“Survivor: Ghost Island” (CBS)
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Gordon Holmes: Before the game, you told me you were going to tell everyone that you had a two-year old daughter named Christina. What happened to Baby Christina?
Desiree Afuye: (Laughs) I figured the Christina thing wasn’t going to work. I knew there were people out there with kids and I knew how much people love their kids. They’re so ready to talk about them and they know all these facts. And I’d have to keep that up. That wasn’t something I wanted to do.
Holmes: Probably for the best.
Holmes: Why was last night the right time to make the Malolo move?
Afuye: It would force everyone to do it now if they were with the plan, because we were just one number up on the people that I was trying to get out. It forces you to pick a side. It’s six against five.
Holmes: We’ve been seeing Donathan and Laurel ride the line between classic Malolo and Domenick and Wendell. Did you know that was going on at the time?
Afuye: I definitely knew. What I was trying to do after the merge was pull Laurel away from Wendell and get her closer to me. Every time I would talk to Laurel I’d try to say something positive about me and try to share what we have in common and really create a bond there. And, I’d also try to throw something negative out about Wendell or Dom. Just to get her to wean away from the relationship.
Holmes: So, when you approached the Malolo crew, you were confident that you had done enough to get Laurel on board?
Afuye: Right. I had conversations with Laurel about how Wendell and Dom were trying to control her. They think they have control of you, but they don’t. You should make this move with me.
Holmes: That eventually blew up when Laurel talked to Dom and Dom talked to Laurel. Did you think you had done a good enough job of patching things up before Tribal or did you think you were in trouble?
Afuye: I thought I’d patched things up and changed their minds a bit. The way I reacted, I sold it. If I really did it, I’d just be crying or, “You guys caught me.” But I was adamant that she was lying and she had made this up.
Holmes: Angela lost her vote at Ghost Island. Did she tell anybody about that?
Afuye: I thought she was still voting with the group. I had no idea that she had lost her vote.
Holmes: When Jeff reads the votes, does he read the “No Vote” or does it not come into play?
Afuye: It just doesn’t come into play. I didn’t see it.
Holmes: The initial move you were trying to make last night was to get rid of Kellyn. I was under the impression that the Naviti women were going to bide their time and then take over. Was Kellyn just too much of a threat to take to the end?
Afuye: From my perspective, after Chris was voted out I realized that the Naviti women are divided. There are some that know the situation and there are some that don’t. I can’t rely on the Naviti women. It also proved to me that Kellyn is tied to whoever wanted Chris out. And that was Dom and Wendell. I knew I didn’t have a strong alliance with the Naviti women, so I went searching outside of that.
Holmes: At the Chris vote, you voted for Libby, correct?
Afuye: Right.
Holmes: Huh…I had assumed that was a plan to split the votes in case Chris played his idol.
Afuye: I was totally in the dark.
Holmes: Alright, word association time. Let’s start with Donathan.
Afuye: Sneaky.
Holmes: Michael?
Afuye: A champion.
Holmes: Jenna?
Afuye: My spirit animal.
Holmes: Morgan?
Afuye: Free spirited.
Holmes: Domenick?
Afuye: He’s the guy you know you shouldn’t trust, but you still do.
Holmes: Brendan?
Afuye: I still think he’s the president.
Holmes: Kellyn?
Afuye: Half innocent and half evil.
Holmes: Wendell?
Afuye: The guy everyone loves.
Holmes: Sebastian?
Afuye: He takes fun wherever he goes.
Holmes: Stephanie?
Afuye: Boss.
Holmes: Chelsea?
Afuye: Small, but mighty.
Holmes: Chris?
Afuye: He’s a lion.
Holmes: James?
Afuye: Well rounded.
Holmes: Angela?
Afuye: The most caring person out there.
Holmes: Bradley?
Afuye: He’s misunderstood.
Holmes: Libby?
Afuye: Can do no wrong.
Holmes: Laurel?
Afuye: She’s dominant.
Holmes: And let’s finish with Baby Christina.
Afuye: (Laughs) She’s amazing!
Holmes: Bradley posted on Instagram that you two would sit and roast everyone. We didn’t get to see this!
Afuye: (Laughs) We have the same sort of dark humor. A lot of things he’d say that would piss people off…I’d find it so funny. At Malolo, the first day we were there, everybody was roasted. We talked about everything and everyone. Mainly he’d talk, but I’d throw some commentary in there.
Holmes: You didn’t roast the people that were doing pre-game interviews, did you?
Afuye: No. (Laughs) We didn’t roast the press.
Holmes: Good.
Holmes: There are three idols in the game right now. How well guarded are those secrets? Did you know about any of them?
Afuye: I knew Wendell had an idol, I knew Dom had an idol. Which is another reason that I thought the plan was going to work. Idols are scary.
Holmes: We’ve only seen them tell Laurel, how did you know?
Afuye: Word got around. It went from Laurel to Michael…Michael knew…and Michael told me. So, I had my pitch together on why they had to be out of the game.
Holmes: Say your plan had worked last night. Malolo comes on board and Kellyn is a goner. What’s the plan from that point?
Afuye: After Kellyn one of the guys has to go. It’ll be Dom, Wendell, or Michael. Maybe Dom and Wendell will convince everyone to get rid of Michael because he’s been making a ton of moves. He found idols. He was a beast at challenges. You don’t want him at the end. He was a fan favorite. And after Michael, Dom and Wendell are the top of the food chain.
Holmes: And what would have been your dream final three?
Afuye: Sitting next to Laurel, Donathan, Angela, or Chelsea.
Holmes: “Survivor” tends to change people. Has it changed you?
Afuye: I think I am different. I don’t complain about anything anymore. The other day I was eating some type of lunch and it wasn’t the best. But then, I remembered what I was eating on the island and I literally devoured what was in front of me.
Holmes: I like that. I appreciate lunch more.
Afuye: (Laughs) It trickles into other things too. I can’t complain about lunch. I can’t complain about much of anything.
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Tags: survivor, survivor ghost island
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