by Gina Scarpa

 

On last night's episode of Survivor: Nicaragua, Sash found himself in a valuable position. He stood in between two alliances as the swing vote and everybody wanted him on their side, whether they trusted him fully or not. He ultimately went with Chase, Holly, and Fabio and helped orchestrate the blindside of club promoter Ben Henry, aka "Benry". Today, we spoke to Benry in an exclusive interview about his experiences on the show and what his reaction was to last night's surprising vote.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Where did the interest in trying out for Survivor come from?
A. Benry: Yeah, I've always been a fan of Survivor. I remember back in middle school, sitting on the couch with my family, watching Survivor religiously.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Did you do any preparation before heading out into the game?
A. Benry: I had about 6 weeks of preparation. I got to the gym, got in shape, ate right, and watched a lot of Survivor.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Were you nervous when the La Flor and Espada tribes were switched up early on?
A. Benry: You know, yes and no. I don't think the tribe switch hurt me at all. Being a solid asset and winning challenges and bringing home rewards, I think I was able to keep myself in the game for a while.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: We saw you and Fabio work together a lot, especially in the second half of this game. What made you decide to work with him?
A. Benry: Fabio and I always got along. We played the game pretty similar. My strategy was to lay low, befriend everyone, not say much. I knew I'd be solid in challenges. I didn't want to be in an alliance early on and then have to stab them in the back. I think he had the same game plan. We had eyes and ears in all places. We were just two laid back kids.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: It seems Fabio isn't as dumb as he initially acted. What are your thoughts?
A. Benry: Absolutely! He's definitely not as dumb as you think. He's a pretty intelligent kid.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: NaOnka and Kelly's decision to quit struck a chord with a lot of people, especially the jury, who would kill to keep playing the game. What was your opinion of NaOnka and Kelly?
A. Benry: It was pretty tough to swallow, I guess. Winners never quit. Quitters never win. I think it really shows a lot about their character. You have millions of people who would love to be sitting in their seat and yes, the jury as well. They only had 11 days left. NaOnka could've skated her way into the top 3. It was a big disappointment.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Were you surprised at NaOnka's behavior when you watched the episodes back?
A. Benry: Yeah, to see how she went about stealing the food was manipulative. There was no reasoning behind it. It was just like, so stupid. It tells a lot about who she is as a person. It was pretty ignorant. She's very ignorant. I don't think she regrets a thing.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Were you as surprised as we were when you were voted out of the game?
A. Benry: I was completely blindsided walking into tribal council. I thought it was a mutual consensus that Fabio was going home. I even left a few things back at camp. I was pretty shocked.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What changed in between the conversations we saw at camp and tribal council?
A. Benry: I think they sort of reassessed voting Fabio out and they sort of did a side by side and compared stats and compared the facts. I have been more successful in challenges. I could be a bigger threat to win individual immunity. They probably said, "Benry hasn't made that many enemies on the jury." Actually, no enemies. They might have thought I was more aware and more intelligent. They probably figured they could weed him out like some idiot.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Did Sash make the right decision picking Chase, Holly, and Jane to team up with?
A. Benry: I don't know. Chase's father just died. He has the Survivor sob story. Jane... everyone knows you don't want to sit next to her. Holly, same thing. She's very well liked. Chase has an immunity idol. There's been a lot of questions about why Sash did what he did. I think he had his mind made up for a while. He had his reasoning behind it. I'm not really quite sure.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What do you consider when you're voting for someone to win the million?
A. Benry: I look at everything. I look at all aspects from personal life to gameplay to really who deserves it most. I'm very content with my vote.

 

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

(Image courtesy of CBS)

 

 

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