Teeny Chirichillo Post-Season Interview | Survivor 47

[00:00:00] Hey everybody, what's going on? Rob Cesternino back and we've got another great Survivor 47 post-game conversation here today. I am joined by a fan favorite and even Derek Levasseur's favorite player from Survivor 47. Please welcome Teeny Chirichillo. Teeny, how are you?

[00:00:25] I am so good. I am flying sky high after being titled Derek's favorite player. My 17 year old self who watched Big Brother 17 is just over the moon about it, Rob. Okay. Big Brother 16, you're gonna get fact-checked. Oh shoot, I'm sorry. Okay, yes. Okay, alright. But there's too much excitement. Anyway, very excited to get to talk some Survivor with you today. How have you been since the season's been over?

[00:00:55] I have been wonderful. It's such a relief to be able to talk about it in full with all the people in my life. It's a relief to be able to, you know, just have the experience closed up with a bow on it. And I've just been chilling out and kind of trying to undo the damage of celebrating and partying for three months and celebrating the experience of being on my favorite show, you know. It's a busy fall. Busy fall. Okay.

[00:01:22] All right. So, Teeny, so much to get to from your entire adventure, but I guess let's of course start at the beginning of the early days at LAVO and you were featured very prominently in the first episode from talking with Jeff about your New Jersey scarecrow attire to everything that went on with the early days of the LAVO Alliance. So, uh, what do you want to tell us more about from that time?

[00:01:52] So the early days of LAVO and I mean like the early days, like the first three days were probably just the most flawless gameplay that I had the entire time. You won the fishy. The first episode. And I think it was deserved. Like, I think I had advocated for you. Steven was on the fence.

[00:02:09] I know. I, Oh, trust me. I didn't sleep that night of the first episode. I was up at 2 AM listening. So thank you, Rob. Uh, but yeah, I think it was, it was, uh, exactly how I wanted to start the game, hit the ground running and just make close friends with everybody.

[00:02:25] In that first episode, I say, I really want to be every single person's number one. And by day three, that was what the reality was. You know, I immediately locked in with Keyshawn. Um, what you don't see is that me and Keyshawn form a really tight duo immediately. And the two of us agree, like we want a trio with Genevieve and the three of us have that conversation and we lock that in super, super immediately. Obviously, you know, I really wanted to work with Asia as well.

[00:02:52] And I had every intention to tell her that I knew who she was because of our HAP and that relationship was super strong. Rome was the one who I didn't really think I'd hit it off with the best. And then he pulled me aside and showed me the idol, which was surprising, but really cemented that I was his number one too. And then me and Saul were the best of friends from the first time we looked in each other's eyes.

[00:03:16] So it was like a beautiful amalgamation of all of these wonderful relationships and the freedom to move within them. And it was really fun until we lost. Can I ask about, you know, you said you had so many great relationships to start and we certainly saw that from the show, not just at Lavo, but other people wanted to work with you. Was there something intentional that you were doing or are you just such an easy person to approach that people felt so warm to you off the bat?

[00:03:45] Well, I definitely think during the entire pregame, I was, you know, certainly doing the eye contact and the wing game. And I, I tried to exude like a warm little sibling energy. That's like really what I wanted to get across. And I think that was successful. But I also do think that like my big skill in life that I knew could translate to survivor is my ability to connect with people.

[00:04:10] And, and so I think that is kind of what people are able, what bleeds into the game. And I think it was picked up by others on the cast, which was wonderful. Yeah. Just like we said with, with being in the fire, like you're, you're really good. You could spark it, like get it going, like instant boom. Yeah. Yeah. I could, I could hit the ground, hit the ground running, maintaining it and building it a little different story. Yeah. Okay. So you've got all these great relationships. And then where do we go from here?

[00:04:39] Sure. So it was really stressful. Uh, I didn't want to lose because of the position I was in, which was so fantabulous. You know, I had all these people who wanted to work with me and who had my best interest in mind. Right. Um, but okay. We can first talk about, uh, Rome catching me with the, with the idol showing Keyshawn.

[00:05:02] Yeah. So that was obviously just a ridiculously absurd moment in my experience. And I think had it been any other person in the game of survivor, maybe in history, they would have known like, you can't trust this person, but because it was Rome and he had his like gung ho loyalty to the four me, Genevieve, Keyshawn and him. Um, and because he, he really did something about me. He just really trusted. I was able to worm my way out of that one. Um,

[00:05:30] Impressive. Uh, you know, I had thought about that during the season when that happened, it's like, wow. Um, imagine getting busted, like giving somebody's like idol secrets away to another person. And then it's just like, ah, no big deal. Yeah. And I think it was, it was basically, I just told him like, here's the thing, Rome. You told me when you showed me the idol that you were going to play this no matter what at the first tribal council. If you really want to work with Keyshawn and Genevieve, you're going to have to let them in on that because if you play it and they didn't know you had it, that's bad for all of us.

[00:06:00] And I think that that worked with him and it was also true. And so, um, but it also made me scared. I knew I was like, okay, I have to be more careful. I have to be more conscious of the things that are going on. And I also, in some small way was like, okay, Rome might not actually trust me fully anymore.

[00:06:19] And so that kind of pulled me more towards them, but I really didn't want to lose because I knew how the dynamics were shaking up. And I knew that at the time it felt smartest for me to have to go with Rome and Genevieve. Um, and I had, because Rome was coming to me with information first. Um, and because of this like three group that I had with Keyshawn and Genevieve, I really was not aware of this private relationship between Rome and Genevieve that was happening.

[00:06:47] I really did not understand that they were as close as they were. I didn't see the game as, you know, three, uh, three sets of pairs.

[00:06:55] I saw the game as a set of four and then a set of four and me and Keyshawn were in both fours. Um, and I knew that I was closer to Saul than Asia was to Saul. I was closer to Asia than, you know, Asia, like, I just felt like I really was everyone's number one. So then we lose. Um, and my mindset going into the Asia vote was that the smartest thing that me and Keyshawn could do since he was my number one was make sure that we had a path to the merge.

