"Survivor 50" finalists discuss strategy, how they planned to win

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If you thought Aubry Bracco came retired of obscurity to triumph the historical "Survivor 50" rubric connected Wednesday night, you're not alone. That was precisely the point, she said.

"When you person 23 unthinkable players, you person to cognize erstwhile to enactment your ft connected the gas, erstwhile to dilatory down, and determination are a batch of times erstwhile I go, 'Oh, this is happening implicit here, fto the attraction spell there.' ... You stay successful the pouch and hold to onslaught erstwhile it is your moment," Bracco told "CBS Mornings" co-host Gayle King connected Thursday.

The New Hampshire native, who initially starred successful play 32, took location the grounds $2 cardinal prize connected Wednesday night's finale. Bracco made it to the last 3 successful "Survivor: Kaôh Rōng," but came up abbreviated successful the last vote.

"I'm ever having an out-of-body acquisition connected 'Survivor,'" Bracco told "CBS Mornings." "[Host] Jeff [Probst] tin attest, it has been 10 years and I came up conscionable short, and you ever sensation it erstwhile you get that close."

On Thursday's occurrence of "CBS Mornings," the 5 finalists and Probst, who has hosted each 50 seasons of the show, discussed in-depth their strategy of however to triumph the show, which featured contestants from erstwhile seasons, connected Thursday.

"It is yet a crippled of societal politics, and the large twist of 'Survivor' is you are getting escaped of radical that past successful the extremity you person to transportation to springiness you $2 million," Probst said. "That's a pugnacious happening do."

Tiffany Nicole Ervin, who orginially appeared connected play 46, said she thought she was voted retired due to the fact that she had "too galore friends" connected the jury, which made those inactive successful the crippled acrophobic she would gain their votes if she made the last three.

"I deliberation that's wherefore I was voted out, due to the fact that I was friends with everybody connected the jury," Ervin said. "I deliberation that's a portion of what makes you a threat."

While Bracco tried to enactment retired of everyone's minds, Jonathan Young wanted everyone to underestimate him.

"I thought astir 'Survivor' each time for 4 years," Young, who initially appeared connected play 42, said. "Because I played a game, I knew if you watched me, you didn't spot immoderate strategy. I was conscionable the large guy. So, if I deterioration the aforesaid clothes, if I enactment similar, past cipher would judge I had immoderate strategy — and astir radical didn't."

Ervin, a New Jersey native, said she looked astatine "Survivor" arsenic an "athletic competition" and had full assurance successful her strategy.

"I perfectly thought it was going to beryllium maine [who won]," Ervin said. "You don't play a crippled similar 'Survivor 50,' coming successful not reasoning you volition beryllium the winner."

On falling abbreviated again

Rizo Velovic had a precise antithetic acquisition than astir of the different contestants. He appeared connected play 49, and had lone 9 days in-between seasons, helium said.

"Falling abbreviated doubly evidently sucks, but to cognize that I'm a portion of past is thing that I deterioration arsenic a badge of honor," Velovic said.

Velovic, the New York autochthonal who crowned himself with the nickname RizGod, finished 4th successful the past play and repeated the decorativeness successful "Survivor 50."

Ervin, who finished eighth successful play 46, was 5th successful this year's all-star show. But she had nary regrets astir however she played the game.

"It is truthful hard to modulate your emotions erstwhile you are playing a crippled similar 'Survivor,'" Ervin said. "You are hungry, you are tired. You are giving your literal blood, sweat and tears into these challenges."

"I emotion this crippled truthful much. It is truthful hard not to get emotionally invested, and supra each other we are passionate," she added. "It is truthful hard not for that passionateness to ooze retired of my pores erstwhile thing is going connected oregon whether thing is going good."

Probst explains unrecorded TV mistake

Before chatting with the contestants, King asked Probst astir what happened erstwhile helium accidentally revealed Velovic had mislaid a situation during the unrecorded amusement earlier the taped conception had aired.

As Velovic stood adjacent to him connected stage, Probst commented that helium hadn't managed to airy a campfire successful the situation that would find the last 3 contestants.

"I don't cognize if there's thing successful determination to deliberation about," Probst said connected the finale. "Anyway, Rizo, you've go the last subordinate of our jury. Take a spot implicit here."

The full formed of the amusement instantly flagged Probst had messed up and the taped conception from the land hadn't aired yet.

On Thursday's "CBS Mornings" interview, the big explained wherefore the mistake happened.

"What is happening erstwhile you are doing a 'Survivor' finale is 2 things: You are moving the show, the episode, and past doing the unrecorded hits wherever I travel retired and speech to 1 of the players," helium said. "I'm not watching the show. I'm backstage getting acceptable for my comic question with Rizo astir if lone helium had practiced fire-making."

"So, I travel out. We are each acceptable up connected the stage. We person an bare spot for Rizo. I don't deliberation thing is weird. It wasn't until I started talking to Rizo astir losing successful occurrence that I'm telling —we had 1,200 radical determination — I could collectively consciousness the vigor spell to an emoji similar this," Probst said, mimicking the shocked-face emoji.

"What happened, I'm inactive not sure. We person a large team, mistakes happen. But we got up of ourselves," helium said.

Probst relayed that Rizo aboriginal told him helium was confused what was happening arsenic well. The big said Rizo told him, "I don't cognize wherefore helium is sending maine to the jury, I haven't mislaid yet."

"Live TV," Probst said.

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