By John Powell – GlobalTV

Sometimes things are just not meant to be.

On Survivor: Kaôh Rōng, Caleb Reynolds saw his time on the series cut short when he was medically evacuated on day nine.

As fate would have it, on Survivor: Game Changers last night Caleb was voted out on day nine when his friendship with Tai Trang was viewed as a threat by the rest of the new Mana Tribe. Even Tai was convinced to vote Caleb out.

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“I know that it is just a game. It is part of the game. When it comes down to your own personal life in that game, you have to make the decision that is best for you. I feel that is exactly what Tai did. I don’t hold a grudge against him. I honestly think he tried his best to keep me in the game but Brad just did a great job of changing his mind and changing the minds of everyone else at camp,” said Caleb as he elaborated more on why his relationship with Tai was such a threat.

John Powell: Did you think that your friendship with Tai would work to your disadvantage like it did so quickly?

Caleb Reynolds: “I knew there was going to be advantages and disadvantages. Obviously, I was going to use that friendship to protect me but at the same time you have to view it as a disadvantage as well. You have to know that people are going to look at it as a threat to them. People knew we were really good friends and weren’t going to turn on each other. That was the disadvantage that I couldn’t control.”

John Powell: Watching the episode play out, I was wondering why, since you and Hali [Ford] were the odd people out, you didn’t approach her to make an alternate alliance to swing the odds back in your favour after the switch?

Caleb Reynolds: “I did do that. I know they (the producers) didn’t show that. It is something that I have been dealing with because the edit wasn’t what I expected. Tai and I talked about getting Debbie [Wanner] to flip because we were on the same season. I also mentioned to Hali that maybe we can work together with Tai and maybe tie the vote as best we could. It just didn’t work out that way.”

John Powell: Is there anything you wish they would have shown more of when it comes to your edit?

Caleb Reynolds: “If there was one thing I wished they showed more of would have probably been my effort to stay. They (the producers) didn’t show me looking for Hidden Immunity Idols. I looked for hours. They didn’t show me fighting at Tribal Council to stay and why I deserved to stay. They just didn’t seem to show that I wanted to be there. I fought to stay in that game. I tried to find the Hidden Immunity Idol to save my life in the game. That is probably what I wished they showed a little bit more of.”

John Powell: Were you surprised your tribe didn’t keep you considering you were valuable when it came to challenges?

Caleb Reynolds: “It is surprising. It is surprising to everyone. Last week, we saw Tony [Vlachos] was gone then the next week we see Caleb is gone. It is kinda odd because you normally you don’t see players like me leave early. They at least use people like me to make the merger then they get rid of them. It just doesn’t seem like they care about that this season. I will say this; I guess it is an easy out for some players.”

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John Powell: Do you think if you had played Survivor first and not Big Brother that might have changed the way you played Survivor?

Caleb Reynolds: “You know, probably not. I think playing Big Brother first helped me a lot. I got to see strategy and how people could be manipulated. That is just not me or who I am. It is easy for some people to put a knife in someone’s back. It is not easy for me. That stuff is difficult for me because I play with my heart. I play with loyalty and respect. When I got to play Big Brother and I did very well, I think it gave me an advantage because I had insight into how Survivor was going to be, although it is a different habitat and environment. It is similar because you do have to manipulate, you do have to create friendships and know when to get rid of people. I believe that Big Brother opened my eyes to what Survivor was going to be.”

John Powell: Do you feel you are under some kind of Survivor curse? You are probably not going to buy a lottery ticket with the number 9 in it any time soon, are you?

Caleb Reynolds: (Laughs) “No, probably not. It is very odd that both times I have played; I have went home on day nine. Once, I left horizontally and this time I was vertical. I don’t know what other way I can go out. (Laughs)

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John Powell: If asked, would you play again?

Caleb Reynolds: “It would depend where I am at in life. If it was three years from now and life was settled and my wife was not pregnant or I didn’t have a newborn baby – I am NOT going to leave my wife when my wife is pregnant or with a newborn by herself – and my wife was gung-ho for it and wanted me to win that money, of course I would for my family. It just depends what life throws at me.”

Next time on Survivor…

Watch Survivor: Game Changers Wednesdays at 8 et/pt on Global.