[00:07:25] So if we, and we felt the best way we could do that is to, let's say eliminate Asia. And then we're down to me, Genevieve, Saul, and Rome, uh, and Keyshawn. The next thing that we would do is vote out Rome because we believe that we had Genevieve so securely and God forbid we lose again, we would have our pick of the letter between taking either Saul or Genevieve.

[00:07:48] And so that was really the plan. And we really thought that that was foolproof and obviously didn't work out that way, but that was our every intention was to make sure that the order when, if it's Asia, okay, the next is going to be Rome. Then we will a hundred percent be able to two of us to get to the merge together.

[00:08:05] So in the episode we saw where you talk with Asia and there's a, you know, uh, if, uh, if you say you're a, you'll vote out Saul, then we can figure it out. We can, we can get rid of Saul who would have been your biggest, you know, strong person in the challenges. Was that a real offer to Asia to save her and take out Saul?

[00:08:28] Well, it certainly, it certainly didn't help that she wasn't willing to part with him because we felt that on the other end, we had Genevieve who was not as connected to Rome. Like we really thought that we had, we wanted to see if we could find another person to mirror what Genevieve was giving us, who was loyal to the two of us more than another person. And Asia didn't demonstrate that by showing that she wanted to work with Saul.

[00:08:56] So it didn't really give us the same avenue that we thought we had with Genevieve, which was that we're a locked three. And that was kind of like, for me, pushed me more towards saving Genevieve in the game because I felt that she would be with me and wasn't as tied to Rome as Asia was to Saul, which for me and Keyshawn, you know, it was important for us to be able to get there together. If that makes sense.

[00:09:19] You still wrote down Saul's name, uh, when you went to the tribal council, uh, maybe to the detriment of your game. And was that a little bit of like a, a wake up call for you in terms of like that, the, the, the push and pull that you were going to face in this game in terms of this is what my heart wants. And this is what my head wants. Oh yeah.

[00:09:42] I mean, it's, it's not even, it's not shown, but I sobbed hysterically on the beach the day that that decision was coming down because I, every single choice felt hurtful and wrong and upsetting. And I was being crushed by the weight of it already. And it was, I think day six or day six or seven that this was happening. And yeah. So when I was sitting there at the tribal council, I was just like, okay, I know what my alliance is doing. I know what the outcome will be.

[00:10:09] My vote isn't going to sway it one way or the other. And it just, like, I just can't even fathom writing her name down. And, and it was, it was really tough. And I also thought that I could go back and, and, you know, tell my alliance, Hey, like that was in case she played her shot in the dark and it hit. Then we would make sure that it would, you know, we'd have a vote on Saul, which I felt worked for them. And then to Saul, I told him, I was like, listen, man, it was me who voted for you, but now you can act pissed at me. And no one's going to suspect that we're working together.

[00:10:39] And that actually worked surprisingly well on him too. So there wasn't a complete detriment to my game, but it definitely was the first sign of, Oh my God, my emotions are going to rule me throughout this thing. That you're such a student of the game and such a fan of the show. Is there any way that you could describe what that's like?

[00:10:59] Cause I think that a lot of people in your position, I think would struggle with, you know, the taking people out part of the game, especially people that you like and turning your back and betraying people. And it's easy when it's like nameless, faceless, you know, avatars that you're thinking about, but I don't know how many people are prepared for what it's actually going to be like. Yeah, it's tough. And I think it's, I think it's different for different people.

[00:11:26] Like for me, what I get out of the show and what I've always liked, and I think you, you even said this, I think in the RHAP draft, you noticed about me and my fanaticism for the show is that I like the relationships. I like the people. I like watching the social dynamics. For me, the strategy and the blindsides weren't always like my favorite part of the game. And so it's going into it.

[00:11:52] I knew, you know, my strengths would play to making friends and like liking people and people liking me. And that part of it was wonderful until suddenly the blindsiding part had to inevitably has to come because that's the name of the game. And it's just, it was hard because I couldn't fully process or take joy in the fact that the way that I wanted to be playing was actively playing out.

[00:12:16] And that I was, you know, making the most of my skills in the game of Survivor because I was so crushed by the reality that it's coming at the detriment of someone else's dream, of someone else's goal. And that was just a really complicated, complicated dichotomy to process the entire time. And in my real life, I love just getting to know people and having open relationships with them.

[00:12:40] And I think there was some blind spot in me where I kind of thought that I'd be able to just do that and get myself to the end and win without the other side of it, which is like, no, there's also lying. And you're going to have to lie to people and people are going to have to lie to you and you can't trust anyone. And I feel like I didn't put enough time in to really know that concretely and have that ground me out there. And I was kind of learning that as the game went on in hard lessons as we saw play out.

[00:13:10] All right. So after Asia goes home, OK, you feel good. You have Kishon. OK. And away we go with the plan. And now you could take out Rome, but you go on a journey and you end up losing your vote.

[00:13:28] Yeah. So the amulet situation, I mean, I think it just it goes to show the confidence that I had in my alliance or what I believe to be my alliance with Genevieve and Kishon. And it also just goes to show the confidence I had and that we were all fed up to hear with Rome's behavior and that nothing possibly could outweigh how badly we all wanted him out of which part of it.

[00:13:56] What was Rome doing that was the most bothersome? Um, I mean, it's like there's so many layers to it, right? It's like just the the daily stories and kind of like braggadocia that was happening at all times.

[00:14:13] And the aggression that you saw within the game, the way that he sometimes spoke to Saul or spoke about things he wanted to do in the game was just so, so, so, so far from how I looked at things.

[00:14:27] Um, like just saying like he what he was like, I'm going to bully Saul into giving me his shot in the dark and I had to be like, whoa, man, like fully like what the hell like maybe don't say that like maybe that's not it just I was like there's no way that anything could outweigh this but it also speaks to how well Genevieve played the premerge and in getting us to underestimate the fact that she could see value in Rome that we couldn't see like she was brilliant at making us feel like she was so with us.

[00:14:54] And I believed it fully I was so confident in my position in the game that I gave up my vote. And I also wanted to buy goodwill with Andy and Caroline and get, you know, steps forward for myself if I got to the merge but there was no there was Rob there wasn't a 1% of me that thought that Genevieve was going to flip it there was there was not 1% and that's a testament to her game in the premerge and how she how she just made us feel so comfortable.

