“I Honestly Think I Would Have Won” – An Interview with Survivor: Micronesia’s Cirie

In my opinion, Cirie is a great, and often underestimated player. And she’s just so damned likeable! So I was happy to have the chance to talk to her again, because you know she’s going to tell it like it is, and she’s pretty much dead-on when she tells you what would have happened. So read on to find out what she has to say.

RealityNewsOnline: Hello, Cirie, and thanks for taking the time to talk to us here at RealityNewsOnline. First, I have to tell you, I was rooting for you all the way.

Cirie: Thank you.

RNO: When I interviewed you after your first stint on Survivor, you told me you “wanted to fly under the radar until [you were] in a position to make any moves.” Was that your strategy again this time, or did you go in with a different plan?

Cirie: I wanted that to be my strategy this time, but it was right away I had to make moves. With these people, the Favorites I played with, you could not just sit around and wait for stuff to happen. I don’t like to play that way but I can adapt easily. I saw I had to do more and be proactive this time, so I was.

RNO: At the jury Tribal Council, when Amanda said Parvati made bolder decisions than you did, did you just want to let loose with the decisions you made, including the one that kept Parvati in the game near the beginning of the season?

Cirie: You know, I did. But for the most part, the people who were sitting on the jury, they knew they saw because they were there. Except for Ozzy’s boot, everyone pretty much knew what was going on.

I wanted to expose Amanda for not being truthful. She said she was loyal and truthful, but she was really just like everyone else. Had she just been honest and said, “I thought it was a shoe-in [against Parvati], everyone hates her,” I knew she would never say that.

RNO: You voted for Parvati to win, right?

Cirie: Absolutely.

RNO: Why did you make that decision?

Cirie: Parvati and I basically did most of the dirty work through most of the game. Amanda tried to be friendly with everyone, and anything she had to with voting them out she kept secret. I think Parvati’s game was just as good as mine. But as I said to Amanda before my final Tribal Council, Parvati and I did most of the same thing and I did most of the talking. I felt like I played a slightly better game than Parvati, but Amanda didn’t do very much. She played a great game with the idol, but outside of that, she really didn’t do anything.

RNO: To what do you mostly attribute Erik’s dumbest move ever – your ability to convince him or his own naïveté?

Cirie: I think it was a little of both. He’s very young, very naïve. And I’m kind of good with words (laughs). I think it was the two in conjunction, with the help of the other girls saying just the right things to push him over the edge. I know that wouldn’t have worked on a more experienced player.

RNO: What even made you think of such a crazy idea?

Cirie: Spending time with Erik, I knew he wanted everyone to like him. He’s a very nice kid who enjoyed his time there, but more than playing a game, he wanted everyone to like him. I knew if we could put the thought in his mind that everyone was going to see him as a phony and untruthful and it wasn’t a good look for him, I knew the redemption thing would work on him.

RNO: Why did you decide you absolutely had to vote out Yau-Man?

Cirie: Because when I went to Exile Island the first time with Kathy, she and I found all four clues. I saw Yau-Man’s season and I saw how he was with Earl sharing the idol, I saw Earl could trust him. I thought maybe if I could give him the last clue and eliminate the time he spent searching, we could share it.

I went to him with that deal and he agreed. I said the only thing we have to is that you have to be the next one to go. When it came time to send one of us, Yau-Man suggested we send Jonathan. That threw up 10,000 red flags. I felt that Jonathan knew and I felt like Yau-Man was one of the strongest competitors there, he had the likeability factor like I had. He was a threat to me and on top of that, you’re telling other people about the idol. I would not budge on the idol.

RNO: I wish we had seen that on the show.

Cirie: I know, I know.

RNO: Do regret staying with Amanda and Parvati, or did you ever think you could build a secondary alliance to take them out?

Cirie: I tried to build a secondary alliance when Natalie and Alexis asked me to vote out Amanda. I asked them and said it would put me in a weird spot, if I go through with this, would you be willing to vote out Parvati? I got some “hmmm, uh.” That’s all I needed. I won’t ask you again unless I see an opening. So I felt my best chance was with Amanda and Parvati. I felt like I made the right decision. I couldn’t get anywhere with Natalie and Alexis, so I had to play it out.

RNO: Did you know before your last Tribal Council that Amanda had decided to vote you out?

Cirie: I knew when my ball dropped that Amanda would not vote to sit next to me. She told me she wasn’t good speaking in front of people and she felt I was. When a lot of the scrambling was going on, everyone was talking about who they’d like to take. Erik said it would be him, me, and Parvati; Natalie said the same thing. In every threesome, Parvati’s name was mentioned. I knew there was no way Amanda would take the chance of sitting next to me in a final two.