The runner-up also explains how she got so good at fire.
Heidi made a strong push during the endgame, winning the final immunity challenge.
She then gave up that immunity and put herself into the final four fire-making competition against Carson Garrett.
Heidi Lagares-Greenblatt on ‘Survivor 44’.CBS
But it wasn’t enough.
Why does Heidi think the jury didn’t give her the win?
Which jury votes surprised her?
Heidi Lagares-Greenblatt on ‘Survivor 44’.CBS
We spoke to Heidi the morning after the finale to get her take on everything that went down.
it’s possible for you to watch the entire interview above or read it below.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: You won the final challenge.
Heidi Lagares-Greenblatt on ‘Survivor 44’.CBS
You gave up your immunity.
You set aSurvivorrecord in fire-making.
So why didn’t the jury give you the million dollars?
Carolyn Wiger, Lauren Harpe, Yam Yam Arocho, Heidi Lagares-Greenblatt, and Carson Garrett on ‘Survivor 44’.CBS
HEIDI LAGARES-GREENBLATT:Great question.
I don’t know if I could answer that.
But no, I mean, Yam Yam is a fantastic winner.
I would never take that away from him.
He had a fantastic social game, and I really tried my best.
I did not want to go home because I was in it to win it.
And it actually worked for me.
There’s a reason why I got there.
But then you question: Could I have said anything better?
Could I have done more?
I have no regrets.
The jury, they are all my friends and I love them.
Was that something you worried about as you sat down to face the jury?
100% yes, of course.
Like, oh my God, it’s my second language the accent and all of that.
How are they going to perceive me?
It’s such a big moment.
I still stand by what I said in the jury and I hope it was entertaining for you all.
Because I loved everything they showed, so I’m proud of that.
Which votes at that final Tribal Council surprised you?
But I dealt with it the best way I could.
And so many people have disagreed with the decisions I made.
I love them all.
I never underestimated Yam Yam or Caroline ever because they were fantastic.
I wanted to win the previous one.
Well, actually you want to winallof them towards the end.
Oh, by the way, that was the hardest thing to do there.
It sounds so easy.
No, it was not.
So I was like, we’ll see what happens.
And I did, and I’m proud I did because that was big for me.
Maybe you’re right.
It’s interesting because Jeff is saying, “You’re guaranteed the top three.”
But there’s a little something there between him and I that is hard to explain.
Maybe I was a little biased because of the Puerto Rican part.
But Carson at the time I thought had the strongest game.
How did you get so good at fire anyway?
I’m so obsessed.
Ever since, I have never let someone make fire without a flint.
So it just became an obsession.
I was comfortable to make fire.
I didn’t make 3D puzzles, but I made fire all the time.
So it worked out for me.
What was your reaction when Jeff told you it was aSurvivorrecord and the fastest in history?
I couldn’t believe it.
I was so in the zone with what I was doing at the moment.
I didn’t look at the jury jumping.
I had no idea they did that.
And when he was like, “This is the fastest one,” it blew my mind.
What was Danny’s reaction when he finally found out you had put that vote on him?
It was a bit of a hint to everyone else.
It was very intentional.
I just had to lie.
He didn’t believe it until I talked to him about it.
He knew I was making my own decisions, so I think he understands why I did it.
That was the hardest, I’m not going to lie.
That was the hardest thing.
Because that was seriously…
I didn’t show it, but my head was like [drops heads down].
I tried everything I could, and I was exhausted at the time.
It’s hard to kind of go back to reunion mode.
That was very, very hard.
There’s so much that happened that didn’t get shown.
That was a moment that we can actually be such good friends now after the game.
By the way, she never was playing the game with me.
We were on different sides.
She voted for me multiple times.
So those little moments are what connect us on a personal level.
It’s just the silliest things, those fun memories.
Just watching the sunsets together.
Those little moments that go beyond the game.
Those are the things I take with me because the friendships are built with those moments.
That’s why we have the friendships we have now outside the game.
