"The Game Got the Better of Me" - An Interview with Survivor's Shawna Mitchell

RNO: Rumor is that you and Alex are actually still together - care to comment on that?

Shawna: The contestants cannot hang until the finale contractually. Currently, I am single and quite happy.

RNO: Were you surprised that Jenna and Deena turned on you and voted you out?

Shawna: Naw... I would've voted me out too. Jenna and Deena were just playing the game. At that point, I knew I was on my way out. Seriously, I was just trying to suck in my last few days with these amazing people and walk away from the Amazon with some teary laughs and good memories.

RNO: Did you come to Survivor with a particular plan and, if so, how was that plan affected by the gender-divided tribes?

Shawna: Everyone always harps on "I was just there for the experience"... but that is me. I tried out at San Jose's open call as a random activity on an idle Tuesday while getting coffee. Life just started lining up after that. Before I knew it, I was sitting in a hammock the night before the game started absolutely astounded that I was about to embark on such a funky adventure. I live my life seeking out phenomenal opportunities, putting myself constantly out of my comfort zone, and sitting back to watch how I emerge out of these situations. My goal in Survivor was to play genuine, meet incredible people, have people take me personally, and absolutely have the time of my life... winning would have been phat, but that wasn't my primary goal. I was just going to be myself and play life. The gender split messed me up strategically because as a tomboy, I naturally gravitate toward guys. However, it was an incredible experience to be with those ladies - a side of myself that needed development probably. ;-)

RNO: Even before and after you were sick, several other tribe members (Jeanne, JoAnna, Deena) made comments that you, Heidi, and Jenna were not really doing any work. What is your side of the story?

Shawna: D'oh! Not true. ;-) Though they were the hunters... the three of us were the homemakers of sorts. The fire, water, and food were essential survival jobs 24/7. We all agreed by day 2 which tasks each of us did the best. With my backpacking/outdoor experience, I stuck with the fire and water.

RNO: When the plan was made to vote off JoAnna before you got sick, was it because she was a threat (as she has asserted) or because she was annoying (as it appeared on TV)?

Shawna: A little of both... Deena really was pushing for her early departure. After Janet's boot, the order for the three (Jeanne, Jo, and Christy) was up in the air. We were going to keep her as our last of the boots being that Jo was the strongest physically, but tensions started growing within the camp between the head powers... really only one leader was going to the merge.

RNO: Thanks for your time, Shawna!

David Bloomberg is the Editor of RealityNewsOnline and can be reached at rno@pobox.com.

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