When you look at NaOnka Mixon nnd Kelly Shinn on "Survivor: Nicaragua," you are definitely looking at two contestants who were polar opposites in many ways. Despite being in the same alliance for most of the show prior to Brenda's exit, one (in NaOnka) was brash and agressive while the other (Kelly) was largely a ghost until her final episode.
Both contestants made the decision to quit Wednesday, and I had the opportunity to speak with each of them.
--
Matt: NaOnkia, you played an aggressive game from the get-go, making alliances, changing alliances, and doing things around camp. If you had made it to the end, do you think you could have convinced a jury to respect your gameplay and give you a million?
NaOnka: I definitely think that I could have won the game because I played so hard -- my argument would have been that I played this game harder than anyone I have watched play. I have never been able to watch a 'Survivor' episode and see somebody go off and steal and still stay in the game and not get a vote. Even though they had plenty of time to vote me off made me thing for sure that I could go to the final three, and if I go I could possibly win.
The next two are for both of you, and we'll star with Kelly -- did you think that Jenn was too hard on you guys at tribal council and do you think it was mostly for drama?
Kelly: I think that he probably didn't agree with the decision, and overall he's great for TV ... that's just kind of how he is. He was fully set, every day he went back to a hotel or whatever and had clean clothes and was warm and was dry. So I don't think he really understands ... I'm just going to say he's good for TV. (Laughs.)
NaOnka: I think that Jeff let us go nicer than I thought he would, because we were quite shocked that we were still going to be on the jury. That ended up being a bonus for us -- we knew that we wanted to go home, but the fact that we get to go to Ponderosa was amazing. The fact that our torches weren't broken -- they were just put to the side -- was amazing. I think he let us go pretty nice.
You guys were each on different sides of the editing -- one of you [NaOnka] was made into a 'villain,' and the other [Kelly] was barely there at all. So what would you guys say were the positives from the experience since we didn't see much of that?
Kelly: The experience in itself is something that I will keep with me. It was not often beautiful and great -- I spent some of my worst days in Nicaragua, but it helped me learn as a person and gain an appreciation for life in general and for my family.
Regardless of the outcome, I think it's fair to say this is the experience of a lifetime.
NaOnka: This was definitely a blessing for me because I never would've thought that I would have an opportunity to work towards a million dollars, let along play a game where there's only 19 people between me and a million dollars. I never thought I would get a passport to go anywhere like Nicaragua!
To say that I was a part of a television show and it was the first reality show in its 21st season -- it's amazing, and I don't regret anything and just the fact that I was chosen to do it [is amazing]. It's something I can take with me for the rest of my life, and I'm glad that this part of my life is documented for me forever.
"Survivor" news central -- more of the latest news
Want more TV news? Check me out on Facebook, Myspace, or Twitter. To receive email updates, be sure to subscribe. Also, check out my new commercial for Examiner at this link.
Comments