“I Was Surprised It Was That Close” – RealityNewsOnline’s Exclusive Interview with Survivor: Gabon’s Runner-Up, Susie

by David Bloomberg -- 12/15/2008

Susie came just one vote away from winning a million dollars. Not bad for somebody who admitted she let other people make the strategic decisions. Was that indeed her strategy? How did she feel about getting so close? What did she do that we didn’t see on TV? Was her vote against Crystal really based on an alphabet system? Susie answers these questions and many more, right here!

Matty was just one spark away from a million dollars, but Susie was only a single vote away. Does she think she could have convinced Randy to give her that vote? Why does she thinks she received the three she got? And what else does she have to say about her time on Survivor? Read on to find out!

RealityNewsOnline: Hello, Susie, and thanks for taking the time to talk to us here at RealityNewsOnline. Congratulations on getting second place.

Susie: Thank you.

RNO: Over the course of the past few months, what did you think your chances of winning were?

Susie: You know, in the beginning I thought I didn’t have a shot. I went up against some very skilled people and I lost to a physics teacher. I didn’t even think I had a chance.

RNO: Were you surprised to be just one vote away?

Susie: I don’t know. I was telling my husband this morning that my heart was telling me I might just do this. It just sunk when I knew, you get that gut instinct. But I was okay with that. I was surprised it was that close. I didn’t come close to doing as well as Bob did. I was pretty proud of my two immunities, so I didn’t do so bad.

RNO: What do you think won you those three votes?

Susie: I want to believe that it was probably my not disrespecting people and just being honest with them and being kind. I was very giving. I didn’t feel I had to be nasty about anything. With Kenny, Crystal and Matty, who voted for me, we had a good connection, we were good friends. I just adore them. I got along with everybody.

RNO: How did you feel when Jeff Probst even indicated last night that he was surprised you got so many votes?

Susie: I think he was talking about my physicality. I’m going to assume he thought, “Jeez I can’t believe she got this far.” I think I surprised him when I did well at the challenges. I kind of shocked myself. That’s the whole thing about trying – you have to keep trying and trying and you might fail miserably ten times and then you succeed. Everyone was kind of shocked by that.

RNO: Speaking of your emphasis on trying, in talking to the jury, you seemed to emphasize that you should win because you were there to try. But wasn’t everybody there to try to win? What made you trying any different?

Susie: Mine was a lesson. Frankly, the money was never an issue for me. It was huge to teach my son what it meant to try. Yes, everybody was trying, but everybody had a different reason. I really did feel like I was out of my league, but I wanted to show that at least you try. Some of the other players really wanted that million. [For me,] wanting to win the money was an added bonus.

RNO: Between your immunity wins, you sort of disappeared from our TV sets, and you later admitted that you just waited for people to tell you what’s going on rather than making the moves yourself. What game play moves, if any, did you make during that time?

Susie: One of the biggest moves was flying under the radar. I’m a bit indecisive. When I stepped back, I let everybody be the chief and [figured] I’ll be the Indian. If I had opened my mouth, I would have put my foot in it and would have been out earlier. My game plan was to let everybody else make the decisions and so my game plan was to not open my mouth. So Matty and Crystal might be arguing about who to vote out and Sugar had her own opinions, and I was just like, “Tell me who to vote out.” I could have been blindsided easily, but it worked out well for me.

RNO: In hindsight, do you think there is anything you could have done differently to get the one more vote you needed to win?

Susie: I really was pretty happy about not disrespecting people. I really had a hard time – I knew I had to lie and deceive people. I didn’t feel it was necessary to be nasty to people.

I feel like I didn’t get to know Randy better and he was the vote that cost me. I feel bad for that because I didn’t reach him enough. It was not meant to hurt him, it was just a perception I had of the whole cookie incident. He made that choice and for me, I’m almost disappointed in myself. Apparently, the foot massage and neck rub I gave him wasn’t enough. I felt like I had a great connection with everybody else. Even Corinne, I had a lot of respect for the girl. I really believe there’s good in everyone, regardless. I wish I could have understood Randy better.

RNO: When you voted out Crystal, you claimed to be voting alphabetically. Was that a joke?

Susie: No, you know what, it wasn’t a joke. Your voting can change – your reasons can change on the spot. I talked to Sugar and she was really adamant. And Crystal did have a dominating type of attitude. At the same time, I knew Ken was very sneaky. At that point, right before we left camp, I was like, “How am I going to do this?” So I told Crystal, “You’re first. C comes before K.”

I was really honest about that. I think she appreciated it, but that was the only strategic feeling I had. It was really hard to vote, I didn’t know who. She was cool with that. Maybe it was silly or dumb, but at that moment, in this game, things are unexpected. You’re constantly trusting and not trusting, lying and not lying. You have to know when to make a decision.

RNO: When you demanded that Marcus take you to the final three, what did you offer him in return before deciding to flip against him?

Susie: At that moment, when I was talking to him, my offer to him was that I would be very loyal to him. I kept telling him I would lose against him in the final three. He’s a great guy. That was an offer in itself. I told him I’d never win against him in a competition. I’ll settle for third. I knew if I could offer him that, maybe he’d be willing.

But he couldn’t give me that so I had to do what I had to do. I really had a hard time voting against him. I really had to be deceitful to somebody I really like. In the game, emotions really play a part. Once I did it, I was like, this is a game, you’ll be fine.

RNO: We both have a packed schedule here, so we need to finish up. Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about your time on Survivor?

Susie: The jungles and people were beautiful there. One of the things I appreciated was just how much more deeply you can find who you are. I always knew I was a pretty giving person, but even when it came down to food, I didn’t have a problem. Being kind is really a neat thing to do. I found myself being even kinder – apparently I wasn’t kind enough to Randy, though. It’s a good feeling, it’s interesting to me they didn’t show more of that of me. I always gave up my blankets, etc. That would be the one thing I found being out there in Gabon.

RNO: Thanks again, Susie!

» Exclusive Interview: Bob Crowley, Winner of 'Survivor: Gabon'
» Exclusive Interview: Bob Crowley, Winner of 'Survivor: Gabon'