Mm-hmm.

Um, my mom called me and said, "Joanna's coming home." I said, "Oh, really?" "Yeah, she's done." And I said, "She's really, really done this time?" "She's really done." And we were all just so happy, and she seemed so confident this time, and it was a different Joanna, and I thought, "Man," like, "We got her back.

We win." Like, we win.

I could see it in her.

She was done and...

He kept calling my parents' house again.

We had changed numbers, and he found a way to get through then, and at this time she had a phone, so he kept calling and calling and calling.

Who told you? How did you hear?

Mm-hmm.

Um, my mom called me and said, "Joanna's coming home." I said, "Oh, really?" "Yeah, she's done." And I said, "She's really, really done this time?" "She's really done." And we were all just so happy, and she seemed so confident this time, and it was a different Joanna.

And I thought, "Man," like, "we got her back.

We win." Like, "We win." I could see it in her, she was done.

And he kept calling my parents' house again.

We had changed numbers, and he found a way to get through then.

And at this time she had a phone, so he kept calling and calling and calling.

Who told you? How did you hear?

Yes.

You get a couple hundred people in a room, as an athlete, as a competitor, you know this.

Man, there's something about that that changes the dynamic.

And what's great for me is then you also get to see other Survivor players who might be these beasts, but then they gotta perform in front of a live audience, right? When you perform in front of people, then you get to see that even change where they're like, "Wow, this person's kinda..." You know, and we're just, we're just kinda fans now watching it.

So that was awesome, but it was really cool seeing, um, kinda feeling like you're a part of history, like people like yourself and other greats that have played.

It was cool to kinda sit there and go, "Wow, man," like, regardless of what they say, this is cool to witness it.

But you know what the most awesome part is, is, like, behind s- you know, back behind stage, right? You're sitting there watching it on the TV with fellow competitors.

Okay.

And did you learn something from that Survivor 48 loss that helps you recontextualize the Survivor 50 game?

You know, Rob, like, honestly, and you helped me do this with some of the things you said on, on your podcast, 'cause I, I do peek in and look, and I, I respect people that, you know, have a really good, kind of well-rounded view of this, is that, listen, on, on 48, I didn't realize the impact that Eva and I, and what happened, you're under this kind of umbrella of that moment, right? Where, like, you're almost protected from some of the, the, the analytical pieces of either one of our games, because we had such an out-of-game experience that was, I feel, by some would say, you know, pretty impactful in the game of Survivor, right? That you couldn't script that.

So what it did was I feel it kind of made us both, um, I'm not saying it in a negative way at all.

It just, uh, it, you know, it, t- we, we weren't just free of this, the, kind of the criticism of our game, 'cause we, we focused on that.

And, and what it showed me, Rob, is I, I got into this game for my sister, and I, after that season, I was so disappointed in myself, because it was the only season I knew.

And then I gotta experience hate.

Then I got to experience things like, you know, uh, criticism.

Sure

And did you learn something from that Survivor 48 loss that helps you recontextualize the Survivor 50 game?

You know, Rob, like, honestly, and you helped me do this with some of the things you said on, on your podcast, 'cause I, I do peek in and look, and I, I respect people that, you know, have a really good, kind of well-rounded view of this, is that, listen, on, on 48, I didn't realize the impact of Eva and I and what happened.

You're under this kind of umbrella of that moment, right? Where, like, you're almost protected from some of the, the, the analytical pieces of either one of our games, because we had such an out-of-game experience that was, I feel, by some would say, you know, pretty impactful in the game of Survivor, right? That you couldn't script that.

So what it did was I feel it kind of made us both, um, I'm not saying it in, in a negative way at all.

It just, uh-It, you know, it, t- we, we weren't just free of this, the kind of the criticism of our game, 'cause we, we focused on that.

And, and what it showed me, Rob, is I, I got into this game for my sister, and I, after that season, I was so disappointed in myself, because it was the only season I knew.

And then I gotta experience hate.

Yeah

Talk to me about that and why you did that.

You know what? My friend is like, I looked at that as like, I was trying to be this new player.

And I thought, we're all going to do this our own.

Like, I was picked.

So it's the game.

Jonathan's going to do it on his own.

Rizzle's going to do it on his own.

What, how did this happen? How did you guys come together? What was it?

Yeah.

I had a great, uh, Emily's gonna be a straight shooter.

And then what's funny is, right when we sat down at final tribe, and I put my butt on the stool, and I looked out.

And right then, I go, "You know what? Uh, we don't have to do this because I'll just go." They were pissed.

I could count.

I c- I'm telling you.

Yeah.

I was like, "Okay, I think Aubry has a good argument, but Jonathan's been playing a hell of a game, but I think I'm gonna get a handful of votes." Then I really started looking at it, and I'm like, "Ah, man, maybe I got third based on seeing them," but I at least thought I'd get a vote or two.

Yeah.

I had a great...

Uh, Emily's gonna be a straight shooter, and then what's funny is right when we sat down at final tribe, and I put my butt on the stool, and I looked out.

And right then, I go, "You know what? Uh, we don't have to do this because I'll just go." They were pissed.

I could count.

I c- I'm telling you.

Yeah.

I was like, "Okay, I think Aubrey has a good argument, but Jonathan's been playing a hell of a game, but I think I'm gonna get a handful of votes." Then I really started looking at it, and I'm like, "Ah, man, maybe I got third based on seeing them," but I at least thought I'd get a vote or two.

You both had talked back in your younger years about going on Survivor together.

Right.

(dramatic music) The waves were crashing in Fiji, so I took a walk down to the beach and, and I thought, "Man, she's all around me, so it's just time." Let's go do this.

(instrumental music) Coming into this game, my motivation was my sister.

She's the one that wanted to be here.

That's why I applied.

I wanted to be Joanna's voice.

Yes, we do.