“I Wanted the Jury to Know What Was Really Going On”: An Interview with Survivor’s Caryn

Caryn had a plan going into Survivor: Palau, and it actually ran counter to the usual plans people have. Still, it got her far into the game, and she expected to get even farther by talking to Tom. In this interview with RealityNewsOnline, Caryn tells us all about it, as well as revealing a number of other interesting points, such as whether Katie was as bad as she seemed.

RealityNewsOnline: Hello, Caryn, and thanks for taking the time to answer these questions from RealityNewsOnline! Before you arrived at Palau, what was your plan going into the game and how did it change as the game progressed?

Caryn: My plan was to be nice to everyone, to try not to make alliances that I'd have to break thereby risking votes if I made it to the Final 2, and working hard around camp to make myself valuable to my tribemates.

RNO: How quickly did you realize you were on the outside of the core Koror alliance, and what were your plans to deal with it?

Caryn: I realized it the day of the Home Depot challenge when Tom anointed Ian as the person to handle the challenge, and Gregg, Katie, Jenn, and Ian chimed in, "okay Tom, yes Tom," while Janu, Coby, and I had also volunteered to be the leader of the challenge which the five of them basically ignored – in favor of everyone kow-towing to Tom. I think the lines were drawn that day.

RNO: When the women discussed the female alliance, what did you expect to happen when you told Tom about it?

Caryn: I thought: (1) Tom would be more appreciative than suspicious (man, was he suspicious!!!),(2) Tom would realize that I was more loyal than Katie, and (3) I would be viewed by the obvious leader of the tribe as someone who was honest and could be trusted. I also thought if the women were really as gung-ho to get Tom off the island as they had indicated (which I had a feeling was a lot of hot air), that they'd pull either Tom or Ian into their plan and vote him off anyway, regardless of whether or not I was down with the plan. The fact that they didn't do that showed me that they weren't really inclined to do it at all.

RNO: Was it obvious how close Ian and Katie were?

Caryn: I knew they were buddy buddy, but I had no idea of that intensity of feeling until I saw Katie upset after she wasn't picked (which I thought was acting – I mean... c'mon... this is SURVIVOR!), but more so when I saw Ian crying and begging on his knees for her forgiveness.

RNO: Speaking of Katie, was what we saw on TV a fair portrayal of how she behaved at the time?

Caryn: No, the TV portrayal did not show the true day-to-day, minute-to-minute mean-spiritedness of Katie... it only gave a glimpse.

RNO: For that matter, what did you think of the way you were portrayed?

Caryn: Overall I think I was portrayed fairly.

RNO: When it was down to the final five and you had Ian & Tom asking for your loyalty while Jenn & Katie doing likewise, why didn’t you just promise it to both of them instead of telling both that you weren’t sure?

Caryn: I didn't tell both of them I wasn't sure. I told Jenn and Katie I was 100% certain that an all-female alliance was key to getting the game away from the guys' control. I was totally in with that plan. I was clear to the women... I was evasive to the guys because I didn't want to lie, nor did I want to give away the alliance that the women had supposedly made.

RNO: Do you think you were the person targeted at Tribal Council anyway, or do you think what you said there might have turned things against you?

Caryn: Yes, I think I was targeted anyway. After Gregg took Jenn and Katie on the yacht reward challenge, Ian approached me and said he was concerned that Gregg and Katie and Jenn were making an alliance, so it was time to take out Gregg, then Jenn, then Katie. So it was going to be Jenn's turn to go, except that when I refused to give the guys the information they wanted, I became the person to go. And of course the gutless women [lost] their one, final opportunity to wrest control away from the guys and instead let themselves be persuaded by the guys to vote me off.

RNO: What did you hope to gain by spilling everybody’s secrets?

Caryn: (1) Historically, Tribal Councils are staid, with people playing the game – not wanting to step on toes or tick anyone off. I wanted to change that. (2) I knew I was going home anyway. (3) It was a last ditch effort to have Katie reconsider what I knew she was about to do (vote me off) -- I was hoping she'd hear how much Ian was plotting and planning and maybe reconsider her decision to stay loyal to him. (4) I wanted the jury to know what was REALLY going on. (5) It was cathartic for me. I didn't want my torch to be extinguished without saying my piece.

RNO: Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about yourself or your time on Survivor?

Caryn: It was an awesome experience. I got to use my wits to get pretty far in the game, especially considering I had no alliances. I wanted to show my three daughters that they should go after their dreams because dreams DO come true. And I got rather far in the game playing honestly and with integrity.

RNO: Thanks again, Caryn!

Caryn:You're so welcome!

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out these other Survivor: Palau Finale articles:

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

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