While the ever-winning Saanapu tribe bickered at camp about Kylie’s sleeping arrangements and ogled Lee while he fished in the ocean, Vavau was desperate just to make it through the immunity challenge.
It wasn’t meant to be. While Conner took the blame for his part in a lopsided defeat, the core Vavau members stood resolute in taking out one of the Aganoa girls. Unbeknownst to them, Phoebe had the hidden immunity idol Craig had been searching for. Kristie piled on by faking tears at the prospect of her mate Pheebs going home.
Once Phoebe produced the idol at tribal council, Vavau leader Craig knew the writing was on the parchment for him.
Who spoke to Craig I’Anson, a Brisbane-based, 32-year-old emergency services recruitment officer, about becoming the tenth person to leave Australian Survivor.
Q: Was Australian Survivor what you expected from being a fan of the show for all these years?
A: Absolutely. I loved every minute of that game. I still love the game and I would play the game tomorrow if I were asked. To tell you the truth, I do feel like I have some unfinished business and maybe some day in the future, I’ll get a phone call!
Q: You had glam close-ups, eye-rolls and action shots throughout your time on Samoa. What did you think watching yourself on TV?
A: I was extremely impressed with my edit and everything. I went into the game letting them all know that I would be myself. I couldn’t not be myself. Clearly they loved it and I gave them some gold.
Q: Did you realise you had become such a fan favourite?
A: No. I’m actually really pumped! I’m really, really happy. I did get a bit nervous because I knew it could obviously go a number of different ways and last night I was overwhelmed and very humbled by the amount of support and love from the fans saying how much they loved me but oh my God, that was a brilliant play from Phoebe, so it was just wonderful.
Q: As a fan and a player, how did you process the moment at tribal where you knew you were being blindsided?
A: I can’t even describe it. It’s like having a hot and a cold drink at the same time if you can even possibly do that. I was obviously gutted that I was out of the game but at the same time, just like, wow, that was brilliant. At the same time I had to process that I was leaving, process that she had my idol, process that I’m never coming back and that it’s over but that was brilliant and oh my God I love this game, I want to stay, oh I get to go home, I’ll actually get to eat something — everything goes through your head at once.
Q: So after six days of idol searching, you had to know someone had it, right?
A: [Laughs] I don’t know what went through my head. I don’t know. I sit there and think about it now, like, how did that thought never pop into my head? Like, come on, you’ve watched this game before, like, what are you thinking about? For some reason, it just eluded me and I don’t know what. The only people I ever saw go off into the bushes and sort of look for an idol were Andrew and then a little bit later Conner. I never saw any of the girls venture off. They just were too good. They snuck away without any chance of being seen.
Q: You credit Nick with taking your mate Jennah-Louise over to Saanapu. Were you able to send her messages through your eyes or anything during challenges?
A: Most definitely. When we voted off Rohan and we walked in, she just was staring right at me with this Cheshire Cat grin on her face like, ‘oh my God, boy, you go,’ and I was just looking at her, knowing I was getting looked at, going, oh, just act sad like I don’t know what’s going on, but I just looked at her with one little glance and smiled. I knew that if I showed any hint of connection, or, ‘go, girl,’ or anything like that, she could slip back 10 steps down the ladder that she’s trying to climb, but I always knew I would team back up with her any chance we’d got together.
Q: If you were on a jury right now, who would you grill and what would you say?
A: I would want to know how you played, the moves that you stuck your neck out to do. I’m a fan of this game and I want you to tell me how you earnt your position sitting right here. At this point, going right up to last night, I think absolutely Phoebe would get my vote in the sense of game play so far because she’s just doing amazing things. I’m pretty sure if Nick was sitting at the end, I’d probably would grill him but at the same time, I do have respect for people in their game mode, so I would have to spit something at him but at the same time let him talk and explain his game.
Q: Does playing give you a different perspective as a fan watching the show now?
A: A hundred percent. The biggest thing that I learnt from being a fan and watching to being a fan and playing is the emotions surrounding tribal council and the emotions that you physically go through… I hated tribal council. I thought it would be easy. I thought I could walk up to that booth, write someone’s name down, be a bitch, chuck it in the box and go sit down, but I think sitting there knowing you were ending someone’s life or having someone end yours was so, so emotional for me.
Q: So who is your pick to win it all?
A: Look, I can’t go past my girl Jennah-Louise. I put all my money on her, regardless of Vavau or Saanapu or anything. I want her to win. Even little clues that I remember like walking into the challenge last night and she’s wearing Matt’s singlet, so, you know, little clues like that and you go, ‘oh, she’s good. She’s good!’
Q: You credit Nick with taking your mate Jennah-Louise over to Saanapu. Were you able to send her messages through your eyes or anything during challenges?
A: Most definitely. When we voted off Rohan and we walked in, she just was staring right at me with this Cheshire Cat grin on her face like, ‘oh my God, boy, you go,’ and I was just looking at her, knowing I was getting looked at, going, oh, just act sad like I don’t know what’s going on, but I just looked at her with one little glance and smiled. I knew that if I showed any hint of connection, or, ‘go, girl,’ or anything like that, she could slip back 10 steps down the ladder that she’s trying to climb, but I always knew I would team back up with her any chance we’d got together.
Q: If you were on a jury right now, who would you grill and what would you say?
A: I would want to know how you played, the moves that you stuck your neck out to do. I’m a fan of this game and I want you to tell me how you earnt your position sitting right here. At this point, going right up to last night, I think absolutely Phoebe would get my vote in the sense of game play so far because she’s just doing amazing things. I’m pretty sure if Nick was sitting at the end, I’d probably would grill him but at the same time, I do have respect for people in their game mode, so I would have to spit something at him but at the same time let him talk and explain his game.
Q: Does playing give you a different perspective as a fan watching the show now?
A: A hundred percent. The biggest thing that I learnt from being a fan and watching to being a fan and playing is the emotions surrounding tribal council and the emotions that you physically go through… I hated tribal council. I thought it would be easy. I thought I could walk up to that booth, write someone’s name down, be a bitch, chuck it in the box and go sit down, but I think sitting there knowing you were ending someone’s life or having someone end yours was so, so emotional for me.
Q: So who is your pick to win it all?
A: Look, I can’t go past my girl Jennah-Louise. I put all my money on her, regardless of Vavau or Saanapu or anything. I want her to win. Even little clues that I remember like walking into the challenge last night and she’s wearing Matt’s singlet, so, you know, little clues like that and you go, ‘oh, she’s good. She’s good!’
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