‘Survivor 51’ Episode 1 Exit Interview!

I hate Mondays. King's Hawaiian Cinnamon Swirl Bite? Taylor Hansen? Sure, I'll try one. Hey, let's get back to work, please. But Taylor Hansen's making my day way better with these new soft and swirly King's Hawaiian Cinnamon Bites. Taylor Hansen? Nice. Try one. King's Hawaiian Cinnamon Bites. There's nothing like it. All right, welcome to our first exit press of the season. Only continue if there's not going to be any spoilers for you. So if you've seen the premiere episode and know what happens, stay with us. And if not, go watch that, then come back here and get the scoop from the first boot. Here she is. Oh, here they is. Here they are. Here they are. If anybody clicked on this, this podcast without having seen the episode, I feel like it's on them. Okay, well, she's here, Riley. We are here with Aaliyah. First boot, Survivor Season 51, the open era. Riley wanted to start us off. Aaliyah. Hey. Aaliyah, great to meet you. I have a question. At Tribal Council, I guess not last night, but what we saw, what was the feeling when Pat said your name? When Jeff asked you? When Jeff asked you? When Jeff asked, who's the other person? And then she was like, well, Aaliyah. I mean, you saw my face, right? I was very, I was like, okay, how dare you say my name, right? But it wasn't like a super shocker to me. I definitely knew my name was circulating at that point. It was a shock that she brought it up in such a bold way, right? But it wasn't a shock to hear my name, right? Like, it wasn't like I was, you know. Was that strategic? Oh, go ahead. To play Dom at, to play like, blindsided at Tribal, yes. Because I did not want it to, I didn't want it to allude to the fact like Dev and Jelly, like everyone saw how close we were on the show, right? Like, so to think that they didn't tell me anything before Tribal would be like, I mean, foolish, right? So I didn't want to continue to drive that narrative because that was an underlying narrative too, that people kind of thought we were close. So to me, my fight was when we were in conversation, I'm like, this is the first time I'm hearing my name at Tribal, right? So we're all so close. Why am I getting blindsided at Tribal? That to me doesn't make any sense, right? So yes, it was a strategic situation to kind of, because I easily could have been like, well, Dev and Jelly told me already I'm on the block. So this is not news to me, right? And I could have, but if someone's going to extend an olive branch to me three days into the game, I would have never done that. Going into Tribal, what percentage were you like that it's me versus Jenna? 70%. Like, to be honest, I mean, like, you're always like, okay, you never know what's going to pop off at Tribal, right? Was I expecting live Tribal? Absolutely not. I mean, what a way to go out for a smooth, right? But I was prepared to play my shot. Like, I was that nervous going into Tribal. Okay. So you had, you knew that you were there and you were going to play your shot no matter what already. Yeah. And I mean, I tried to have conversations before camp, you know, as best I could to try to switch the tide. And then I just, I just didn't, I didn't feel good about them, right? I feel like everyone was kind of smokescreening me. And so, and then when Tribal went live, right? Like, people were open. I feel like there was maybe a way in. But then ultimately, before we sat back down, Maggie told me to play my shot in the dark and everyone told me they were voting for me. So I, to me, it was, it was up to God at that point, right? So that's. Does God watch Survivor? God watches me all the time. I'm his child. So, I mean, and he makes, to be honest, he makes no mistakes. So if he wanted me to stay, I was going to stay. But instead, my ministry was at Ponderosa. And I took that responsibility so serious because I'm sorry, not enough credit gets put on Ponderosa and that game, right? A lot of viewers don't see that, right? But it is hard being there, right? That takes a certain level of mental toughness and to not be so down and depressed every single day and to wake up with gratitude and to wake up with positivity. Like, that is difficult. That is difficult to do, right? You're not, you're not a jury. You're not going to Tribal Arbor Night. You are there and you are in those emotions. And every time a new person comes into that place, it just reminds you how much farther out of the game you are. Right? So, and enough credit is not given there. And that's where my fight was. And I kind of like made it my mission and I coined building purpose on Ponderosa. And I just was like, you know, trying to make that place as positive and uplifting as I could. Because I came