[00:15:20] Um, and yeah, so obviously, that's not how it went and my number one alliance member went home. Okay, so take us through your reaction to that and then how you process, uh, Kishon end up, uh, going out which, uh, really ended up in the story, uh, ended up being a bigger deal for Genevieve that Kishon, uh, went out than for you. Yeah, so first of all, She stole your storyline. We could share it.

[00:15:50] First of all, um, I picked up that something was wrong, um, on the way to tribal council in all the little last moments of camp life before. I just knew so I thought it was me going home. I just was like, this is not right. I, I have no idea what's going on. This is the first time in eight days. I've had no idea what's going on. Um, and when they stole his vote again, I thought it was going to be me because I was like, I just, I could, how could I be this far out of the loop? Uh, I really don't know what's going on.

[00:16:20] So when he ultimately got voted out, one, I was relieved that it wasn't me. Two, I was absolutely beside myself shocked. Three, I maybe within 20 minutes pieced together that Genevieve flipped herself from a precarious situation on her tribe to being the only person who was possibly ever going to be safe if we went to another tribal council.

[00:16:42] Because now I knew that my trust with Rome had been completely fractured because she, he knew I was coming after him and had already broken his trust before. Um, I knew that the two of them, Genevieve and Rome were going to be so close together after this because she was the one who saved his ass. Sorry. And I knew that that left me and Saul in a really, really dangerous spot and Genevieve in this prime spot of safety. So I just was like, I need to buddy back up to her.

[00:17:12] I need to just make her know that I'll do anything to stay. I, we had nice damage control conversations, you know, but it was the most scared and the most danger I was in the game at any point was me being on Lavo post Kishon and pre merge. You think that if you would have gone to that tribal council when Annika went home, it would have been you? So I'm so happy. I don't have to know, but I do think there was a real danger of it. Absolutely. Yeah. I think, I think Rome wanted me to go.

[00:17:42] Rome wanted me to go. And I think Genevieve wanted Saul to go. Um, and ultimately she probably would have had the say, but I also think that there's a world where Genevieve realizes my, my threat level and my social game and doesn't want it to make it to the merge. And yeah, it's, it's something that in that challenge was really close to, um, it was the most euphoria I've ever had in the game was winning that challenge. Yeah. So you have gone on the journey.

[00:18:10] You have the three-way shared amulet. You also end up going to the survivor social hour. And so you're kind of coming into the merge here with a lot of these, uh, different connections. How are you feeling about your game? Once you arrive with all the players on one beach? Oh my God. It was so wonderful. It was like, it was like, it was like starting the game again.

[00:18:32] And obviously I had the, the knowledge and the experience of starting the game the first time to know that that's where I excel is like instantly hitting it off with people and embedding myself into their time on the island and making myself like a comfort to them that they don't want to take out. And to meet all these people who I had just been wondering about and conspiring about was beautiful and wonderful. And it just got better from there for the beginning of the merge.

[00:19:02] Can you give us some tips? Like how do, for those of us who don't make great first impressions, how do you do it? Um, I just, I think, I think what I've always thought is that I have the lucky, the lucky, um, quality of actually like really, really, really caring about other people's lives.

[00:19:25] Like, and also a lot of the time finding people who have big or eccentric personalities to be like very entertaining, um, in a way that they migrate on other people. And so for me, like learning about someone's relationship and like asking them questions about their boyfriend is like so entertaining to me. And I think that comes across and I think that it's genuine and it works and it's fun for me. It's fun for them. I don't know. That's, that's. It must work for you.

[00:19:54] Cause I feel like if I went in and started asking about people's boyfriends and girlfriends, people say, get it, get lost. You creep. You gotta have the little sibling energy. You gotta have the little sibling energy. Okay. You gotta show me how to do it. Okay. All right. So, all right. You're on the merge beach. Everybody's here. And the name that is being floated around is Rome. Somebody who you're sick and tired of his crap. Yeah.

[00:20:23] So I remember it's shown in the episode. Everyone's talking at the water. Well, Kyle is bringing them all the information that, uh, you know, had come out about Rome over the 24 hours since we'd hit the merge beach. And I remember walking up to, I was on a confessional and I walked up to the group and obviously you see a big group talking. It's a little bit nerve wracking. You're not a part of it. And I'm just hearing Kyle talk about somebody. I don't know who it is yet. And Genevieve looks at me and goes, Rome. And I wanted to just jump in the air. I was like, how could this get any better?

[00:20:53] Like I, this is the outcome I wanted. I didn't even have to do anything about this. He just showed his cards immediately and everyone knows it. And I'm here to happily go along with the plan. I'm here to corroborate all of the, you know, discussions about why he's stressful in the game. Sorry, Rome. Um, it was brilliant. It couldn't have been a better, like first merge boo. I was psyched. Yeah. Okay. And you're not conflicted here.

[00:21:20] You don't feel, uh, you're going to write down a different name or anything like that. Uh, how did you feel about when Rome sat in Jeff's chair as a huge fan of the show? Did that bother you? Did you think it was funny because you knew he was going? My thoughts on Rome sitting in Jeff's chair. My thoughts are if I'm Rome and Jeff invites me to sit in his chair, the first thought I have is I'm going home tonight. This is, this is special treatment in lieu of, this is like the most special treatment one could get.

[00:21:50] This is like beyond asking what has this journey been for you? Like, you know what I mean? It's like, it's like such a dead giveaway, such a tell that it is the end of his rope. It's like when you're taking your dog to go get put down and you stop at Burger King. Yeah. So I was like, Oh my God, Jeff, don't give it away like this. But then I remembered very quickly, this is Rome here. His brain's not going there. His brain is just all showman and believes that this is, you know, he's entitled to sit

[00:22:19] in this chair regardless of outcome, regardless of if he wins the game or not. So yeah, it was, it was, I was at first panicking and then I was like, Oh, actually this is, this is fine. This is just distracting him altogether from what's going on here and it'll be, it'll be fine. So teeny, they have this split tribal council that comes up. And so first off you are in this endurance competition and you're right there.

