by Gina Scarpa

Last night, on Survivor: Samoa, Foa Foa and Galu merged to form the Aiga tribe.  At the immunity competition, two idols were up for grabs and were won by John and Laura.  Russell’s plan to get rid of Laura first was on hold and suddenly, his head was on the chopping block along with Jaison, Monica, and Erik.  Things worked out in Foa Foa’s favor and Galu member Erik was blindsided at tribal council and voted out of the game.  Today, Erik spoke to RealityWanted in an exclusive interview about his experiences on the show.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What made you decide to try out for Survivor this season and how did you end up being a part of the show?
A. Erik: It’s funny.  If you put all my stuff into a computer and it said perfect job for you, it would spit out: Survivor contestant.  Things like having loyalty and charisma all the way to eating bugs.  Russell made a comment like, God made him for Survivor.  I don’t know about that.  I met somebody in L.A. and I don’t’ know what it was but she asked me if I liked Survivor and I said, “Yeah!”  She asked if I’d ever do it and I said, “You have no idea!”   Maybe it was that attitude that put me on her radar.  I did everything: psychological test, emotional test, intelligence test.  You gotta jump through a lot of hoops and it was only enough to make me an alternate.  With a little bit more zeal, they said, “We’re gonna take a chance on this guy.”  How many times do people stand up for you in life?  How many times do people have your back?  For the people at CBS to stand up for me, and I’m a stranger to them, it was very special.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: The Galu tribe has performed very well throughout the competition.  Why has your tribe been so successful?
A. Erik: From day one, Russell S. and I got together.  Russell… what a tough, legit, headstrong winner.  He told me, “You have my back and we’re gonna go through this game.  By the time we’re finished, we’re gonna make Foa Foa look like the worst tribe in Survivor history.”  There was this huge competitiveness coupled with camaraderie.  We worked as a team.  Led by Russell, with me as his trigger man, it was a pretty good combination.  We did win a lot of those challenges by the skin of our teeth but if the other team thinks they can’t win, that’s a huge psychological advantage. 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: At the merge, who was your target to get out first?
A. Erik: I didn’t really have a target at first.  I had heard that Laura and Monica were targets.  When Laura won immunity, it was between Jaison and Monica.  As competitors, I don’t feel like either one deserved to be there at that point.  Jaison checked out and Monica never really checked in.  I don’t know if she thought she was on Survivor: Cabo San Lucas Princess Edition or what.  My biggest concern was not to jeopardize the fate of Galu.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Who should take the credit for orchestrating your exit from the game?
A. Erik: I think Natalie, to be honest.  It’s crazy because she’s the innocent one, who is lowest on everybody’s radar.  I think this was the biggest game changing move so far.  Laura got cocky and got greedy.  I can’t believe that Laura listened to her.  Stop talking to a Foa Foa member!  I respect Natalie because she got the ball rolling.  I give her credit!  It hurt that none of my guys and the rest of Galu didn’t stand up for me.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Galu should’ve had this thing in the bag.  Do you worry about the fate of your tribe now?
A. Erik: Oh, I worry!  There’s this idea of arrogance and delusion.  Like I said, one thing that Russell S. and I said was, “We’re not that good.  We need to stay focused and stay humble.”  To toss me out like a midnight cigarette is a big deal!  Shambo doesn’t really get along with any of the girls.  The person that she was closest to is now gone.  Come on guys, do you really think that you can kick this girl in the face for three weeks and now she’ll be back in happy Galu land?  They underestimated how much I had to massage Shambo and make her happy and peaceful.  I think they underestimated the loyalty she had for me.  That’s a big red flag.  I don’t know!  It’s a lot tighter than it should’ve been.  I think Galu made their road a lot tougher.


Survivor: Samoa airs Thursdays at 8pm ET on CBS.

(Image courtesy of CBS)


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