back there alone. And so, I just wanted to create a good environment for the people coming after me. Well, let's talk about that then. You get the call to go on Survivor. You applied probably months before that. You get this call, excited. You get prepared. You have expectations of what your experience will be. You have hopes probably of what it will be. You go through all this work and energy. Then the day comes, you're out there. You're out there probably feeling electric. And then you're first boot. Like, how is that? Can you describe the difference between what your expectations of what it would be versus what you actually experienced? Oh, I mean, it's so tough. Right? Because how big and bad I was talking in pregame was the energy I came into. Right? And I stand on that same energy. Like, all those things that I said would make me a great Survivor player still do. Right? Because they still exist. And they didn't show on camera, but they showed in different ways where I was at. And like I said, it's so easy to look back on so many mistakes and so many moments and to get so beat down. And you almost get to the premiere point and you're like, you want to crawl into a hole a little bit. Right? Like, knowing you're the first one. It's kind of, like I even said, it was like, oh, embarrassing. But it's just not. Right? I got chosen to be on a monumental and fantastic season. Right? I went out in a really epic way. Do not see live Tribals first boot. You just don't. And that just alludes to, like, how deep my connections were in three days. Right? So, I just try to just keep that same energy in Ponderosa. Like, that is its own game and deserves more respect. And, you know, enough of those early boot players. You don't see their gameplay. Right? But, you know, it doesn't indicate. It doesn't indicate that they're, like, not good at Survivor. Right? It just wasn't their time. It wasn't their season. I mean, hopefully, I get another time to show up and show out. Right? Yeah. Well, put it out there. Come on. You talk about the monumental season. What was the feeling from everybody when you get to the beach? There's 21 people. That's, you don't see that. You haven't seen that in six, seven years. And then on top of that, you get two tribes. Is everybody flipping out? Are you, like, is that scrambling you? Or are you pumped? Or what's the feeling? Oh, geez. When we got dropped on that beach. We talk about open air, right? And you get dropped on that beach. And you're just, it's a free-for-all. There's no Jets. There's nobody telling you anything what to do. Like, you have every opportunity to make as many connections as you want at that point. Right? Which is, like, it opens possibilities for you that you wouldn't otherwise have in any other season. And it's interesting to see what you initially do. Like, people are trying to look for the water well. Me, I'm like, are we really sleeping here tonight? Right? Like, I'm just like, we're starting, like, they didn't show it. But we started to build a shelter. Like, the idiocy, right? Like, it was, like, insane what we decided to do with our time. But you see, like, quickly bonds forms, right? Like, my helicopters and all those things. So, it, um, Daphne was just, I mean, wow. What a marooning. I'm, it was incredible. Uh, Ashley, what do you have for Leah? I was wondering about, like, you were talking about, like, when you were originally put on the island and marooned and everything was, like, weird and out of the, out of control. How long did they have you guys just out there doing whatever you're doing, trying to figure out what to do next? How long was that process? I feel like the whole cast says that, like, the episode just felt like you were on, like, cocaine. How fast everything moves. Um, we were out there for a minute. I mean, you don't have time, but. I'm gonna say at least hour and a half, maybe two hours. Like, even just us, before, like, like, you saw me notice, like, the initial scroll where it was like, okay, someone's got to go to exile. I mean, we were chatting it up for a minute. And I'm like, well, what is next here? You know, like, what is happening? And then I see the, the thing. And then at that point, Louis goes to exile. And then we're like, okay, Jeff gonna come grab us. No. Then it was like, are we sleeping here tonight? That's my first concern. Right? Like, do we need to set up camp? people looking for water well, They're trying to, like, climb rocks. I mean, the amount of energy we spent on that beach was insane. And uncalled for, right? It was, like, kind of foolish how much we were trying to do with that time. We could have just sat down and had a little kumbaya. Like, it was just, like, crazy. Yeah, but