March 20, 2026 • 28 mins
Wells and Dolores are joined by Survivor 49 runner-up, Sophi Balerdi! As the fan-favorite underdog, Sophi’s telling them what inspired her to apply for Survivor, how long it took to secure her spot & what it was like to go 11 days without food.
By not betraying her alliance, Sophi lost out on the $1M prize… Is that friendship worth the loss?! How did her gameplay differ from how she originally planned to play? Looking back, what would she change?
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
All right, it's time for another episode of By Order,
the Faithful Survivor edition. Well's here alongside Dolores Delores. I
love the hat, thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Paul bought it for me. He's kind of my stylist,
is he.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Yeah, yeah, it's not funny because my wife also a
dresses me.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
So we're both the guys in the relationship.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
I feel like.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
You think it's so funny that I'm not emotional.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
I love that you're going to kick out of that.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
Is Paul emotional?
Speaker 2 (00:36):
He's temperamental.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Yes, Okay, he's not like a crier, but I think
he's cried more than me in this relationship certainly, and.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
He gets more worked up about things easily, you know.
But I guess.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Yeah, well, speaking of crying, we have to I guess
shed a tear for Mike White, who exited stage left
way too soon. Are you surprised that Mike White went out?
Speaker 3 (01:07):
I am, I am, and I I mean we're still
Your theory still holds true that I know you're thinking that, like,
oh yeah, I'm still in.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
I'm still in, and I mean we're good.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
So I'm like, freaking well, he's right, Like we saw
so much of Mike Way. We didn't even get to
see him get a tan, Like I was waiting for
him to get that jersey tan going. And you know
he did leave with even better abs than he showed
up with, of course, because he's appreciated at this point.
But yeah, stage left very sorry to see him go.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
We love him.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Everybody's a fan, I know.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
I think it's fair to say that after Mike White
sees this episode that Christian will not be invited on.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
He's out. Yeah he's not on the B list, he's
on the de F list.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
But here's the thing that I would say, Like everyone
was kissing his ass because I think they want to
be on White Lotus. But I know what White Lotus pays. Okay,
And let me tell you something, being like basically an
extra is a lot less than winning Survivor and a
million dollars.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
I think that, judging by how you live on this show,
money isn't like the biggest thing, because like I know,
with my money, I buy stupid shit like different kinds
of soaps and toothpaste from Italy and fancy brushes and
they're not even chopped.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Like I don't think like money is everything to them.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I agree with that.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
It's the what would you call it? The experience?
Speaker 1 (02:51):
I want to say, Yeah, I'm probably the desire for
competition and to win, right, like competitive, I think it.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
Takes a certain person. And I want to speak to
Sophie about this.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
It really does take a certain person to be able
to endure even the thought of this, because when I
watch it, I'm cringing, Like Sophie didn't eat for fourteen
days on her season, and I don't think that I'm
capable of that.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Like I don't know, I'd be in bark off a
tree or something. I don't know.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
I I'm so perplexed with is this something that I
would want to challenge myself to do?
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Or is this just disgusting?
Speaker 1 (03:35):
As it also seems dangerous to like not eat for
you know, a fortnight. I feel like that's not a
good thing for your body. I yeah, I'm a mazed.
And then you know, this last episode was a good
example of you could tell how tired and emaciated everyone was. Yeah,
(03:57):
in the group that like didn't get that didn't win,
that they couldn't even push the boat and it's because
they have no they have no fuel to burn inside
their bodies anymore, which is just Yeah, it's like a
domino effect there.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Yeah, I know, I know that I have to like,
would you do this?
Speaker 1 (04:15):
You know, it's funny.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
I was.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
I was at dinner last night with a good producer
friend of mine who has worked on the Bachelor, and
he was a producer on Survivor, and he was like,
he was asking me about about Traders and if I'd
want to go back on the show. And I was like, no,
I think, I I think I you know, I went
on that and I think I'm good, but I would
like to go on Survivor. And he was like, wells,
(04:40):
you do not want to go on this show. You
don't know how bad everyone smells.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Oh my god, stop, Well, I'll throw up.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
I know. He was saying that there was a guy
that had a mustache and he would coat his mustache
with carmes so he could only smell carms and not
smell himself and everyone else.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
I am, I don't know that, but I'm cut out
for that world.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Yeah, very excited about this episode. Today, we're joined by
Sophie Bullardi, a twenty seven year old entrepreneur from Miami, Florida,
who finished his runner up on Survivor forty nine. Sophie
was known for her resilient underdog story and strong social game.
Throughout the season. She bounced strategic gameplay in relationship building,
(05:22):
using advantages and positioning yourself as a flexible player, willing
to flip if needed. Her ability to connect with others
helped her reach the final tribal council, where she ultimately
lost in a five to two to one vote. She's
often remembered as a scrappy, strategic, and personable competitor who
overcame a rough start and nearly won the game. Sophie,
(05:46):
Welcome to the show.
Speaker 4 (05:48):
Hey, hello, guys.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
You're wearing your cool bandana for us.
Speaker 4 (05:54):
I know I had to bring out the buff for you, guys.
I'm really excited to be here.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Has it always been the buff?
Speaker 2 (06:01):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (06:02):
I think so.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (06:03):
I mean, I don't know when it changed, but as
far as like I can remember, it's a buff.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
Why do we call it a buff? I don't know.
I think the.
Speaker 4 (06:11):
Actual like the name of what this is is like
a buff, Like the brand is called buff for like
god being and hunting, Like people will wear it a
certain way.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
Yeah, well we're so excited to have you.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
I'm to be here for you've.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
Done so well, like everyone loves you, your fan favorite.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
I could see why have you gotten in?
Speaker 3 (06:36):
Were you engaged when you were on Survivor or have
you gotten engaged?
Speaker 4 (06:40):
So I was hoping that while I was gone for
that long that he was out shopping for a ring
and he was. I was ready to come back and
be like I'm on CV now, buddy, Like you know,
I had options, but now you know he was smart.
He was smart. He took the time, got a ring,
and like soon after I came back.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
Beautiful, congratulations. When's the wedding date?
Speaker 4 (07:01):
November fourteenth?
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Oh is it going to be on an island?
Speaker 4 (07:06):
I live in Miami, so it'll be here and it's
still nice over here.
Speaker 2 (07:09):
So it's so beautiful. Well yeah, thank you, thank you,
And you.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
Know it's exciting because I always like to ask people
what made you like this?
Speaker 2 (07:18):
How did you start this?
Speaker 3 (07:19):
Because it's not anything me or wells will probably could
ever do. We love watching it, so thanks for that. Yeah,
but I mean we would die. But so your your
grandma huh she loved this?
Speaker 4 (07:31):
Yeah, so my grandma she was a Cuban immigrant, and
she would watch like American TV to try and learn English,
and Like Survivor happened to be one of her favorite shows.
