“I’m not gonna lie, I’m kind of excited about Tribal Council.
““I feel like I’m calling the shots right now.
““Tonight, it’s gonna be pretty easy.”
Geo Bustamante on ‘Survivor 43’.Robert Voets/CBS
It was a topsy-turvy ride for Geo.
But as we learned when we spoke to the 36-year-old project manager, appearances can be deceiving.
We got the full scoop on what really went down out on the island.
Geo Bustamante on ‘Survivor 43’.Robert Voets/CBS
it’s possible for you to either watch the interview above or read it below.
(Also ensure toread our episode recapand check out anexclusive deleted scene.)
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Okay, Geo.
The Coco tribe on ‘Survivor 43’.Robert Voets/CBS
Where did it all go wrong?
GEO BUSTAMANTE: I think that everything went wrong from the very beginning, to be honest.
I loved every second of me being onSurvivor, so let me just start by saying that.
Ryan Medrano and Geo Bustamante on ‘Survivor 43’.Robert Voets/CBS
So I was like, “Well, I guess you’ve got the option to’t run.
I can run, so I’ll jump in there and do it.”
And everything just went down after that because I wasn’t strong enough to pick up the crate.
I remember right before we started the challenge, Jeff said, “Those crates are really heavy.”
So I looked at James and Ryan and I was like, they’re the strongest people.
And James looked at me again and went, “My knee hurts, bro.”
So I feel like that was the beginning for me.
And onSurvivor, you don’t need many excuses to be taken out.
Perception is reality, I’m gonna just say that right now.
So much more happened.
I was doing so much.
I climbed every single tree looking for an idol, because I was scared.
He shouldn’t be here.
He’s freaking out.”
I didn’t wanna look paranoid.
That’s what makesSurvivora really good show.
Tell me about some of the things thatdidhappen that you wish we had seen.
I did a lot around camp, because I was always in the bottom.
Even though we were winning challenges, I knew I was in the bottom from day one.
I challenged myself to do so many things that I’ve never done before.
Prior toSurvivor, I’ve never gone camping or anything like that.
But onSurvivor, I learned to push myself to the limit.
I learned to go climb trees and look for idols, look for food, be a provider.
And all of us were pretty happy.
And that made me feel happy.
So little things like that happened as well.
And I’m like, “I didn’t get a chance to eat!”
At that moment I was kind of upset.
I was a little frustrated.
I was like, “Wait, I’ve been doing all of this.
People didn’t get to see that part.
So that’s one thing.
Watching me back on TV, I was like, I didn’t even like that Geo.
I was like, how did this happen?
How did I become so mean?
Well, you, you mentioned Cassidy, and clearly, we saw your intent on getting her out.
Why did you want her to go so badly?
Everything started with that casaba situation.
We were actually getting along pretty well before that.
I know she was trying to work with me.
But after that incident, things didn’t really feel right.
I’m like, “You’re not part of our alliance.”
I knew she was working with somebody else.
Same thing with Karla.
She was telling Cassidy everything.
And then it became a situation now where Cassidy’s like “I heard you were talking about me.
I’m not gonna tell you who told me, but somebody told me.”
And I’m like, really?
[Laughs] Like, I know who told you.
[Laughs]
Well, that begs the question then.
We saw you tell Karla about the Knowledge Is Power advantage.
Why did you tell her about that knowing that maybe she wasn’t trustworthy with information?
Even after I found out that I couldn’t trust Karla, I really wanted to work with Karla.
I mean, I didn’t have that many options.
It was just Ryan and I.
So I really wanted to work with Karla and I had even called her out.
I think it could be you, me, and Ryan all the way to the end.
We can protect each other.”
I have the Knowledge Is Power.
Maybe we can work together.
We can protect each other.
And when the merge comes, we can fight the other people that are working against us.”
Do you still have the Knowledge Is Power parchment?
They take that away from you.
[Laughs]I wanted to keep it in a frame.
I was so happy.
You don’t understand.
I probably climbed every single tree I walked past.
And I was like, “You know what?
I was “No, I flipped every stone.”
I even opened coconuts thinking maybe the idol is inside a coconut.
[Laughs]
Did you know that Ryan threw the challenge?
Did he ever tell you he was going to do that or that he had done that?
We didn’t really talk about it that much.
It was just an idea that he had.
And then I didn’t even know he threw the challenge.
But honestly, I didn’t know.
No, it’s actually been 17 years since my parents have spoken to me.
And I haven’t heard from them.
I don’t know if I will either.
But hey, you know what?
What was it like being able to share that story?
For me, it was really hard actually.
Cause I didn’t wanna say anything negative about my family either.
There’s no way to go around that.
I don’t wanna trash them.”
I still love them.
It’s been 17 years, but I still love them.
At the same time, I know this is my story.
If I could inspire someone, then to me it would be all worth it.
I just wanted to send them that message.