[00:22:46] And it's you and Genevieve on one side and Kyle on the other side. And Kyle's the last person left from his side. And Jeff says, okay, that's it. That's enough. He gives the immunity necklace to Kyle. What the hell, right? Yeah. What the hell? I mean, I would have loved to wear the bat. I would have loved to wear the bat. This poop could have been your immunity. I know it didn't in 44. Didn't, didn't Franny get one regardless for, for even though they didn't go to tribal council. I don't remember.

[00:23:16] I think, I think in the past, the winner of the safe group still got a necklace. I would have obviously loved to wear the bat, but like for me, the prize was winning for my team and making the jury. So I was like, you know what? It's fine. Let's let him like get more attention for being a challenge beast. Let's let the number of his stat of winning rise a little bit. And you were fine. Yeah, it was fine. Okay. So at this point in the game, we start to hear a lot about how that you have a very close

[00:23:46] relationship with Sierra. Can you talk a little bit about how you came to be so close with Sierra and what was it about her? Yeah. Yeah. Me and Sierra like just clicked instantly. I think she's also like a Northeast girly. We had, she went to a university of Delaware where one of my best friends went. So we were talking about like, you know, bars that we'd like, we just had a lot in common. I think a similar sort of upbringing, a similar group of friends back at home.

[00:24:16] I remember there was a night, it was the night of the auction where everyone was talking about like video games a lot. And me and Sierra kind of just looked at each other. We're like, we have no, we have no foothold in this conversation whatsoever. Like we just, we just really got each other. We were a nonstop giggle fest and she just felt like somebody I'd known for a really long time. And that was fantastic. And I was super close with her, but do I think we were the most discreet about it? No, I think it was probably quite apparent to the rest of the group that we were very

[00:24:45] much so clicking. I also think that me and Sierra look at the game of Survivor similarly. I think we bring similar strengths to the game. We are both social creatures and we know how to mix in with a group and maybe aren't the best at like the really nitty gritty strategy stuff. So for us, it was really easy to see and zoom out on the game in the same way from the same lens. And that was like a relief to both of us, I think, being around people who are a little bit more game body.

[00:25:11] So you went on this reward and it works out that it's of course, all of Tuku is off with Rachel and then it's, you know, all of your old tribe, all of lava with Andy and Sam and Sierra. And there's some talk of red and yellow. We're doing it. Like, this is the thing. And it seems like you feel good about this, right? You would have liked this red and yellow. Yeah, I did feel good about it. I, I, at that point though, I think what I was most happy about was just the fact that

[00:25:40] me, Saul and Genevieve were in a great position no matter what, right? Like we had the yellow people, like we were with Gata, we were, we were totally locked into that world and I liked all of them and that was fantastic. But we also like in the back of my mind, I did know that like, if we wanted to go with Tuku, we would. And most importantly, that we'd be doing it together as the three of us, which was my intention for the game. And so I just felt very at peace with our positioning at that point in the game for sure. Okay.

[00:26:10] Later on in the game, we know that you have some strong feelings about Sam and you handled that all very maturely by the end of the game for sure. Are you feeling like, was it, you felt some type of way about Sam the whole time or did he like get on your nerves more as the game went along and then culminating in that not going on the Operation Italy reward?

[00:26:38] Yeah, it was, it was definitely not like an immediate disdain whatsoever. We got along really well. You're both Mike TV. Exactly. Like you saw us bond over that and we, I think you're a better Mike TV. Thank you. With all due respect to Sam. We, we, we bonded really well. He's also 24. I'm 23. We had a lot of the same like reference points. We got a lot of the same like senses of humor. Like we really got along. I would describe it.

[00:27:08] It definitely culminated with the Operation Italy vote and it was a buildup of a few different things. It was obviously the, the stuff that I spoke about on the show, which is that, you know, from like a very young age, I like in childhood, I struggled with like, I don't know, like I feel like more of a boy than a girl. Like it was a lot of gender stuff, of course, that I've spent, you know, a long time processing,

[00:27:34] but I'm able to process it when I'm not starving, when I have resources, when I can, you know, talk to my friends, when I have, you know, queer books to read. And I was deprived of all those things. So I didn't have the most healthy coping mechanisms out there to go through that in my head. It was also just kind of like, you know, the deterioration of my game in so many ways, like things just continually were not going my way.

[00:28:02] One of those being that like, I wanted Sierra to stay and like, I wanted him to go and like, just, it wasn't against him at that point. But like, I think I took out resentment of my game, not going the way I wanted to on him. And so it was just like all this big lead up. I was insecure about myself as a person and my identity and also insecure about my place in the game and how it would come across. And he just really took the brunt of it. Yeah. And you've spoken so articulately about this in the past.

[00:28:31] So I don't want to spend too much more time on it, but I want to go back to, okay, so you are a big fan of Sierra. Sam is sort of like, okay, but it is maybe eventually going to grate on your nerves. They come to you and they say, Hey, guess what? We're not doing the working with Gata. We're going to work with Tuku and take out a Gata. And I don't think we really get to see you processing that in the show.

[00:28:59] So did that take a lot of convincing for you to ultimately, okay, we're going to take out one of the Gata numbers? No, I think that, I think that it's honestly displayed in the show as more of like them dropping this ball in me that like, we're, uh, we're going to work with Tuku instead of Gata than it actually was. Like, I also had the sense that that was what was happening. Um, and that didn't really bother me.

[00:29:23] What obviously bothered me more was that I didn't feel my voice being super heard in deciding which Gata member it would be. But I also take accountability for the fact that the way that I pushed for Sam to go and for Sierra to stay, I think was disadvantageous to what I actually wanted. I think I pushed a little bit too hard, made it a little bit too obvious that I wanted Sierra to stay because of, you know, how much we got along and how much we were had the potential to work together.