I think she was like obsessed, Like she thought Jeff
Probes was so hot, so that's why she That's what
lured her in, and it would get me to watch,
right and like, so what kept her watching was like
the fact that she would like watch it to learn English,
(07:52):
and she got hooked by that. And my parents worked
a lot growing up, so she would take care of me,
and then we watched it together, and so I grew
up watching with her. So even when she got really
sick and was older, we watched it together. And I
kind of wanted to give her like an extra special
season of the show to watch, so I started applying
to try and get on and like so she could
watch me. But then she ended up passing away before
(08:15):
I sorry, it's okay, but I mean I felt her
in spirit out there. I felt was like priceless. So
for that reason, it was like such an incredible experience,
even though.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
I lost how many years did you apply before you
got on, dude?
Speaker 4 (08:29):
It was eight years in a row. I tried, but
I did almost get on a couple times, Like I
got to the finals, and like I got a couple
of calls, so I knew they like they were interested,
but I never actually like sealed the deal. So until
this past year.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
Sophie, of all the people, like they they like try
to get on and everything, what is it that makes
them pick you? Like thousands, hundreds of thousands of people
are reaching out.
Speaker 4 (08:55):
I mean, I feel like you guys could probably answer
to this as well, like why you got on the Bachelor,
you got on the Housewives? Like I feel like it
does take a type of personality for me personally, I
was told is like just like being unfiltered and myself
and not really caring what people think. I think is
a big thing, like it's a TV show. And on
top of like, on top of that, I think they
(09:17):
they're thinking in a different way when they're casting Survivor
because we're not eating, we're not sleeping, so they're basically
like relying on us being entertaining in those conditions, right,
And like, dude, it is so hard to even form
a sentence when you're for me, like I spent eleven
days where I didn't eat anything when I was on Survivor,
and so the fact that I was able to, like
(09:37):
still go to tribal council and answer Jeff's questions, Like,
I think that's something they look for in casting because
they have a yapper and you just have something to
say even when you shouldn't. But I think the most
important thing is just being yourself and they see through that.
I mean, you guys know how intense some of these
casting processes are for these shows, and they definitely go
(09:58):
into death. Uh when casting Survivor.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
How do you prepare for a season? Do you you know,
do you practice like fire making skills? Do you do
a bunch of puzzles? Like do you gain as much
weight as possible?
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Like?
Speaker 1 (10:17):
What what do you do to get ready for this thing?
Speaker 2 (10:21):
So?
Speaker 4 (10:21):
I don't know when they told you guys who were
gonna go on your shows, but they gave us a
notice a month before, So yeah, only a month in
a lot of time. No, So I didn't There's nothing
really I could do. Like, if you're bad at puzzles,
you're not gonna get good at them in a month.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (10:36):
So I was bad at puzzles, and I was bad
at puzzles in the game, and I was also like
I'm not very physically fit, so I think the fan
in me, though, was like prepared mentally for the game.
I think that's the best thing you could do. Like,
if you're if you know the game, I think you
can you could probably make your way through as much
as possible. So I didn't really prepare at all. I
(10:56):
tried to like get a flint and start fires, but
I almost start fires in my I'm like, you know what,
I'm just gonna wing it.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
What did you do before? You? Like, what do you
do outside of the Survivor game?
Speaker 4 (11:08):
Like?
Speaker 2 (11:09):
What did you do before?
Speaker 4 (11:10):
Like I like in terms of like my job, Yeah,
oh so I have like a boring job. I work
in like finance, and I have my own business.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Here.
Speaker 4 (11:17):
It's like not interesting at all.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
What's your business?
Speaker 4 (11:21):
It's like a cell phone repair business. I went to
I got my MBA at Duke and then I started
my own business.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
That's a big deal.
Speaker 4 (11:27):
Yeah, it's it's cool, but like the business is not
super sexy, so I don't really talk about it.
Speaker 3 (11:32):
Well, but that's so funny, and you should be proud
of that and proud of so much that you do.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
I see you.
Speaker 4 (11:39):
You seem to be like.
Speaker 3 (11:40):
Super humble downplaying that you went to Duke. I barely
graduated high school, so that's like a really big deal
for me to hear that from you and then to
do so well.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
Do you think, what do you think prepared you for this?
Speaker 3 (11:54):
Though?
Speaker 2 (11:54):
Like socially wise, you're great, right, yeah, well.
Speaker 4 (11:58):
Yeah, I think that was like my biggest strength in
the game, my social game, because I wasn't physically like
winning much actually lost, Like I think I broke a
record of like how many challenges I lost, but I
still got myself all the way to the end by
just like not giving up and using like my social
abilities to talk to people in the game. But honestly,
like for me, and probably one of the reasons why
(12:19):
I was cast was like I'm like a daughter of immigrants,
Like I come my parents, my grandparents, everyone was immigrants,
Like they come from nothing, and like all I've known
in my life is like seeing and hearing stories about
struggle and perseverance. And while I was out there, that's
all I reminded myself about, like the fact that my
parents and my grandparents sacrificed so much for me to
(12:40):
grow up in the in the US, and like I
signed up for this struggle. I signed up for Survivor
to Tanadi and it was all temporary, but it was
a dream that I had and I was able to
do because of the sacrifices my family made and like
they had been through so much worse without signing up
for it. So I kept that in my mind, like
may Awla, my grandmother, my parents, everyone has been through
so much and so much more than me, and I'm
(13:02):
so privileged to even be here. So I was like,
suck up and stop complaining. Don't feel sorry for yourself,
because you're gonna be home eating whatever you want in
like two weeks or three weeks. And that's kind of
what kept my like was in the back of my
mind the entire time.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
So you're very mentally mentally strong.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
Was there anybody that you saw when you got there
that you felt like, uh, they're not gonna make it,
but they did?
Speaker 1 (13:26):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (13:26):
Honestly, you guys are watching season fifty right, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
Yeah, So Rizzo is.
Speaker 4 (13:31):
He was like one of my best friends on season
forty nine. We both kind of ran the game together
with Savannah, who was voted out like two weeks ago.
And he's someone who when I saw pregame, I was like,
my guy's gonna have a tough time because he's skinny
and like like a little kid. Yeah, he looks like
a little kid. I thought he was like under twenty one.
(13:52):
But then like he opened his mouth the first day
and I was like, oh okay, Like he he he
could talk. He's a sweet talker. He can get around
people in that way. And like, I think personally, like
strategy and social is so much more important than being
physically fit for survivor.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
How does being angry affect your gameplay? Because I feel
like that would be my downfall where I'd be rude
to people because I was so angry.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
You girls get angry angry.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
Everyone does.
Speaker 4 (14:19):
Everyone does. Yeah. My family like thought for sure, they're like,
she's gonna get voted out because she's such a bitch
when she but I was like, I mean, I just
kept my eye on the prize the whole time, Like
I just picked and choose my battles. If something pissed
me off, I would try and internalize it as much
as possible.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
Your curban, it's hard to hide that temper. Don't tell me.
