Erik Cardona, a 28-year-old bartender who recently started a production company in Los Angeles called Carson Brothers Creations, was the first post-merge cast-off on Survivor: Samoa despite being a member of the dominant Galu tribe. He spoke with PEOPLE about the unexpected turn of events and why he didn’t play that darn idol. –Carrie Bell
You have joined an elite club of players who find their tiki torches snuffed despite having an idol in their pocket.
You put me in that exclusive club with guys like Ozzie, James and Brendan and that’s a hell of a compliment. I’m proud, but it’s bittersweet because everyone would rather not be in that club in hindsight.
Why didn’t you play it? Was it truly a blindisde?
The whole thing was done in five minutes. It was an idea that caught fire and morphed into more than the truth. It was a knee-jerk panic reaction among my tribe and I was completely unaware of what is going on. I don’t even think they knew what exactly was going to go down and that’s the definition of a perfect blindside.
The gradual drop of your face as Jeff kept saying your name was priceless.
I assumed the other team might vote for me, but when it kept coming, I knew something was wrong. You immediately start trying to figure out what you missed or when you slipped. I was like, “What did I do wrong? Did I get too cocky?”
It was hard to believe your entire team took the bait.
That was the most frustrating part. This plan started with a Foa member. Are you kidding me? You’re listening to the enemy. It’s such piss-poor strategy. It would be like a Red Sox player going to the Yankees bench and saying, “I think you bunt,” and the Yankee doing it. That original tribal bond is so strong and we should have stuck to it. But stupidity is bred from arrogance and Laura got cocky.
Do you feel that anyone was swayed to pick you based on your sanctimonious speech at tribal?
I recognize that it cemented my fate with Foa Foa. But if they all voted for me and we still got one of their people out, it would prove my point more. I didn’t see that being something that would sway someone from my team. I was standing up for them and showing that I bled purple. At one point, I even took off my blue buff and showed my purple necklace. But they’d already made their bad decision.
Russell was successful snowing his own team. How’d Galu feel about him?
He smelled like snake from a mile away … He scrambled, he was desperate and he did little shady things all along like take on Brett in the pigpen instead of a guy his own size. I don’t know how his strategy worked so well on Foa Foa. It’s psychology 101 stuff. We knew we wanted him to go but getting Russell was a two-part plan. We completed phase one — flushing out his Idol. If only we’d stayed the course, he’d have been gone in two tribals. Then Jeff had the gall to lump us in the same sentence like I should appreciate his gameplay? No! He’s the Ty Cobb of Survivor.
Most people look worse after Survivor, but the weight loss and beard worked for you.
I lucked out. I had separation anxiety when I came back, so I protected my giant Samoan beard for two months. People told me that when I got burly and primal, it was a good look on me. So I guess I learned that when I get lazy and don’t shave, it enhances my appeal. Survivor wasn’t a total loss.
Monty Brinton/CBS
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