[00:29:52] And so I kind of recognized that and was like, okay, even if Sierra stays at this point, if I get my way, it might not even be long-term good for me because it'll just be so apparent that we are working together. And so I, that's why I kind of conceded and, and let them have it, um, their way. But that's what my thought process was. And it was obviously very painful to let her go. Um, but yeah, I just, it felt like there was nothing I could do. Who did you think was going to get voted out next then after? So, okay, I'll go along with the plan.

[00:30:22] We'll vote out Sierra. And then was the thought then, okay, but then we're going to do Sam. I was, I was a little bit apathetic to, uh, whether it was Sam or Kyle. I really, if Kyle lost, I was like, we, we got to take out Kyle. We have to, um, I thought that was the smartest thing we could do for all of our positions in terms of him being a challenge beast. And, um, if not him, I really did want to do Sam. Um, uh, and so I remember that round, I was just kind of like, I would really like to do

[00:30:50] Kyle and I was going to people and I was saying like, let's do Kyle, let's do Kyle. And everybody, everybody. Can I just set up for where people are to just, uh, follow along? So this is when you all have partners and, uh, you ended up partnered up with Saul, right? And so, uh, you get, you actually get through and you go on the reward and it's you and Saul and Gabe and Kyle at the reward. And they're talking about, we should just vote out Sam, right?

[00:31:20] Yeah. So during that conversation, we were all talking about how we wanted Sam out, but I remember sitting there and knowing that Kyle didn't have the necklace around his neck and being like, okay, like let's wrap this BLT reward up so that I can actually start campaigning against Kyle. Um, because that's what I think is the smartest move for me and for everybody else here. Yeah. Did that get any traction, uh, ever or it never came up? So it was the conversation being had, uh, was okay. So are we going to do Sam or Kyle? And

[00:31:50] people were kind of like throwing it back on me. Like you pick, you pick. And I'm like, well, I'm saying Kyle and no one's really agreeing in this. Yeah. I was like, there's no one's really agreeing in the way that I know you have to agree before a vote, like every other vote that I've been a part of. And so that's what kind of like also that day. And something I want to touch on is we get back from that reward and we're sitting there with Genevieve and Sue, and this is in the episode. And we say to Genevieve, yeah, like we're just going to do Sam. And she gives

[00:32:19] nothing. And I know how Genevieve works when she has an opinion and she wants something done. She will, she will speak to it. Right. Um, but she was just like, okay, cool. As long as it's not me. And she got up and walked away and me and Saul looked at each other and we were like, that was weird. That's not the Genevieve we know. We know there's a lot more going on in her mind right now. And we had a conversation with each other on this day, the day that he went home where we were like, we don't trust her. Now is not the time, but eventually we unfortunately do need to

[00:32:47] cut her loose because something's really off here. And little did we know that it was, it was way off his day. Yeah. So Genevieve, she's talking to Sue, she's talking to all of Tuku. Hey, let's get Saul tonight. But Caroline has lost her vote. And so they need, they need another vote to be able to take out Saul. And they ended up getting Andy involved, who ends up getting Rachel involved. And then the whole thing goes to hell in a handbasket. And so that this was where

[00:33:17] I think that you, you kind of find out what at a tribal council, like very late, late in the game that it's going to eventually be Saul. Yeah. So I found out at camp that day when Saul pulls me aside and says, these people are voting for me. Um, I still was confused and shocked and unable to really put together that Genevieve was behind it at that point. Um, and so you kind of see that play out, but then it was at, it was during tribal council where Andy looks at me and says, no, yeah, everyone's

[00:33:46] doing Saul and Genevieve's the one who orchestrated it. And during that vote, Saul really wanted me, Andy, Rachel, Sam, and him to vote out Sue. Um, and Sam really wanted to do that as well. And I just kept looking at Rachel and Andy and saying, realistically, are you guys going to go against the majority here? Are you going to vote out Sue? And they just both said to me during the tribal council, we're not doing that. We were voting Saul out. So I looked at Sue and said,

[00:34:11] there's nothing we can do. And again, like it was just a very helpless, upsetting, uh, not what I wanted situation, but one where I couldn't do anything. But we really see these events from your perspective, especially when we start the next episode. And, uh, we really get to see everything from the teeny, uh, POV as we come back from tribal that night and you were hot.

[00:34:35] Oh my God, Rob, I was so mad. I was fuming. I was so upset and devastated. I lost my best friend. He was such a comfort for me out there. I really, really, uh, I really saw times did you lose a best friend in this game? Dude, I can't, it was every, every round it seems. Um, and so, yeah, it was at least you had best friends. Okay. Well, it was like, I really, and maybe naively

[00:35:03] really, really, really, really wanted to, and believe that me and Saul could make it to the end together. And I really saw Genevieve as a part of that plan as well. And like, I just, I really had like a Tika three, Lavo three sort of vision for us. That's what I really wanted to do. And I believed we had the ability and maneuvering and relationships to do it. And so that dream just sort of ended for me in one night in a really upsetting way. I was also fuming at Gabe because you

[00:35:30] see in the episode, Gabe lied to my face during tribal council, where I say, I know everyone's voting Saul. And he refuses to tell me that that's what was actually happening, even though it was being confirmed by every other person. So I came back in guns blazing at Genevieve and at Gabe and Genevieve and I had that really, really open, honest, philosophical conversation about how we could not play survivor more differently. Um, but how we do really care about each other. And I really

[00:35:55] trusted that she wasn't going to target me or write my name down. And so that's kind of what that was about. It's you and Genevieve, um, there's like some poetry and I feel like only survivor really, uh, brings us this. And it's so amazing because it's not scripted, but you have like, uh, this sort of like bizarro relationship with each other where you're both experiencing like the same phenomenon, but from like

[00:36:20] opposite sides of it. Yeah. Yeah. It was so interesting and fascinating and complicated. Um, I just, we got along so well and in the real world, in every case scenario and every lifetime and every context that we meet, we would be very, very good friends who really understand each other, but we had such different ideas of how to play the game. And we had such different ideas of who we

[00:36:47] wanted to work with. Like I wanted to work with Saul. She did not like Saul within the game. You know, I did not want to work with Rome. She saw the value in Rome and all of that thinking and the decision-making that we had going into the relationships we were choosing couldn't have been more different. And there was no way it felt for me to, to see the game from the lens that she was seeing the game from and same for her. And so even though we were being honest about that and open