I know Cuban girls, I grew up with Cuban girls.
I know guys that dated Cuban girls, they're afraid of you.
Speaker 4 (14:45):
It's true, but like, dude, you'd be surprised, like I
did pretty well in that sense. And I honestly, I
think it's because physically, like the lack of eating made
me so much less, like I just had no everything. Yeah,
and I just I realized out there, like my personality
takes a lot of energy, like I need food, I
need to sleep. And I think it worked in my
(15:06):
favor the fact that I wasn't eating, because I just
was like, if that pissed me off, I'm just gonna
like just I'm gonna go vent about it in my
kfessionals to the producers. But I'm not gonna, like, you know,
take it out on them, which.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
I get that, Like I had a question for you,
like but I but knowing your Cuban and knowing your background,
like how did you survive it?
Speaker 2 (15:27):
And did you ever consider leaving?
Speaker 3 (15:28):
But I think that Cuban women are two way too
stubborn to consider leaving.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
Did you ever though? Am I wrong? Hell?
Speaker 1 (15:34):
No?
Speaker 4 (15:34):
I was literally talking to my friend about this yesterday.
I was like, I literally thought about so many negative
things while I was out there because of how miserable
it was at times. But not once that I think
about quitting, Like, not once like that based on you
any day? Yeah, not once.
Speaker 1 (15:51):
Speaking of the eating, what was the longest streak you
went on of not eating on the show?
Speaker 4 (15:56):
Yeah, eleven days and and I cannot stomach coconut, So
that's what people would eat on the island, but I
could not swallow it. I don't know why, Like it
made me gag, and so I just didn't eat anything.
And then on day twelve, I me and my tribe
won a reward where I got like a grilled cheese sandwich.
Oh yeah, so it was great. I mean, but it
(16:18):
wasn't like everyone's like, oh she finally ate, But it's
like I had a grilled cheese. It was probably like
two hundred calories after not eating anything.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
Yeah, did they worry about you not eating? Is there
a protocol where they're like, listen, you can't.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
You got to find something you like here.
Speaker 3 (16:32):
If it's tree bark or it's like mouse, I don't know,
but you got to eat something kid.
Speaker 4 (16:38):
Honestly, no, I feel like they've maybe seen people go
longer because I never was told by a producer like
you got to eat. I mean they suggested it, but no.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
You could live off your own fat if you had
any app Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:52):
Yeah, she doesn't look like she's got any though.
Speaker 2 (16:54):
No, I know I'm saying, like no, I.
Speaker 4 (16:57):
Actually, well I gained weight before I went out there.
That was like the one thing I did to prepare.
I like put on like ten pounds. Yeah, so I
mean it didn't help me much, but like I guess
it did maybe in those moments.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
Do you ever watch that show alone?
Speaker 4 (17:10):
No, I've never seen it.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
Okay, So basically they just drop people in like the
middle of the wilderness and they just try to live
there as long as humanly possible, and the last person
to like give up is the winner. And they do
these health checks or they'll come in and be like
you are like way under weight right now, like this
is getting dangerous from the game. Was that a thing
(17:34):
that ever happened on the show?
Speaker 4 (17:37):
So we before every single day we see not every day,
every time we have a challenge and a tribal council,
we see medical. So we'll go into this tent right
before a challenge or right before tribal where we'll get
micd up. Will they even have an HR person. Well,
they'll check in on you if anyone's like bothering you
production wise or in the game, just to check in mentally,
(17:58):
and then also medically, like they'll be like, hey, is
anything wrong, Like some people would get like ringworm or
like they would be super constipated, And they would help
out with certain things like that, not very much, like
they don't want to interfere with the game at all,
which I love about Survivors. No, which I love especially
(18:19):
as a fan going into the game. It was really
cool to see that. But they will help you. I
feel like they won't give you like a protein bar
or anything. But I'm sure that if I was actually
like giving signs of like malnourishment, they would probably suggest,
like hey, try to eat a coconut or something.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
Yeah. Yeah, if you could go back, would you place
yourself on a different tribe or did you kind of
like enjoy being the underdog?
Speaker 4 (18:46):
I mean, dude, I don't think I think I would
put myself on a different tribe. I don't care. A
lot of people were like, oh, but you got so
much screen time because you went to tribal council, like
the first five episodes, I'm like, how can you say
about screen time? I will I'll get this time if
I'm on the other time and I'm eating and I'm
not losing, you know, because I feel like I'm more
entertaining when i'm wel fed. So I was like, it
(19:07):
was pretty miserable to be on the losing tribe every
night because there's so much even behind the scenes you
don't see when you're constantly going to tribal council, Like
physically you're exerting so much more energy walking along the
beach getting to tribal You're staying up late later than
the other tribes that aren't going to tribal council. And
then and that's why there's like this cycle of the
same tribes losing over and over because they're just they're
(19:30):
not getting flint, they're not getting food. Morality down. No,
I would not treat I would not want to be
on a losing tribe again if I went back.
Speaker 3 (19:39):
But would you see do you feel like because you
didn't turn on your friends, Yeah, which I am all
for it, even a bigger fan of you for that.
I'd rather see you. I mean, it's not the way
you play.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
It's not the way to win. Do you think that
not doing that was part of your not winning?
Speaker 4 (20:01):
For one hundred percent?
Speaker 2 (20:02):
Short?
Speaker 4 (20:03):
And it's so funny because when you go into the game,
you have this like idea of how you're gonna play,
and then you actually get there and you're you're you're
giving these like moral dilemmas and and it kind of
tests you as a person. And I thought I was
gonna go in there and be like, I'm gonna cut
this person's throat, this person's throat, And I did that
when I wasn't like emotionally invested in certain people. But
(20:24):
then you get to a point at the end of
the game where you spend enough time with certain people
in the game where you're leaning on each other literally
surviving on an island with them, and you fall in
love with people. And that's how I am, Like, I
just fall in love with people. And I found it
so hard to turn my back on my people. Who
are who are my best friends? Now worth a million dollars?
I don't know that those friendships, I would say, so
(20:44):
they're pretty priceless, I would say, But like, at the
same time, I think if I were to go back
I would definitely like take emotion out of the game
more if I can. But dude, when you're out there,
you're like really stripped down to who you are and
your bones, and maybe who I am is just someone
who's not able to do that. I don't know I
would need it.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
You still that very far, keeping your soul and your
integrity and everything else.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
So I'm definitely high five.
Speaker 3 (21:10):
In you for that, because the real gamers would cut
their own mom's throat.
Speaker 2 (21:15):
Like I saw that in Traders.
Speaker 4 (21:17):
I know, so did I so I, and like, I'm
such a fan of these shows, so I wanted to
play like that, but I couldn't. Like I just it's
not who I am.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
I'm proud of you. I'm very proud of you.
