then also some of the backlash from being aligned with Russell.
For Russell - do you think the jury even gave you a chance, or do you feel like you had lost before you even went in there?
Russell: Yep. When they started asking me the questions, I was about to start telling them I don’t want to talk no more, go sit down, I’m done. You know, the thing is, I was playing like that two times in a row, as rough as I play, and it is not right, you shouldn’t have to do that. They should never do that, put somebody back to back like that, because I was kind of beat mentally at that last tribal council. I didn’t want to deal with it no more. It’s like, okay - once I figured out none of them was going to vote for me, I was like whatever, y’all go home, you ain’t gonna vote for me, I’m going to get to the finals. I got here, I did what I wanted to do, alright. Whatever.
Now that you’ve had some time to rest, what do you think of that idea brought up last night: Russell versus Rob?
Russell: No, why would I want to play him? He didn’t even make the jury twice. He came in second once, then he’s trying to tell me how to play the game, and he didn’t even make the jury twice? Why would I want to play against him? I would tell them no. I’ve already knocked him out, I don’t want to have to fight him again.
Would you come back to Survivor at all?
Russell: I don’t know. It’s a possibility but I would have to really, seriously think about it. Because there’s one guy I’d like to play against that I didn’t get to play.
Richard Hatch.
Russell: Yes.
Sandra, does this win feel different, because you beat the All Stars?
Sandra: The first one was the best! Because it was brand new to me, the people out there, they really become your friends, you really want to get to know them and you do things together. You enjoy the island and you go off to do things together, you have fun at it. Like Parvati said (about this season), at minute number one, it was already chaos. Nobody cared about water, nobody cared about food, nobody cared about making shelter. It’s all about having numbers. Randy came up to me on minute number one and was like “We decided Parvati goes first because she’s already won,” and I’m looking at him like, guy, are you crazy? How do you tell me something like that, you must have not seen my season.
Two, because she’s a winner, now I gotta make sure Parvati stays in the game because once she’s gone, if that’s the excuse, they’re coming after me. So there’s a lot of things that you guys don’t see, a lot of moves that get made, you know?
How meaningful was it to have your husband in the audience last night, home from Afghanistan?
Sandra: I was happy, and I hate that he had to go home in two weeks, I really hate it.
What do you plan on doing with your winnings?
Sandra: I’m going to take a trip to Germany, and I don’t know what else to do because all my other stuff is paid for!
*Thanks to Mariner and hepcat for participating in the interviews this season!
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Originally Posted by Magnum;3907541; 
