Survivor China: Interview with Sherea - "It was a game and I have no regrets."

[hepcat]

Cast out unwillingly from her home tribe, 26-year-old Sherea Lloyd thought she had found a relatively safe position in a tribe that contained some annoying personalities. Unfortunately, when it came down to the votes, she was deemed too new to trust by her adoptive tribe. It could have been worse; at least she didn’t have to eat a chicken fetus before getting the boot.

Hi Sherea, it’s nice to talk to you. First off, were you a fan of the show?

I was a fan of the show, but I didn’t go out and apply. A friend of mine knew somebody in casting who was looking for African-American females, and she thought I might be interested, so they asked me to send in a video and flew me out for interviews.

What did you do to prepare for the experience of Survivor?

Actually, I didn’t do much because it happened so quickly. Within three weeks I was out in China.

How come you were wearing a dress when you started the game?

(laughs) The producers told me that I was going to do some press thing, and that’s the outfit they chose for me. Before the game, we don’t really know what’s happening and that just happens to be what they chose for me to start the game in.

So if you’ve watched the show, then you must have been expecting a gross food challenge.

I knew it was coming some time or another, and I was hoping that I didn’t have to participate in it.

It’s nice that it worked out that way.

(laughing) That worked out very well.

What was the grossest food in your opinion?

That had to be the chicken fetuses because they had the feathers and everything still attached.

Did you hear what Peih-Gee was attempting to say to you during the reward challenge?

Yes, I did hear what she was saying to me, I just didn’t want to give it away to my Fei Long members because they could see us in that little room. I didn’t want them to see me talking to her.

It looks like she was interpreting that to mean that you had shut her off.

Yes, when in reality it wasn’t true at all because I was still with them, especially after they threw the challenge. I was like, “Okay, that just saved me three more days, so let me stay with them.”

That was my next question - did you have any idea that they had thrown the challenge on purpose the previous week?

Yeah, we discussed it right before the switch happened; we discussed throwing the challenge. Then right before that particular challenge started, Jaime mouthed to me that they were throwing it.

So it sounds like if you had made it to the merge as Peih-Gee and Jaime were hoping, would you have aligned with Peih-Gee and Jaime and you would have had a strong group of five?

Yes, although of course I wasn’t really sure what to do. I kept going back and forth. I was just hoping to make it to that point. Of course, I didn’t – but I wanted Todd, Amanda and Courtney to trust me, too.

Do you think your comments at tribal council had any bearing on the vote that night?

I think it was decided ahead of time. We kept going back and forth – they didn’t know, Frosti, Sherea, or Jean-Robert. But I just wanted to make sure that I left saying everything that I had to say before I left if it was me.

If you had stayed, do you think you would have burned any bridges?

No, because actually any time I spoke up at tribal council, we would go back to camp and people would tell me, “Why didn’t you tell me that ahead of time?” I don’t think me speaking up at tribal council really would have hurt me.

Did you feel like Courtney was correct in saying she was on the outskirts of all the cliques in the tribe?

Yes, she was. She was with Todd and Amanda, but at the same time she was the outsider in that tribe.

It seemed like you guys had a little something – did you see yourself aligning with her?

Yeah, we did. We clicked very well. And I became good friends with Todd, as well, at the same time. But yeah, we just had a lot in common so we aligned well together.

Can you give us your thoughts about the different people who are still playing the game after I read their names off?

Sure.

Let’s go ahead and start with Courtney, then.

Courtney…people think she’s not strong because of her size, but I think she’s someone to watch out for only because people don’t think she’s a threat and later on she may become one.

When you say it that way – do you think she was faking anything physically or was she truly very weak?

I think she was so small that she just couldn’t compete with some of those physical challenges, but maybe when they move to individual challenges they’ll change some and she may do better.

What do you think of Denise?

I didn’t get to know Denise well, but I do know that she and James got along well. She’s kind of flying under the radar.

Does that pairing strike you as odd?

It’s a very odd pairing. You would never have thought James and Denise would be paired up together.

Okay, how about Jean-Robert?

Jean-Robert is very annoying. At the same time, he’s playing the game too. He’s got his poker face on and he’s telling people what he thinks, but he’s very mean to some people.

How come you got picked over him when it came to the vote? As a viewer, I want to know because he is annoying and that’s just on screen.

(laughing) Well, because Fei Long – people were trying to think of the numbers when it came to a merge, so they were trying to make sure they had a solid vote in their corner. Jean-Robert was that solid vote to them.

What about Frosti?

(pleasantly) Frosti turned his back on me.

Yeah.

(pause) Well, I’m assuming that if and when they do merge, he’ll do the same thing. Now that he knows about the immunity idol, he’s going to stick with Todd and Amanda.

Were you surprised when he voted for you?

I was very surprised because we kind of had an unspoken bond, seeing as we were the two on the outside going over there, so I was very surprised. But at the same time, I wasn’t. He’s playing the game for himself.

Let’s move on to Amanda.

Amanda is also playing the game strategically and quietly. She’s flying under the radar as well. But she aligned herself with Todd, who of course knows the game very well.

Since you mention him, what about Todd?

He’s very sweet to me. He pulls you in to make you think you can trust him, which, most of the time, you can. But it’s a game because we know was a fan of the show and that he was going to be doing very well.

Let’s go back to the other tribe. What do you think of Peih-Gee?

