‘Survivor: Kaôh Rōng’ (CBS)
Quick Note: We’re going to be bringing you all kinds of “Survivor” fun this season including episode recaps, exit interviews, and Power Rankings with Shirin Oskooi. Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for up-to-the-minute news and info.
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Gordon Holmes: How confident were you going into last night’s vote that Michele and Cydney were going to vote with you and target Tai?
Julia Sokolowski: I was 110% confident that Michele was going to be on my side and 25% confident that Cydney was going to be on my side I knew it was going to be hard to get Cydney to vote with me. She’s tight with Aubry, our paths weren’t aligning.
Holmes: So, it was a shock when Michele flipped?
Sokolowski: I never thought Michele would flip. But, I wouldn’t say I was blindsided, I was blindsided by the fact that Michele would vote for me. It was pretty devastating at the time.
Holmes: You were going to go home either way she voted, does that make it better, worse?
Sokolowski: Initially after it happened it took me a little while to realize that she had voted for me. And at first I was salty and I was bitter, but I realized that was what Michele needed to do. By Cydney and Michele voting for me…it was the easy way out. It was a fear-based decision. But at the same time, they’re in the majority. It could’ve easily been a three/four vote and I still would’ve gone home. She needed to make sure that the girls knew that she was with them. So, she had to do it to progress her game.
Holmes: Aubry has been targeting you for some time. When did you realize that she saw you as a threat?
Sokolowski: Aubry and I had a really tense relationship out there. My relationship with her now is fantastic. She lives ten minutes away and she’s wonderful. Looking at her game, I totally respect it. But the moment she crossed out my name with the Peter vote we just didn’t see eye to eye. We didn’t get along. We were not on the same page. I knew she didn’t trust me and I didn’t trust her back. So, it was a really tough thing. I was down in numbers because I could never turn to Aubry if I wanted to execute a plan and I could never turn to Joe because I couldn’t turn to Aubry. It was so…not…good. I knew she was gunning for me.
Holmes: I forget that Joe is out there.
Sokolowski: (Laughs) Yeah, me too.
Holmes: Is there anything we’re missing or is that what Joe’s doing out there?
Sokolowski: No, that’s pretty accurate. Aubry has two votes. Aubry was holding his hand. Joe’s a great guy, he’s super nice, and he has some good stories. He’s had a really fulfilled, incredible life, but he isn’t strategizing. Whoever he voted for is whoever Aubry told him to vote for.
Holmes: It seems like going to the end with Jason and Scot is an automatic win. Is that what you were thinking during your time out there?
Sokolowski: I absolutely thought it was the perfect plan. I thought I’d be in the most amazing slot. But, I didn’t realize it until the sabotage when they started causing chaos around camp. And I knew I was on the bottom of the Aubry/Cydney alliance. So, I didn’t feel comfortable on either side, but I felt like I’d have more of a say with Scot and Jason. I thought it was the perfect move for me. And playing the middle is really dangerous. I didn’t play an elegant game by any means. I was really blunt and really out there. But at the same time, if you’re able to do it and win from it…it’s an amazing win. You’ve really won. You deserve the million dollars. So it was worth the risk.
Holmes: If your plan had succeeded last night what would have been your ideal final three?
Sokolowski: I would’ve loved to have gone to the end with Joe because…(Laughs)…nobody would vote for Joe. I’d have loved to go to the final three with Michele, it’s not even from a game perspective, it’s because she was a part of my original alliance with Anna. It would’ve been awesome to sit with her. I also would have liked to have gone with Jason. My biggest competition would have been Aubry and Tai. Those are the only two I’d be opposed to going to the final three with.
Holmes: When Debbie was voted out, you had the chance to split the vote with Debbie and her crew, vote against Debbie, or vote with the guys and get rid of Cydney. At Tribal, idols were produced and everything went to heck. Which way were you leaning before the chaos?
Sokolowski: I was leaning more towards voting out Debbie. But at the same time, I definitely considered getting rid of Cydney. I think that could have been the ideal strategic move and looking back I probably should have done it at that moment. Voting out Debbie was the perfect move for playing down the middle. You’re voting with the majority but you’re not hurting Jason, Scot, and Tai. But then after Scot is voted out, Cydney’s still in the game and she’s heading up things with Aubry and I’m slowly deteriorating. If I could go back in time, that’d be the one vote I’d change. I think I could’ve easily pulled Michele over to the Jason/Scot/Tai side after getting rid of Cyd.
Holmes: Alright, word association time. Let’s start with Peter.
Sokolowski: Obama. (Laughs)
Holmes: Debbie?
Sokolowski: Passionate.
Holmes: Aubry?
Sokolowski: Crafty.
Holmes: Michele?
Sokolowski: Vibrant.
Holmes: Joe?
Sokolowski: Gentle.
Holmes: Caleb?
Sokolowski: Competitor.
Holmes: Cydney?
Sokolowski: Fierce.
Holmes: Jason?
Sokolowski: Reliable.
Holmes: Scot?
Sokolowski: Honest.
Holmes: Tai?
Sokolowski: Kind.
Holmes: Neal?
Sokolowski: Sharp and witty.
Holmes: Nick?
Sokolowski: Composed.
Holmes: We’ll finish with Anna.
Sokolowski: She’s the sweetest. She’s a sweetheart. I love her.
Holmes: What was your thinking last week when you told Tai he should play his idol?
Sokolowski: (Laughs) To be honest, I really thought I was in complete control going into that Tribal. Everyone was voting for Tai. The boys were voting for Cydney. Tai was going to play his idol, we were going to get rid of an idol and Cydney was going to go home. It was the perfect plan. (Laughs) Of course I had no idea what was going on. I was completely blindsided by that entire Tribal. I thought I was flushing an idol, but helping Tai so I could use him later. It completely backfired.
Holmes: Was that your way of declaring a side? Once you save Tai and send Cydney packing it becomes very clear.
Sokolowski: Yeah, definitely. I think it was my way. But, obviously Tai flipped before I had a chance to prove it.
Holmes: Tai has this advantage. At this stage in the game did you have any guesses as to what it could be?
Sokolowski: No, nobody had any idea. When that was used in Season 30 we were out filming. So, we hadn’t even seen it yet. To us it was probably a clue to an idol. And none of us were threatened by it because we knew whose hands the idols were in.
Holmes: They made it seem like you and Jason were going to do something horrible to Mark the Chicken.
Sokolowski: (Laughs) I know.
Holmes: Monsters.
Sokolowski: (Laughs) Mark the Chicken was almost killed right before the merge. But at the merge we got all this food. He kind of became domesticated. He’d sleep in the shelter with us. He didn’t have to be on a leash anymore. Tai would call him and he’d come. So, I wanted to kill Mark because I was sick of hearing about Mark. I was over it. But, I don’t think we’d ever have the guts to do it. He was our pet.
Holmes: If you’d won a chicken and killed it and eaten it, I’d have no problem. The second you name it, I get all sensitive.
Sokolowski: That’s the thing I’ve gotten the most backlash for. People on Twitter are like, “How could you do that? You’re a horrible person!” I’m like chill, he made it further than me.
Any Questions? Drop me a line on Twitter: @gordonholmes
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