No shame in her game. Sara Wilson fought hard to stay but became the second boot during the Wednesday, September 22, premiere of Survivor.
The healthcare consultant, 24, may have messed up the puzzle at the immunity challenge but she felt in danger even before that.
“Honestly, I kicked myself for doing the puzzle for maybe a second because I feel like someone had to go,” Sara exclusively tells Us Weekly. “And at the end of the day, I feel like I would have been on the block regardless, just based off of how people were connecting and stuff.”
Still, the California native was “determined to make it a live tribal,” and she did just that. “I wanted to switch the vote. It was so close,” she says. “It felt like it was so close, and I do think it was close. I don’t think they were bullsh-tting me. But yeah, it was exciting. It’s exciting to fight to the end.”
Sara was ultimately voted out 4-1-1 with the other votes being for Brad Reese and Ricard Foyé.
Scroll down to read our full interview with Sara about her time on the show and how she feels about being out so early.
Survivor airs on CBS Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
Us Weekly: How are you feeling?
Sarah Wilson: I’m doing well. I’m getting such an outpouring of support from everyone. It’s really making me feel really good about this.
Us: Good! So what were you told as far as the plan going into tribal council?
SW: I felt like in the days leading up to the challenge, people were really on board with JD being the plan. I feel like maybe people were worried about him having an idol, like an advantage of some sort. Going into tribal, I very much knew I was on the block and that it was most likely going to be me. Right before tribal, I was having a conversation with JD, and I was like, “Who would you vote for?” He’s like, “I would literally vote for anyone. I just don’t want it to be me.” And I was like, “Well, would you vote against Brad?” And the only reason I put Brad’s name out there was because he threw me and Shan’s names out there to us, to our faces. And I felt like if I was going to convince Shan to vote for anyone but me, it would have to be him. But even then, I had a really bad sense going into that tribal. I knew it was likely going to be me. I was set on playing my “Shot in the Dark.” But then we ended up getting there and … I was determined to make it a live tribal. I wanted to switch the vote. It was so close. It felt like it was so close, and I do think it was close. I don’t think they were bullsh-tting me. But yeah, it was exciting. It’s exciting to fight to the end.
Us: You certainly did that. You mentioned Brad saying your name to your face. What were you thinking in that moment?
SW: In the moment, had it just been me standing there, I would have been like, “F–k, this sucks” – sorry for my language. I would be like, “It sucks that he put my name out there, but it makes him way worse than it makes me look, you know what I mean? That is not good for your game to say someone’s name to their faces. They’re my two people standing there putting both their names out there. So, my heart did drop in that moment, but I was also like, “OK, fine. Like, if he’s going to do that, then I’m just going to try to go for him.” It’s sad because Brad was such a nice person to be around at camp. He worked super hard, and obviously he was going to be an asset in challenges. But if I was going to go after someone it had to be him because of that.
Us: So would you say you were primarily targeted just because of the puzzle?
SW: I don’t know. Honestly, I kicked myself for doing the puzzle for maybe a second because I feel like someone had to go. And at the end of the day, I feel like I would have been on the block regardless, just based off of how people were connecting and stuff.
Us: Who did you feel most betrayed by?
SW: Yeah, the thing was at that point I knew they were lying to me, so it didn’t even hurt me that badly. I was like, “They’re lying.” Had I sat there and been blindsided, I think I would have felt betrayed. But when someone’s lying to you, and you know they’re lying, it’s, like, “whatever.” It’s their loss. I could have been such an asset to them, that’s the thing. I don’t think they realize how much they could have used me. I literally would’ve voted however they wanted me to until eventually we were separated. But yeah, it’s hard. I don’t necessarily feel super betrayed by anyone. I mean, Ricard looked me in the eyes before tribal and said, “I’m not going to write your name down,” and then did. So that definitely hurt for a little bit, but you get over it. It’s Survivor. This is what you signed up for.
Us: Speaking of Ricard, Genie voted for him. Do we know what happened there?
SW: In the moment, I wasn’t sure. I thought maybe if they thought I was gonna play my “Shot in the Dark,” they wanted an extra vote to go to him. I mean, you saw it in everyone’s face. Everyone was confused by it.
Us: You’re a big fan of the show. What did you think about all the changes with the show, like how it’s only 26 days and you start with no rice on day one?
SW: It made me a stronger person in general even though I only played for three days. Honestly, for me, it was a little bit hard [not having rice]. This is not something I share very often, but I struggled with an eating disorder growing up. So for me, going into the game, I was so worried about only having rice. I was like, “This is really concerning. To show up on the boat and for Jeff [Probst] to be like, “You have no food. No rice.” It instantly set off panic. My whole body, I felt panic. Just because of my relationship with food. Obviously, I have a healthy relationship with food now, but it was difficult for me the first couple days. As for the changes in the game, Survivor always changes. Like Jeff says, fans typically hate it, but I was excited for the challenge. I think good players are people who can adapt. If you can adapt to the stuff this season, props to them.
Us: Wow, thank you for sharing that. Did you also feel the game was more fast-paced and accelerated?
SW: Oh my God, in the double elimination, it was honestly brutal. We literally only have three days to play, and I think it was just like, “Come on. Give us a break, like, give us a chance to get our footing in the game.” Yeah, that was definitely tough. The pace was fast. We touched down on the beach and it was, like, “go.” That’s part of the excitement, but it doesn’t make the game trickier.
Us: How did it feel watching yourself on TV last night?
SW: It was weird, but honestly, I look good in green, so I was happy. I loved my outfit. The buff made my eyes pop (laughs). It was exciting. Going out first – or I guess, technically, second – I thought I would be more embarrassed than I was. But all I feel is just like, “I fought for it.” I think people can see that. And there’s no shame or feeling embarrassed. I still did it.
