Sometimes all it takes is to be the lesser of two or three evils to win Survivor.
Sophie Clarke, the winner of Survivor: South Pacific, didn’t outwit too many of her fellow competitors or make any bold moves for that matter but when it came to positioning herself, she picked the right pair of scoundrels to sit beside in the end.
Although the 22-year-old medical student from New York did win three Individual Immunity Challenges, Sophie took home the title of Ultimate Survivor and the million dollar prize, simply because the jury hated her final two alliance mates more than her. Some thought Benjamin "Coach" Wade was a sham when it came to living up to his promise of playing the Survivor game with integrity and loyalty, while others believed Albert Destrade was a weasel through and through.
Sophie scored 6 jury votes, Coach 3 and Albert absolutely none.
“I thought I had a good chance. Coach was demolished in the final Tribal Council,” Sophie told host-producer Jeff Probst of her state of mind coming into the jury vote.
“It was a very quiet game you played. What was the key,” Probst asked about her strategy.
“I think I had my finger on the pulse of the game the whole time and I tried to figure out other people’s motivations working within the framework of the game,” said Sophie. “In life, I find myself to be more of an observer than anything else.”
For Coach Wade, his return to the series was all about personal redemption, making amends for the way he played the game before.
“It was an amazing run. I feel very humbled by this game,” he said. “The game has really changed my life, without question. I don’t take myself seriously. I have a good time with everything. I think I am a lot more grounded and down to earth.”
Religion played a huge role in the South Pacific series with Coach, Albert and Brandon Hantz leading the tribe in daily prayers and with faith being an important motivator in the strategic decisions that were made. Coach defended South Pacific as being a “prayerapolooza”.
“To some people our prayers might seem trite, hypocritical or even shallow but you got to realize something,” he explained. “That is a shakeable world out there and you want to grasp onto something.”
For returning player Ozzy Lusth, who won $100,000 as the Player of the Season with the largest margin in the history of the series, it was all about getting back to nature more than the million dollar prize.
“Honestly, it is just the pure love of nature. This is where I find God. I go out there and I absolutely am in awe of the world that we live in,” he said.
Controversial Survivor, Brandon Hantz - the nephew of notorious player Russell Hantz – still seemed to be paying for his misjudgments and the emotional game he played. Brandon admitted that some of his family members are deeply disappointed.
“I don’t think a lot of people are very proud of me,” said a tearful Brandon. “It is okay because I have a wife and two kids who care about me.”
When asked to critique Brandon’s Survivor game, Russell pulled no punches.
“He went out there to change something I brought to the game. I made greatness. I brought the game to a level you cannot even comprehend,” he said.
“What did Brandon do wrong,” Probst asked.
“Everything. He didn’t do one thing right,” answered Russell. Loud boos soon followed.
At the conclusion of the reunion show, Probst revealed that during the next season of Survivor, the two tribes will be forced to share one camp. Survivor: One World debuts on Global in February.