by Gina Scarpa

 

It's hard to believe that Kim Spradlin was surprised when Jeff Probst announced last night that she had won Survivor: One World - but indeed, she was! After dominating the game, both strategically and physically, she started to second guess herself in between the final tribal council and the live reunion. There was never a doubt in fans' minds though and Kim not only won the million but Sprint's Player of the Game as well! Today, Kim spent some time talking to RealityWanted and reporters in a conference call about the sweet taste of victory.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Not to take anything away from you, because you were an extremely strong player, but how much do you credit your alliance with Sabrina and Chelsea with getting you to the end?
A. Kim: You know, I think it was definitely very important. It was one of my options the whole way through the game. I had other plans but having that trust and loyalty was important.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Did you work with them to the end because you thought it might look good to the jury that you were loyal to the same two people since the first day?
A. Kim: Honestly, the impression that I got from the jury is that they may have been more offended if I acted like I had been super loyal versus saying I played the best game possible.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You said that when you went home, you started to become less confident that you had won. What made you start to feel that way?
A. Kim: Oh gosh! I think paranoia! You start thinking about it like, "Troy and Jonas... and if Leif does.... and Tarzan does..." I had it in my head that Sabrina had won and it was a huge relief last night!

 

Q. How big a role do you think your four immunity challenges played in your victory? Do you think the other women would've turned on you?
A. Kim: I'm really glad we didn't have to ask that question whether the women would've voted me out or not. I think there was a chance they might've struggled with that. I laid the groundwork with the women, convincing them that I'm a good person. I think it's a toss-up on that. I think winning those is one of the things that men have a really hard time ignoring. When I think of Jay and Mike, I think winning those challenges was really important.

 

Q. You said you wanted to look like you could be loyal to somebody.  Can you elaborate on that?
A. Kim: I don't remember saying that. I remember saying that if I was going to win against anyone, I'd win against anyone and if I was going to lose, I'd lose against anyone. I'd rather see Sabrina and Chelsea win. I think I would've won against Alicia and Christina as well.

 

Q. Did you ever figure out what Troyzan was looking for during the final tribal council?
A. Kim: No and honestly, I don't think I could've gotten his vote that night. I don't know what the answer was. I think a lot of people thought that was the answer. I'll have to ask him...

Q. When Troyzan said you had demolished your chances of winning, did that make you nervous?
A. Kim: Yeah, those are the kinds of comments that make you start second guessing yourself.

 

Q. You said you felt like you would've won against anyone but as a viewer, I kept waiting for you to get rid of Chelsea. She was one of your biggest competition but that ended up not being the case. Can you tell us a little more about your thought process? You said you were entertaining different ideas.
A. Kim: First of all, I just want to say that I'm not saying I would've won no matter what. If they weren't bitter, I thought I'd win no matter what and if they were bitter, I'd lose no matter what. I definitely entertained the idea of taking Chelsea out a lot. As we got closer to the end, I started to feel like I wanted to sit with Chelsea and Sabrina, who shared every vote with me. They made those decisions with me and it seemed better to own the decision and sit with those who helped blindside everyone.

 

Q. How did you keep yourself composed throughout the game and what was your mindset?
A. Kim: I'm such a huge fan of the game and I've watched so many people play it. It seems really important to make those connections with people and then never forget that you're trying to win. I'm pretty calm in my everyday life and I think that helped.

 

Q. When you were running the jury votes in your head, which players were you most concerned with?
A. Kim: I was unsure where Tarzan and Jonas had voted. I thought that this could very quickly turn into a 5-4 vote and Sabrina would win.

 

Q. Was there one particular highlight that you remember as your best time out on the island?
A. Kim: So many cool moments! That final tribal council... to finally hear the voices of people that I had been looking at for so many weeks that looked so pissed. To hear them say, "Well played," was such a relief. You get really caught up in it when you're out there.

 

Q. What did it feel like to win Player of the Game, too?
A. Kim: You know, honestly, that feels awesome. That was like, beyond my wildest dreams. I never thought that was an option. That was sheer shock.

 

 

(Image courtesy of CBS)

 

 

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