Speaker 1 (21:36):
How do you distinguish the lines between gameplay and actual backstabbing,
because I feel like it's a gray area, but there's
definitely a distinction.
Speaker 4 (21:45):
Yeah, I mean a survivor, there's a lot of downtime.
I feel like in terms of strategizing on who's going
to go home, it's probably all together maybe two three
hours of the day, but the other twenty hours of
the day you're spending time with these people and you
could just be yourself. So like I just I would
do it like that. I would kind of balance where
I would just be for the majority of the time myself,
(22:07):
and then when when I needed to game and be cutthroat,
I would just switch on. And that kind of like
helped me mentally out there where I didn't feel like
I was lying twenty four to seven, Like when I
was talking to people about my life and my family,
like I was being true to myself. It only was
like when it came down to the wire of like, Okay,
we're going to tribal council a couple hours, we need
to get somebody out. This is when I'm turning my
(22:29):
game face on and I'm gonna have to lie to people.
So that's that's how I did it.
Speaker 3 (22:33):
Isn't it easier when you're just not close with anybody,
but you still have to become close with people because
part of the strategy is a social game.
Speaker 2 (22:43):
For sure.
Speaker 4 (22:43):
I wish I could play like a detached game like that,
but it's just so hard to in Survivor because not
only are you trying to like survive with other people,
create bonds and alliances that will help you, and people
will vote with you and not vote you out. But
when you vote people out, do you want them to
vote for you to win at the end too, So
you really do need to make these like genuine connections
(23:05):
or there's no way you're gonna win.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
You're either gonna get vote a fine line.
Speaker 4 (23:09):
Yeah, like you're either gonna get voted out or you're
gonna go to the end and no one's gonna vote
for you. So it was super hard to do. Yeah,
that's why I surviveor So it's a hard game.
Speaker 2 (23:18):
It is. All these games are hard.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
You won the Final Immunity Challenge, which is such a
big deal. When you won that, did you think that
the million dollars was yours?
Speaker 4 (23:28):
So no, there's like, at no point did I feel
super confident in Survivor. Like as long as I felt
like as long as I was in the game though,
there's always a chance to win. But it was gonna
be an uphill battle because one of my good friends
in the game, Savannah, who you saw on season fifty,
was such a beast on my season, Like physically she
was I had her in the social game, like I
(23:49):
got along with everybody and she didn't really but physically
she would win. She basically won out to the end
because she won four communities, and then I ended up
winning the final immunity where I had the choice to
put two people in fire against each other, and that's
when I put her in Rizzo, and I was hoping
that Rizzo would win that fire, but Savannah won it,
(24:12):
and then she ended up winning the game because she
had so much on her resume. So I didn't feel
confident at all because there was still a chance that
I was gonna end up sitting next to her at
the end, and that's ultimately what happened, and I think
ultimately what lost me the game. She was just like
a little bit more impressive than me in the game.
Speaker 2 (24:27):
Ah yeah, but.
Speaker 1 (24:29):
They were pretty impressive. But when you look back on
forty nine is there do you have any regrets or
are you happy the way you played?
Speaker 4 (24:39):
So I'm I'm proud of the way I played, but
I don't know. I think there's things I could have
done differently, like still backstab my friends where it would
have it wouldn't have changed our friendship now outside the game,
and it would have garnered a little bit more respect
at the final three, at the final tribal where I
needed the votes to win, so I think maybe that.
(25:01):
But I don't like saying I have regrets because I
still could have lost if I did something different. So
I'm just gonna say, no, I don't have any regrets.
But you always have what if. So if you lose
these games, you're always gonna think, what if I talk
to this person, what if I did that? But I
want to say I have any regrets, you know, well.
Speaker 3 (25:19):
Yeah, I mean it's better that way and be proud
of what you did. But so as far as the
cast on season fifty, did it meet your expectations or
did you expect other people?
Speaker 2 (25:31):
Did you know who was coming?
Speaker 4 (25:34):
So it's so weird because last year I was I
didn't even know I was on Survivor forty nine yet
because they filmed forty nine and fifty in the summer.
But I was so excited already for it because I'm
a super fan of the show, because I knew there
was gonna be big names like Suri and maybe Auzy.
So I was excited as a fan. But now I'm
like an alumni who has friends on season fifty, like
(25:56):
they even I don't know if you guys knew me on,
like you didn't watch forty nine, but they mentioned my
name on last episode, so like I'm in the story
influencing it in a weird way, and like as a
fan now it's just like another level watching the show,
like being in alumni with friends on it. I'm sure
you guys feel the same way when you watch like
Fellow Housewives, like that's where on the Traders, Like it's
(26:18):
so weird and fun, more fun to watch.
Speaker 1 (26:20):
To be honest, are you bummed that you weren't asked
to be on fifty? No?
Speaker 4 (26:24):
Because physically these people only Rizon Savannah only had nine
days in between forty nine and fifty. That's crazy. I
physically could not handle that because I, like you said,
like I was the underdog of my season, which meant
like I've just had the least to eat. And I
think that if I were to go on fifty, I
would just be like ten steps behind everybody. So I'm
(26:48):
happy that I didn't get chosen because like, maybe I'll
get chosen in the future for another season and I'll
be physically maybe more ready for it.
Speaker 1 (26:55):
The cast of Survivor fifty have Have they met your expectations?
And who you loving to watch on your TV screen
right now, So I.
Speaker 4 (27:05):
Think they have This season is so good already, and
a lot of people have a lot to say about
like the forties, the new era format, how it's only
twenty six days. But I think that this season is
proving that it doesn't matter how long the game is,
what twists and turns there are, Like, as long as
the cast is good, the show is going to be
good too. And I don't know, I don't know about
(27:26):
you guys, but I'm enjoying it because you guys survivor
fans from before or like this is like a new
season for you.
Speaker 1 (27:32):
I was a huge fan in the beginning of the show,
like when it started, and then I think I fell
off a little bit. But I'm really really enjoying watching this.
So who do you think is going to win this thing?
Speaker 4 (27:45):
Now? I'm like looking at people like Surrea because they
keep showing other people talk about her in a way
where she's threatening, but everybody likes her, and like this
episode she got barely any screen time, but I don't
see her going in the next episode, so I don't
know if she's somebody who I don't know if it's
like wishful thinking that I just want her to win,
(28:05):
but I think she would be my Winter pick. She's savage,
by the way, Yeah, she is savage.
Speaker 1 (28:11):
She's good at all these games. Well, Sophie, thank you
so much for coming on by order the Faithful Survivor Edition.
This is your part one. Next time, we're going to
come back with you and we're going to recap all
of episode four. You down for that. Let's do it
all right, everyone out there, if you're not following us
on social media, please do at by order of the
(28:31):
Faithful DMUs any questions, concerns, or people you'd like for
us to interview in the next episode. Thanks so much
for listening, and yeah, make sure you are subscribing to
wherever you get your podcasts for the next episode, where
we will be recapping episode four. Dolores, I love you,
Love ya.
