by Gina Scarpa

 

Candice Cody returned to complete on Survivor for the third time, looking forward to playing for the first time with her husband John. What transpired in the early days was anything but what she expected. Candice was the first one voted out, right on the beach before the game even began. Her husband was blidsided by his tribe soon after, and the two were forced to compete against each other on Redemption Island. Last night, Candice was eliminated and we chatted with her about her tumultuous time playing Survivor: Blood Vs. Water.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Did the idea of doing Survivor with your husband make you more excited to play again or more apprehensive?
A. Candice: Both. I was super excited to come out and give my husband the chance to play and experience the game. He's a tough competitor. He and I are a lot alike in many ways, but we're different as well. I thought he could balance me out. He's such a sweet, trusting guy and people get sketched out by me. With him, there's no question. This dude is trustworthy. At the same time, I was really nervous because that is my heart and normally in the game, you button yourself off, you think strategy, and you play with your mind only. With your loved one there, it has the potential to make you go crazy, which you saw. I lost my mind!

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: It had to have been a surprise to get voted out right there on the beach at the beginning of the game. Why do you think they chose you?
A. Candice: Well, I think it was really tough. John and I showed up less than 24 hours before the game started and everyone else had been there for five days staring at each other, thinking about who they were going to work with. They're taking the cast photo and we walked up from behind and their jaws dropped. It was like, "What is happening?" That was a curve that was thrown at everyone. You want to have predictability in Survivor and this freaked a lot of people out. I was nervous about it but I thought, "Give me the obligatory three days til we get to tribal and I'll be fine." I would explain why we showed up late but 30 seconds in, it was just the easy vote.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You had some harsh words for Brad throughout your time on Redemption Island, which really upset Monica. Do you regret any of it?
A. Candice: You know, I never intended to hurt anyone's feelings personally. I was playing the game and there's such little influence you can have on the game from Redemption Island. Monica voted for me and John was very loyal to Brad and Brad cut him. In the game of Survivor, the Culpeppers were dead to me and I wanted the game. They both showed that they didn't want to work with us. I wanted a Culpepper out of the game so I was just trying to get other people to see that they needed to get rid of this guy who thinks he's running the game. Admittedly, I had hurt feelings as well. He had voted John out and I was much more angry about that. It's a game for a million dollars so I had to do what I could. I don't think Brad and I will be best friends in real life, but I don't think he's a bad person.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Did you think that John would outlast you in the game or did what happened last night come as a surprise to you?
A. Candice: John is such a tough, smart guy. I knew him showing up to Redemption Island was going to be tough on me to beat him. He and I cannot play games at home because he just wins! It's like, "What is wrong with you? Can you be any more perfect?" I knew it was going to be tough but we agreed that we weren't going to give in and would fight our hardest. It's a game and I don't want someone to give it to me and not try. I told him, "Do what you can and try your hardest and I love you no matter what!"

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You and John said that this wasn't exactly the Survivor experience you were looking to have together. Are you still glad you came back to compete?
A. Candice: Oh absolutely! This game is so crazy and so much fun. Do I wish that we were sitting together at the final tribal council but he's still in the game and I'm expecting him to bring it home. I'm proud of him, I'm proud of myself, and it's a once in a lifetime... or three times in a lifetime!

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Which player is in the best position right now, in your opinion?
A. Candice: After watching last night, I'm not sure about Aras's decision to vote out Laura M. I get that he wants to get rid of Brad and seal Monica's fate with him but it's similar to the move Brad made getting rid of John. We'll see whether that works out for him. It seems Aras, Gervase, and Tyson are doing well and at Tadhana, they won one challenge and maybe they'll go on a winning streak and turn things around.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What's going on back in your regular life?

A. Candice: I'm working in a surgical ICU. I just got off a 30 hour shift coming into these interviews. John is actually doing a 2 month rotation in Philadelphia at Children's Hospital. We were able to watch the premiere together but we've had to watch the other episodes separately. That's a bummer but our normal everyday lives are crazy. We have different call schedules and we're like two ships passing in the night. We love each other so much and we love our jobs and what we do. We wouldn't have it any other way.

 

Survivor: Blood Vs. Water airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on CBS.

 

(Image courtesy of CBS)

 

Follow Gina @ginascarpa