by Gina Scarpa

 

In the game of Survivor, you can never be too trusting and Jay learned that the hard way this week when his alliance blindsided him at tribal council.  He was so sure that he was safe, that he even stepped down from an immunity challenge to enjoy some food rather than compete for safety.  Today, we talked to Jay in an exclusive interview about his unknown alliance with Colton, why he felt secure in his alliance with the women of Salani, and whether or not he's a bitter jury member.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What made you want to do Survivor?
A. Jay: Just the whole adventure side of it definitely lured me in. I like a challenge, I figured I was pretty strong willed. Just the whole idea of being dropped off in the middle of nowhere was a challenge to me.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: How did you feel about being separated by gender initially. Would you have preferred to have the tribes mixed up? The men did not work together well...
A. Jay: Oh yeah, 100%. I was completely shocked we were going to be male vs. female. I was not expecting that at all. From Day 1, the guys could not get on the same page. There were too many agendas and egos in the way. It was tough.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: When I talked to Colton, he said one thing that viewers didn't realize is that you and he were actually pretty tight out there.
A. Jay: Yeah, walking away from the truck on day 1, Colton was like, "Man, I'm the first one to go, " and I said, "Chill out, I'll take care of you." He was working the girls. We had plans for a merge situation that we would pair up with people and try to run things. I don't think anybody expected what we had planned.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: It's definitely unexpected that you and Colton would team up. You're very different in your approaches and the way you treat people.
A. Jay: Uh, yeah for sure. He was definitely a villain, no question about that. Colton knew the game, inside and out. He didn't make the best decisions but when it came to strategy, he knew what to do and how it was going to go down. Being that smart and strategic, that's definitely the kind of person I wanted to work with.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What made you trust the girls so quickly on Salani?
A. Jay: Well, I really felt like they might've had the same idea as me. I was kinda glad to get off the all guys tribe and I thought they might be glad to get rid of some of their drama. I thought Kim, Sabrina, and Chelsea were running the show.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: And they were! On last week's episode, you seemed suspicious of the girls and then this week, you trusted them and felt comfortable in your alliance with them. What changed?
A. Jay: I just think it was more conversation with Kim and Chelsea. You have one on one and small talk time, and you get to know people, and then when it comes time to strategize, you get comfortable with that person and want to believe them more. I felt like other people were going to be first before me. It just didn't happen like that.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Did it at least make you feel better that Chelsea was on the fence about turning on you guys while the rest of the girls were solid on sticking together?
A. Jay: Absolutely not! Just seeing it, it sucked. Looking back, there's so many factors and so much that's going on inside your head. I'm thinking, "You should've listened to Troy. You should've tried to pull Tarzan and Christina in and make an uproar."

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You stepped down in the immunity challenge for a plate of food. You must wish you didn't do that.
A. Jay: Oh yeah, I mean, hindsight is 20/20. I trained myself and worked out and prepared myself to win any challenge. In my mind, I told myself I would never step down for any food. I was very capable to do that but I felt safe. I was thinking long term. I obviously made the wrong decision.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Is it hard not to take it personally when you're blindsided at tribal council?
A. Jay: It's tough, I think, just to walk out of the game. Once you're gone, that's it. Your time is done. You're on the jury. As far as separating it, once I got back and processed it all, it's a game. I have nothing but love for everybody.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: So you're not a bitter jury member...
A. Jay: No, not at all! Looking back on it, they got the best of me. Kudos to them.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What are you taking away from your Survivor experience and does it make you want to do more tv?
A. Jay: First off, it's a huge blessing to even be a part of the show. There's just under 400 people who have done it as a contestant. If another opportunity presented itself, I'd jump on it. I'm definitely going to be traveling with modeling and I was trying to get more into film before Survivor.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: I really thought you could've made it to the end.
A. Jay: Thanks, I think me and Troy could have. That's my own dumb fault for not listening to him.

 

Survivor: One World airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on CBS.

 

(Image courtesy of CBS)

 

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