Peih-Gee is very strong-willed and she’s ready to play that game. I think she has some secret alliances going on. I think she and Frosti had one. The other people on Fei Long do not trust her, so she’ll probably be gone pretty soon.

What’s your take on Erik?

He’s pretty much aligned with Jaime, so his hands are tied. He’s going with whatever the girls want.

Jaime

Very sweet, everybody likes her because of her personality, but people need to watch out for her because she’s much smarter than she’s leading on.

Did you see any romance between them?

Yeah, I know they had some type of connection, I just don’t know how far it’s going to go.

Flirting, or what?

Yes, and they’re from the same place, so…

And let’s not forget James.

James, a hard worker. He’s just a beef when it comes to those challenges.

Speaking of beef, you got a view of him in the buff.

(laughing) I wasn’t surprised when he stripped naked because everybody was trying to get clean, and he just didn’t care, he wanted that shower.

We all know that you and Dave clashed, and that he clashed with a lot of people. When I talked to Dave, he said, ”She has a very lopsided perspective on the game I believe. She even told me, she’s there for the challenges, she’s not there for the tribe life…everyone likes the challenges. So are [your tribemates] going to wipe your butt for you and cook your food for you? What’s the story here? What would you say in response to Dave about that?

Well, Dave wasn’t doing any of the cooking anyway, I usually made the rice for us. (bitter laugh) It just happened that Dave wanted to rip and run every day which was out of control. With the heat being down on you, no food in your system – that’s why when we would get to the challenges, he would have no energy. After a few days, we got our camp together, all we were doing was maintaining. So he should have been maintaining some energy for the challenges.

But is there anything you would say to him personally in response?

You know, it was a game and I have no regrets about what I said to him. He needs to learn how to be a leader.

Who do you think is calling the shots at Fei Long?

I think in the beginning it was Aaron. He was definitely their leader. But after he left, it was definitely Todd and Amanda.

But out of those two, who would you finger?

Definitely Todd.

Do you still think of yourself as too great a threat?

Well, yeah, physically I’m a threat in the challenges. They were worried about that when it came to individual challenges. They also knew that I pretty much have a mind of my own versus Frosti, who was going to go with whatever they wanted him to do.

What was your happiest moment on Survivor?

I had a lot of happy moments. Probably the challenge where myself and Dave had to carry the puzzle across. That was a really good moment because we needed that win.

What was your lowest point?

The first couple of days with no food and no water and it raining so hard, and just trying to get used to the atmosphere. The rain was unreal, literally.

Who is the craftiest person out there this season?

It probably has to have been Dave, and maybe Jean-Robert. They’re both similar in the way that they talk to people and the way that they act. I’m going to have to go with the two of them.

Who is getting played and doesn’t know it?

Erik. He’s not really a mind of his own, he’s just going with the girls and doing whatever they say. He had a chance to get rid of one of the girls, and instead he got rid of Aaron.

Is there anything you want the viewers to know about you that we didn’t see on the show?

I know the show probably portrayed me as having an attitude but in real life, that’s just not me all the time. I was quiet out there a lot, but I’m just one of those people that are going to speak their mind.

Thanks to CBS and Sherea for the interview.

[Google]

 

[ShrinkingViolet]

Thanks for a terrific interview with loads of good questions, Hep! It's always great to get the opinion of what they thought about their tribemates, too.

[holly71]

Who is the craftiest person out there this season?

It probably has to have been Dave, and maybe Jean-Robert. They’re both similar in the way that they talk to people and the way that they act. I’m going to have to go with the two of them.

Does she not know the meaning of the word "crafty"? Because I would hardly consider Dave or JR as crafty.

[Marleybone]

Great interview, hep. That's kind of a stinker that the producers are responsible for her starting the game in that dress.

[Kocky_Kamikaze]

Great interview! I got a new insight in the players that I didn't really have my finger on before.

[PWS]

The wrestler woman said the same thing about the clothes... boy, that would tempt me to never ever trust the producers when they give you clothes...and to always insist on wearing my own underwear/bathing suit!

[Kocky_Kamikaze]

Originally Posted by PWS

The wrestler woman said the same thing about the clothes... boy, that would tempt me to never ever trust the producers when they give you clothes...and to always insist on wearing my own underwear/bathing suit!

Yah, I'd just tell the producers "No, really, I'm all good!"

[phoenix1964]

Well good overall interview. Except she got it wrong on who' running fei long. It's Amanda who is the power behind the throne. And Todd is the face of the power.

[Rattus]

I know the show probably portrayed me as having an attitude but in real life, that’s just not me all the time. I was quiet out there a lot, but I’m just one of those people that are going to speak their mind.

I find it interesting that most people who have to speak their mind usually have ill-natured, spiteful minds. Why, oh why don't the kind-hearted and generous ever speak their minds?

[Bearcata]

Thanks for the interview.

I did wonder if she had heard what PG had said to her during the reward challenge. I still wonder if she ever told Frosti about it though?? Hope that is answered.

She's only 26. That totally, totally would never have guessed that I honestly thought she was older and would have said late 30's to 40's. She seems much more a 46 than a 26. That just can't be right. If she is this bitter at 26 I don't even want to know what she will be like in 20 yrs.

As far as speaking your mind. Both Courtney and Sherea do it. I just think you can be polite about it. They are both so defensive and in your face combative about it and that is what makes them both so unlikable.