RHAP: We Know Survivor - Exit Interview: Seventh Elimination on Survivor 49

Episode Date: October 30, 2025

Today, Rob speaks with the seventh castaway voted out of Survivor 49.

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Yep, it's the most powerful iPhone ever, plus more peace of mind with your bill over five years. This is big. Get the new iPhone 17 Pro at TELUS.com slash iPhone 17 Pro on select plans. Conditions and exclusions apply. Hey, everybody. What's going on? Rob Sesternino, back with you for our Survivor exit interview after episode six of Survivor 49. And today we're going to be talking to the spiritual guru of Survivor 49. We're going to talk with Shannon here in just a couple of moments. And so looking forward to that one, then we'll play this week in Survivor history with Jordan Caleb. I thought we had a great know-it-alls this week.

Be sure to check that out from Wednesday night. And then today, I have the distinct pleasure to talk to a woman who is spiritual herself. Marianne Okic, winner of Survivor 42, will be my guest. I've got Danielle D. Lorenzo coming up on the old school interview. And, of course, the patron Q&A. So don't miss it all right here on RHAP. I see that we have Shannon on the line. Let's go ahead and bring her in.

Hey, Shannon, what's going on? Rob Cisternino. and I am very excited to talk to you because I feel like that you had a very unique experience, okay? So here you are. I'm sure you're feeling like very safe, very comfortable. It's so warm and all of a sudden, unexpectedly, you're out. And it's like, what is this? Tell me, what do you remember about being in the womb?

it was very similar to being at tribal honestly it was great right are you probably you know cried less I think last night at the tribal council so I have to commend you for the way that you took it thank you yeah no I appreciate that and just a great job kind of illustrating where I was at and how it felt because that was that was very accurate I felt very comfortable and and confident in the relationships I had made so far. And to get to get blindsided, like, I was, I was shook. Like, I was so, so, so surprised. And I was joking because there was almost two parts of me in this moment where there's

like the fan watching it. That's like, this is epic, you know, because not everyone gets a blindside, Rob. Not everyone gets that. Not everybody, yeah. Yeah, and it's an experience, all right? Believe me. I get it. It's a human.

But, John, I do, I want to get your perspective on all of this, because I feel like that a lot of your story on the show that we saw was really from the point of you of sage and from the point of view of some of the other players. So I would love to hear from you how you were feeling about how you might have been characterized by the show. So how I felt I might be edited. No, no, not how you might. When you watch the episode back, how did you feel like your story was told?

Yeah. So I definitely feel like I relate. It was told through the lens of other people, right? Because these other people had such interesting perspectives on me with the seal or the shark or the performative, right? Like those are really strong words to put on to somebody. And then you kind of have me like guiding meditations and talking about how much I love everybody, right? And so watching it back, I wasn't really surprised because I've talked so. extensively with people like Sage and with Stephen. So I had a feeling of what was to come. It's definitely interesting to see just what the game can do to people and how the paranoia and the fear can create this lens of how they perceive you because it's a game where, you know, everything is strategy and everything can be seen as as strategic. And I think it was Rachel from 47 who was talking about like it doesn't matter what's going on the game like it's game and so I had a lot of compassion and understanding for how how I behaved how I talked to people how I acted how I played what I talked about could be turned into this lens of strategic and

fake and in performative because we're living in this game where everyone's seeing through the lens a paranoia. And, you know, I've talked to Sage and Stephen extensively since. And they've just affirmed for me, like that I'm very consistent with who I was before the game, in the game, out of the game. And so I see how, how that perspective was formed from them. And I just think it's part of the game. Well, I would just love to know from your perspective, you know, it's such a double-edged sword where that there are players who are out there in the game and they're saying, look how good Shannon is at the game. Look at how she tailors her approach differently

to every single person that she talks to. And we would say that that is actually like a really great way to play Survivor. But there's also that, well, maybe that's, that you're misconstrueing what I'm doing. I'm just being genuinely authentic. Do you feel like that you were mischaracterized as somebody who was really gaming hard?

Oh, I was, I'll own that. I was gaming hard too. You know, I've been talking about how there's two parts of my game. And it was, it's funny how it was kind of categorized as is this sincere or is this strategy where being sincere was kind of my strategy. One, because I felt like that would help me in the game and give me opportunities to have really genuine relationships with people that could also serve in the game. But two, it was also just the most fun way to play the game as well, like actually caring about people. and like getting to know about Christina's Irish twins or her mom or Alex's relationship with his sister or Rizzo's relationship with his brother or Savannah's relationship with her mom or, you know, MC and Christina's faith or Sage in Savannah. I picked it more about the universe, right? So one, it was sincere because that's who I am and anyone who knows me. And the players who know me now, they know that's who I am. If you look at my content, it's who I am.

