That move sealed Tori’s fate… unless the Shot in the Dark could save her.
(It couldn’t.)
What happened during it that we did not see?
Tori Meehan on ‘Survivor 42’.Robert Voets/CBS
And what does she thinkwouldhave happened had Rocksroy not been voted out at the first Tribal?
We sat down with juror number three to get her take on that and her entire 17-day game.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: So, there’s obviously a lot to get to with that Tribal Council.
Tori Meehan on ‘Survivor 42’.Robert Voets/CBS
When did you start to get an inkling you might be in trouble?
TORI MEEHAN:It was after a little bit into Tribal.
I don’t think it’s crucial that you do it.
Rocksroy Bailey and Tori Meehan on ‘Survivor 42’.Robert Voets/CBS
My game is sinking.
I’m going down."
I’m a superfan.
Jeff Probst and Tori Meehan on ‘Survivor 42’.Robert Voets/CBS
There was definitely strategy going on in my mind.
But at that point, I accepted it.
I had such a fun time on the island.
Like, I should have gone home a long time ago.
My days were numbered.
I was hoping to just keep squeaking through, ‘cause inSurvivor, it could just take one more day.
What was your reaction in the moment to what Drea and Maryanne were saying?
I just never thought I would be part of that conversation.
Because, honestly, I felt like I had nothing to add to that conversation.
Not trying to interfere and be gamey and strategic or take away from that moment.
It felt appropriate to not go through the formalities.
Something I was voicing, I was like, “I am uncomfortable with this.
It feels so uncomfortable to have such a real world moment and to go straight back to scheming.”
And so I kind of told Jeff, I even asked, “Can we just not vote?
Can we give this some time and space?”
So yeah, that was really scary.
I mean, I was terrified that entire time.
I’m not gonna lie.
I knew I was going home.
I wanted to be strategic.
I actually didn’t even ask to play my Shot in the Dark.
I just said, “I’m going to go play my Shot in the Dark.”
That didn’t work, but it would’ve been so fun if it did.
What do you think would have happened had Rocksroy not been sitting on the jury?
Who gets voted out?
I fully believe Drea was going home.
Do you think she would’ve played her idol?
And she turns to Lindsay and Lindsay nods.
It was kinda like, “Yep, it was gonna be you.”
Stick with the plan."
Which, you know, I was lying.
I was definitely lying.
But I do believe that it would’ve been Drea.
Back at Ponderosa, it was constant bickering.
[Laughs] No, it wasn’t.
I really just misunderstood him.
And then I realized, “No, he really is more comfortable talking to his children.
He’s a stay-at-home dad.
That’s what he’s used to.”
When I kind of finally understood that, I was like, okay.
And there was a lot more to our relationship.
I was trying to play it strategically.
So there was a little more to it than me just being annoyed and him being annoyed by me.
What do you think happened?
And I went through so many links pre-game.
I was using psychology and wearing certain colors.
I didn’t want that because I know how in real life people perceive me.
But inSurvivor, no one’s gonna give me that second chance.
And so I think that happened.
So I think that was it too.
I was almost trusting too much that my alliance members trusted me.
I cringe when I watch myself.
I’m like, “Why are you doing that?
Why are you saying that?
But also, I think it’s hilarious.
When I watch myself on TV, I am kind of like, “Who is that girl?”
She’s a little crazy.
She’s very messy.”
But that’s me!
Let’s talk about the good stuff.
Two straight immunity challenge wins and you got them when you really needed them.
How amazing did that feel and were those your proudest moments in the game?
Oh, my gosh.
And some people were like, “Yeah, but there’s Jonathan.”
And I’m like “Jonathan who?”
[Laughs]
No, I was scared going into it.
I’m like, “Who’s gonna beat him?”
And then somehow, little me!
I even felt the whole time that no one really valued my skills in challenges.
So it was fun to be like, “No, I can do this.”
If it wasn’t for that, I would’ve been gone a couple of Tribals ago.
A big thing for me is my faith.
That was a huge part of me on the island.
That’s how I connected with people post merge that totally got cut out.
And also, my journey with body image.
I’m a therapist for women with eating disorders and I’ve had my own struggle.
And also, I cried a lot.
I was so emotional.
I know I’ve messed up."
I cried so much.
But I have so many of them.
That’s my superpower as a therapist: my emotions.
So I’m kind of surprised people didn’t see that.
If you could play again, what would you do differently?
Literally, so many things.
And we were told the second leg was longer.
And so Drea was like, “Wait, which one’s shorter?
I wanna do that.”
And I was like, “The second one’s shorter,” lying.
I was like, “That could have literally changed the course of my game!”