All right, it's time for another episode of By Order,
the Faithful Survivor edition. Well's here alongside Dolores Delores. I
love the hat, thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Paul bought it for me. He's kind of my stylist,
is he.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Yeah, yeah, it's not funny because my wife also a
dresses me.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
So we're both the guys in the relationship.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
I feel like.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
You think it's so funny that I'm not emotional.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
I love that you're going to kick out of that.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
Is Paul emotional?
Speaker 2 (00:36):
He's temperamental.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Yes, Okay, he's not like a crier, but I think
he's cried more than me in this relationship certainly, and.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
He gets more worked up about things easily, you know.
But I guess.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Yeah, well, speaking of crying, we have to I guess
shed a tear for Mike White, who exited stage left
way too soon. Are you surprised that Mike White went out?
Speaker 3 (01:07):
I am, I am, and I I mean we're still
Your theory still holds true that I know you're thinking that, like,
oh yeah, I'm still in.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
I'm still in, and I mean we're good.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
So I'm like, freaking well, he's right, Like we saw
so much of Mike Way. We didn't even get to
see him get a tan, Like I was waiting for
him to get that jersey tan going. And you know
he did leave with even better abs than he showed
up with, of course, because he's appreciated at this point.
But yeah, stage left very sorry to see him go.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
We love him.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Everybody's a fan, I know.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
I think it's fair to say that after Mike White
sees this episode that Christian will not be invited on.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
He's out. Yeah he's not on the B list, he's
on the de F list.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
But here's the thing that I would say, Like everyone
was kissing his ass because I think they want to
be on White Lotus. But I know what White Lotus pays. Okay,
And let me tell you something, being like basically an
extra is a lot less than winning Survivor and a
million dollars.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
I think that, judging by how you live on this show,
money isn't like the biggest thing, because like I know,
with my money, I buy stupid shit like different kinds
of soaps and toothpaste from Italy and fancy brushes and
they're not even chopped.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Like I don't think like money is everything to them.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I agree with that.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
It's the what would you call it? The experience?
Speaker 1 (02:51):
I want to say, Yeah, I'm probably the desire for
competition and to win, right, like competitive, I think it.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
Takes a certain person. And I want to speak to
Sophie about this.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
It really does take a certain person to be able
to endure even the thought of this, because when I
watch it, I'm cringing, Like Sophie didn't eat for fourteen
days on her season, and I don't think that I'm
capable of that.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Like I don't know, I'd be in bark off a
tree or something. I don't know.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
I I'm so perplexed with is this something that I
would want to challenge myself to do?
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Or is this just disgusting?
Speaker 1 (03:35):
As it also seems dangerous to like not eat for
you know, a fortnight. I feel like that's not a
good thing for your body. I yeah, I'm a mazed.
And then you know, this last episode was a good
example of you could tell how tired and emaciated everyone was. Yeah,
(03:57):
in the group that like didn't get that didn't win,
that they couldn't even push the boat and it's because
they have no they have no fuel to burn inside
their bodies anymore, which is just Yeah, it's like a
domino effect there.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Yeah, I know, I know that I have to like,
would you do this?
Speaker 1 (04:15):
You know, it's funny.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
I was.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
I was at dinner last night with a good producer
friend of mine who has worked on the Bachelor, and
he was a producer on Survivor, and he was like,
he was asking me about about Traders and if I'd
want to go back on the show. And I was like, no,
I think, I I think I you know, I went
on that and I think I'm good, but I would
like to go on Survivor. And he was like, wells,
(04:40):
you do not want to go on this show. You
don't know how bad everyone smells.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Oh my god, stop, Well, I'll throw up.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
I know. He was saying that there was a guy
that had a mustache and he would coat his mustache
with carmes so he could only smell carms and not
smell himself and everyone else.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
I am, I don't know that, but I'm cut out
for that world.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Yeah, very excited about this episode. Today, we're joined by
Sophie Bullardi, a twenty seven year old entrepreneur from Miami, Florida,
who finished his runner up on Survivor forty nine. Sophie
was known for her resilient underdog story and strong social game.
Throughout the season. She bounced strategic gameplay in relationship building,
(05:22):
using advantages and positioning yourself as a flexible player, willing
to flip if needed. Her ability to connect with others
helped her reach the final tribal council, where she ultimately
lost in a five to two to one vote. She's
often remembered as a scrappy, strategic, and personable competitor who
overcame a rough start and nearly won the game. Sophie,
(05:46):
Welcome to the show.
Speaker 4 (05:48):
Hey, hello, guys.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
You're wearing your cool bandana for us.
Speaker 4 (05:54):
I know I had to bring out the buff for you, guys.
I'm really excited to be here.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Has it always been the buff?
Speaker 2 (06:01):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (06:02):
I think so.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (06:03):
I mean, I don't know when it changed, but as
far as like I can remember, it's a buff.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
Why do we call it a buff? I don't know.
I think the.
Speaker 4 (06:11):
Actual like the name of what this is is like
a buff, Like the brand is called buff for like
god being and hunting, Like people will wear it a
certain way.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
Yeah, well we're so excited to have you.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
I'm to be here for you've.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
Done so well, like everyone loves you, your fan favorite.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
I could see why have you gotten in?
Speaker 3 (06:36):
Were you engaged when you were on Survivor or have
you gotten engaged?
Speaker 4 (06:40):
So I was hoping that while I was gone for
that long that he was out shopping for a ring
and he was. I was ready to come back and
be like I'm on CV now, buddy, Like you know,
I had options, but now you know he was smart.
He was smart. He took the time, got a ring,
and like soon after I came back.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
Beautiful, congratulations. When's the wedding date?
Speaker 4 (07:01):
November fourteenth?
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Oh is it going to be on an island?
Speaker 4 (07:06):
I live in Miami, so it'll be here and it's
still nice over here.
Speaker 2 (07:09):
So it's so beautiful. Well yeah, thank you, thank you,
And you.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
Know it's exciting because I always like to ask people
what made you like this?
Speaker 2 (07:18):
How did you start this?
Speaker 3 (07:19):
Because it's not anything me or wells will probably could
ever do. We love watching it, so thanks for that. Yeah,
but I mean we would die. But so your your
grandma huh she loved this?
Speaker 4 (07:31):
Yeah, so my grandma she was a Cuban immigrant, and
she would watch like American TV to try and learn English,
and Like Survivor happened to be one of her favorite shows.
