By John Powell – GlobalTV.com

It sucks to lose a timed puzzle challenge that might have saved your sinking Survivor game. It is even worse to have salt rubbed in the wound and have to vote for yourself at Tribal Council. Christian Hubicki fell victim to a devastating and historic twist last night that saw his game go up in smoke.

John Powell: It’s wonderful to talking to you today. How are you doing?

Christian Hubicki: I am doing fine, thank you.

John Powell: I guess Jimmy Fallon isn’t on your Christmas card list this year. (laughs)

Christian Hubicki: Jimmy Fallon, look this all could just be a big misunderstanding. Maybe, maybe, maybe there’s just a typo in the letter. And look, I’m always open to mediation and open to communication to work through our differences. (laughs)

John Powell: If you weren’t forced to vote for yourself last night do you think things would have been different? What was your sense of how things were going?

Christian Hubicki: I think that having to vote for myself, and specifically publicly stating that I had to vote for myself, I think that did make something of a difference because my understanding is that it did that. It did seem like Emily was a real contender to go home, which, by the way, she came out swinging for me. She could have just tossed me under the bus.

It’s like Christian is, you know, voting for himself. He’s done, right? But she didn’t. She didn’t. She fought for me. She fought to get out Ozzy over me. I think that was a thing that people talk about in the episodes, like, why wouldn’t we put out Christian, he’s in a corner. He can’t protect himself with a vote shot in the dark, right? So, I think it was a difference maker there but doesn’t mean that wasn’t a great position either way.

John Powell: Speaking of Emily, you have a relationship without outside of the game, you are friends. You’re in this game together and she’s frustrating. Was there any thought to say, like, Okay, now you’re endangering my game. I know we have a friendship. Was there any thought of like, I maybe need to cut her?

Christian Hubicki: I mean, not because of anything that she told other people, because I interpreted that was that she has a set of tactics that involves building secrets in which, in a weird way, end up working out well for her. I did trust her intentions. I mean, we played some board games outside of the game together. That’s how we know each other.

I kind of sensed that when she would do these things it was a misunderstanding. It wasn’t because she was trying to tank my game, necessarily. I think that ultimately that was born out in the end. She could have tossed me under the bus at this vote and she didn’t so. In terms of tactics, I think it just meant it, I had to be careful with what I would specifically tell her. So, that’s all that meant. I was still thrilled to have her as an ally.

John Powell: We also had Mike. Everybody knows the situation that erupted. He had hurt feelings after the game because he thought you were friends. Christian and what is your take on the whole thing because we really haven’t heard what your thoughts on the whole thing are?

Christian Hubicki: I mean, I certainly understand why there are hurt feelings after the game. I totally get that. As soon as I got back, I figured that he would be hurt, so I sent him a message, absurdly long voice memo. I understand if he’s not gotten around to it. It’s a 10 minute voice memo that most people don’t love listening to but I was concerned that he thought that this was also part of some master plan or something, that when, in fact, I really wanted to work with the guy, it was just a bad situation.

What first looked really promising when I swapped onto this new tribe, where I had Mike and Angelina for my first season, who I did want to work with, although I was wary of the target they put on us, and also people from my original tribe, Emily and Ozzy. I was like, that’s great! I have options! Once I started going to Tribal Councils, it was really: Oh, my goodness! I have to make some tough choices because if I am seen as protecting the three and I go into the merge, I am toast because people will view the three of us as a trio and I’m the easy pick because people tend to target me at the merge.

It was purely a strategic decision as to one of them had to go. I think the events of the show, show at least in part what happened and that he was trying to get me to get rid of Emily, someone who I wanted to keep around to the point where I started to realize: Oh, my goodness! He really wanted to protect Angelina. He’s much closer with her and he’s trying to convince me to do something that I think is bad for me, which is going with the three of them. He’s not looking out for me. That’s understandable. That’s okay. It’s a game but at that point I look at him differently.

He’s not my closest ally. Potentially, he’s now just the glue between Angelina and Ozzy. Those two don’t play together without Mike. Get rid of Mike and Angelina and Ozzy don’t play together. Other than you have three of us who are in the vote together, we move forward. I make it to the merge. I diffuse the bomb that is sitting on, which is the David versus Goliath three entering the merge.

John Powell: There’s a lot of things that are going on that you don’t get to see and you’re not privy to on the island. There was a lot of talk this season of Christian, backstabbing. What’s your reaction to all of that?

Christian Hubicki: I think that a lot of that was this episode, right? That was a lot and it’s understandable. A lot of it was Jonathan and the previous vote, I viewed the Coach and Chrissy boot as such an important, pivotal moment because if they stuck around, Emily made this point earlier as well, there’s this huge majority of these sort of Old School-minded players who are all working together. They might have a firm majority and that’s just bad for all of us.

They had to go, and that included having to lie to Jonathan a lot, which, of course, Jonathan is trying to target my closest ally. I think he realized at that point because I had to go in so hard and pretending I was going to vote out Rick, I think he believed it and he realized he couldn’t trust me, which, of course, yeah, I get that.

I think that’s where that comes from. And of course, Ozzy, you know, I was targeting Ozzy, and so I don’t blame him for being upset about that. If you look at the people that I was close to though, I was extremely loyal, Rick and Emily. I went to bat for all of them and they and they went to bat for me. I think it’s just a matter of where do your loyalties lie and I think that’s the difference. I think when people make those kind of accusations, that’s what they’re talking about.

John Powell: What are some of the aspects you were weighing in trying to pick a winner?

Christian Hubicki: I said this back in my first season, I’m always looking to just take myself out of the decision and be a good steward of a victory for the game. I think that I would be disappointed in myself if I voted for personal reasons, when, in a way, I’m in service of this whole show, this whole program, this belongs to more than just me. This belongs to the other jurors and also all of the people who love watching. I think that that’s always been true of how I try to make my decisions.

John Powell: As a father, I really appreciated your mentions of Michael throughout the show. When he is watching all this back what lessons do you hope that he takes from your time on Survivor?

Christian Hubicki: I want him to know that it’s okay to try as hard as you can. You should always try as hard as you can, and also at the same time, while it’s good to be giving and good to be self sacrificing and give to people around you and be loyal to your friends, that is, I want you to do all those things. I also want you to be able to fight for what you feel like you’ve earned. My first season, yes, I fought really hard and I got quite far and eventually I was just like dodging all these bullets and eventually one caught me. It was just my time. I had a good run.

It’s all right but then I thought, why not me? Why can’t I be the winner of the season? Not that I’m not that I deserve it more than anyone else but I should fight for my right to potentially win. Don’t just accept that it’s okay, that it has to be somebody else. No, it can be me and in fact, why not me?

I hope that my son learns the learns to be a kind and giving person but also knows how to stand up for himself.