By John Powell – GlobalTV.com

One of the strengths of Survivor is that it brings people from all walks of life and beliefs together to better understand together and grow together. Shannon Fairweather, the 28-year-old wellness specialist from Boston, had to balance her faith with the at times cutthroat Survivor game. While some may have misunderstood her she feels she accomplished what she set out to do, to bring a little bit of ‘light’ to the game.

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

Shannon Fairweather: I’m fantastic! It’s so nice to be talking to you as well! Thank you for taking the time.

John Powell: And like Uncle Jeff said, I’m going to approach this with an “open heart”, just so you know.(laughs)

Shannon: Amazing! We love an “open heart”!

John Powell: Going way back, heading into Tribal Council, did you have any idea that you were in the predicament you were in?

Shannon: No, I had no idea. I think my Shot in the Dark was like in my shoe at the bottom of my bag…I was feeling secure and safe, for sure.

John Powell: We saw some of this at Tribal Council. It’s one thing to criticize somebody’s gameplay. It’s a far different thing to criticize somebody’s faith, their beliefs. That’s a whole different area. That was part of your story. What do you think about all of that? Is it just a case that they didn’t understand?

Shannon: Yeah, that’s a great question. Thank you for asking that. It’s definitely difficult because what’s more important to me than my faith? What was important for me to recognize was that even this experience of my faith being questioned, my authenticity being questioned, my integrity being questioned that was a spiritual journey for me in and of itself. Just to have that questioned about you can be really, really hard.

I know who I am and I knew where I was coming from and I also have so much compassion and understanding for how I could be misunderstood. I think that going into a game like this, where there’s this lens of paranoia and fear, and also strategy to talking badly about other people, that’s not how I wanted to play. For some people, talking badly about others is good strategy. It is. And you know, this isn’t the first time I’ve been misunderstood in my life. When you talk about things like God, Jesus, and spirituality, you’re kind of setting yourself up to potentially be misunderstood. So for me, wearing my heart on my sleeve and my faith on my sleeve, it’s worth the criticism, judgment and misunderstanding that can come with that.

John Powell: One of the biggest reactions out there was obviously Sage with her eye rolls, etc. Did you realize that your relationship was that fractured?

Shannon: No, absolutely not. You know, I love Sage out of the game and I love Sage in the game. In the game, I thought we had something special. I thought we had something unique. I thought we were put in these different, difficult situations for a reason. That being said, I also understand how she developed the perspective that she did. It became clear to her that I was closer with the Uli Four than I was with her. She caught on to that more than I recognized.

When it came to that first swap, I said to Sage, “Let’s say what we need to say to get through this.” From my perspective, I thought even if me putting her name out there got back to her, we were kind of covered because we had this survivalist mindset together.

So I definitely did not have the proper read on stage. I loved her. I wanted to work with her but just because of all the different dynamics we were put into it was hard for her to feel she could trust me. I think that’s really valid.

John Powell: Now, at the end of tribal council, she shook your hand but refused to give you a hug. At the time, did that seem out of left field to you or did you kind of understand where she might be coming from?

Shannon: In the moment, it came out of left field. You know, to get blindsided, as epic as it is because it’s an epic experience, is hard but also really cool. Everything just blows up in your face in a split second. I was already doing my best to maintain composure so I could leave with grace and respect for myself and my fellow players.

So grounding myself as much as possible, then her rejecting my hug for a handshake, it was just a lot to process in the moment. In that moment, I wasn’t like, “Oh, it was you,” because clearly it was all of them. I didn’t really care who it was. It happened. Afterwards, it began to sit with me a bit more. I was concerned. Did I do something to hurt her? I genuinely cared about the people out there. Once I was out of the game, it was less about what happened strategically and more about wanting to make sure she was okay. It was hard not to be able to talk to her right after that.

John Powell: Have you had any conversations since then? How are things now?

Shannon: Yeah, Sage and I have talked at length. She came home from the show and called me the next day to air it all out. What I really appreciate about our ability to communicate is the emotional maturity there. We respect each other and are open. I’m not perfect, so I’m open to hearing how I may have hurt her and what I could have done better. We talked extensively. After our first or second conversation, she let me know she was excited to give me a hug. She came to Boston last month and we got to hug. It was really beautiful and very full circle.

John Powell: This is the same many Survivors talk about the personal growth and mirror effect of the game. One of her arguments was questioning the genuineness of your connections. As we know, whether you want to or not, you can’t help but create bonds out there. How was it for you?

Shannon: For me, it was never a business trip. The connections were always a big part. I value relationships more than money. I value conversations with people. Survivor came out with this post: “Strategy or sincere?” My strategy was almost to be sincere, really care about people. In an environment of paranoia and fear, it doesn’t matter what you do; someone can label it insincere or strategic.

I went in with two mindsets. One: I wanted to care about people, to be there for them because I recognized the physical, emotional, spiritual stress we were under. Sure, it could also serve me in the game but it made being there more fun and fulfilling. I got to talk to Kristina about her Irish twins and her mom, Alex about his sister, Steven about space, Rizzo about his brother, Savannah about her mom, Nate about his kids. Incredible conversations. I don’t care what others label it because that’s something I take from the experience.

The other part of my game was giving it all I had, especially in situations not in my favor. That first tribe swap, I knew I couldn’t just play dead. I had to give it my all and come up with the best plan I could. If it worked, it worked. If it didn’t, it didn’t.

John Powell: You’ve spoken at length about your faith. What was it like to have that in juxtaposition to Survivor, a game of backstabbing, betrayal and sometimes lying?

Shannon: Processing the game has been challenging, specifically because the Bible guides me and has supported me transitioning out of Survivor. It’s hard to read that God hates arrogance, lying, deceptiveness, sowing seeds of division, false witness and Survivor allows these things in the game.

I did my best to bring love into the game, light into the game. You didn’t see me talking bad about anyone. I cared about and loved these people, before, during, and after the game. I tried to bring light into a difficult environment which made me a threat but was also misunderstood. That’s the price you pay for being yourself.

John Powell: Are there any moments or conversations you wish had been included for viewers to better understand your journey?

Shannon: One moment that comes to mind is with Kristina when she was mourning her mother. In my one-on-one conversations I recognized my purpose in the game might be helping people process deep experiences. Earlier, during the Uli days, Jawan mourned his grandmother during meditation. For me, the game became about serving these people while playing.

I was also there to play the game. I didn’t leave my family and boyfriend to not give my all. There were fun alliances, like the Salt and Pepper alliance with Jawan on Day One. It faded because I couldn’t fully trust him but when he blindsided me, we had a moment: “Salt and Pepper,” he said.

Another important alliance was the Family Alliance between me, Steven, Kristina and Alex. We formed that from the two tribes…The merge would have been interesting as I had to work with so many people.

John Powell: Shannon, it was wonderful talking to you today. Survivor is about bringing people and perspectives together and allowing viewers to understand those perspectives. You brought that.

Shannon: I appreciate that, John. Thank you. My goal was to bring awareness to love and being there for each other, even in difficult moments. I’m grateful my blindside ended the way it did, where I was able to maintain grace and respect. At the end of the day, being loving and kind is what really matters.