I think she was like obsessed, Like she thought Jeff
Probes was so hot, so that's why she That's what
lured her in, and it would get me to watch,
right and like, so what kept her watching was like
the fact that she would like watch it to learn English,
(07:52):
and she got hooked by that. And my parents worked
a lot growing up, so she would take care of me,
and then we watched it together, and so I grew
up watching with her. So even when she got really
sick and was older, we watched it together. And I
kind of wanted to give her like an extra special
season of the show to watch, so I started applying
to try and get on and like so she could
watch me. But then she ended up passing away before
(08:15):
I sorry, it's okay, but I mean I felt her
in spirit out there. I felt was like priceless. So
for that reason, it was like such an incredible experience,
even though.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
I lost how many years did you apply before you
got on, dude?
Speaker 4 (08:29):
It was eight years in a row. I tried, but
I did almost get on a couple times, Like I
got to the finals, and like I got a couple
of calls, so I knew they like they were interested,
but I never actually like sealed the deal. So until
this past year.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
Sophie, of all the people, like they they like try
to get on and everything, what is it that makes
them pick you? Like thousands, hundreds of thousands of people
are reaching out.
Speaker 4 (08:55):
I mean, I feel like you guys could probably answer
to this as well, like why you got on the Bachelor,
you got on the Housewives? Like I feel like it
does take a type of personality for me personally, I
was told is like just like being unfiltered and myself
and not really caring what people think. I think is
a big thing, like it's a TV show. And on
top of like, on top of that, I think they
(09:17):
they're thinking in a different way when they're casting Survivor
because we're not eating, we're not sleeping, so they're basically
like relying on us being entertaining in those conditions, right,
And like, dude, it is so hard to even form
a sentence when you're for me, like I spent eleven
days where I didn't eat anything when I was on Survivor,
and so the fact that I was able to, like
(09:37):
still go to tribal council and answer Jeff's questions, Like,
I think that's something they look for in casting because
they have a yapper and you just have something to
say even when you shouldn't. But I think the most
important thing is just being yourself and they see through that.
I mean, you guys know how intense some of these
casting processes are for these shows, and they definitely go
(09:58):
into death. Uh when casting Survivor.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
How do you prepare for a season? Do you you know,
do you practice like fire making skills? Do you do
a bunch of puzzles? Like do you gain as much
weight as possible?
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Like?
Speaker 1 (10:17):
What what do you do to get ready for this thing?
Speaker 2 (10:21):
So?
Speaker 4 (10:21):
I don't know when they told you guys who were
gonna go on your shows, but they gave us a
notice a month before, So yeah, only a month in
a lot of time. No, So I didn't There's nothing
really I could do. Like, if you're bad at puzzles,
you're not gonna get good at them in a month.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (10:36):
So I was bad at puzzles, and I was bad
at puzzles in the game, and I was also like
I'm not very physically fit, so I think the fan
in me, though, was like prepared mentally for the game.
I think that's the best thing you could do. Like,
if you're if you know the game, I think you
can you could probably make your way through as much
as possible. So I didn't really prepare at all. I
(10:56):
tried to like get a flint and start fires, but
I almost start fires in my I'm like, you know what,
I'm just gonna wing it.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
What did you do before? You? Like, what do you
do outside of the Survivor game?
Speaker 4 (11:08):
Like?
Speaker 2 (11:09):
What did you do before?
Speaker 4 (11:10):
Like I like in terms of like my job, Yeah,
oh so I have like a boring job. I work
in like finance, and I have my own business.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Here.
Speaker 4 (11:17):
It's like not interesting at all.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
What's your business?
Speaker 4 (11:21):
It's like a cell phone repair business. I went to
I got my MBA at Duke and then I started
my own business.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
That's a big deal.
Speaker 4 (11:27):
Yeah, it's it's cool, but like the business is not
super sexy, so I don't really talk about it.
Speaker 3 (11:32):
Well, but that's so funny, and you should be proud
of that and proud of so much that you do.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
I see you.
Speaker 4 (11:39):
You seem to be like.
Speaker 3 (11:40):
Super humble downplaying that you went to Duke. I barely
graduated high school, so that's like a really big deal
for me to hear that from you and then to
do so well.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
Do you think, what do you think prepared you for this?
Speaker 3 (11:54):
Though?
Speaker 2 (11:54):
Like socially wise, you're great, right, yeah, well.
Speaker 4 (11:58):
Yeah, I think that was like my biggest strength in
the game, my social game, because I wasn't physically like
winning much actually lost, Like I think I broke a
record of like how many challenges I lost, but I
still got myself all the way to the end by
just like not giving up and using like my social
abilities to talk to people in the game. But honestly,
like for me, and probably one of the reasons why
(12:19):
I was cast was like I'm like a daughter of immigrants,
Like I come my parents, my grandparents, everyone was immigrants,
Like they come from nothing, and like all I've known
in my life is like seeing and hearing stories about
struggle and perseverance. And while I was out there, that's
all I reminded myself about, like the fact that my
parents and my grandparents sacrificed so much for me to
(12:40):
grow up in the in the US, and like I
signed up for this struggle. I signed up for Survivor
to Tanadi and it was all temporary, but it was
a dream that I had and I was able to
do because of the sacrifices my family made and like
they had been through so much worse without signing up
for it. So I kept that in my mind, like
may Awla, my grandmother, my parents, everyone has been through
so much and so much more than me, and I'm
(13:02):
so privileged to even be here. So I was like,
suck up and stop complaining. Don't feel sorry for yourself,
because you're gonna be home eating whatever you want in
like two weeks or three weeks. And that's kind of
what kept my like was in the back of my
mind the entire time.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
So you're very mentally mentally strong.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
Was there anybody that you saw when you got there
that you felt like, uh, they're not gonna make it,
but they did?
Speaker 1 (13:26):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (13:26):
Honestly, you guys are watching season fifty right, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
Yeah, So Rizzo is.
Speaker 4 (13:31):
He was like one of my best friends on season
forty nine. We both kind of ran the game together
with Savannah, who was voted out like two weeks ago.
And he's someone who when I saw pregame, I was like,
my guy's gonna have a tough time because he's skinny
and like like a little kid. Yeah, he looks like
a little kid. I thought he was like under twenty one.
(13:52):
But then like he opened his mouth the first day
and I was like, oh okay, Like he he he
could talk. He's a sweet talker. He can get around
people in that way. And like, I think personally, like
strategy and social is so much more important than being
physically fit for survivor.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
How does being angry affect your gameplay? Because I feel
like that would be my downfall where I'd be rude
to people because I was so angry.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
You girls get angry angry.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
Everyone does.
Speaker 4 (14:19):
Everyone does. Yeah. My family like thought for sure, they're like,
she's gonna get voted out because she's such a bitch
when she but I was like, I mean, I just
kept my eye on the prize the whole time, Like
I just picked and choose my battles. If something pissed
me off, I would try and internalize it as much
as possible.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
Your curban, it's hard to hide that temper. Don't tell me.
I know Cuban girls, I grew up with Cuban girls.
