Survivor: Gabon
Gillian
Eliminated September 25

Q: What was your first impression of Africa?
Gillian: I loved it. I was raised in South Africa, but I've never been to that part of the continent. It was amazingly beautiful and remote, which was awesome.

Q: Were you at all worried about being the oldest player in Africa?
Gillian: I was definitely worried. I was concerned that people would think that I was going to be old and useless, and that's why I tried to play the game the way I did. It actually turned out that I was playing against my own tribe mates, who were concerned about my abilities.

Q: How did you manage to stay so positive?
Gillian: I was surprised that I beat Crystal and Susie up the hill during the first immunity challenge. I thought Crystal would be way up ahead of me. So, that kind of boasted my spirits. I realized that I was in a tribe that had such extreme negative vibes. We were just awful. Even though I knew that we really sucked and were awful, I figured the only way to do this was to try to stay positive. My nature is normally to be positive and upbeat and try to encourage people But, hey, I just couldn't sink into the negative attitude. But, sadly enough, I think that's part of what killed me.

Q: Jeff said your Fang tribe was a "complete disaster" and in "denial." Do you agree with him?
Gillian: I absolutely agreed with him that we were a disaster, because we were. I was obviously the oldest and had the hardest time in land challenges. If it had been a water environment, it would have been a totally different picture for me. So, yeah, I was a disaster on land, but I certainly wasn't as bad or worse than some of the others. As for being in denial, I don't think so. I presume that everybody knew we were pretty bad. We all knew it.

Q: Did you have any idea that the tribe planned to vote you off?
Gillian: I was not at all blindsided. It was extremely clear to me all day that people thought that I should be the one to go. I think that Crystal was a big instigator in trying to get rid of me. She did not like me at all and I knew it. It was very clear all day that most of the tribe wanted to go with me. I was bummed that I wasn't given a chance to show what I'm capable of doing. I didn't think that I was the only dead weight on the Fang tribe.

Q: How hungry and tired were you during your six days in the game?
Gillian: I hate to say it but I really wasn't hungry. It wasn't that bad. I also wasn't that tired. I'm used to not having much sleep. I was in my element. I was really thirsty but otherwise I felt great. I was totally enjoying it. Oh, and I lost 12 pounds, which was also great.

Q: Any regrets?
Gillian: My biggest regret was picking Crystal to join the Fang tribe. That was my doom. And the other regret is I'm really sorry that I didn't out her in the game. It could have really changed things for me if I let people know she was an Olympic runner, but I just couldn't do it. I just couldn't screw her game, I guess.