by Gina Scarpa

This week, on Survivor: Nicaragua, La Flor and Espada merged to form the Libertad tribe. Immediately, old allies teamed back up while people on the outs tried to save themselves from the vote at tribal council. In the end, Alina's unpredictable gameplay and decision to sneak food away from camp with NaOnka was reason enough to snuff her torch. We spoke to Alina today in an exclusive interview about her alliance with Kelly B, her opinion of NaOnka, and the things that surprised her when watching the episodes back.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Were you a fan of Survivor before doing the show and do you have a favorite season?
A. Alina: Huge fan! I've been pretty much watching religiously since Vanuatu. One of my favorites was Palau and I loved Micronesia.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Have you ever tried out for the show before?
A. Alina: This is the first time I attempted and it turned out good for me. I've been thinking about it ever since I started watching. I would say, "Oh my gosh, I totally would've done this or that." My family always told me I'd be good at it. This year was perfect because I had just graduated from college.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You aligned yourself with Kelly B, who NaOnka was adamant about getting out of the game. Were you surprised to hear some of the things that NaOnka said when you watched the show?
A. Alina: NaOnka's confessionals were super shocking. I knew that she didn't like Kelly B and was against her because I saw it but wow! Shocked! I was shocked about the things she said like burning her leg. I would watch and be like, "What?! Did she really just say that?"

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Is that really NaOnka or is she doing it for the cameras?
A. Alina: It's hard to say. From knowing her for 22 days, she definitely has a chip on her shoulder. The venom she spews is very, very real. She might be playing up her character but you can't play that well unless you're an Oscar winning actor. I couldn't do that.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: When Kelly was voted out, were you worried about who you'd align with if you both made it to the merge?
A. Alina: When Kelly was voted out and I knew that she was gone, I hate to say it and I love Kelly, but I was actually happy to see her go. If we both made it to the merge, if there was no one else to align with, I knew everyone was going to target us. I thought that would actually help me. I thought I was free of the Shannon experience. That's what I was thinking to myself! I thought I could work with Chase, Benry, and Bianca. I thought our plan at Espada was legit.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: I know you campaigned hard to get Marty out but yet, you're the one who left first. Why is Marty still in the game?
A. Alina: I don't get it! The guy has nine lives! I watch and say, "He should've gone!" especially in that episode where Kelly B went home. He didn't use the idol. God! What a perfect plan to get him out. It didn't make sense last night.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What did you see in the episodes that really surprised you?
A. Alina: I was kinda surprised by the whole minority alliance. I was like, "Wow, that's kind of bull!" It was very shocking for me to watch. That's a way to alienate everyone else. I definitely didn't appreciate that. Last night's episode, I was surprised about Benry's animosity to me. I had no idea where it came from. His confessional when voting was super intense. It was entertaining but bizarre. Another thing I didn't know about was when Jill gave Marty the idol. I had never met Jill and I thought she was gonna be awesome. When I saw that, I thought it was a disappointing idol. The Brenda/NaOnka idol alliance surprised me too.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Even though it's disappointing to get voted out, are you at least glad you made it to the jury and will have an impact on how this game ends?
A. Alina: It was like my only consolation. I'm so thankful I'm at the jury, even if I'm the first member. It would be so much more disappointing if I left before jury.

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

(Image courtesy of CBS)

Follow Gina at twitter.com/ginascarpa

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