season 13 episode 13 insider videos

Jonathan's Final Words

transcripted by dpena

Well, I certainly saw this coming. There was no question in my mind that it was a large possibility and as the day went on it was clear what was going to happen. Which is too bad. Because it sounds like it came down to a personality issue which they never mentioned to me, so there's not much I could really do about it.

I'm not making excuses, obviously I rubbed them the wrong way in some way and Adam and Parvati were there to help them get rubbed the wrong way. But I don't take it personally, I don't hold a grudge, it was just a game. I had a fantastic time. I had 33 memorable, wonderful days and I got out of it just about everything I could get out of it. Didn't win a million dollars, but I got further than I thought I would, and had a lot of fun.

And most importantly, I want to say that I love my wife and Cooper and Ava, my two children, I miss them terribly, can't wait to see them and I want to thank them for giving me the time and opportunity to have this wonderful, wonderful experience. And four of those six people are going to join me on the jury soon enough, so I'll sit with them and we'll hopefully laugh and talk about what happened.

And I hope that the two people who make it to the final four are in fact members of the Aitu four. I'd love to see Yul and Ozzy make it. That would be a tough vote. I hope Adam and Parvati DON'T make it, but if they do, good on 'em and they played a better game than me.

And I love Survivor, it's a great game, so much fun to play. And I tried to make it as exciting for myself and for the game as possible. And I had a really really good time. Sorry if I stepped on some toes, but you know... it was a million dollar game that we're playing, here on national TV, and who wouldn't have a little fun? I wanted to have fun, I wanted to stay ahead of the game.

I wanted to play and not be played, until I got played, and I saw it coming. These people are terrible liars, terrible liars. They couldn't hold a secret all day, it was AWFUL. I didn't even care. I wish they had told me to my face, but they didn't do that 'cause then there'd be an argument, and I would have talked talked talked, and they didn't want to hear that obviously, they didn't want to hear me talk anymore.

So now they'll have a peaceful camp and they'll have to deal with each other stabbing stab each other in the back as if that's some new thing on the game of Survivor. So I hope they have fun, I look forward to being on the jury, and I look forward to going back to civilization and my family who I love.

I don’t know if I could change anything. I am who I am. I didn’t intend to make some of the moves that I made. They were presented to me. The mutiny was presented to me and I took a jump, a leap of faith, it didn’t work out badly, it didn’t work out well. In hindsight, who knows what would have happened if I played it differently? I guess ultimately if I held on to the personal game a little longer, maybe I could have gone a little further. But it really sounds like I was rubbing these people the wrong way and they wanted not to have me around anymore.

So no, I really have no regrets. I played it hard, I played it fast and I had a lot of fun. The game would have worked out totally differently if anything had happened differently. One burp, one misstep, and somebody else is the one who gets voted off. If Cecilia had not been voted off number three, if Yul and I had not been able to save Becky and she would have been voted off, the whole game would have gone up in smoke the way I planned it. Sometimes the luck goes your way, sometimes it doesn’t.

The one regret I have is that I wasn’t able to throw water blindfolded to my wife better. If we beat them, if we were a split second faster, and we had beaten Parvati and her father, the I wouldn’t have gone to Exile Island, Adam would’ve and they would have had the joy of my wife’s company for a day or two. I probably wouldn’t have been voted off tonight, that’s the truth. Bu sometimes luck goes your way, sometimes it doesn’t. My wife and I did the best we could. We came in a tight second, we lost, and you gotta win to win. We didn’t win, so here I am. Not a big deal.

