Ivy League-schooled lawyer Elizabeth Kim, 33, was the latest female undermined by evil Russell on Survivor: Samoa. Now a New York City urban planner, Liz discussed her downfall, the Foa Foa curse and flip-flopping with PEOPLE. –Carrie Bell
Jeff labeled your exit “another blindside. ” Was it?
It was a little surprising but it wasn’t entirely a blindside. I remember trying to talk to Mick before tribal and he couldn’t even look me in the eyes. That’s when I knew my number was up. With Jaison performing poorly, I had a little hope of staying, but look at the numbers. We’d already eliminated the most corrosive, annoying and weakest elements in the tribe. Mick and Jaison were a unit. Russell had the idol and had Natalie wrapped around his pinky finger. Odd man out was me. It sucked because I felt like I was powerless to change it.
It must have been extra frustrating with Jaison basically saying everything but “pick me.”
I gave 110 percent in challenges and Jaison gave up, yet my butt was the one going home. Jaison had had it. He is used to winning. With all our losing and the rain, he became more and more deflated and de-motivated and it became a self-fulfilling prophecy. He was our tribe’s Debbie Downer.
The guys recognized your strengths, but worried you’d switch sides at the merge. Was the concern justified?
I was ready to flip to the other side in a heartbeat. Do you blame me? I couldn’t trust anyone in my tribe and no one was left for me to work. I’d done all I could to form a yuppie alliance with Mick and Jaison, but Russell had already gotten to them. If my tribe had one just one more challenge, I would have made the merge, changed sides, been a force to be reckoned with for individual immunity and it would have been a totally different game.
Thoughts on Russell?
Russell’s a great player, but he’s a male chauvinist pig. He’s in it for the win and he’s making everyone’s life miserable. I told people from day one that he was slippery and I didn’t trust him, but it didn’t matter. Everyone was hoodwinked. The women thought he was going to take them to the end and they weren’t strong enough to realize that they could take themselves. Jaison and Mick were dazzled by the idol. The idol is a very powerful force and with Russell finding it as early as he did, it became even more powerful. They were like lambs being led to slaughter and Russell was the evil shepherd.
Despite losing, can you find vindication in scaring Russell enough for him to come after you?
I was eliminated because I was a serious threat. If I had played dumb and been nicer to Russell, maybe I would have gone farther. But I’m not sure I would have been proud of myself if I’d gone down that road.
There was lots of curse talk. Why do you think Foa Foa was on such a lengthy losing streak?
We personified Murphy’s Law. Even after catching a lead, something always went wrong and we lost. We couldn’t catch a break and it became a self-fulfilling prophecy. No matter how enthusiastic we were beforehand, there was always an albatross hanging around and we’d become our own worst nightmare. Jaison’s defeatist attitude didn’t help.
What’s public reaction been?
People want to talk Survivor all the time. Spending your summer with people lying to you isn’t a walk in the park, but it’s good training for a government job. I trust my gut instinct now more than ever!
Without the prize, was it still worth it?
At the end of the day, it’s not about the money. I did it to test myself. I wanted to take myself out of my comfort zone and see what I am made of. I’m stronger than I thought.
Monty Brinton/CBS/Landov
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