God's my favorite topic. I like to talk about deep stuff. So it was a great way to spend my time in the game, but it was also strategic because, you know, like, I'm also from Boston. I didn't come to Fiji to float around to get dragged to the end. I came to play. I came to give a mile. I came to control the game when I could, if I could. And in the situations I was put in, I felt like they're not going to, they're not going to just think they can drag me to the end. Like, it was clear that I was doing decent physically in the competitions. I think it was, you could kind of read that I did have alliance members back on Ouli. So I felt like I was in some dire situations and I felt like I can take this, I can take control of this and offer the best possible thing that I can offer.

And if it works, great. If it doesn't, that's okay too. But I knew I was going to give it my all. Yeah, you really seem like you had a lot going on. And it feels like, that even in your new tribe, a lot of people were really, you know, picking up what you were putting down. But it was really Sage, who was that consistent person who was with you across all three of the tribes. And when you watched it back and you saw her reaction to her and obviously seeing the faces that she's making when you turn around, what was that like for you then watching that part of it back? And was that hurtful? Yeah, it was hurtful.

It's hurtful, one, I think it's hurtful to have anyone talk negatively about you on, ever, national television behind your back, right? It doesn't, to a friend in the bathroom, it hurts. But I think specifically because of the love I had for Sage in the game and out of the game, like the friendship I have with Sage right now is very real. I think that added a level of pain to it. Um, but again, her and I have talked so much that I have so much perspective on why she was acting the way that she was. Um, but that doesn't mean watching it wasn't difficult because, because it is. Yeah, but there's been healing with between you and Sage.

Yeah, you know, Sage came back from the game and called me like the next day. You know, so I really appreciated that. And something Sage and I connected on so instantly was just, um, it's almost like, like a certain emotional maturity or certain emotional appreciation for the psychological emotional perspective triggers healing like me and her can just really have very interesting conversations about emotions without either of us getting defensive or triggered in the situation where it's more about like let me understand how you felt um so me and her had a lot of great conversations and she told me that you know me and her were very close

very early. And then she did catch on that I was closer with Savannah and Rizzo. And she did tell me that, you know, she did take that a little personally. And I know that that has been hard for her processing it, but I don't want to speak on her experience. Let me get a couple other things that I want to find out from you. So you and I have a mutual friend in Boston Rob Mariano. And I know he gave you advice before. He needs a great resource to talk to about all of these things. Do you feel like looking back, was there anything that he said that you felt like had an aha moment of like, ah, you know what, that he was right about that? You know, I think that from my perspective, I felt like me and Sage were keeping distance from each

other strategically after that first tribe swap because we did have a conversation of like, let's say what we need to say to get through this. But now looking back on it, just seeing how there was distance i i obviously not recognize that that was more personal um and there were more strategic aspects of the the distance that we were taking that were against me rather than for me where for my perspective i thought we're taking space because we don't want people to think we're close um the distance definitely kind of speaks to uh how she really felt about me and rob talks about that like pay attention to where people sleep who they stand next to at the competitions right like that that speaks volumes okay so you wanted to vote for joan instead of

stephen that do you feel like that had you stuck with i want to vote out stephen that maybe you might have got through that tribal council um i don't know sage really seemed like she didn't want me to stick around so knows um me and joan were really really close me and him actually created an alliance on day one called salt and pepper he approached me with that who was who i was salt clearly this this pasty skin is very selfisher and so he um but i just felt like he broke my trust earlier in the game um so i felt like i could not trust him so and the reason why i can go into why i felt like he was a better person to vote out i also totally don't have to um But shoulda-kudaw-a-woodas are irrelevant.

You know, it's kind of like a loop of a simulation you can't play out. It seemed to me like Sage knew who she wanted out. And I think she was sticking with that. Yeah. Okay. You said previously that horses can get high off of hay. Jesus got high off of God. Can you tell us, Shannon, can the survivor fans get high off of survival?

and if so, how? Yeah, they do. They do. To get high off of something is like, where do you get your, like, your energy from? Like, what excites you? What are you passionate about, right? Where like a horse, the hay represents like life force energy. And the life force energy we consume, it comes from so much more than just food and water.

