The fifth-place finisher also reveals her lowest moment in the game, which may surprise you.
Lauren Harpe surprised some people with her performance onSurvivor 44.People like… herself!
But what if Laurenhadfound an idol and worked her way into the final three?
Lauren Harpe on ‘Survivor 44’.CBS
How would she have fared with the jury in the end?
Why did she vote the way she did?
And what can she tell us about the stuff we didn’t see on the island?
Lauren Harpe on ‘Survivor 44’.Robert Voets/CBS
Watch the entire interview above or read it below.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Let’s start with your vote for the winner.
Why did you give it to Yam Yam?
Lauren Harpe on ‘Survivor 44’.CBS
LAUREN HARPE:Man, you know what?
Yam Yam had the best social game.
He was so genuine.
I feel like he had the best social game of the three.
With Heidi, I didn’t have as great of a connection with her.
She was friends with Danny, and Danny was gunning for me the whole time.
[Laughs] We had some tension there.
Or I didn’t have as much of a relationship with her.
So that’s why I went with Yam Yam.
We heard from Carson on the show that you were a big threat if they kept you around.
So if you had made it into the final 3, how do you think you do?
The only person I really think that I would not have been able to beat was Carson.
I had a lot of friends on the jury.
I had Brandon, Kane, Jaime, and then I even formed a relationship with Danny.
We saw you searching for that idol on the new beach.
How long were you looking for that and how frustrating was it not finding it?
So there was a point where I was defeated.
I pulled my letters back out, I was reading them, I was crying, exhausted.
My eyes were puffy and I was like, “Man, I’m going to lose.”
And then there was a moment.
It was like a needle in the haystack.
It was like hanging off of a twig or a branch.
So that was very, very hard to find, but I was determined to go get it.
I tried, but unfortunately, we saw how it turned out.
[Laughs]
Survivoris filled with highs and lows.
I assume the high for you was winning those immunity challenges.
What was the lowest point of the game for you?
The lowest point of the game for me was after the family [letters].
Or maybe even right before.
I love them so much!
They’re pushing me forward!"
What are they doing?
Where are they at?"
For me, I tried to be, as you could see, very stoic and just very strong.
That distracted me in the game.
I’ve always wondered about that.
To have that reintroduced could be really jarring.
It shows some vulnerability and you could connect with people in that way, but it’s just hard.
You have to be able to balance that.
It’s been almost a year since you got back.
Has there been a change in your life in terms of that sinceSurvivor?
Yeah, most definitely.
Before going out there, I was just so independent.
I’m like, I can do everything!
I’m going to prove to everybody in this world and my ex-husband that I can do it!
But then I realized I need support.
I always speak to other people.
So I definitely have changed.
I have so many more friends.
What was it like when you got to Ponderosa after being voted out?
Okay, so I’m going to be honest with you.
I was pissed at Carson.
‘Cause I thought Carson and I were cool.
I really struggled with that, like,Why would Carson vote me out?
Why would he do this?
Am I going to vote for him when he gets to the end?So I struggled.
That’s the biggest thing that I struggled with, just like being like: Why?
So what was it like when he showed up right after you?
[Laughs] I was pissed, but I wanted answers.
And then I got to talk to him.
So it all made sense.
But I was very upset when he arrived.
I really just wish we would’ve seen more of my relationships that I had in general.
Like my relationship with Carson, where I feel like I played very closely with him.
So just seeing those relationships from my perspective.
Just seeing the game through their eyes and their perspective was phenomenal.
I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
