“You Don’t Have to Be a Bitch in Order to Make It” – RealityNewsOnline’s Exclusive Interview with Survivor: Tocantins’ Sierra

RealityNewsOnline: Hello, Sierra, and thanks for taking the time to talk to RealityNewsOnline! Starting at the beginning, what was your strategy coming into the game?

Sierra: My strategy coming into the game was to find one person that I truly believed was a good person and would never lie to me. I was a little scrambled for time early because I was at everyone’s mercy. I chose Brendan to share a little information about where the idol was buried. I wanted to take him all the way to the end and be a good person all the way through. And I believe I stood up to that.

RNO: From what we saw, a lot of what you did involved following Brendan’s lead. What strategizing did you do that we didn’t get to see?

Sierra: A lot of strategy that they didn’t show. The fire pit idea [when we were digging for the hidden immunity idol on the beach] that they did show was my idea – I was setting it up to look like that.

You didn’t see was that we planted Erinn a fake idol as well. I used the actual plaque that was my clue and tied it to the back of treemail. It was on a different lot of water, but it said to go ten paces and dig. It worked and she dug for like two days. When Joe came over at the merge, he said look at this idol and she said look at this clue and they both realized. It just didn’t make sense to show [that story]. Brendan was like, you’re brilliant! He had tried to use a piece of paper, but I was like, “Erinn is too smart for that.”

Other than that, mostly to keep quiet is the best, especially when you start so young and being in an alliance. Just keep quiet and build relationships and ignore your alliance. We probably spoke every five days about what we were doing because it’s so hard to get a moment without looking suspicious. It looks like I never had any plans in the game, but I did. Also, me just being true to one person, the strategy would come later, but I didn’t want to pull anything until it was the right time.

RNO: What’s the deal with Jeff Probst suggesting in his blog that you’re dating a Survivor producer?

Sierra: (Laughs) I think the funny thing is me and Taj and Debbie would be lying in the shelter and saying we’re so hunger and the hunger pains are terrible. So we got tired of looking at our same guys and would prowl around and look at the camera men and the producers and would tongue in cheek it with them. It was great to be able to look at some really cute Australian guys. I think Jeff also likes to rally it up because I was the young one and I used to say how hot his crew was.

RNO: So you’re not dating a Survivor producer?

Sierra: I am dating someone, but I was dating someone before I left – not somebody new.

RNO: Back a few weeks ago, you said in a clip that was shown on Survivor Insider, that you are not conniving and when your time is over, it’s over. You added that you wouldn’t play politics to stay longer. Why come on Survivor if you’re not conniving?

Sierra: Because I think I really proved you don’t have to be to make it a long time. Thirty out of 39 days is really long for not being a conniving person. Where I didn’t make up for being a conniver, I made up for in challenges and other strengths and with heart. I went there for the experience, not for the money, and I had to make sure I got that experience. If I had been paranoid and conniving, it wouldn’t have been the same. It felt good to be out there. I was happy because I was pulling my own weight. You don’t have to be a bitch in order to make it. You can be a good person.

RNO: Was that part of your frustration in dealing with the lies of Coach? That he was making you out to be a liar when doing so would have been totally against your goal in the game?

Sierra: Yeah! It feels like when you’re a kid and didn’t do something wrong and your parents are saying you broke something. You’re screaming and your body’s locking because you didn’t do it. This person is blatantly lying in front of my face and I’m telling people he’s lying and he’s claiming to be the most honest person in Survivor. You want to call it drama, whatever. I stood up for myself and screamed, “You’re a liar!” And all of America knows he’s a liar. It doesn’t matter if they believed me, now as we all watch it, I go home looking like the good person.