From the start, Jeff Probst promised the Survivor 41 contestants there would be “nowhere to hide.” And no one got a crash course in this more than Sara Wilson. The healthcare consultant was told straight to her face she was being targeted after being a part of a losing puzzle effort. And despite a last-minute effort at Tribal Council, frantic whispering was not enough to overpower the resounding voice of Ua that said Sara must go. On Day 1, Sara found solace in Ricard Foyé, as they rallied around the growing untrustworthy nature of JD Robinson. And when Ua found out they would be going to Tribal Council on Day 3, they were eager to send the two-time track champion running out of the game. Unfortunately for Sara, she and Shan Smith had lost the challenge for the tribe due to some misplaced puzzle pieces. Everyone’s attention was suddenly drawn onto her, with Brad Reese even saying she and Shan were in danger right in front of them. That caused beef between the cattle rancher and Sara at Tribal Council, where she and Ricard attempted to switch the votes live onto Brad. After watching some hushed conversations from afar, Shan assuaged her fears, telling her not to play her “Shot in the Dark” advantage to earn safety. The pastor and comedian had the last laugh, as Sara was voted out near-unanimously, walking out with that die bouncing in her pocket. Now out of the game, Sara talks with Parade.com about all the reasons why she didn’t play her “Shot in the Dark,” her thoughts on all of the moving pieces in Ua, and how her late grandmother was with her as she played. I can imagine there were some mixed emotions watching everything back last night. On the one hand, you got to relive the experience of playing a game you love. On the other hand, it was a chance to relive getting voted out. What was the experience like? I’m so proud of the way I played in those three days. I’m such a fighter in life. And I really fought for it. I feel like they really showed that. It was very cathartic for me to watch it and let go of all these anxieties and the things that happened. Now I feel like I can properly move on in my life. Obviously, all of us want to play again. But that was a good showing for me; it was very authentically me. I would have loved to have been in more episodes. But if this is the end of the journey for me, I can be happy. I’m proud of it! So let’s start with Tribal Council. Why did you decide not to play your Shot in the Dark? Was it as simple as Shan telling you not to? So that is one of the things they didn’t completely show. It wasn’t just her thing. That whole time leading up to Tribal, I was like, “I’m gonna play the Shot in the Dark.” I was alternating between thinking about the Shot in the Dark and thinking about the fried chicken sandwich I was going to eat at Ponderosa. I was like, “I’m either gonna play, or I’m gonna be eating fried chicken; it is what it is.” But the Shot in the Dark is so unique because you lose your vote. And in a tribe of six, your vote is so powerful. It very much felt like a live Tribal to me; I firmly believe it could have been any one of us that night. Say I played my Shot, and two people voted with me, but the other three didn’t. The last thing I would have wanted is to have sent myself home. I had a sense that I was close. Honestly, I didn’t really believe Shan when she said that. They didn’t show this, but there was a moment where I was like, Can you please look me in the eyes when you’re talking to me? I know you’re lying!" Can you break down that Tribal Council for me? Did you really change the target to Brad in the moment? That changed right before Tribal at camp, but it was so hectic, and it was such a scramble. I remember I was sitting on the beach and had a conversation with JD. And he was like, “Sara, I don’t want to vote you out. I will literally vote for anyone.” And at that moment, I went through the things in my head. I can’t target Ricard because Shan won’t vote out Ricard. Genie is Genie, and I feel like everyone wanted to keep her around. She was really hard worker and honestly, a really good present. I felt like Shan was digging in her heels about voting for JD. If Shan wanted JD to go home, he would have been the vote. So I thought, “Who’s the one person I have ammunition on? Brad!” Because he literally said to Shan and me that it’s going to be one of us. So I thought, “I’m just gonna take this and run with it.” I think everyone was so paranoid that night. Shan really didn’t like that her name was put out there, period. So JD said he would vote for Brad, which wasn’t true. But right before Tribal, I went to Shan and Ricard and brought up the Brad idea. I do think it was locked on me before Tribal started. But I think it shifted a bit when Shan found out Brad was targeting her. What were you feeling about the conversations being had at Tribal Council? There’s one moment when you try to get in on a conversation between JD and Shan, and they tell you to give them some space. That can’t be good. Yeah. And honestly, I could have done the Boston Rob babysitting method at that moment. But I wanted to play my game with elegance and grace. I was fighting, and me looming over this conversation was not going to change their minds. It’s just going to make me look bad. I didn’t want to assert too much dominance as well, in terms of longevity in the game. If you’re the type of person who can’t even let two people [expletive] talk, no one’s going to want to keep you around. It was really hard for me to balance trying to fight for my life that Tribal but also having like a little bit of foresight to be someone that people are going to want to work with later on as well. Why do you think the target was set on you? Was it as simple as the