you never know. That's the thing. And I think everybody's so amped. You're just all like, we're doing it. Now it's adventure. Aaliyah, thank you so much for your time. This is the 10-minute mark, which is not enough, in my opinion. Never enough. But we'll, I'm sure, chat with you at a future, later time. So good luck with the rest of the day. Thanks for putting it out there on Survivor. We're sad to see you go. And hopefully we'll see you on, what, Traders next? What is the. Well, let's do, like, Survivor. Let's do an early boot for the season. All right. I mean, I've been hearing rumors of that. Like, it's picking up some steam. So, you know, there's always hope for that. But TV again, I mean, for me, I didn't go on Survivor to be on TV. I just wanted the title and I wanted to win. Right? So, for me, like, the allure is not TV. Like, I'm a humble cook in the back. Like, I'm not used to, like. You wanting to talk to me right now is insane. So, yeah. So, I mean, for me, it's Survivor or nothing. Yeah. I mean, you're going to. Why win a million or two million this season when you can win six to eight million in four years? I know. I mean, God has big plans. Like I said, he makes no mistakes. So, I think he's just setting me up for a bigger prize pot in the end. So. Okay. Well, fingers crossed. Thanks again. And thanks for your time. See ya. Thank you, guys. Bye. Okay. What did we think of Aaliyah? Spirit seemed high. She seemed okay with it. Is that real or is she more bummed than she's letting us know? It seemed genuine to me. I agree. Yeah. It seemed really genuine. I think she. Initially, like, when I watched her get voted out, she seemed really pissed for a second. But then by the time she came to her closing remarks, she had already been like. And that's, like, a little bit of time. A lot of people don't know that. You get voted out, they put you in this little booth till they wrap up the tribal council. You're just, like, in a little hut with, like, one security guy by yourself. You can kind of. You can faintly hear tribal council going on. And you're just, like, seething, fuming, figuring out a way to, like, destroy everyone's life that's still in the game. And then, like, sometimes the executive producer will come over and be like, thanks for playing. And you're like, I'm fucking pissed. And then they're like, well, you got one. And they're like, give me the food. Why have you been withholding food? And they're like, well, you go to your closing press for your closing remarks. So then they set it up and you sit there and you're like, well, I got. And it's usually enough time to collect yourself. And she collected herself well. So I think that, yeah, I think she can do that. I wanted to get a little more from her on the first. Being the first boot, I think that fans don't understand how devastating it can be. Maybe not for Aaliyah because she said she just wants to be in the back in the kitchen and, like, she's behind the scenes. She's there for just the money. But now you have expectations of, like, turning it into a career. Like, I get to be an influencer now. Somebody's going to pay me for a brand deal. Not if you're first boot. So I think the expectations are greater now for going on TV and probably more devastating when they don't materialize. Yeah. Is that. I mean, you don't have to. You don't have to agree with me, guys. I guess it just depends. It's like if I were on Survivor, I would have no intention of turning it into, like, an influencer career, which is probably, like, part of the reason, you know, I wouldn't get cast for Survivor because it's whatever. Like, there's, like, overlap in terms of who's looking for. to want to be, like, a social media influencer type and then who's good on reality TV. And I'm neither. And so, you know, I wouldn't really be devastated in that way because I wouldn't be dreaming about the future of brands. I wouldn't be dreaming about the future of sponsorships and all of that stuff. And so I think that Aaliyah is, like, somewhere. It doesn't seem like that's really, like, where she's headed anyways. Right. Which it would be fun to see somebody who does want that be the first boot. Oh, yeah. We'll get that. We'll definitely get something like that. It'll happen. I feel like maybe, like, it. I think it's just devastating to leave no matter what and people have watched the show for so long that they have, you know, these contestants have, like, kind of steeled themselves for, like, the likelihood is you're not going to win, right? Like, 95% chance you're not going to win. And it's like, is it more devastating to get voted out at Final Five or, you know, be the very first boot? Like, I don't know. There's sort of, like, different