Jonathan, the Day After 

transcripted by SurvivorFever.net

Jonathan:  My experience out here has been very positive.  I guess the only real question I've had for myself as a person looking back on the game as I played it was, was it sort of too much fun.  Did you not take it seriously enough?  The emotions of the other people.  I think the people perceive me as not trustworthy.  If they do, this is something that I've heard and I can understand that, right?  It is because it's hard for me to trust.  I came in really not wanting to trust and when I found the four people that I had the most trust with, it had nothing to do with them when I stepped off the mat, went to the other tribe.  Found people much less like-minded than myself.  Survived in that tribe until the merge came back and was given an opportunity to remerge with those four like minded people.  I saw it as an opportunity to in some ways make amends for what could be a mistake.  A mistake of my  heart.  I stepped away from a happy home life to see what else is out there, to give myself an adventure.  Yeah, I had an adventure and you know what?  There's no place like home.  I was happy with the original Aitu four.  It was comfortable, I was in a powerful position, a friendly position, a happy position.  And so when I was given an opportunity to come back there I did trust them.  I opened my heart to them and said, "guys, I'm putting myself out here."  I am going to be the guy who's betrayed everybody in the game if I do this.  These guys, you're going to have to protect me from that machete in the night.  Any chance of an endgame with these guys on the jury, that goes out the window.  I'm basically relinquishing any hope that I might have of actually winning this thing. But I'm willing to do it because I really was happier with you guys and I'm hoping to end the game in that comfortable, happy place.  They assured me that that was going to be the case.  I allowed myself to believe that.  I put my trust back in them having violated their trust and showing myself to them to be untrustworthy.  So they felt, I'm sure, totally justified in a vote or two giving me the axe.  So the one message that I think I can come away with is, you can be more trusting of other people initially, that their intentions are probably not as malicious even thought it's a game and even though I came in assuming everybody was out to kill everybody else.  It's dangerous to make those kinds of assumptions.  As I am in my own home life which is very happy and comfortable, I don't go seeking outside adventures except something like this.  I felt in my home life I needed to do something like this.  All that showed me was how happy I am at home. There is a small microcosm of that realization in the game which was I stepped away from a happy home and realized I'd been happy at my home.  And I tried to go home and it was dangerous, didn't work out.  Hopefully when I get back to my real home it will work out, I'm sure it will.  But I knock on wood, you can't be sure of anything.  So I guess if there was some realization about myself, the world, what's important to me, that would be it.  Enjoy the home that you have.  Enjoy what you have.  And yeah, you can go out seeking adventures but you know what, sometimes you go out seeking adventures and uhhh, it doesn't work out.  The grass aint greener on the other side.  I was able to do that in a happy, safe way. No one got hurt.  I mean, yes, they got hurt but no one really got hurt.  If that's the lesson that I learned, great.  A good lesson to learn.

I wanted to learn how to make fire.  I wanted to learn how to spear fish and climb a tree and do all those things.  I didn't want to not lie, I didn't care about that.  "I'm gonna play with integrity.  I'm never gonna tell a lie."  Bull.  It's a game.  I came in knowing that was going to happen.  Maybe that was the danger.  I knew it was going to happen so I did it too soon.  That's possible.  I'm probably going to lie.  I'm probably going to cheat. I'm gonna backbite and deceive somebody so better me first than anybody else.  I moved harder and faster than other people and it blew up in my face.  I moved too hard and too fast, probably.  Do I have regrets?   Nah.  I really don't.  I don't know how the hell it would have worked out.  Who knows how it would have worked out.  Play the game.  It seemed like the right thing to do at the time.  You play as best you can.  You take your licks and you go home happy with your experience.  You hope.  You learn something and I had a hell of a good time. 

Loved Ones at Camp 

transcripted by dpena

The survivors and their family members stand around the camp’s fire, talking and laughing. 

George, Adam’s dad in voiceover : They just seemed like such an intelligent group to me. Their spirit, and their enthusiasm and how they’re getting along and the diversity of the group, and how generations have changed! I think that’s what’s made America great. In my generation it would have been horrid to do something like this, with that much diversity.

So, there nothing I’ve ever done with Adam to prepare him for something like this [“surviving” in the wild]! I mean I never dreamed that he would be on [and] doing anything like this!

Yul to Parvati and her dad

Yul : Why don’t you and your family stay in the shelter tonight.? The three of us [Yul, Becky and Ozzy] will build a quick lean-to for us to stay tonight. It won’t be a problem. It’s just, you know. Just enjoy your day together, and have a wonderful time.