I know guys that dated Cuban girls, they're afraid of you.
Speaker 4 (14:45):
It's true, but like, dude, you'd be surprised, like I
did pretty well in that sense. And I honestly, I
think it's because physically, like the lack of eating made
me so much less, like I just had no everything. Yeah,
and I just I realized out there, like my personality
takes a lot of energy, like I need food, I
need to sleep. And I think it worked in my
(15:06):
favor the fact that I wasn't eating, because I just
was like, if that pissed me off, I'm just gonna
like just I'm gonna go vent about it in my
kfessionals to the producers. But I'm not gonna, like, you know,
take it out on them, which.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
I get that, Like I had a question for you,
like but I but knowing your Cuban and knowing your background,
like how did you survive it?
Speaker 2 (15:27):
And did you ever consider leaving?
Speaker 3 (15:28):
But I think that Cuban women are two way too
stubborn to consider leaving.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
Did you ever though? Am I wrong? Hell?
Speaker 1 (15:34):
No?
Speaker 4 (15:34):
I was literally talking to my friend about this yesterday.
I was like, I literally thought about so many negative
things while I was out there because of how miserable
it was at times. But not once that I think
about quitting, Like, not once like that based on you
any day? Yeah, not once.
Speaker 1 (15:51):
Speaking of the eating, what was the longest streak you
went on of not eating on the show?
Speaker 4 (15:56):
Yeah, eleven days and and I cannot stomach coconut, So
that's what people would eat on the island, but I
could not swallow it. I don't know why, Like it
made me gag, and so I just didn't eat anything.
And then on day twelve, I me and my tribe
won a reward where I got like a grilled cheese sandwich.
Oh yeah, so it was great. I mean, but it
(16:18):
wasn't like everyone's like, oh she finally ate, But it's
like I had a grilled cheese. It was probably like
two hundred calories after not eating anything.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
Yeah, did they worry about you not eating? Is there
a protocol where they're like, listen, you can't.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
You got to find something you like here.
Speaker 3 (16:32):
If it's tree bark or it's like mouse, I don't know,
but you got to eat something kid.
Speaker 4 (16:38):
Honestly, no, I feel like they've maybe seen people go
longer because I never was told by a producer like
you got to eat. I mean they suggested it, but no.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
You could live off your own fat if you had
any app Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:52):
Yeah, she doesn't look like she's got any though.
Speaker 2 (16:54):
No, I know I'm saying, like no, I.
Speaker 4 (16:57):
Actually, well I gained weight before I went out there.
That was like the one thing I did to prepare.
I like put on like ten pounds. Yeah, so I
mean it didn't help me much, but like I guess
it did maybe in those moments.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
Do you ever watch that show alone?
Speaker 4 (17:10):
No, I've never seen it.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
Okay, So basically they just drop people in like the
middle of the wilderness and they just try to live
there as long as humanly possible, and the last person
to like give up is the winner. And they do
these health checks or they'll come in and be like
you are like way under weight right now, like this
is getting dangerous from the game. Was that a thing
(17:34):
that ever happened on the show?
Speaker 4 (17:37):
So we before every single day we see not every day,
every time we have a challenge and a tribal council,
we see medical. So we'll go into this tent right
before a challenge or right before tribal where we'll get
micd up. Will they even have an HR person. Well,
they'll check in on you if anyone's like bothering you
production wise or in the game, just to check in mentally,
(17:58):
and then also medically, like they'll be like, hey, is
anything wrong, Like some people would get like ringworm or
like they would be super constipated, And they would help
out with certain things like that, not very much, like
they don't want to interfere with the game at all,
which I love about Survivors. No, which I love especially
(18:19):
as a fan going into the game. It was really
cool to see that. But they will help you. I
feel like they won't give you like a protein bar
or anything. But I'm sure that if I was actually
like giving signs of like malnourishment, they would probably suggest,
like hey, try to eat a coconut or something.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
Yeah. Yeah, if you could go back, would you place
yourself on a different tribe or did you kind of
like enjoy being the underdog?
Speaker 4 (18:46):
I mean, dude, I don't think I think I would
put myself on a different tribe. I don't care. A
lot of people were like, oh, but you got so
much screen time because you went to tribal council, like
the first five episodes, I'm like, how can you say
about screen time? I will I'll get this time if
I'm on the other time and I'm eating and I'm
not losing, you know, because I feel like I'm more
entertaining when i'm wel fed. So I was like, it
(19:07):
was pretty miserable to be on the losing tribe every
night because there's so much even behind the scenes you
don't see when you're constantly going to tribal council, Like
physically you're exerting so much more energy walking along the
beach getting to tribal You're staying up late later than
the other tribes that aren't going to tribal council. And
then and that's why there's like this cycle of the
same tribes losing over and over because they're just they're
(19:30):
not getting flint, they're not getting food. Morality down. No,
I would not treat I would not want to be
on a losing tribe again if I went back.
Speaker 3 (19:39):
But would you see do you feel like because you
didn't turn on your friends, Yeah, which I am all
for it, even a bigger fan of you for that.
I'd rather see you. I mean, it's not the way
you play.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
It's not the way to win. Do you think that
not doing that was part of your not winning?
Speaker 4 (20:01):
For one hundred percent?
Speaker 2 (20:02):
Short?
Speaker 4 (20:03):
And it's so funny because when you go into the game,
you have this like idea of how you're gonna play,
and then you actually get there and you're you're you're
giving these like moral dilemmas and and it kind of
tests you as a person. And I thought I was
gonna go in there and be like, I'm gonna cut
this person's throat, this person's throat, And I did that
when I wasn't like emotionally invested in certain people. But
(20:24):
then you get to a point at the end of
the game where you spend enough time with certain people
in the game where you're leaning on each other literally
surviving on an island with them, and you fall in
love with people. And that's how I am, Like, I
just fall in love with people. And I found it
so hard to turn my back on my people. Who
are who are my best friends? Now worth a million dollars?
I don't know that those friendships, I would say, so
(20:44):
they're pretty priceless, I would say, But like, at the
same time, I think if I were to go back
I would definitely like take emotion out of the game
more if I can. But dude, when you're out there,
you're like really stripped down to who you are and
your bones, and maybe who I am is just someone
who's not able to do that. I don't know I
would need it.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
You still that very far, keeping your soul and your
integrity and everything else.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
So I'm definitely high five.
Speaker 3 (21:10):
In you for that, because the real gamers would cut
their own mom's throat.
Speaker 2 (21:15):
Like I saw that in Traders.
Speaker 4 (21:17):
I know, so did I so I, and like, I'm
such a fan of these shows, so I wanted to
play like that, but I couldn't. Like I just it's
not who I am.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
I'm proud of you. I'm very proud of you.
Speaker 1 (21:36):
How do you distinguish the lines between gameplay and actual backstabbing,
because I feel like it's a gray area, but there's
definitely a distinction.