[00:37:13] with it, it didn't, it didn't change the fact that it was still like just never really lining up. And it was beautiful to be a part of, but also extremely frustrating and like hurtful at times, even though I know she never meant any of it to be personal. Okay. So after that is, uh, the vote against Gabe, uh, where were you during the, uh, decision to take out Gabe? Did you have a strong opinion that

[00:37:39] Gabe needed to go? Hell yeah. I think that was the, that was my favorite round of the game. That was the round of the game that went the most seamlessly for me. I, I felt like it was in some ways, like, yeah, if I really, really wanted to take Genevieve out, like we, we could have done that, but I was very vocal about wanting to get Gabe out there. I felt like he was a threat on firing on all cylinders. He was great at the strategy part of the game, great physically, um, embedded in his

[00:38:06] alliance. He was very, uh, arrogant about his position in the game, which pissed me off. I knew he wanted to, he had told me, he wanted me to go to the final four with him, Sue and Caroline. And I'm pretty sure he told Genevieve and Andy the same exact thing. And I had heard that from them. So I was just fed up at that point. I felt like he thought that he had the check written out to him all up to Gabe. He's like my best friend now, but he just really pushed me to the edge at that point. And I thought it was just wiser. And again, I, I also had a lot of fun taunting Genevieve that round

[00:38:35] and being like, Hey, maybe I will vote you out. So that was a, that was a fun round, but ultimately wanted to save her, keep her around a bit more and get Gabe out there. And most importantly, Tini, your bag went on fire. Yeah. How did that happen? We, that it was like, you were using like a pillow when you're too close to the fire. Precisely. Yeah. So I, I usually laid with my head, my feet by the fire, my head by the shelter that night, I flipped it around. Um, this was the night after Saul went home and I was laying

[00:39:03] there and I had my buff over my face. And every time I took a breath, it felt like I was inside of a chimney and I couldn't breathe. And so ultimately I just picked up my bag to move it back because I was like, I'm having trouble breathing. When I pick my bag up, the entire side of it is on fire and bring and Oh my God. Yeah. So then Caroline mommied me and she took care of it all. And she, she cleaned the bag, but all I could feel was just gaping giant, like hole in my bag.

[00:39:31] And I had no idea what was damaged or burned in there. Um, luckily it was only my jacket. If it was my shorts for the challenges, like I would have been screwed. So just kind of had to like sit there in the dark of the night, not knowing how, you know, screwed up that whole stuff was. And it was just really tough. Uh, I can relate. I can relate. It's, it's a lot. Okay. Um, all right. So then,

[00:39:54] uh, so Gabe goes home and, uh, now look at this now, not only, uh, has Gabe gone out, but there's a new alliance, uh, a couple of new alliances. You've got final threes, you've got final fives. So how did all the underdogs come together? Uh, well me and Andy. So ever since the, the, the solve vote, Andy was incredibly important to me. And I saw him as my number one in the game because he was the one

[00:40:23] who shared that information with me. And I felt like we, he was somebody who I really wanted to go to the end with. So I was working very, very closely with Andy, uh, post the solve vote and we pulled in Rachel together and I felt really good about them. They were kind of, as I say, in the show, they were a sanctuary for me and they were really great. Things happen. Uh-huh. Yeah. You'd think. And then, uh, and then it just kind of like organically worked out that,

[00:40:50] you know, me, Andy, Rachel, Sue and Caroline all sort of felt like we were in the same spot in the game. So we formed the legendary underdog Alliance, which was the majority of the tribe. Okay. So you're feeling pretty good and, uh, it's time to vote out Kyle and Kyle and Genevieve and Sam are at the bottom. And these are the three people that you want to see go home. Uh, you gotta be feeling like everything's coming up teeny. It felt good, but it also was, uh, it was complicated

[00:41:19] because I also, you know, I still was very close with Genevieve. I knew that Genevieve and Sam kind of did see me as like maybe one sort of lifeline that they had. Um, but ultimately, yeah, it was, I wanted Kyle to go and they, as they say the episode, they needed me to do anything else. And well, then also Kyle wanted to get me out too, which foiled their entire plan, which was to work with him and try and, you know, take out like a Sue or an Andy. Um, so yeah, that round was pretty

[00:41:47] cut and dry straightforward. Yeah. Did something happen with Kyle where he seemed to really like lock in on you? He votes for you. He's really trying to get people to rally to the cause to vote out teeny. I think, I mean, apparently I failed a test. I didn't know that I had, I felt like I was in high school again. I, I, I think I, I was Ken McNichol there.

[00:42:14] Um, I think he told me information and it ended up getting back to him and that rubbed him the wrong way. And I think he also just like, maybe he was closer with other people. So he went on this crusade to try and take me out, but it ultimately didn't pan out whatsoever. So. Okay. All right. All right. Let's talk about the operation Italy. And we haven't really gotten the chance to get your

[00:42:36] perspective on all of this. So, all right. That from what I understand that there's the, that Sam and Genevieve are talking about a plan potentially, and they're starting to, uh, talk to you about, okay, potentially could you flip and join them? Yeah. So at this point I knew, uh, I knew what the

[00:43:02] dynamic was and the numbers were, I knew that Genevieve and Sam thought that they had me. I enjoyed kind of having the option of going with them. I was very aware at this point of how big of a threat Rachel was. And so my priority, it was climbing higher in my priority list to, um, figure out how to get Rachel out. Um, and so that was tempting to me, but I also saw Sam and Genevieve as big

[00:43:29] threats too. And I saw their relationship together as a big threat. So I liked before, uh, the challenge, I appreciated having the option of, um, going with them and doing that or, you know, getting Rachel out potentially had she lost that challenge. Yeah. So in talking with Genevieve, she said that, uh, she wanted Sam to take you on the reward. Yes. It was Sam who, uh, switched it up to go and

[00:43:55] take Andy. Yeah. So I think it was Genevieve who was really rallying for me to be the one who they pulled in for the move. And Sam was, uh, rallying for Andy. Ultimately he did take Andy, which set me off as we saw on the show. Um, what I will say, um, which is not shown, um, and I think super important is that after, before the tribal council, um, Andy is still telling us that he's

[00:44:22] going to be voting with us. And, uh, I actually pulled Andy aside and told him, Hey, maybe the best thing for us to do here is to actually vote out Caroline, because I don't think that Caroline is going to want to take out Rachel next. And I think that Sam will, and, you know, had it, and he convinced me not to do that. He didn't want, he did not want me to vote for Caroline so that he could claim operation Italy as his move. And so that he would be the sole flipper in that decision.