Parvati’s Dad : Thanks, cool.

Cut to Parvati’s confessional 

Parvati : Just enjoy your time with your parents, that’s what Yul and Ozzy kept saying, and Becky. Everyone was just SO accommodating and nice. And Ozzy and Yul built a little lean-to that they could sleep in and absolutely the parents need to sleep under the tarp with their kids. It made me respect them so much more that they were so generous with everything and just allowing us to be together with our family. 

Islaner's Greetings

Transcripted by dpena

Adam, Parvati, Sundra and their families walk down a path on Mitiaro Island. 

Parvati :  Are they singing?

Sundra :  I heard something! (Voiceover): We started walking down a little path, and we heard music, and I know by now, when I hear music, something good is about to happen.

Survivors, family members and the people of Mitiaro island meet and start hugging, kissing, greeting etc. 

Parvati :  It was unbelievable. We got greeted by at least 100 people, women and children, just singing to us and putting leis on us and kissing us and we were celebrated! It felt fabulous, I loved it.

Mitiaro woman :  We welcome you to Mitiaro! We welcome you to Vai Nauri, our traditional and beautiful place, that God has given us.

Sundra starts crying. 

Mitiaro woman :  At this time, we will walk you over, where you can try our water [the caves].

Aitutonga Enjoys Leftovers 

transcripted by dpena

The tribemates eat the leftovers from Parvati, Adam and Sundra's feast. 

Yul : You guys, seriously, thank you so much.

Adam : No, thank YOU. You guys were so awesome in the situation--

Parvati : You guys were great, we really appreciate it--

Adam : Yeah, my dad really appreciated you. 'Cause you guys could have easily made them feel bad or--

Yul , shaking his head: Oh no, no...

Adam : No, I'm just saying that. You guys were great. I'm just saying that you were really good.

Parvati strokes Ozzy's arm

Parvati , in voiceover: We knew we wanted to bring some food home from the picnic, because Yul, Ozzy and Becky were just so generous and accommodating with our families and we just wanted to show them that we appreciated-ted it, and I think just having Jonathan away for the past couple of days has been a blessing. So I was just like, kind of in the back of mind, hoping that they might have a change of heart and, you know, "Oh, life is better without Jonathan here."

Yul , eating: Oh my God, this is just so good.

Parvati : Hahahaha.

Yul Before Tribal Council 

transcripted by dpena

Today's immunity challenge went down well. The main goal today was to make sure that Jonathan didn't get immunity. Ozzy got the immunity, so our plans are still in motion.

After the challenge, Parvati and I had a conversation following a conversation I had with Adam. Basically, Adam and Parvati have been making a request to me. At this point in the game, they're more or less resigned to the fact that they're going to be voted out. But they just have a lot of animosity towards Jonathan, and as a matter of fairness and equity, they don't want him staying in the game longer than they do. So they've made a request to me a few days ago to have him voted off before they do. I've been mulling it over and I've decided to honor that request. I didn't ask for any promises in return, but they both assured me that they really appreciate the gesture and if I get in the final two, they'd vote for me as members of the jury.

Honestly I do feel bad about voting Jonathan. I mean its a matter of timing, right, because I don't really plan on going to final 2 with him, so its a question of: so do I vote him out sooner rather than later? I do have a bond with him, I respect him and I actually like him, in contrast to pretty much everyone else in this game.

But you know, he's going to go at some point. It just seems to makes sense to send him home tonight. There's been a pretty good opportunity. My biggest concern is that if I send him home too early he'll be upset that we broke our agreement and he won't vote for me on the jury.

But I think I set it up such that he would be understanding if he got voted home tonight, given the fact that he's been on Exile and given the fact that he caused kind of a brouhaha a couple nights ago when he decided... Well, it was a collective decision, but something that he drove, not to share the fish that he had caught with Adam and Parvati.

So I basically told him that that caused a fair amount of ill will towards him and I'm going to be kind of building that tonight, so that when he gets voted off tonight, he'll blame himself as opposed to blaming me.

