An “Insider” Look at Survivor: China Episode 3 - “It Brings Out the Icky in All of Us”

Leslie’s Final Words

Leslie says that she quickly realized that her faith means more to her than anything. The experience was surreal and a good time to draw closer to God. She didn’t think she could do that without her Bible, but she has so much of the scriptures memorized that it was really possible. Leslie hopes her family will be proud of her. She would have liked to have lasted longer, but she has no complaints. She knew she’d stay as long as God wanted. She’s fine with that. She could use a shower and some food and water.

Leslie thinks that most of her tribe, except Denise, liked her and that it was probably hard for them to vote her off. She has no hard feelings about it. Leslie hopes Todd can find the hidden immunity idol. She’s proud of herself and learned she’s stronger than she thought. Leslie isn’t sure why they voted her out, but she knows they had their reasons. She’d do it again and she’s thankful for the opportunity.

Leslie’s still wearing her Bible on her sleeve here. It’s probably one of the reasons her tribe voted her out. It’s interesting to hear that she and Denise didn’t get along. We haven’t seen much of Denise, so we haven’t gotten much information yet on what she thinks of her tribe and the game.

Leslie, The Day After

Leslie appears in this clip with poofier hair and a more glamorous appearance. She starts by saying, “My job is, basically, to give honest, candid advice.” Leslie is a radio host on a Christian advice show, so I suppose that’s true. She says she found Survivor hard because she is honest. In real life, people appreciate that about her, but she thinks it hurt her on Survivor because people were worried about her being too honest. She wanted to play with integrity, but she knew bluffing would be involved in the game. She planned on being true to those she made an alliance with, but didn’t plan on them not being true to her.

Leslie says that muscles aren’t what get a tribe far in the game. What is needed is will. Unfortunately, her tribemates didn’t agree with her. They believed they could win better with muscle. But Leslie thinks that you need a big spirit more on the tribe. If someone’s strong, but not easy to be around, it’s bad for the tribe. Leslie thinks her tribe will suffer from getting rid of her this week. She doesn’t think voting her out was easy for them – she could tell that. And “I really have no hard feelings.” But “I think that I really was sort of the heart of the tribe.” Leslie goes on to say she worries the tribe will start to fragment after getting rid of her. She hopes it won’t happen, but she worries it will. “They cut the heart out when they voted me out.”

Leslie says that “the human part” of her wants the tribe to fall apart with her gone, but the mom part wants them to get it together. She wants them to have fun. They weren’t having that – it just got too cutthroat. The million bucks... “it brings out the icky in all of us.” Part of her wanted to see what her “icky” was about. She didn’t like it, but now she knows what she needs to work on. In the real world, you mess up and it’s okay, but in the game you get voted off. You have to become the person the people around you want you to be or you get voted off. It’s a social game, and obviously she didn’t do what she needed to do to stick around. It’s tough.

Leslie says that you don’t realize when you’re watching on TV that camp life is 90% of the game. You wake up with the sun and go to sleep when it sets and you’re there for three days between immunity challenges. Each day seems like a week in real life. You have so much time to think and overanalyze and it’s excruciating. Survivor is a hard, fun game that changes you. It changes every aspect of you, and definitely for the better. Leslie wanted to try out after she saw Season 3 and how miserable they were, but that they all said they’d do it again in a heartbeat. And so would Leslie.

Unlike in her final words immediately after being voted out, Leslie seems to understand the basics about why she was voted out. She also seems okay with it and not particularly bitter. She doesn’t come across as aggressively religious here either. Maybe she just needed some hot food, a shower, and a good night’s sleep to relax.

Reward Challenge: Clear the Deck

This is the clip they showed us on TV. We see the Zhan Hu women clearly dominating the Fei Long women and the Fei Long men even more clearly dominating the Zhan Hu guys. Luckily for Zhan Hu, the women went first, enabling them to win their first challenge.

Zhan Hu’s First Win

Peih-Gee sits in the jungle after Zhan Hu won the reward challenge. She looks relieved as she interviews that getting their first win was “amazing!” Especially because the girls were the ones who carried the team. “That was fun!” Peih-Gee says she thinks the women of Fei Long outweigh the women of Zhan Hu, but that she and the other women on her tribe have heart. And they won anyway. She says, “We’re all fighters in our hearts.” Winning helped boost morale, after getting the luxury items. Peih-Gee goes on to say that Denise is heavy! It was hard to lift her. And Denise is not only a lunch lady, but she’s also a karate instructor! So she knows how to put holds on people.