[00:44:49] Um, but I did pull him aside and pitch him that plan. I was thinking about, you know, flipping and going with Genevieve and Sam and wanting to take Caroline out. And he convinced me not to, and I was happy not to obviously, because I also had my feelings about Sam too, but I did have that conversation with him. And so I was very extra pissed at him when he did flip, because I told him, Andy, you know, I would have done this. And so when we get back, um, that's why

[00:45:14] I made him pull Genevieve and Sam aside. Um, because I was like, I made him admit to them that I tried to pitch that to him. Yeah. How did that change your relationship with Andy? I was, I just felt like I lost, um, yet again, lost somebody who I trusted. Like he, for a while in the game was really, uh, felt like he had my best intentions at, at, at heart. And, and so I, I just kind of changed from viewing him as like a stable in my game to just being

[00:45:43] the unpredictable wild card, uh, untrustworthy player that he really was. And, um, but I do think it was good. I think because I told him that he needed to admit in front of me and Genevieve and Sam that I tried to pitch the plan to take Caroline out. I think that really highlighted for Sam and Genevieve, um, how much he really wanted to get the credit. Um, and I think it showed them that I

[00:46:10] was a little bit more trustworthy than they thought throughout the process of doing operation Italy as well. Yeah. Were you able to make that case to them when you're talking with Sam and Genevieve during that time after Caroline goes home? I think that, I think that by the way, I played the situation out and made Andy admit it to them that they, they a hundred percent realized, obviously there were still things that I didn't fully know about how it all went down, but I think that was a,

[00:46:33] uh, I I'm really proud of myself for like making Andy do that because it was, it, I was potentially going to go with them. Had he not convinced me not to, you know what I mean? And I think that spoke volumes to them when I got him to admit that to them. Okay. So at this point that you still feel like Genevieve's idol is real. You don't know about, uh, Rachel's real idol or Sue's real idol.

[00:46:57] So you're in a little bit of a rock and a hard place, uh, here where that they've told you, okay, this is our new plan that this time we're coming for Rachel. Uh, how are you feeling about how, uh, things are looking for you at this point at the final six? I was, I was, uh, okay. So basically after operation Italy happened, um, I sat on that stool. They show me laughing, right? They show me kind of being so shocked that I am in, in just a maniac

[00:47:27] state of laughter. Um, what they don't show is that I sat on that stool and I actually said out loud, I just lost the game, uh, because I, I kind of felt, I knew things had been not the best for me, um, in terms of losing allies and being blindsided and being left out. Um, and I really felt like the final seven vote was one where I needed to be in on it. I needed to know what was going on. I needed to have agency. And when that was taken away from me by Andy flipping, um, things just really

[00:47:56] started to feel horrible. And so I, I was in a really complicated place in my mind where I was grappling with the fact that I had a very uphill battle to climb and not much time to do it. Um, and also grappling with the fact that, you know, there were still these really massive threats in the game. And I did want Rachel to go. That was always what I wanted to do at the final six, not knowing she had an idol. Um, and that's why I had pitched. Maybe we should take Caroline out.

[00:48:25] So we have an easier road to do it, but then the opportunity to be a decision maker in that was stripped away from me. Um, but the, the, the logical next move I believe was to take Rachel out. So I was excited to do that, but I was aware, um, and I was scared for, uh, my, my chances moving forward. So at this final six tribal council that comes up, okay. Uh, everybody's expecting it to be Rachel, but ultimately Rachel takes the idol out of her bag. Uh, had you been aware

[00:48:53] about Andy talking with Rachel that day and sort of like, uh, like making his case to Rachel as he thought she was going to the jury? No. Um, I don't know if you remember that day I had gone on a wine reward. Oh yes. I was a little bit out of it that day. Uh, I was, and here's the thing. Yes. Andy was pitching his case, um, to her, but we were all culprits of saying bye-bye Rachel. You know, I know I looked her in the eyes and I said goodbye. I'm pretty sure I told her,

[00:49:23] please tell Sierra and Saul that I miss them, which is you don't do that. Um, but every single one of us, that was the wine. That was the wine. That was, that was, you know, drunk words, sober thoughts, but I, I was, yeah, I was certainly tipsy that afternoon. So I wasn't fully privy to everything, but I, I will say that like, yes, Andy pitched his case to her, but also, uh, all every single one of us was like very straight up and told her she was going home

[00:49:48] as you saw transpiring council. Yeah. Okay. So, um, Andy ends up going home and this is such an interesting final five where it turns out that, okay, Sue has her idol. Uh, Rachel's going to be immune and you are in this untenable position where Genevieve and Sam are the only two people

[00:50:10] that you're going to be able to vote for or want to vote for, uh, and that they potentially have this idol. Uh, and you ask Genevieve point blank, is the idol fake? And she says, yes, it's fake. Sam says it was fake, but there's some question. Is she telling the truth or not? You ended up at that tribal council uh, you vote for Sam. Could you talk about how you make the decision about, and it looked like that

[00:50:37] this was something that you were wrestling with. How do you make the decision to vote for Sam? Yeah. So first of all, this is off the heels of, you know, a lot of me living in a false reality. And I found out that day, uh, the depths of the false reality that I'd been living in. So I was, um, untrusting of my own gut at this point and really, really screwed up in the head at this point.

