“If You Lose Focus for Even a Second in This Game, You’re Done” – RealityNewsOnline’s Exclusive Interview with Survivor Hero Candice

With two Survivors eliminated last night, I interviewed both of them in essentially the same time slot as we usually use for one – but I think we got quite a bit of information out of them both, if I do say so myself! Read on to see what Candice had to say about the big move she made that changed everybody’s game.

RealityNewsOnline: Hello, Candice, and thanks for taking the time to talk to us once again here at RealityNewsOnline. We’re unfortunately short on time with two of you to talk to today, so let’s jump into it. When you mutinied in Cook Islands, you later told me you felt like you could get to only a certain point with your original tribe but didn’t think you could win with them – so you jumped to the other tribe, where you thought you could have more influence. Did you use the same thinking this time around?

Candice: There were so many things going on – this was so much different than the first time I played. It was so much more complex this time. There were so many levels and so many different ideas going around and deals that were working.

I did have an agreement with Amanda and Colby that we would be the majority in the Heroes alliance, but Amanda also had an agreement with J.T. and Rupert. [Editor’s Note: Amanda noted that she had both alliances when I talked to her last week.] That day that I ended up flipping, it was so crazy. First, Sandra and I were walking alone and she told me she didn’t trust Amanda so she wasn’t going to go with the Heroes. Later that day, we were all sitting around with the Heroes and Sandra was saying in front of everyone, “I’m going to vote with you.” I figured I had to trust more what she said privately.

Sandra had kind of been going back and forth and Russell had been really aggressive with me. Amanda had been having these two-hour conversations with Russell and Parvati, so I knew she was trying to work a deal for herself and get in with the Villains. Amanda and Danielle had that fight and came back from that reward and Amanda and Colby told me there was no clue to an idol, but Russell showed me the idol so I knew they were lying to me. [Editor’s Note: This answers the question I was planning to ask of why Candice told Russell last week that Amanda had crossed her too often.]

They’re not telling me everything, they’re leaving me out of the plans, so it seemed like the right time. To be honest, nobody on the Heroes tribe ever wanted to listen to me or play with me or work with me. They were just using me as a vote. It gets to the end of the game, I feel like you have to do something to control your own fate and I just did the wrong thing.

RNO: You had to know that your flip would not sit well with many jurors. Did you have a preferred final three in mind to compensate for this?

Candice: I thought that Jerri wasn’t doing much and wouldn’t have much of an argument for herself. And I thought maybe Russell had rubbed so many people the wrong way and they didn’t like him. I thought I could do well against Sandra as well because she didn’t seem to be doing that much.

To be honest, I think by that point, there was so much going on and so many things changing, I was just trying to save myself for the moment – I lost sight and my head got out of the game. If you lose focus for even a second in this game, you’re done.

RNO: After the Tribal Council when you flipped, you looked positively miserable. Was that due to personal feelings or strategic ones?

Candice: To be honest, I felt really bad about the Amanda thing. She and I started off on the wrong foot – we were not getting along and had several fights. We had finally gotten to a point where we were working together and trusted each other and so I felt really bad about it. So many crazy things happened that day, that it seemed like the best thing to do.

I felt so horrible because I like Amanda, she’s such a nice girl and I felt like such a jerk. I felt really bad. And at the same time, I really do not like Rupert and I was stuck with him. I liked a lot of the villains – Danielle and Parvati and I liked Sandra and Jerri. Russell was kind of creepy… I liked those other people, I just felt bad about Amanda and wished Rupert was gone.

RNO: You were pretty well trashed by Rupert and Colby in the episode last night. How did you feel about seeing that and not being able to defend yourself on the air?

Candice: I knew it was coming and was expecting it. [While watching,] I knew I was the one going home and so it makes it more coherent to just show it that way. Obviously I had some words for them as well and those weren’t included, but it is what it is – I’m a big girl, I made my bed, I’m going to lie in it. I’m fine. I wish they had let me defend myself but I’m not going to worry too much about it.

RNO: I’m being told we’re out of time. So is there anything else you’d like to tell us about your time on Survivor?

Candice: I had moved my wedding to go on the show and wanted to make sure I was showing my now-husband I was thinking of him. So on the original day we were supposed to be married, I put a hairband on my finger and tried to show it whenever I could. When we had the paints, I painted “I love John” on my arm – I was always trying to show I loved him. We got married last Saturday. I’m now Mrs. Cody.

Danielle and RNO: Congratulations!

RNO: And thanks again, Candice!

Now you can follow RealityNewsOnline on Twitter and on Facebook! On Twitter, you can get up to the minute notifications on article postings and other reality TV news by following us. So head on over to RealityNewsOnline’s Twitter page! On Facebook, you can become a fan, join discussions, and more!

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out these other recent Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains articles here on RealityNewsOnline:

David Bloomberg is the Editor of RealityNewsOnline and can be reached at RNO@pobox.com. You can also follow him on Twitter!

Be sure to sign up for our e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on the site! Don’t forget to take a look at the rest of the site and buy reality show stuff at our Reality TV Store!

For more news about Survivor, be sure to check out SirLinksALot: Survivor and Survivor Fever!