“Survivor became a huge strain on my marriage,” Elizabeth tells EW.
“Its taken years to work through that.”
Each weekday, EW will post the answers from a different player.
Elizabeth Olson on ‘Survivor: David vs. Goliath’.Robert Voets/CBS via Getty Images
There is no off switch.
I had a lot of problems with getting my professional ‘engine’ started.
“Emotionally, it was very hard,“Elaine told EW.
Elizabeth Olson on ‘Survivor: David vs. Goliath’.Robert Voets/CBS via Getty Images
I think that the toll thatSurvivortakes on you lasts long after the cameras stop rolling.”
“Being onSurvivorwas costly to my marriage.Survivorbecame a huge strain on my marriage.
I was obsessed in thought and time withSurvivorfor months on end after getting back.
I dreamed about it.
I talked about it constantly.
I thought about it almost constantly.
And lots of people recognized me.”
“My husband was incredibly supportive of my getting on the show,” she notes.
I failed in conveying that to my husband.
It’s taken years to work through that.”
I believe that God births in us desires.
I find myself yet again living out my dreams.
This idea began, rather foggily, when I was a spring chicken way in high school.
I love the earth.
I love the dirt.
I knew that somehow those passions could come together into something marvelous.
Many years later, I found myself on an island, stripped of everything comfortable.
It was just me.
I was very much aware of the earth in a way that I never had been before.
I became aware that we are completely depending on the earth.
Would the sea have shells, crabs, fish, seaweed today, or a freaking octopus?
What about the papaya tree?
It felt so right.
I know, it’s crazy!
However, relying solely on what the earth gave was magical.
It wasn’t a grocery store.
Or my cupboard or fridge.
And it felt right.
Fast forward to 2020.
The timing was right to cement the foggy ideas.
I created a business plan to launch a community garden.
It was very ambitious, and I needed support and partners.
The proposal was unanimously agreed on.
So, I find myself directing a vegetable garden of nearly 40,000 square feet.
My mission is to provide fresh and healthy vegetables to whoever needs them.
Volunteers work together to accomplish all the tasks.
In caring for the dirt, it’s giving back food.
Once I saw a girl sprawled out in the dirtface down.
She told me the dirt was healing.
I couldn’t have said it better myself.
All three of my kids think that all moms go toSurvivor.
They also think thatJeff [Probst]is their best friend.
I’m still working on forgiving Kara for being so awesome!
So yeah, that was a long story about what’s happening now.
I couldn’t be more excited for where I’m at.
What is your proudest moment ever from playingSurvivor?
I never ever thought that I would be confident going into any Tribal Council.
It was a glorious and exhilarating feeling walking into Tribal that first time.
I somehow knew I could trust my people.
Jessica was going home.Lyrsa, my closest ally, was going to be saved.
I was a part of a majority alliance.
In fact, I orchestrated that vote and blindside.
Here I was, not just dreaming about playing the game.
I was freaking playing it.
And I had my hand in the right pots at the right time.
I was super enthusiastic, I had a genuine connection with Nick.
But I was very nervous.
I knew people would assume that we could be close, solely because of our Kentucky roots.
So I told Nick that we needed to never be seen alone together.
I promised if I heard his name, I would tell him.
Christian and I had a great connection out the gate as well.
I really wanted to play the game with someone that knew the game better than I did.
And that information comes in handy when your brain is fried.
Plus, Christian is just an amazing human being.
The thought of playing 38 days with him sounded fantastic.
I also had the most random connection imaginable.
I’m pretty sure production never assumed that Lyrsa and I would hit it off from moment one.
It was obvious to me that she was fiercely loyal.
And in those ways, we were cut from the same cloth.
I found my ride or die.
I told her we should each pick a final four buddy, giving us both equal buy in.
She was also a hard worker and I admired her a lot for that.
I had multiple one-on-one conversations with everyone.
Lyrsa made our friendship/alliance more obvious than I was comfortable with.
People were surprised that I was bringing her name up.
But I earned their trust.
I heard lots of talk about voting out Nick.
I heard lots of talk about voting out Lyrsa.
But I still didn’t really have numbers to do anything about saving Lyrsa.
That’s when the magic started happening.
After we got back from losing the challenge,Gabbywas freaking out.
She mistakenly thought she overheard Bi and Jessica saying that they wanted to vote her out.
Gabby was genuinely afraid.
Fear is arguably the most effective tool in persuading voters.
I jumped all over that fear.
In fact, I was belligerent.
I wouldn’t leave the shelter until Gabby came with me.
Gabby was just glad I had the numbers to get any vote together that wasn’t her.
Christian was very enthusiastic about voting Jessica out.
Lyrsa was clearly going to vote for Jessica.
I just needed my buddy Nick.
I didn’t want to be the one to talk to him.
I wanted Christian to pull Nick in on the vote.
Thank God there wasn’t enough time to scramble to another plan.
Walking into that first Tribal was surreal.
The set was mind blowing.
I could hardly believe that they built that thing for me to come into and draw first blood.
I was actually trying to hide how elated I was.
What is your biggest regret from yourSurvivorexperience?
After the Jessica blindside, I let Nick and Christian repair the bridges withDavieand Carl.