And I'm going, you ask me a hippie question. I'm going to answer it hippie. I appreciate it. Yeah. And so what we consume is also the media, the things we talk about. You can talk about God or you can gossip about people. You can eat healthy food or you can eat junk food and what you focus on and what you consume on all levels, music, TV, whatever. It affects you on an internal level as well. So that's what I was getting at with that point. Obviously it was cut out from there. But Survivor fans can and do get high off of Survivor. you know it's like a blind sign oh like then you're talking about it yeah hey look and i'll say that last night's episode was the highest i've been in survivor 49 because i think that we got we got listen it didn't go great for you but it was an exciting episode for sure so shannon thank you so much for coming on and talking with me i definitely got from you your power in the game that i really

felt like that I think that people were certainly threatened by your presence. And I think that Jeff has done a really good job of talking about you and what you bring to the table. And I think that you were a very interesting person to watch on the show. And I appreciate you coming here and talking with me about all this. Thank you so much for talking with me. I really appreciate it. And your show is great. So congratulations on all of your success as well. Okay. Thank you so much. All the best outside the show. Thank you. All right, everybody. There you have it. There is Shannon and I do appreciate Shannon coming on and talking with me. I know it's probably tough that I think Shannon probably was dunked on a bit during this run of the last couple

episodes. So I appreciate her. It's probably not the easiest thing to go out there and answering all these questions. So I always appreciate when somebody comes and sits down and talks to me about all this stuff. All right. Thank you so much, Shannon. And we are going to come right back with a very exciting episode of this week in Survivor History right after this. All right, let's get, now let's have some fun. Okay, let's get into this week in Survivor history. And here's the man who puts it all together.

Here he is. J.K. Jordan K.lish. Yes, and you're not J.K.ing about that. I am here, and I am spectacular. How you doing? Okay. Yeah, doing all right. Getting ready for another fun week. I see that we have a great guest here with us today. And let's welcome in. Anastasia. Anastasia, how are you? Good. How are you, Rob? How are you, Jordan? Doing great. Yeah, Jordo is great. I'm great. We're ready to go. I'm three and two on the season. And so hoping to, you know, pad my cushion a little bit. No disrespect. I'm trying to get rid of my nerves so that I can remember things.

Well, that's the one thing that is in my favor, that you're nervous, but I happen to know you are a very studious survivor trivia player. Yes. Okay. What's your area of expertise? Do you want to tell us anything about your Survivor fandom? Right now, I'm going to take something from the grades of Survivor, and I'm just going to say all of it.

All of it. Wow. Okay. Anything you want to tell us about yourself for the listeners who maybe don't see you on the patron Q&A? Not really. I mean, I make coloring books over on Amazon. I love doing craft. What kind of coloring books? Right now I'm doing like fall ones like Halloween and that kind of stuff. I also make pens and homemade things over on Makari. George, you have any interest in a coloring book for fall? Well, I do teach in an elementary school, so I could always pass the information along to some of the teachers in my school. They're always looking for activities for the kids to do.

I'm personally, I'm not like a coloring book guy, but I used to be growing up. Maybe Anastasia, can you do like a Yankee coloring book? But the Yankees not very colorful. That's the problem. Just paint the pinstripes. I mean, I could. I could try to. I can do a baseball theme.

yeah the green grass that would be something right in the different studio i mean you have what i'm not very good on sports but you know you have the red socks and the yankees oh yeah when they play the red socks that's they're colorful that's colors yeah okay all right let's get into jordan paint the colors what's on your palette of seasons that we're going to talk about today all right so i have survivor borneo going all the way back we have palau we have cook islands 41 46 and then we have the post all stars mystery box any season from after survivor all stars i'm sorry could you so borneo palau and then i miss fourio palau cook islands okay 41 46 46 post all stars mystery box mystery box okay all right anesthesia seems like she has

her eyes on the post all stars mystery box to start um um um Can I actually go 46? Okay. Yes. Survivor 46. That seems like a good place to start, the most recent question on the quiz. Due to the random draw at Mergatory, who did not compete in the challenge, but correctly bet on the winning group and was therefore safe from the vote? Oh, gosh.

Um, trying a picture in my head. Liz? It was not Liz. So Rob can steal a point here. Okay. They did not get drawn in Mergatory, but they had to bet on the right team. Yes. And they were correct.

