Heading into Sunday's finale of Survivor: South Pacific a couple of things seemed certain:
1. Brandon would start crying.
2. One of this season's returning castaways (Coach and Ozzy - both rather remarkably still in the game) would walk away with the million dollars.
And while the first took about ten minutes to transpire (with a twist! tears of joy!) our second prediction was badly derailed by the quiet mastermind Sophie. First she defeated Ozzy in the game's last immunity challenge, and then beat Coach in votes to win the million dollars and title of Sole Survivor.
We chatted late Monday with a clearly exhausted Sophie about her time in the game, her complex relationship with Coach, and what it means to be the new Dragon Slayer.
Thanks for doing the call today, you must be tired.
I actually haven't slept since I woke up Sunday morning. But I'm high on life right now...or the million dollar cheque. (Laughs)
What happened to Coach? Did he have a meltdown at the final tribal council that we didn't get to see? Once he was in the final three a lot of people expected him to win, much like Boston Rob last season.
There's a lot of similarities between our season and the last season: Redemption Island, two returning players, one of them seemed to be leading a cult-like tribe. But the big difference is that Coach is no Boston Rob. Coach is seen as more of a joke. Rob is ready to own up to everything he does. He goes out there to win, and he knows he need to lie and manipulate. Coach is trying to have his cake and eat it too. He wants to go out there and win the game, and yet also claim that he's done it in an honest and moral way. And that's impossible. Has anyone ever done that?
But you have to give Coach credit, because he managed to get to the end one season after a returning player won it. And he did it well, but he only did it well if all of his manipulation was on purpose. That's all the jury wanted to hear: that he fooled all of them, all of the praying, all of the honesty, it was all lies. And he refused to do it, because that's who Coach is. He cares more about his image than winning the game.
He did all the things he needed to in order to win, but it's like he was in denial that he was actually playing the game.
Exactly, and because he was in denial he didn't deserve it. He didn't realize what was going on. And that characteristic of Coach, that he is loyal to a fault, and kind of naive about how disloyal he can be, is what attracted Albert and I to him as an alliance member at the beginning of the game.
That calls to mind the comment you made during the finale that a winning strategy for men is often to get two younger, naive women in his alliance to follow his lead. You then compared Coach to one of those women in the way he followed you. Was that honest or were you trying to discredit Coach's game for the jury?
That really is how I viewed it. I don't think my strategy was shown much on the show, but I talked a lot in my confessionals about how the appealing thing about Coach is that he's loyal to a fault. If I don't betray him, he won't betray me. He had proven that in his last two seasons. It's that same characteristic that Natalie Tenerelli (from Survivor: Redemption Island) and Natalie White (from Survivor: Samoa) and all of these girls that people say were brought to the end and were just like puppy dogs following along. And I had this man who was offering to be my puppy dog.
He seemed to offer Brandon that same blind loyalty, and he broke that trust. What made you different?
Brandon is a very volatile person, and a hard person to have an alliance with. Coach and I had a really good relationship. You know how he made all these mythical characters for everyone? Mine was the Oracle of Delphi, because before every vote I would calm him down, and tell him this is how it's going to go, and it's going to be fine and we're going to make it to the end. I think my alliance with Coach made him feel much more comfortable and safe than the alliances he had with other people.
When he anointed you the new Dragon Slayer it seemed clear that he had a lot of respect for you as one of the strongest players in the game.
We did a couple conference calls today where Coach and myself agreed that the beauty of our alliance [with herself, Coach and Albert] is that we were all egotistical enough to think we were going to win at the end. The worst thing that can happen in an alliance is when one person say, "I can't win, I've got to get out of this." Well you've heard Albert talk, he thinks he's god's gift, Coach is Coach, and I thought I was playing a good game. So the alliance was unbreakable because we all wanted to go to the end with each other.
Well with you being the new Dragon Slayer perhaps the real dragon this season was Coach, the original Dragon Slayer...
(Laughs) I know, right!
Any chance we'll be seeing the new Dragon Slayer again in future seasons?
I had a great time, it was really life-changing. Obviously it would be impossible to top, but there is something addicting about it. The intensity of emotions is something that I doubt I will ever be able to recapture. So I'd definitely go for a second shot. I'd probably lose (laughs) but it would be fun!
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Watch episodes of Survivor: South Pacific, including the Grand Finale, online.