flavors of devastation, I guess. It's all flavors of devastation, but what flavor would you choose? Final Five is fine. It means you were a threat. They're trying to get rid of you before the end. You're so close. You're so close. That's when we talked to the people who made it that far on this pod. And they're like, it'll be, like, 12 years later. And they're like, if I had just done this one thing or this thing or that thing or whatever, if you're first boot, there's no, like, I was this close to a million. You know, if I had just done this one thing, I was going to make it all the way. It's like, there's still some first boots that do still say that. Okay, well, those people are to Lulu. Aaliyah is not to Lulu. So, yeah. But at the Final Five, you've had a good run. Likelihood of getting invited back is high if you were a character. And likelihood of getting other opportunity is also high. So, that's totally, I think there's, yeah, there's way more positives to come out of it even if you're like, oh, I was so close. Yeah. If I were on Survivor, the flavor of devastation here would be not even just being first boot, but not surviving a single final, or a single tribal council, right? So, even if you're on, like, the other tribe that's, like, immune or whatever. Because I feel like once you kind of get past that first, like, tribal, and then you see, like, who voted with you or didn't or whatever, then it's like, now I'm playing the game is what it feels like to me. And so, like, going out at your first tribal is like, it almost feels like you only kind of half played the game. Because she did, like, she was maneuvering. There was a lot of talking. You know, it is, like, still a full three days. It goes by fast in an episode. But you're still not, like, fully immersed in that. Like, now we go back to camp, and we, like, got to do damage control, or we got to, I need to, like, get more bonds or whatever. So that would be the part to me that I'd be particularly upset about. I'd be like, I don't know. I don't feel like I really played Survivor if I'm going home on day three. Yeah. You know, I think it's awesome that she's really secure in what happened last night on the premiere with her being the first boot. I also would be very mad that I didn't get to experience Survivor to its fullest degree. Everyone, when they're talking in their pre-interview or their pre-game, interviews, they talk about all the things that they want to do and all the things that are on their bucket list for Survivor. And she didn't get to do, like, any of it. Her team didn't even have a flint, so she didn't even get a chance to make any fire. And I think it's really nice that she's so secure and okay with the decision and is looking towards, like, bigger opportunities or what this may happen in the future with Survivor for her. But I would be, like, really upset. I think I'd be more upset being the first boot than being super close to winning because you're right. It does block a lot of opportunities and it blocks a lot of people from remembering who you are. And sometimes, I mean, I don't know if I was her, I wouldn't watch the rest of the season. You know what I mean? There's no reason to. So it's, yeah, I'm really glad that she's okay, but I wouldn't personally. So she's a better person than me. I've never seen Heroes vs. Villains. Oh, see, there it is. You're missing out. It is a really good season. She did say all that and that she was secure and that she, like, that's the way it is and God had, whatever, was God's plan or whatever. But she also mentioned a Survivor early boot or first boot season. Yeah. Mm-hmm. How many days in the next 10 years will she be thinking about a first boot season possibility? All the time. I don't know. Every day. Every day. Has anyone other than Francesca been the. First boot twice? Yeah, not first boot twice, but been even, like, returned to. To the show after being. As a first boot? A first boot, yeah. I mean, Bruce was medical evac'd, like, day two. Yeah, that does count. I don't think so, but maybe. I don't know. But, yeah, I think she's going to think about that a lot. I think any time work isn't going great or she's. Yeah, she'll be like, when is that first boot season coming? It's just, like, inevitable as a Survivor contestant. somebody on reality TV. - Yeah. you do think about that a lot and very few people are fortunate enough to get another stab at it or three or four or even eventually win. So yeah, mentally and emotionally, you got to be tough. I think she is. I think she'll be able to handle it. It's just, I think she will think about it a lot. Yeah. So I did a cursory Google search and I think it's only Francesca. So it's, um, did you use AI? I