Survivor South Pacific: Sophie wins!
Survivor: South Pacific – Sophie –WINNER
Sophie Clarke, 22
Medical student
Willsboro, New York
It came down to three contestants - Coach, Sophie and Albert. All three played different games. But it was Sophie who wound up with the most jury votes. She stuck by her alliance, used her head and won three immunity challenges, including the final test against Ozzy. Before we chat with the winner, we felt we should highlight three memorable moments from this season. Firstly, the pig-eating contest was beyond gross, with teams spitting saliva-laden chunks into a bucket. Ewww. Next, Cochran flipping to the other tribe was a real jaw-dropper – effectively, he signed death warrants for the remaining Savaii tribe members. And finally, confirmation that Keith and Whitney are together. Who knew love could blossom with all that back-stabbing going on? And now, let’s hear from Sophie…
Hello, Sophie, congratulations!
(In a scratchy, broken voice)
Thanks.
You sound like you’ve lost your voice – a result of partying?
Something to that effect. Maybe all millionaires lose their voice immediately after they win. I don’t know.
Before we talk about the game, can we just say, you lost a whole lot of weight out there. Was that on your mind going into the show?
I gained some weight to go on. Your body breaks down muscle, so I had had all this extra fat at the beginning that gave me lot of strength in the challenges at the end. Albert and Coach really were breaking down a lot of muscle. But it’s not all that nice meeting all these people who are saying you were fat!
But you played a smart game - brain beats brawn at the end of the day.
I’d be curious to see that list of winners and see where people fall on that scale. Brawn gets you past first part of game, but when individual challenges come, no-one wants the brawn around.
It became obvious Coach was a very powerful force. Were you under his spell?
I had an alliance with Coach and Albert from day five. Albert talked a lot about getting get rid of Coach and Rick didn’t like him at the time. But we decided to keep him because Coach is such a character. This is a guy who will piss a lot of people off. He was a little nuts. We felt if he was willing to take the heat he would be a great alliance member, he could be a useful as kind of figurehead. We worked hard to keep the cult together, but I never fell under his spell.
Cochran flipping was a critical moment in the game, would you say?
Yes. Had Cochran not flipped the whole game would have been different. It’s also important to realise the turning point was not just about Cochran flipping, but no-one flipping from our side. Edna was in the same position as Cochran, she was coming in sixth. Why didn’t she get together with Savaii tribe? We built up a cult-like feeling, whereas Savaii fell apart.
Another key moment was Ozzy losing the final challenge, right?
Ozzy would have won the game, hands down. It would have been a sweep. So, that final challenge was the decider. And it was very stressful and it took us a long time.
Ultimately, why do you think you won Survivor?
It wasn’t that I was less deceitful than the other two, but the jury wanted us to own our deceit. We were all deceitful. You can’t get to the end of Survivor and not have back-stabbed people. It’s the name of the game. Albert wanted to schmooze people. He didn’t understand what the jury was looking for. Coach wanted to have his cake and eat it too. He wanted to claim he was loyal and did nothing wrong and also win the game – that’s just not possible.
What are you going to do with your money?
I’ve just started medical school, so I’ve got four years of expensive schooling. Maybe I’ll take a trip or something.
Back to the South Pacific?
I want to avoid beaches as much as possible. I prefer never to see another coconut as long as I live.
You won, but who also played a good game?
I would have to give it to Ozzy, as much as I hate Redemption Island, where he spent a lot of his time, because it takes away from the back-stabbing part of the game. But he’s a beast - catching fish, climbing trees. I’m not sure I could have mentally withstood that.
Anyone from Survivor you’d stay friend with?
I shared so much of myself with these people. I got very close to Whitney and Dawn and I talk to Coach and Albert. Keith and Whitney found love out there. If they can find love I can find a few friendships!
Would you put up your hand again for Survivor?
Hey, double my money! It’s the most intense emotional experience. You can’t replicate it anywhere else.
Survivor: One World will screen in 2012