An “Insider” Look at Survivor: China, Episode 11 – “Maybe I Was Too Much of a Nice Guy”

Erik’s Final Words

Erik starts out by saying, “I’m a little bummed out.” He says he had a really hard day and he didn’t do well in the immunity challenge. He got off to a bad start because he was feeling faint. He knew he was on his last leg in the game unless something happened. “Unfortunately, today is my day to be voted out.” He thinks he could always look back and say what he could have done differently, but he feels he “put it all out in this jungle.” Erik is physically and emotionally exhausted. He could have made it another week, but it wasn’t in the cards.

Erik is really proud of himself for making it so far, but he wishes he could have gone the distance. He’s going to be curious to see what happens with the five remaining players. “It’s going to be a battle, for sure.” Fifth place isn’t bad and, at the end of the day, someone has to go home. There are some strong personalities in the game.

Coming into the game, Erik wasn’t sure he could handle the lack of food and harsh conditions. He likes to eat a lot, so he was worried about the lack of food. Erik’s sure he’s lost at least 15 or 20 pounds out here. So, he’s learned that he can push himself to extremes. He can do things he thought he couldn’t. Erik says he has been a skeptical, cynical person. This game has affected his life. “If you believe it, you can do it.” Erik doesn’t think he would have said that before coming on Survivor. He came in with a skeptical nature and now he’s much more optimistic. Erik can also say that he won’t take his food, family, friends, and air conditioning for granted any more. Hee!

Erik is excited to get back to all those things, especially his family. The game has made Erik realize how much he loves his mom and dad. The show made him realize just how real that love is. He wants to go back to America with a new lease on life and just enjoy the things that he has. Erik hopes he can give back and make the world a better place, too. And win the crown! Alright, maybe I added that last bit in.

It’s nice that Erik sees Survivor as such a positive experience. He’s obviously unhappy that he lost, but he seems to be taking it well. Or maybe he’s just too exhausted, hungry, and faint to act any other way.

Erik, The Day After

Erik starts out by saying, if he could do it all over, he’d be a bit more aggressive. He also wouldn’t worry about the consequences of forming alliances early. Erik says a lot of people are aggressive in their strategy and it can work out for them. He was thinking way too cautiously. “Maybe I was too much of a nice guy.” He feels being nice got him to a certain point, but…

Erik says he meets a lot of salesmen in the music industry. A lot of them try to take advantage of or exploit someone. Survivor works that way, too. You have to try to convince people of their position and what they should do in the game and where you stand in the game. It’s difficult never being able to trust someone. Erik says he has few relationships in his life that are rich and meaningful and he can really trust in, but they are very important to him. In the game, everyone will give you a little bit of the truth, but there’s always a bit of a spin on it. If all you’re looking for is a superficial relationship, being in Survivor is like the real world.

Erik was mentally and physically exhausted the entire time he was playing. You’re always worried about something – eating, sleeping, stepping on snakes. It’s tough. Erik is the kind of person who needs alone time. You don’t get that out here. (Me too! And if you think Survivor makes that hard, try getting some alone time with three little kids.) And you’re trying to win a million dollars so, even if your mind wanders, you have to rein it in and concentrate.

The physical hardship is actually pretty cool. Erik likes to brag about it. He’s not a risk-taker in real life and he would never do anything extreme like this without the show. It’s good to know he can do it, he can survive. His mind and body are stronger than he thought. This experience might even make him want to branch out and try new things in life. When he was out there, he thought he would never do anything like this again. Now, he’s already thinking that he would love to do something like this again!

Erik seems okay with his position and what he got out of the game. I’m sure he would have love to have won, but he doesn’t sound bitter at all.

Tree Mail

The clip starts with ominous music playing while we see the Survivors sleeping in their shelter. The camera focuses in on the campsite and on a hatchet sitting in a block of wood. Is Jason going to deliver tree mail this week? No, apparently the true horror is that James is gone – and he did everything around camp. Denise interviews that James did the fishing, he cleaned up, he got water, while everyone else sat around and did nothing. Now, for the last eight days they’re here, everyone will have to actually – gasp – get their butts up and do something around camp. “But we’ll get over it.”

After this, Erik and Todd bring tree mail. The tree mail tells them they’ll be playing for a cruise and a “home-cooked meal.” Amanda and the others try to figure out what the challenge will be, while Peih-Gee interviews that the prize – a cruise and a good meal – sounds great. Especially the meal.