“I Played the Game the Way It Was Designed to Be Played”: An Interview with Survivor: Guatemala’s Stephenie

While Stephenie came into Survivor: Guatemala thinking she might not make it through the first Tribal Council, she made it all the way to the last. What did she do differently this time around? Why didn’t she pair up with Bobby Jon to make a run to the finish? Will she still be friendly with Judd? All of this and much more is discussed by Stephenie right here.

RealityNewsOnline: In your first time on Survivor, you made an early alliance and then were split up – when you got back together, your allies didn’t hold to their end of things. This time, you made an early alliance (with Gary) and were split up – when you got back together, you didn’t hold to your end of things. Was this something you intended to happen, or was it just coincidence?

Stephenie: It’s Survivor, and you make alliances and there are always twists. You try to hold true but you also need to do what’s best for you. Tom and that alliance on Palau saw me as a threat and I needed to go. I didn’t want to get rid of Gary this time, but he was a threat and needed to go. Gary knew that. There was talk that we would try to realign, but with distance and time, it just didn’t happen.

RNO: You indicated that you were surprised to even make it past the first week and in the reunion mentioned that it would have been in other players’ best interest to take you to the end for that reason. With that in mind, why didn’t you pair up with Bobby Jon at the merge to go to the final two, so nobody could use that argument against you?

Stephenie: First, that would have only been two of us and they would have never let that happen. Secondly, I was in a tight alliance and actually up until that point I thought I still had a shot. It was only when Jamie went that things changed. I only backstabbed Jamie and Judd, the others knew they were going. I thought I’d have five votes. But the fact remains I played before. They were so mad that I played the game before and outplayed them, they were never going to vote for me.

Coming into the game, I didn’t think I would get far. But when I did, there were only two people who were blindsided on the jury. After Jamie and Judd were in the jury, it became obvious that I was the right person to take to the end – back at Jury camp, one bad seed spoils the bunch. That was when it became obvious I couldn’t win.

RNO: From what you saw and heard, do you think Danni would have still taken you to the final two if Rafe had not released her from her promise?

Stephenie: At the time, no. But after multiple interviews today, Danni said she would have taken me anyway, regardless. Rafe and I played the same exact game, making every single vote the same. It always seemed I was the leader when we were both making the decisions. If I went against Rafe, he would have won.

RNO: Do you have any regrets about betraying people?

Stephenie: No, it’s the game. You shouldn’t go on Survivor if you’re going to take it to heart when you get voted off. You’re playing for a million dollars for yourself, not your neighbor. But I didn’t go in thinking I’d be malicious and backstabbing. My plan was to be myself and play a competitive game.

RNO: Do you expect to continue your friendship with Judd?

Stephenie: Yeah, he called me two days after he got voted out [on TV]. He said he’s not mad at me he’s just pissed I believed Danni. He was fine. His family at the finale was more upset than he was. I told him my family wasn’t mad last time – they understood. My only wish is that I could repay Judd because he gave me some great rewards. I love Judd, he’s similar to family I grew up with. But if he didn’t go when he did, he was going next. He doesn’t seem to understand it yet now, but he will sooner or later. It’s a game and it’s over.

RNO: What was your strategy going into the jury question-and-answer session? What points did you want to make sure were made?

Stephenie: I played the game before and it was an uneven playing field for me too, because I had a huge target. I had to overcome almost every odd. It’s something that’s never been done before. For the most part, I was an honest person. Every person lied, the game brought out some bad qualities. Survivor can be a dirty game. But I busted my butt. Out of respect, I would have hoped that I could be awarded their vote. I went as far as I could possibly go. Rafe was the only one who wasn’t bitter because he played the game and understood.

RNO: Do you believe most of the votes cast for Danni were because they respected her play, they were angry at you, or they felt you didn’t deserve it because you had a second chance?

Stephenie: I think some were not for her, just against me.