puzzle in the challenge? I kicked myself for maybe a second for doing the puzzle. But regardless of if I did the puzzle or not, I would have been the target. I actually did really well on the puzzle. I don’t think they showed that, but I had a really good lead. Shan was emptying the bags, and the pieces were flying in. And I was the one who eventually found that the piece was missing. I noticed it right away, and everyone was like, “Just move on.” We’re missing a piece; we need to find it! It does suck that it is the typical, “Oh, she [expletive] up the puzzle; she’s going home.” I don’t really think that’s what it was. It felt like a bomb went off, and I got hit by the shrapnel. Your closest ally seemed to be Ricard. Talk to me about your relationship, and were you surprised he ended up voting against you? I was not surprised at all. On Day 1, Ricard, Shan, and I was a good three. And I do kick myself for this. I really was trying to play under the radar and not spice things up premerge. I wish I developed relationships a little bit more with other people. Because I was like, “Look, I have numbers. These three are tight.” But honestly, I started to feel it slipping a little bit on Day 2. And then on Day 3 was really when I was like, “Okay, this is bad.” I really felt I struggled to get my footing. But yeah, it was hard for me. I could connect with Brad and Genie, but I felt I couldn’t work with them. And then JD was all over the place.Let’s talk about JD. He wants to try to make a bond with you early on as the two youngest people. But you and Ricard wanted him gone. Why was he rubbing you the wrong way? I think there was a little bit of concern over the marooning because he was a little slow off the boat. And honestly, he’s such a super fan. He loves Survivor, and it was all that he would talk about. And I was like, “This guy came to play, and he’s not even trying to hide it.” I personally didn’t want to do a young person’s thing. I don’t think that ever works out. You need to align with people who are different than you. I would have worked with him, but he rubbed people the wrong way. I felt it would be a little social suicide to join up with someone who people were saying, “He’s rubbing us the wrong way.“On that note, you said preseason that you wanted to work with people who were the opposite of you. On paper, that would be people like Brad and Genie. Why did that end up not coming to fruition? They were very honest, loyal, and upfront with who they were voting for. They kind of weren’t strategizing, which I found a little bit hard. I really wanted to play and have people to bounce ideas off of. I don’t mean to be talking badly about them, but they didn’t want to talk strategy until after we lost the challenge. I had a confessional that didn’t make it, but I was like, “There’s no [expletive] strategy on this beach. It’s driving me crazy!” (Laughs.) I tried to connect with them, but it just didn’t happen. And I think sometimes it’s hard, especially when it’s a six-person setting and the pace is so fast. I also really felt I was hiding a lot of stuff about myself. I didn’t tell people that I went to MIT. I told people I had a boyfriend; I didn’t want to be single. Part of me wishes I was a little bit more authentic because I feel like I could have shared more and connected better. I wish I didn’t keep as many secrets because I feel like it didn’t benefit me.Another thing you said preseason was that you were going to leave empathy behind in this game. But how difficult was that actually to do once you hit the beach? It was hard! Ricard’s name was put out there once. And I’m like, “This man has an 18-month-old daughter at home who he left. I cannot vote this person out. That was my one weakness. I am a very empathetic person. We went through two weeks of quarantine and a week of pregame. This is all a dream we have. No one wants to be voted out first. I wish the nice person in my head wasn’t like, “Oh, you can’t do this to this person who’s gonna [expletive] write your name down.” But it is easier said than done. And I think some people can switch it off better. I can’t, but at least it left me with a clear conscience.You came to Survivor after losing your grandmother to COVID, who was also a big fan of the show. How much did she come up in your head during your time in Fiji? I literally got signs from her on the island. She used to buy me little dolphin figurines. And during one of my pregame interviews, this pack of dolphins was swimming behind the cliff. And the crew was like, “We haven’t seen dolphins here in years.” I’m like, “Okay, well, it’s her communicating with me.” I do feel like I let my emotions get the better of me at some points. I regret crying so much; no one likes criers on Survivor! (Laughs.) But it was hard because I felt like I had extra on the line. COVID was still going on, and she passed away from COVID. Every day has been a reminder of the loss. I feel like I didn’t have as clear of a head as I would have liked.All that being said, how do you look back on your Survivor experience, as limited as it may have been? Honestly, I walk away from it, and I’m proud of myself. I did more than I thought I could. I obviously would have liked to have made it longer. But the fact that we were even able to go out there during COVID. The show’s been on for a while, and it’s getting to the point where it was like, “Am I gonna get cast before this is even off the air?” I’m just thinking, “Well, I got to play and be a part of it.” And even though I went out early, I very much feel like a part of the cast and this family. I’m proud of how I played. I’m glad I fought for it.Next, check out our interview with Eric Abraham, who was also voted out in the Survivor 41 premiere.