I didn’t actively work towards reconnecting or explaining my thinking to either of them.
Obviously, they took it personal, and never really trusted me again.
I voted out Jessica, whom he looked at as a daughter.
Secondly, I trustedAlecat the merge, or at least kinda trusted him.
I think I misread him.
I honestly had forgotten that I had mentioned his name to Kara on Vuku.
Probably because it was not an honest consideration.
I also had mentioned throwing a challenge to Carl and Davie.
We freaking had the numbers.
Just made sense to me.
But I wanted to vote out Kara.
(They didn’t want to throw the challenge or vote out Kara.)
I then said I’d obviously be willing to vote out Alec.
I’m sure that got back to Alec.
He thought I was lying about never mentioning voting him out.
I had honestly promised him final four.
I don’t think he took that seriously.
That confidence really bit me in the butt.
I was ridiculously surprised that the first of my explosive moments didn’t make it on the show.
And I’m eternally grateful that it didn’t make it on episode 3.
I started spear fishing.
And went until I was utterly exhausted, guessing around 15 minutes or more.
When I decided to head back to the raft, it was nowhere in sight.
I made it very clear to my tribemates that I could barely swim.
I immediately, and incorrectly, assumed that they purposely left me out there.
Clearly, I was not amused.
In fact, I was furious.
Unknowingly, the rope holding the anchor had been severed by the rocking motion against the coral.
They raft proceeded to float with the tide several hundred yards down the beach.
Everyone on the raft thought I was the one leaving them.
Because of my exhaustion and anger, I began panicking.
I actually ended up needing to be rescued by production in the open water.
They dragged me closer to shore and the raft.
I see Davie walking towards me with my shoes.
I begin screaming, yelling one profanity after the other.
I was furious that they left me to drown.
Apparently, Davie lost rock, paper, scissors and had to bring me my shoes.
Looking back, I think we all laugh about it.
We were all extremely surprised that it didn’t air, ‘cause it sure as heck was entertaining.
How do you feel about the edit you got on the show?
I think it was a very generous edit.
My true personality showed, America got to see the real me.
Couldn’t complain in the least.
What was it like coming back to regular society after being out there?
Was there culture shock or an adjustment coming back?
The shock began immediately.
Getting on the boat to head to Ponderosa they handed me a menu.
I was immediately upset.
I didn’t want to be eating.
I wanted to be starving.
I was expecting to make it 39 days.
In fact, it was the first time I lingered on thoughts of my family since flying out.
Adjusting to the thought of a dream crashing was difficult to surrender too.
It was a dream long in the works.
BeforeSurvivor,that belief consumed a portion of my daily thoughts and “purpose in life.”
Not during the game.
Not soon after the game.
But years later, I have entertained briefly that I regret it.
Being onSurvivorwas costly to my marriage.Survivorbecame a huge strain on my marriage.
I was obsessed in thought and time withSurvivorfor months on end after getting back.
I dreamed about it.
I talked about it constantly.
I thought about it almost constantly.
And lots of people recognized me.
My husband was incredibly supportive of my getting on the show.
I failed in conveying that to my husband.
It’s taken years to work through that.
Whom do you still talk, text, or email with the most from your season?
I had some fantastic conversations in the game.
I would always bring up controversial topics… yeah, I don’t recommend that to any future players.
I wanted to know and understand differences.
I wanted to appreciate everyone, and their views.
It was an incredible experience and radically changed my view of humanity.
We bonded over that genuineness on the island.
And it grew exponentially more on Ponderosa.
I also talk and text with Lyrsa.
Talk and text with Nick occasionally.
Text regularly with Davie.
Talk with Carl regularly… yeah, we don’t hate each other.
We are mature adults.
I also keep in touch with Alec and Kara.
I’ve texted almost everyone a couple times a year.
I really love people.
I’m a lifelong lover ofSurvivor.
I enjoy the psychology behind the game.
I love studying people.
I love the adventure of being stranded on an island.
This show is in my blood and touches every aspect of my life that I care about.
Survivor: Cambodia Second Chance(31) is my favorite season.
The gameplay was out of this world.
It transformed the game almost as much as Richard Hatch and Russell Hantz.
(BTW, the Vuku tribe watched that season during our evacuation from the cyclone.)
Who’s one player from anotherSurvivorseason you wish you could have played with or against and why?
I wanted to play with anybody that was crazy annoyinglikePhillip Sheppard, Dan Foley, or anyone similar.
I’ll take crazy, especially if they were predictable.
Free million dollars baby!
I remember in final casting I begged Jeff to find a new Phillip Sheppard for my season.
If you could make one change to any aspect ofSurvivor, what would it be and why?
Final four fire-making challenge.
Forces you to vote out the dynamic players sooner.
As a viewer, that sucks.
As a player, it exposes you.
Finally, would you play again if asked?
I would consider it heavily.
My kids are older, they need me more now than they did three years ago.
Plus, I am passionate about my farm.
Of course, there’s also the non-profit garden ministry that I am managing.
If the timing was right.
I’d jump on it.
Realistically I’m not expecting Jeff to call.
From a production perspective, I don’t think either of those criteria would be met.
I’ve got more game left in me though.
I think I’d bring more to the table round No.
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