Portrayal or Personality? An Interview with Heidi Strobel

Heidi Strobel was a target for viewers everywhere as this teacher talked about three-ways, stripped for peanut butter and cookies, and talked about how cute she was. After it was all said and done, RealityNewsOnline had the chance to ask her a few questions about her time – and actions – in the Amazon.

RealityNewsOnline: Hello, Heidi, and thanks for taking the time to answer these questions from RealityNewsOnline! Let's start at the most obvious point: What do you think about the way you were portrayed on the show?

Heidi: I don't believe I was portrayed like I really am (obviously) because they can only touch on a couple things that are going on with my character. For example, I was playing the game from day one! Jenna and I would talk strategy with Deena 60% of the time. When I switched camp sites and merged with the men, I made a strategic move to vote Jeanne off because I couldn't trust her, and I knew that she would do it to me. Plus, it would show that I was still loyal to my old alliance! Then when we merged... GAME ON! I took everything in... then reacted in however I saw that I could best go ahead and always had the final two in mind. I played out every scenario in my head before I reacted. And the rest of me (my personality)... I had to check that out before I played the game because I knew if I acted like who I really am... that they would spit me out in a matter of minutes... I am way too nice and naive to play Survivor... so I relied on just being an athlete. I figured that would get me the farthest in the game.

RNO: At your final Tribal Council, you gave a speech about how you were behind most plans and everybody was afraid of you. Can you explain your thinking behind that speech?

Heidi: Ha ha... I knew I was being kicked off and I was just upset! I just wanted to let the boys know that they weren't the only ones who were in control of this game. As far as the mastermind comment... that was so silly of me to say! I did play a big part in getting Jeanne, Roger, Deena, and Christy off. And as far as saying the men were scared of me... Rob didn't want me in the final two because he thought I was the only one who would beat him. Butch said I was too competitive to keep around and Matt always referred to me as the triple threat... the players liked me, I was smart, and I would stop at nothing to win (athletic). Even though you don't see me being intelligent in the game... the final four knew who I really was... and they wanted to take that person out. And they should have!

RNO: Also, you were shown numerous times talking about how hard you worked, but what we, the viewers, saw didn't seem to support that. Can you talk about that a bit?

Heidi: I understand completely! I did work very hard at Jaburu... build shelter, cook, clean, tend to fire, gut fish (I was actually the only one who knew how to do this... too funny!), get water and keep it boiled, and most of the time I always got the fire wood… But once the tribes switched up... it was like I didn't have to work that hard anymore! Christy and I are the only ones who did build the bathrooms (together) for both camps, but besides that, my main job was to do all of the cooking. The boys would let me go fishing with them, but none of us caught very much. At the merge... too many fish in a pond... I just kept to my cooking job. I would help get firewood... but Rob and I were the cooks... Now as far as what I was saying about working hard in the game... I meant I worked very hard at the game. I was always trying to figure every move out. I was exhausted from thinking about strategy! If you asked the people closest to me... they would all tell you that I thought about it ALL of the time! It was exhausting trying to figure out everyone's move at all times. I know it may not seem like it... but I always knew how people were going to vote... even when Rob voted off Alex... I was just hoping that he wouldn't... Wishful thinking... and there is nothing I could have done to prevent it! I would have had to turn on Alex and Jenna to pull that off and lose their vote as a Jury member. it wasn't worth it.

RNO: Do you regret taking off your clothes for chocolate and peanut butter in the first immunity challenge and what is going on with your school board right now?

Heidi: I do not regret it... I think back to that time and my state of mind and I would do it again. I had been starving for 21 days... and when Jeff said some of us may not reap the rewards of the challenge... I made sure I was not one of those people... plus sometimes when you show a weakness, people don't look at you as a threat... and when a merge occurs, you try to make yourself look like you are not a threat at all. So for me to do what I did was based on starvation and strategy. My school board is fine. Two of them had a problem with it, but there were so many people that supported me, that the two didn't stand a chance.