By John Powell – GlobalTV.com

When he arrived on the island Jawan steps were a bit shaky. It took him some time to fit in and find his footing. His own tribe wanted to ditch him and ditch him quick. As he began to come into his own though, Jawan rose like the legendary Pokemon Moltres to become a severe and earnest threat in the game especially once he teamed up with Sage. Together, they shifted the game and put the others on the ropes which in this season especially is no easy task considering all the advantages and alliances in place.

We spoke to Jawan about his fascinating Survivor journey, Pokemon and those hidden fries we didn’t see on the show.

John Powell: I was going to go back revisit that Pokemon discussion. I have to go with Ghastly all the time because you got the Shadow Ball, you can put people to sleep. I’m always a big ghastly fan. (laughs)

Jawan Pitts: We be an alliance out there! That’s all! That’s all I need to hear! (laughs)

John Powell: We saw you exit from tribal council on the last episode but unfortunately, and this is understandable, I think people don’t get how much pressure when it comes to being filmed live, but you did take the wrong torch. Was there any ramifications?

Jawan Pitts: (laughs and smiles) You know, I think that’s just such a fitting way to end my story, John. I was grabbing the wrong bag and water bottle since day one, so I think it’s just very fitting that I’m just guy that forgets, you know, I would forget my glasses if they weren’t on my face. (laughs)

John Powell: Well, it’s lucky we have apps for finding phones. I’m always losing my phone. (laughs) Going to tribal council did you have any idea that you’re that you were going to be in the firing line?

Jawan Pitts: I knew something was up. There was a couple of times I kept checking in with Sage. I’m like: ‘Why in the heck are the Sophies talking for so long? What do they have to talk about?’. Every time I went to Sage, because she had a close bond with yellow Sophie, them being alternates they had a bond out there, so anytime I had any inkling I would go to her and she would reassure me. Going to tribal, I’m like: ‘Even with the fake idol, even with Rizo standing up, I’m like: Okay, we’re okay. This is going to plan, technically.’ When I see the first Jawan vote I’m like: ‘Oh, no! I’m cooked!’.

John Powell: Were you surprised that you didn’t have ‘Yellow Sophie’ on your side? She seemed to have you guys convinced that she was part of your alliance.

Jawan Pitts: Well, I want to, first off, give ‘Yellow Sophie’ her flowers. Man, she’s such a dominant force! As a video editor, I’m disappointed at the other video editors for doing her dirty because I remember early days, even before we did the merge and the tribe swaps, she definitely was someone that was very competitive. When I did the disadvantage way back, she is a force! Going back to the merge situation, on the MC vote, when I found out she was putting my name in the mix, I’m like: ‘Okay, she can be a problem.’  I think what made me want to trust her was her relationship with Sage.

John Powell: Talking about ‘Yellow Sophie’, you guys had the majority of the people on your side and then things went south. What do you think happened there?

Jawan Pitts: That’s such a great point! I’ve had a lot of time to process that. I think it’s when you’re in the majority sometimes you can get not complacent but you can kind of be like: ‘Alright, I have more time than I think I have.’ But, when you’re on the bottom you realize you don’t have time at all so you move different.

Another layer of it is the people that were at the bottom, technically, I guess, had so much ammunition and the fact that they kept that tight-lipped, we didn’t realize how much of a small window we had. I think if we have insight that Soph had the Knowledge is Power and Savannah has that dang extra vote I think it changes things but I think as an audience member, you see it. You’re like: ‘Take out the idol!’. I want you guys to know we were thinking that too but we just thought we had more time.

John Powell: Well, you don’t know what you don’t know. You’re out there and we’re watching it back. Are you surprised that there were so many advantages flying around? I mean, their arsenal is full.

Jawan Pitts: They’re stacked! They have, like, machine guns, and we’re just, I’m just out there so it’s not fair! It was cool seeing The Knowledge is Power advantage that Soph had and the extra vote. If I were to go out at any tribal council that there was some fireworks!

John Powell: Did you get any sense at all that your name was being thrown around so much that you were being targeted so much?

Jawan Pitts: To back it up a little bit, with the MCU vote, okay? I want to address someone like the elephant in the room.

John Powell: Yes, absolutely. This is your space to give your point of view.

Jawan Pitts: I know that there’s a group of the fans that are maybe just having a tough time watching the order of which we’re all coming out. I want to hold space for them and acknowledge them. It does suck but I also want to give you the insight of where my head space was at.