I'm trying to remember who it was. So I'm just going to think it through now that Anastasia has already guessed. And so it was one where it was like all of like the guy, the big guys were on one side. And then it was like Charlie and all of the women. And so it was like a very easy one to pick, to bet. I, but I don't remember this distinctly of who it was. I'm going to say, I think it was Tiffany. So Tiffany, who has been announced as a cast member for season 50, was safe because

she bet on the right team. So Rob, you start with one point on the steel and you also get to choose it. next category. Okay. That was a hard question. That was tough. Okay. I'm going to go with Borneo. All right. Survivor Borneo. At the last pre-merged tribal, Joel went home by a vote of four to two. Who was the only player to not cast a vote for Joel other than Joel

himself? Um, I believe it was also, uh, Jervis. Jervis They made a lot of mooing Some cow noises In the voting booth on that one Yes, Jervis is the correct answer He did not vote for Joel

So Jervis made the The cow common And compared some of the women on the tribe to cows Not very nice of Jervis No They're very smart Very intelligent cows Yeah, very yeah

So but but Joel actually got more of the blame for it And he was the one who was voted out That's the beauty of Jervis Anastasia He says the thing and then somebody else gets blamed for it. Yeah, no, that's true. He's too likable.

He was very likable, but he was also, like, towing the line of getting on some people's nerves. I once beat him at ping pong, and he was not happy. At us, no-it-all's Philly a long time ago. Yeah, competitive. Yes. And Jenna Lewis. All right. Atastasia, it's time to get back in the game here.

Let's get into. All right, Anastasia, your next pick. I'm going to go Cook Islands. All right. Survivor Cook Islands won. In the only instance in which the kidnapping twist would be used this season, who was kidnapped by the I2 tribe and therefore missed the very memorable tribal in which Christina Coria was voted out. Was it?

Oh, see, I don't know if I want to go with my gut. You could always go multiple choice if you want the options for one point. Okay, I'm going to go multiple choice. All right. A, Adam Gentry, B, Parvety, C, Penner, D, Nate Gonzalez. I want to go Parvety. It was not Parvety. So, Rob, you can steal.

I don't know the answer to this question, but the name that, the first name that popped up in my head was Nate. So it's a season with a Nate in Survivor 49. I'll say, how about let's go back exactly 26 seasons to, as every 13 seasons there's a Nate? Is that the rule? Well, on this season, you have Nate more. On Cook Islands, you had more Nate, but it was really less Nate at that tribal council.

Nate Gonzalez, correct answer. Rob, you get a point and you are right now perfect. You have four points. Rob, potentially going for the perfect game. And it stays, you got to break this up. You got to lay down a bunt here because we don't want to skip the verbal rebus. Yes. Okay.

Well, now I'm nervous. Now I'm nervous. Now I have the jitters. because I am so close to not having to do the verbal revis today. Halfway there. Halfway home. I can see like a Brian Cohen or an MJC type listening to this and complaining that I am now giving you the jinx, the announcer jinx.

But let's see if we're there. I said it in the game. I need anything on my side right now. Yes. All right. Okay. Rob, you get to choose the category. This is big here.

Episode six. Give me 41. All right. Survivor 41. Before going to Exile Island and famously smashing the hourglass, Erica drew the odd-colored rock, which put her in this position in the first place. Another player also drew an odd-colored rock,

but was chosen by one of the challenge groups to join them, therefore avoiding the trip to exile. Who was this player? It was Nassir. This is Nassir. And you get two more points. Rob, a six-zero lead. It would be happening.

Anastasia, this is very important. Okay. What do I have left? Okay, you have Palau, and you have the post All-Stars Mystery Box. I'll take the Post All-Stars Mystery Box. Going for the mystery box. Okay. This is a long question. While many seasons have had one swap, very few have had two. In three of these double-swap seasons, there has been exactly one round between the second swap and the merge. The first occurrence of this in Survivor history was All-Stars, when Jerry was famously

sacrificed to keep Amber in the game. What are the only other two seasons in Survivor history in which there was only one round between the second swap and the merch? Can I have the multiple choice? Yes. Was it A, Cambodia and Gabon? B, Cambodia and Ghost Island. C, game changers in Gabon. D. Game changers and Ghost Island. And there has to be exactly one round between the second swap of the season and the merch. I'm going to go um game changers and ghost island game changers and ghost island is incorrect so rob you can steal here to put yourself in prime position for the perfect game okay um can i get the choices one more time yes is it a cambodia and gabone b cambodia and ghost island c game changers

in Gabon, D, Game Changers in Ghost Island. Okay, I know Cambodia is one of them. So could I just hear those choices? Could you just give me the choices that have Cambodia in them? The ones with Cambodia. It's A, Cambodia and Gabon, B, Cambodia and Ghost Islands. Okay. I don't, so I don't believe that Ghost Island did that.

