Season 37 of Survivor is now officially in the books. It was a great finish to a great season. Heading into the night, the game was wide open. Davie, Nick, Mike, Angelina, Alison and Kara all vied for the million dollar prize and title of Sole Survivor. To say the finish was epic would be an understatement.
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It was anybody’s game to win. Arguably, Nick just wanted it more. No player had won more than one Individual Immunity Challenge. Until Nick rattled off three-straight challenge wins to put himself squarely in the Final Three. It was an uphill battle, against all odds…just the way it’s supposed to be for a David on a season called “David vs. Goliath.”
I had a chance to speak with all six of the Final Survivor contestants on this week’s mega-sized edition of the FilmSurvivor Podcast. The full audio interviews of which you can find and download below. I spoke to Nick and Mike each one-on-one. Then I had shared calls with both Angelina and Kara, and Alison and Davie. But here are some excerpts from my conversations with the Final Three.
NICK EXCERPT:
On how he felt going into that Final Tribal Council:
Nick Wilson: Yeah it’s funny because, nobody knew I was a lawyer. I had lied about that the whole game. That never came up on TV. The jury was all very surprised that I was doing so well at explaining my case in a compelling way because nobody knew I was a lawyer! (Laughs) I knew I had that ability. I knew I had those skills. If I could make it to the end, that I’d be able to lay out my game in a very coherent and logical way and in a persuasive way. I feel like the Final Tribal did go that way.
But Mike and Angelina did a good job too. So I was very pleased with my performance. But, I also realized I was at the end with some real players. It did not surprise me at all that Mike got some votes. He played a good game and he did a good job too. So I was very proud of my performance. I still thought I had won, but I really had to sweat about it for a little while. I was trying to count votes. The jury did a good job of keeping their emotions hidden and not letting us know who they were advocating for.
MIKE EXCERPT:
On the guilt he felt while sitting at the Final Tribal Council:
Mike White: Based on just some anecdotal stuff, like talking with people, I actually think that I had more votes for me going into Final Tribal than I did coming out. I don’t know if I would have won, but I definitely would have had one or two more votes…I mean there were some people who were going to vote for Nick no matter what, but you know at Tribal, I got a little conflicted…it was funny because my whole game was like, just get to Final Tribal and then just do what you do Mike. Go tell the best story and you can dazzle them…in a way I was like, OK, I’ll be the “Trojan Goat,” you know, bring me to the end and then I’ll just come in and win it. But what was weird was when I got in there, I don’t know, I just didn’t have the stomach to…I don’t know, I just got really conflicted about the money part of it. I was like, what am I doing?
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It was like I wanted to win the title, but that’s fine give him the money (laughs)…when I sat there at the end I was just like, this is weird. I don’t think I would have felt that way in like a different scene. Something about the whole scene, the Davids vs. the Goliaths, and the underdog and Nick being a representative of that…like, this is the story of David vs. Goliath, maybe I should just let…well, not that I “let” him win, I do think Nick played a great game by all accounts, and I would never take anything away from his win, but I did just have that moment where I was like, what am I doing here?
ANGELINA EXCERPT:
On whether or not she is a “villain:”
Angelina Keeley: Oh, I’ll definitely accept the villain title. I think villains are players that are willing to be devious, make crazy moves, have fun with the game. I’d like to think of myself as a lovable villain? (Laughs)
Again, there is MUCH, much more with the Final Three and also with Davie, Alison and Kara on the latest episode of the FilmSurvivor Podcast (below).
On that note, be sure to follow me on Twitter – @tomsantilli – and on Facebook, for all of the latest Survivor coverage, interviews, and movie reviews, including my updated “Most Memorable Seasons” and “All-Time Winners.”
