“None of Them Were Going to Budge”: An Interview with Survivor: Guatemala’s Brandon

What was Brandon’s plan upon entering the game of Survivor? Why did he find the voting process difficult? What would he do differently? Brandon gives us all the answers right here.

RealityNewsOnline: Hello, Brandon, and thanks for taking the time to answer these questions for RealityNewsOnline’s readers! What was your strategy coming into the game, and how did it change as things evolved?

Brandon: My strategy was first to make alliances, I’m talking about alliances that you can all out trust. Then I had to win challenges. If I could win the majority of the challenges then I could go into the merge with the numbers and nobody would be able to vote me off because of my strong alliances. I think I would have made it to the very end. But the plan required that I win immunities and go into the merge with the numbers which I didn’t accomplish, hence I got voted off.

RNO: One of your previously-voted off tribemates mentioned to me that you didn’t like voting people off – was it more difficult than you expected?

Brandon: Yeah, one thing I didn’t expect going into this game was to form such strong relationships with the other castaways. I mean you go through hell with these people and form really strong bonds, then you have to vote them off. It just shows you how ugly the game can be.

RNO: What other aspects of the game were the most difficult?

Brandon: The physical aspects of the game were very difficult. The mosquitoes, heat, dehydration, starvation, exhaustion, even the howler monkeys really take a toll. It was also difficult to adapt to the twists in the game. You get used to a set way of life and then all of a sudden it changes. It’s difficult to readapt.

RNO: Were you surprised when Blake was eliminated, or did you know it was coming?

Brandon: I knew Blake was going when he went. I had a conversation with Danni and Bobby Jon before it happened. They were making sure that I was fine with voting him out, which I was. I just gave Blake my word that I wouldn’t vote for him.

RNO: When the merge occurred, was there an attempt by you and Bobby Jon to bring your original, pre-switch, tribe members back into the fold? Or were you not really allied with the remaining players previously?

Brandon: I was never allied with Judd or Cindy originally, which may have been part of my downfall. Had I allied myself with them in the beginning, I might have been able to work something out.

RNO: When your tribe was approaching the merge after Tribal Council, your group talked about being their servants – what did you mean and what were your overall plans for surviving the merge with lower numbers?

Brandon: We were planning on doing more than our share of work around camp. It was all we could do at the time. We were going to see how tight their alliances were and see if we could get somebody to switch. But Stephenie had all her ducks in a row. None of them were going to budge.

RNO: We didn’t really see you plotting to stay in the game once you realized you were targeted – when you found out that Jamie was a possible target for some of his own alliance members, did you approach any of them to try to secure their votes against him, or did you leave that up to Bobby Jon, Danni, and Gary?

Brandon: I didn’t try to sway any of them. I could have tried to, but I’m not the type of guy to try to snake my way into some kind of deal or beg for mercy. At that point my only option was to win immunities or find the hidden idol.

RNO: What is your opinion of Jamie?

Brandon: The guy opens his mouth a little too much, which is going to get him into trouble one of these days. But I have to say that I respect the guy. Even though we were enemies for most of the game, there was a respect between us.

RNO: If you had it to do over again, what would you do differently?

Brandon: Rather than play a game of alliances, I would play as an independent individual. Only then could you vote for who you truly believe should be voted out. You wouldn’t base your vote on strategy, alliances, or what would get you further in the game. It would just be you and your vote. But you know what, I’d most likely lose. Why? Because you wouldn’t be conforming to everyone else, therefore they would fear you and vote you out. So why play a game you most likely will lose? Because imagine if you won… You have to go great distances to achieve greatness.

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

Brandon: It was the best experience of my life.

RNO: Thanks again, Brandon!

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out these other Survivor: Guatemala Episode 8 articles:

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

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