I don't feel bad about breaking our agreement, though. The truth of the matter is, I wouldn't have had to make that agreement in the first place if he'd never jumped ship on us. He put the Aitutaki tribe in a BAD situation when he mutinied, and he broke our agreement THEN, he broke our alliance. So I don't feel bad about misleading him, as a result of the fact that he put me in a position where I had no other choice, so from an ethical standpoint that doesn't bother me. But I do feel bad, I like him and I wish he could have gone farther in the game, but at this point it just seems to make sense to let him go today.

My plan is to let Jonathan feel like he's dug his own grave, which to a large extent he has. He hasn't built the personal relationships that he needs to build. For whatever reason he has never been able to shake off the perception that he's very deceptive and conniving, you know.

And for me the surest thing for me would be to go to final 2 with him, because I'd pretty much be guaranteed a win on the jury. But I don't know, I plan to go to the final four with the Aitutaki four, so that was never something I seriously considered. Although it was the only argument that he would actually buy in order to come over to our alliance. So I think things are set right now.

I've grown to like Adam and Parvati quite a bit. Initially I thought... I didn't think much of them, and that was largely based on what Jonathan had told us... But I've gotten to know them over the last few days, especially seeing their families you get to know them as people, and I genuinely like both people. They seem like good-hearted people who outside the context of this game I would become friends with. And if we'd been on the same tribe, I'm sure I would have liked them as well. So yeah, I'm happy to continue on in one tribe with them as a group for now.

It's a little bit weird for me, cause I feel like I'm in a weird... I feel like I'm kind of like the godfather or something, arranging a hit on somebody, and someone's asking me to take out one person or another. And I never really imagined myself in that role. It's sort of what it feels like and I don’t know if I’m entirely comfortable with it. But, this feels right to me, these are good people who play a straight up game. For me, it lightens my conscience to some extent and also if I do go to the final 2 with anyone other than Jonathan, it always helps to have their favor, and at this point, it’s a numbers game. They all have to go at some point.

It's nothing personal, I like all of them. But our original intention had been to go to the final four with the Aitutaki four and we're going to stick to that. 

Tribal Council 

transcripted by dpena

Becky (Jonathan): Basically after everything that’s been said here at tribal council, plus your behavior at the food auction and the fish incident… I think I really saw your true self come out. That’s why I’m sending you home tonight.

Sundra (Jonathan): The funny thing about this is it seems like everyone in this game had negative, suspicious feelings about you. I hope to God that I am wrong and I would love to be proven wrong. But thank you and I am glad that we could rely on your greed to help us progress a little further.

Jonathan (Adam): Uh, what can I say? You’re the biggest threat to me and it might be my night to night, but you deserve to go.

Parvati (Jonathan): I’m just gonna keep voting for you until you’re gone. And thanks for going to Exile because I think it showed everyone that life is so much better without a big, crazy, crazy guy around at camp.

Ozzy (Johnny Blue Eyes): Waited for this move for a long time. This is for Cao Boi, for Flicka, for Nate and just cause you’re a cocky guy.

Adam (Jonathan): Should have been voted out a long time ago. Hopefully we got it right this time.

Yul (Jonathan): Jonathan you’ve been a great competitor and a really great strategist. I’ve really enjoyed playing the game with you and it actually works against you. I’m sorry to see you go. If you had never stepped off that mat, then I believe we’d be going to the final four together, but you did. And my original, highest allegiance has to be with the people who stayed with me. So wish you the best, and I’ll see you at the end.

+ CBS Early Show Secret Scene

Transcript by James Barber

(Jonathan on Exile Island)

JONATHAN (solo): Yeah, I have a target on my back. I mean I've been sent to Exile Island. People in camp may be deciding, "OK, Jonathan's gotta go." But if they're deciding that without me around, they'd probably decide that with me around.

(Jonathan makes a fire)

JONATHAN : I'd love to win immunity, but if my alliance is strong, immunity will not be necessary.