The third time wasn’t a charm for Andrea Boehlke. Despite confidence in her status on Survivor: Game Changers, Boehlke found herself the victim of yet another blindside. In SheKnows‘ latest one-on-one interview with Boehlke, she explained why her latest elimination is so embarrassing. She also weighed in on the controversial moment when Jeff Varner outed Zeke Smith as transgender and discussed which of the final six castaways she never thought would make it this far into the season.
SheKnows: Was your elimination a true blindside?
Andrea Boehlke: It’s really embarrassing, but yeah. I think I was trying to convince myself that I wasn’t in trouble, but I get so paranoid out there. I almost wanted to trust those people for the time being because you don’t really have another choice. I didn’t have an Idol, so at that point my choices were to trust the people or be super-nervous. I thought I was safe. I’ll admit, it was a blindside. I thought Brad was going home.
Image: CBS
SK: Why is that embarrassing to you, though?
AB: Because I’ve been blindsided three times at this point. You would think that I’ve learned. [Laughs.]
SK: How does this blindside compare to the first two you’ve experienced?
AB: It was not as fun because it’s my third time playing. I had really high expectations for myself, and I feel like I fell short with a lot more game left in me. I remember leaving feeling really bummed. It wasn’t so much as a fun “you got me” situation, it was more flat-out disappointment.
More:Andrea Showed Everyone What a Game Changer Looks Like on Survivor
AB: I thought it was in the best interest for me, Sarah, Cirie and Aubry to take out Brad at that point. He was the last of the underdogs that really had a shot to win. I felt if Brad got to the end, he could probably win. I had no idea that Sarah had a working relationship with the guys.
SK: Speaking of your best interest, who were you planning to go to the final three with?
AB: I was working with a few different scenarios. I would’ve loved to go to the end with Brad and Troyzan, but I didn’t really see a clear path to that. They had voted for me a few times, and I didn’t really see a situation where we would be working together. Brad wanted me out 100 percent because he was taking out challenge threats. I was next on his list. At that point, it left me with my alliance. I was really tight with Aubry, so I would’ve been cool going to the end with her. I don’t know if I would’ve beat Aubry, but I think I had a better shot than against Cirie or Sarah. I also wanted to maybe be in the end with Michaela or Tai.
SK: When Jeff Varner outed Zeke Smith as being transgender, you were very emotional and upset. How do you feel today in the months that have passed?
AB: I know Jeff Varner got death threats, and that’s not acceptable ever. I don’t care what you did; you don’t give death threats. Jeff is human. We all make mistakes. I was really sad that he got death threats. He was, or still is, in a dark place. On the flip side, I’m friends with Zeke to this day, so I will always be supporting him.
More:Exclusive Interview With Jeff Varner About His Horrific Survivor Mistake
SK: You went from feeling compassion toward Zeke to fighting to vote him out. Can you walk us through the evolution of that relationship? Was there something more we didn’t see?
AB: Zeke and I, from day one, were very close. I considered him one of my closest allies along with Sarah and Cirie. I didn’t really have any motive or plan to take him out. I figured one of us would be taken out by the opposing force. That’s why it was kind of shocking that he came after me with 12 people left in the game. It really kind of sent me on a spiral. It really hit me emotionally. It felt personal. At that point, even though Zeke and I kind of tried to make up, I didn’t think there was really any way we were gonna play with each other again.
SK: When we look at the final six, Cirie Fields is still in the game. Having proven herself to be a powerful strategic player the first three times she played, how is she still alive in the competition when many of you wanted to vote her out before the game even began?
AB: She’s very likable. She’s very smart. She kind of lays low. Even though she’s doing a lot of the strategizing and manipulation, she does it with stealth. She would send other people to do her work. People think they can beat Cirie in challenges. Right now, there’s more of an emphasis on challenge threats. People looked at me and Michaela because we could win challenges.
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SK: This was your third time playing. How did you end up on the show again?
AB: When they called me and asked, I went back and forth on it quite a bit. I love Survivor, but I just didn’t know if it was the right move for me because I do have to take my career into consideration. But I couldn’t pass it up because it’s such a great adventure and I love the game so much. I was able to do it, and my job was great about it.
SK: Would you play for a fourth time?
AB: I wouldn’t want to say no for sure. I have no idea what I’m gonna be doing two or three years from now, but right now it’s not really something I’m thinking about too much.
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