[00:51:03] But my conversation that I had with Genevieve where she tells me that the idol is in fact fake, I knew that that was genuine. You know, when we had the conversation, she also was being open and honest with, she told me she was a lawyer. She told me that, you know, she was giving me tips on how to pitch my case at final tribal council. Like we had, she said things that were very indicative of the fact that it actually was fake. But then I go and I do a confessional and I come back and she's got

[00:51:31] this like grin on and she's like really twisting the dial and like really trying to, she's telling me things like, if you vote for Sam tonight, you'll be fine tomorrow. Like she just really, her and Sam were having fun. I think knowing that one of them was going home, um, just kind of antagonizing me one last time and it was working. It worked. Um, so I was upset about this. Um, but I basically, me, Sue and Rachel just band together. They said, we're going to write Genevieve's name down. And if Sam

[00:52:00] writes Genevieve's name down, she will be going home. Um, but if they are concocting some sort of plan and she does have a real idol and they're voting together or what have you, like you should write his name down, uh, just to make sure. And so why I was really struggling and contemplating in the voting booth is because, uh, you know, I knew that the idol was fake and I really wanted to get my last laugh and I really wanted to write her name down. And I really like, that would have been so satisfying,

[00:52:28] but also some part of me was like, God forbid, she's got a trick up her sleeve and she has an idol and we all write her name down and she writes my name down or something. Like I will not be able to live with myself if I get got one last time like this. So even though I really, really did know that, uh, it was fake. I also knew that if it was fake, she'd go home either way, my vote or not.

[00:52:53] Um, and so I just put his name down to, to make extra, extra, extra sure that I would be there the next day. Okay. We talked about the Epic final four, uh, fire making challenge, uh, when we got to do the exit interview, uh, as far as, uh, being on the jury, was it at all a difficult decision to, for you to vote for Rachel? It was, so I think Rachel is the deserving winner of survivor 47. I think she played

[00:53:22] the most dominant game. She, she is the winner by all, by all accounts. Uh, but it was challenging and I sat there and I listened to his very compelling speech. I sat there knowing and having been a front row witness to all the ways that he did underdog from, you know, the Sierra vote on word, um, his hands in the operation Italy boot, which I had just learned, uh, the extent of the day before. And I was really impressed. And I also, some part of me knew that if it wasn't him sitting there,

[00:53:51] it would have been me and that I would have been fighting this fight against Rachel, which it felt kind of unbeatable. And so there was a sympathy layer up there for me as well. And, um, you know, it was difficult, but ultimately it was, it was like, so written in the stars clear. Also, you know, Rachel and I had a very close personal bond. She sewed my bag when it burned. She helped me make fire. She kicked ass and she deserved to win.

[00:54:18] And so any sort of sympathy or even acknowledgement of how wonderful he played was not going to outweigh, um, my desire for Rachel to be the winner of my season. So, teeny, you had, uh, such a rocky road at times. And I really, uh, you know, commend you for like, uh, you know, coming on here and wanting to talk about it. Cause it's easy to talk about like all the glory and all the things that went right. But a lot of times when, you know, it's frustrating, not as easy

[00:54:45] to do. And you've done a great job of talking about it, but for the future, are you open to more survivor the, or, or has your itch been scratched? I am certainly open to more survivor. I think that, you know, and I've seen other people online and even people in my life say that like, I come back in a few years and I can really, um, I'll have grown and learned, um, maybe regulate my

[00:55:12] emotions out there better, how to take my skills and really maximize them and not get, you know, dogpiled by other aspects of the game. And I truly do believe that with some more life experience, with some more distance from season 47, um, with some more like training to get myself into a better strategic acumen mindset, um, I could be a total force. Uh, but I do think that that time and that

[00:55:40] space away from being a player is necessary. I would say. What else do you want people to know about your time on survivor? Uh, really just that it it's, I'm so at peace with it. First of all, um, the fire, losing the fire was devastating in that moment, but upon like reflection, I am, I feel like it couldn't have worked out better. I feel like it was extremely representative of my

[00:56:05] whole journey. Um, just kind of like things not going my way, despite my best efforts, despite my intentions being in the right place, despite me preparing in so many ways. Um, but I also, as a super fan of the show, as a passionate, passionate human who loves everything about survivor, I'm so grateful that I got to see every side of the experience that I got to go to the

[00:56:29] jury and vote for Rachel to win the season and spend a day at Ponderosa. And all in all, like I have just been the survivor. I would not be myself without survivor. I'm a lucky person who got shown survivor by my mom. And when I was in fifth grade and I truly do not know what my life would look like, not growing up with reality TV, not having RHAP to listen to, to enhance my experience. You know, it, the fact that I got to play it always felt kind of like more of a, um, a when and not an

[00:56:59] if, and I'm so grateful that at 24 years old, I can say I did it and that I have it to carry with me through everything I do for the rest of my life. And even the, the ups and downs of the game, I'm so at peace with the ups and downs of the watching back experience, the backlash that I've gotten, like that's okay too. I feel like anyone who watched the show and who gets me and who likes me, uh, those are the people who I would want, you know, supporting me anyway. And so it's all just

[00:57:27] been wonderful and beautiful. And to speak about my identity and all that stuff too, is just a cherry on top. So couldn't be happier, more relieved, liberated and at peace. Yeah. Well, teeny, uh, as somebody who played survivor when they were 24 years old, that there's so much of life that comes after survivor. So, uh, that, that we're just getting started. Yes. I like to think so too. Yeah.

[00:57:55] Teeny anything else you want to let people know? I think, uh, I think I'm set. Thank you, Rob. Yeah. Teeny, thank you so much. Uh, I appreciate all of your, uh, openness and candor about everything and, uh, great to catch up with you again and looking forward to hearing from you in survivor 48. I'm so excited. I'm so, so excited. Thank you, Rob. You're ready to break down a new season. I am very ready to break down a new season, preferably in the earlier side. Cause I know

[00:58:24] as it gets more in the weeds of strategy, I probably have a little bit less. You'll be fine. You'll be fine. Okay. All right. Teeny, where can people follow you? Uh, Instagram, teeny chill with three L's Twitter, teeny chill with two L's, um, substack teeny.substack.com and yeah. Okay. Thank you so much, teeny. Thanks everybody so much for joining us. Take care of a good one. Bye. Bye.