I come from single parent household. The bills don’t stop in LA. Every decision I made out there were in hopes of winning a million dollars for my siblings. So every decision, I kept putting things on scale. So for MC, I didn’t want MC to go but I really didn’t want to go home either. It was the same with the Alex vote. I just want to hold space and acknowledge the hurt feelings but also let you guys know that nothing was personal. It just was me trying to protect myself.

John Powell: Did you feel any vibes out there? What was your understanding and what was your read on people out there? Because I think your perception is very important to the whole situation.

Jawan Pitts: I can’t speak on anybody’s perception like MC’s or Kristina’s. I can only speak on my perception. I felt like the game was so fluid. I felt like there were so many tribe swaps…I basically gave my game to Nate, Rizo and Savannah. I wanted to rock with them until I found out my name was in the mix. So, then I say Sage was like someone that watched the show and came into the game and being like: Yo! They don’t like you! That was my people. I was always going to try to protect Sage. I never felt any alternative motive from anybody else. That’s just how I feel.

John Powell: Speaking of relationships. You had a rocky one with Savannah. Is there any thing you can could point as to why you guys didn’t gel?

Jawan Pitts: I want to first state that I think Savannah is a fierce competitor. She’s really strong in challenges and she’s really perceptive. I think the underrated quality about her is even though she might have been anti-Jawan, she never gave me an inkling that she was anti-Jawan, right? You see her hand on my shoulder, she’s doing a good job of the theatrics of it. It was tough to watch it back on TV but ultimately, I know as a video editor: I’m like: ‘Okay. They’re telling a reality show story and that’s going to build to this moment.’ She did a good job of not letting me know that she was not messing with me.

John Powell: One of the best moments so far that people are going to remember was when Kristina gave up her rewards for you. What was your relationship with her out there, and what did that mean to you?

Jawan Pitts: If I’m being honest, our relationship was kind of rocky. We got together for Nate and then we immediately split up and MC, she was close with her…Our relationship? We did have a conversation out there that was really kind of hard and uncomfortable but to speak to the moment when she offered her spot for me, it’s hard sometimes to not think about the gameplay. I’m like: What’s the alternative motive? But, I do think with Kristina, my gut says that 99.9% of that was just out of the good nature of her heart. We might not be super close now but I do appreciate that gesture and that’s why I was like: ‘Don’t! Don’t give it to me! I don’t want to feel like I owe you.’

John Powell: What do you wish people would have saw about your journey? Whether it was a bond you had with somebody a strategic moment.

Jawan Pitts: I have a couple things. The first thing, surprisingly, me and Shannon were close in the beginning. You see the water well scene with me, her and Savannah early on but I really was working in lockstep with her and I feel like she takes a lot of credit to why I was so really strong.

That was an underrated partnership but I think my favorite moment of the game was when I went on the reward challenge…I was looking for advantages at the reward challenge and there was a bowl of fries in front of me. So, I grabbed all the fries looking and then there was no advantage in there but I realized: Yo! I have a fist full of fries! Let me try to keep this! So I stuck them in my sock and I went back to camp which is so dumb. I don’t know why I didn’t put it in my pockets. I thought they would check my pockets but I go back to camp and the first person I go to is Sage. I’m like: Guess what’s in my sock? So we had crusty, dirty french fries. (laughs)

John Powell: Now, obviously you’re a member of the jury. You have a big decision to make. Obviously you can’t say who you voted for. That’s a given but when you’re thinking of your ideal Survivor winner what are some of the qualities are you looking for in that person?

Jawan Pitts: Wow! That’s such a great question! I feel like it’s a difference in when you’re watching the show and then when you’re actually playing the game, you know? When you’re watching it you’re not as close and tied with these people. You haven’t been back stabbed by these people…So, I think my answer as a fan obviously I want someone that’s strong, has strategic awareness and manoeuvring but it’s tough when you’re playing a game and there’s feelings involved. So, I’ll just say that.

John Powell: You’ve obviously got to see everything back things that you didn’t get to see, because, again, you’re not party to those conversations or moments. What has surprised you the most.

Jawan Pitts: For me, I think that, to go back to the whole Savannah bag thing and the narrative. I think for me, at first, I was like: Dang! Dodo music! I’m like: Yo! I’m such a clown! As a fan you always dream about what you would do when you get out there, right? For me, I was facing a reality. I’m like: I’m not as cool as what I thought I would be but I’m so grateful and thankful for the show because at least I had an arc, at least I ended somewhere. Some people don’t get that. So I’m grateful.