used AI and then I jumped into a red thread. Wow. Well, okay. I use the AI, the Google AI that just pops up anyways. I'm supposed to search it and not have that. AI is going to steal our podcasting jobs here, Riley. If we're not careful, that's why I have not even given. No one would ever listen to AI versions of us. They need the authentic thing. I haven't even given my authentic self yet because when the AI. AI Tyson version comes in, I'll be like, psych, I've got so much more. You guys don't even have a catalog of this shit. So it's the long game, dude. Man. Yeah. It's pretty smart, right, Ashley? I like it. I like it. I've just been withholding all of this great stuff in my brain so that AI can't take it from me. Um, all right. In a New York Times article in February of this year, so seven months ago. No, not. It's a New York Times article. What's the name on there? Um, hold on. Let me pop it into my other, my personal browser. So I'm logged into my New York Times account because it's giving me a paywall right now. Oh, wow. Look at it. Highbrow. I don't listen to reading the New York Times every day. Oh, Jonathan Abrams. Jonathan Abrams wrote this. Yeah. So it's definitely not AI. Okay. Is that JJ Abrams? No, no. Totally different guy. I don't know who Jonathan Abrams is. Me neither. He's like a longtime writer. He used to write a lot of NBA stuff, like longtime journalist. Okay. I think he used to be, he definitely used to be at Grantland. He used to be at the LA Times, I believe. I might be wrong. But, uh, Probst said that it's not like, we're not likely to have a first boot, uh, season anytime soon. And he said, quote, the truth is it's not always just bad luck or timing. It's a group of strangers very quickly agreed this was the person they could live without. Sometimes that's unfair, but sometimes it's revealing. So. Agreed. This whole article is about like, it's time for, uh, let's hear from the first boots. And basically they talked to Probst for it. And Probst was like, threw cold water on the idea of a first boot season. So, uh. So it'll happen in the next year or two. Yeah. It seems possible. He did throw cold water on all, all winter season for years before Winners of War. But, uh, I feel like this is a little bit of a different type of thing. Uh, but there is, yeah. And I've talked with Matt Van Wagenen about it, uh, before too. And he was like, we don't know. We don't know these people. Like, they're, it's just like we would, we would have to put them through casting again to learn who they are and what they're about. It's because we didn't get anything from them a lot of times that first episode. So it's the same as casting strangers. And then you just may as well look and pick and choose from strangers and see who's the best rather than just limit yourself to first boots. Yep. Hmm. Bummer. Yeah. I mean, not to say a first boot can't return because Francesca did it, but a full season of first boots. Probably not. Yeah. If they're going to do a full season of first boots, choose the absolute most annoying first boots so that they're all just driving each other insane. Not, not like the Aaliyahs where it feels like, you know, sort of victim of circumstance situation. Pick the people who were, it was like. They were goners. Yeah. Where the entire tribe was unified because they were so annoying. Yeah. Like that's. Okay. And it can be first boot from the tribe. It doesn't have to be first boot of the season. First boots from the, from their respective tribe. Hmm. Okay. Yeah. It's like if you didn't make it through a tribal council, welcome back. Yes, exactly. And then the most absurdly annoying contestants from each. I think this has legs. You're writing Jeff, like all the time about these ideas. Jeff listens. Yeah. We need to keep like, we, we have so many good ideas or at least like interesting ideas for the show on this podcast. And you need to like keep a running list and, you know, come up with like a. Jeff listens and then passively, aggressively responds to us through other press mediums that are not as large as us. Oh, Jeff. So. I mean, open invite. You can come on the show whenever you want. Yeah. So. Yeah. I'm done personally inviting him, but he has an open invite. He can show, if he wants to, he'll reach out. Yeah. Okay. Okay. That'll do it here at The Pod Has Spoken. Thank you all for tuning in. And we'll be back next week for episode two with a special guest. See ya? See ya. See ya. Ugh, I hate Mondays. Uh, Taylor Hanson? Sure, I'll try one. Mmm. But Taylor Hanson's making my day way better with these new soft and swirly King's Hawaiian Cinnamon Bites. Taylor Hansen? Nice. Try one. Mmm. Bites, da-da-da-ba-doo. ♪ Sweets well and he's all good ♪