Speaker 4 (21:45):
Yeah, I mean a survivor, there's a lot of downtime.
I feel like in terms of strategizing on who's going
to go home, it's probably all together maybe two three
hours of the day, but the other twenty hours of
the day you're spending time with these people and you
could just be yourself. So like I just I would
do it like that. I would kind of balance where
I would just be for the majority of the time myself,
(22:07):
and then when when I needed to game and be cutthroat,
I would just switch on. And that kind of like
helped me mentally out there where I didn't feel like
I was lying twenty four to seven, Like when I
was talking to people about my life and my family,
like I was being true to myself. It only was
like when it came down to the wire of like, Okay,
we're going to tribal council a couple hours, we need
to get somebody out. This is when I'm turning my
(22:29):
game face on and I'm gonna have to lie to people.
So that's that's how I did it.
Speaker 3 (22:33):
Isn't it easier when you're just not close with anybody,
but you still have to become close with people because
part of the strategy is a social game.
Speaker 2 (22:43):
For sure.
Speaker 4 (22:43):
I wish I could play like a detached game like that,
but it's just so hard to in Survivor because not
only are you trying to like survive with other people,
create bonds and alliances that will help you, and people
will vote with you and not vote you out. But
when you vote people out, do you want them to
vote for you to win at the end too, So
you really do need to make these like genuine connections
(23:05):
or there's no way you're gonna win.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
You're either gonna get vote a fine line.
Speaker 4 (23:09):
Yeah, like you're either gonna get voted out or you're
gonna go to the end and no one's gonna vote
for you. So it was super hard to do. Yeah,
that's why I surviveor So it's a hard game.
Speaker 2 (23:18):
It is. All these games are hard.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
You won the Final Immunity Challenge, which is such a
big deal. When you won that, did you think that
the million dollars was yours?
Speaker 4 (23:28):
So no, there's like, at no point did I feel
super confident in Survivor. Like as long as I felt
like as long as I was in the game though,
there's always a chance to win. But it was gonna
be an uphill battle because one of my good friends
in the game, Savannah, who you saw on season fifty,
was such a beast on my season, Like physically she
was I had her in the social game, like I
(23:49):
got along with everybody and she didn't really but physically
she would win. She basically won out to the end
because she won four communities, and then I ended up
winning the final immunity where I had the choice to
put two people in fire against each other, and that's
when I put her in Rizzo, and I was hoping
that Rizzo would win that fire, but Savannah won it,
(24:12):
and then she ended up winning the game because she
had so much on her resume. So I didn't feel
confident at all because there was still a chance that
I was gonna end up sitting next to her at
the end, and that's ultimately what happened, and I think
ultimately what lost me the game. She was just like
a little bit more impressive than me in the game.
Speaker 2 (24:27):
Ah yeah, but.
Speaker 1 (24:29):
They were pretty impressive. But when you look back on
forty nine is there do you have any regrets or
are you happy the way you played?
Speaker 4 (24:39):
So I'm I'm proud of the way I played, but
I don't know. I think there's things I could have
done differently, like still backstab my friends where it would
have it wouldn't have changed our friendship now outside the game,
and it would have garnered a little bit more respect
at the final three, at the final tribal where I
needed the votes to win, so I think maybe that.
(25:01):
But I don't like saying I have regrets because I
still could have lost if I did something different. So
I'm just gonna say, no, I don't have any regrets.
But you always have what if. So if you lose
these games, you're always gonna think, what if I talk
to this person, what if I did that? But I
want to say I have any regrets, you know, well.
Speaker 3 (25:19):
Yeah, I mean it's better that way and be proud
of what you did. But so as far as the
cast on season fifty, did it meet your expectations or
did you expect other people?
Speaker 2 (25:31):
Did you know who was coming?
Speaker 4 (25:34):
So it's so weird because last year I was I
didn't even know I was on Survivor forty nine yet
because they filmed forty nine and fifty in the summer.
But I was so excited already for it because I'm
a super fan of the show, because I knew there
was gonna be big names like Suri and maybe Auzy.
So I was excited as a fan. But now I'm
like an alumni who has friends on season fifty, like
(25:56):
they even I don't know if you guys knew me on,
like you didn't watch forty nine, but they mentioned my
name on last episode, so like I'm in the story
influencing it in a weird way, and like as a
fan now it's just like another level watching the show,
like being in alumni with friends on it. I'm sure
you guys feel the same way when you watch like
Fellow Housewives, like that's where on the Traders, Like it's
(26:18):
so weird and fun, more fun to watch.
Speaker 1 (26:20):
To be honest, are you bummed that you weren't asked
to be on fifty? No?
Speaker 4 (26:24):
Because physically these people only Rizon Savannah only had nine
days in between forty nine and fifty. That's crazy. I
physically could not handle that because I, like you said,
like I was the underdog of my season, which meant
like I've just had the least to eat. And I
think that if I were to go on fifty, I
would just be like ten steps behind everybody. So I'm
(26:48):
happy that I didn't get chosen because like, maybe I'll
get chosen in the future for another season and I'll
be physically maybe more ready for it.
Speaker 1 (26:55):
The cast of Survivor fifty have Have they met your expectations?
And who you loving to watch on your TV screen
right now, So I.
Speaker 4 (27:05):
Think they have This season is so good already, and
a lot of people have a lot to say about
like the forties, the new era format, how it's only
twenty six days. But I think that this season is
proving that it doesn't matter how long the game is,
what twists and turns there are, Like, as long as
the cast is good, the show is going to be
good too. And I don't know, I don't know about
(27:26):
you guys, but I'm enjoying it because you guys survivor
fans from before or like this is like a new
season for you.
Speaker 1 (27:32):
I was a huge fan in the beginning of the show,
like when it started, and then I think I fell
off a little bit. But I'm really really enjoying watching this.
So who do you think is going to win this thing?
Speaker 4 (27:45):
Now? I'm like looking at people like Surrea because they
keep showing other people talk about her in a way
where she's threatening, but everybody likes her, and like this
episode she got barely any screen time, but I don't
see her going in the next episode, so I don't
know if she's somebody who I don't know if it's
like wishful thinking that I just want her to win,
(28:05):
but I think she would be my Winter pick. She's savage,
by the way, Yeah, she is savage.
Speaker 1 (28:11):
She's good at all these games. Well, Sophie, thank you
so much for coming on by order the Faithful Survivor Edition.
This is your part one. Next time, we're going to
come back with you and we're going to recap all
of episode four. You down for that. Let's do it
all right, everyone out there, if you're not following us
on social media, please do at by order of the
(28:31):
Faithful DMUs any questions, concerns, or people you'd like for
us to interview in the next episode. Thanks so much
for listening, and yeah, make sure you are subscribing to
wherever you get your podcasts for the next episode, where
we will be recapping episode four. Dolores, I love you,
Love ya.
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