I originally wrote down Cambodia and Gabon and I'm going to to stick with that. Cambodia and Gabon. So Cambodia and Gabon in Cambodia, you were correct that there was only one Wu was the player who was voted out. Yes. In Gabon, Marcus was voted out, and

he was the only one. So Rob, you steal the point. It is 7.0. And all the pressure is on you. Anastasia could only sit and watch. I have to get this. I have to get this without. Oh my God. are you more excited

are you more excited about getting the perfect game or not having to do the verbal rebus not having to do the verbal rebus I had a feeling I had a feeling that's where what you were going to say yes so Rob we're going to Survivor pull out okay two players and remember you cannot go

if you want the the perfect game you cannot and these were hard questions Anastasia these are yeah I think Anastasia did get some of the my brain just went completely blank I don't know why all right I swear I know a lot about survivors. I believe you.

I believe you. These are, these are, again, designed to be very tough. All right. Two players on the Ulaung tribe were voted out at tribal councils in which the initial vote was tied.

But the tie was broken on the revote. Who are these two players? I could read the question again if you want me to. If I used the multiple choice. That's a no hitter. That's not a perfect game. But still no verb. Revis, right? No, we would go to the verbal

Revis. The perfect game is a 9-0 win. If you give up a walk here or if someone makes an error, it's not Kim. First, this is a very hard question. This did not, these two things did not both happen on this week in Survivor history. So first of all, I want to say that this is

a mystery box and this is not, this is not a question about episode of Survivor pullout. And I can tell you, and I can tell you the person, that this happened to in episode six of Survivor Palau, okay? And so I feel like first of all, the question is out of bounds.

Okay. If one of the things happened, it is, it is, I've done this before. Do you want me to read the question again? No. Do you want me to use it in a sentence? All right. I'm going to, I'm going to go for history. I can't, what am I going to do?

Punt here. No, you can't go, you cannot go for the multiple choice here. No. I'm going to say that it is redneck James. And I'm going to say Angie. Angie and Redneck James. So James is one of them. He is the one from this.

week in Survivor history. Of course. That's all I needed to know. That's that's the famous tie. The other one is less well known. There was a tie that was a two to two to one vote. You don't get a lot of ties on odd number votes, but it was. And a player was voted out on the tiebreaker. And that player was Angie. And the crowd goes crazy. Like, like, like, like, like everyone, oh, 50,000 fans on their feet. I'm I listen you did a great you did a great job but this is really my crowning achievement no I'm proud I'm proud to help you with this would you like Jordan to email you the verbal rebis didn't he wants to like I said I don't know my brain just went completely like I I promise

I know a lot about Survivor I know you do I don't think anyone doubts that I think that you You went up against a buzz saw today. I just don't want it to be like, oh, like I'm dunking on you. No, I'm thrilled. I just, I did that I've said for years. I've begged, please, no verbal rebus. And today I get, I get my sweet, delicious victory. See, I helped you.

So that makes it all worth it. Thank you. I also think that, Jordan, not to like, throw too much of a monkey wrench into things. and maybe this is a off-season discussion at the owner's meetings. I think the mystery box should be worth more than two points. I think the mystery box should be worth three points. And I don't know, maybe keep it one on the multiple choice. But I think there's, I think there's discussion to change the way that.

I think that could be like a three-pointer of like, nobody wants it. It always goes to the end. It's like, okay, hey, I'm trailing. Let me go for the new era mystery box. Let me go for the old era mystery box. I don't dislike the idea. I think that's something that we could work into the rules of the game. Now, in this situation, so it would still, even if there's just one mystery box, so only one player.

So I guess if a player wanted to grab it first, they could. Yeah, it's like, hey, I want it or I don't want the other person to how I'm playing defense. We, it's, I think it's up for discussion. I think it's a good idea. I'm going to open it and give me the multiple choices because I don't want the other person to get the three pointer. This is like when you, when you told Jeff Probes that the rock paper scissors game at his, his live show in New York. should have only been, but when, been one round. And was I wrong?

Was I wrong? No, you were absolutely right. You were definitely right. Yeah. And he agrees. Okay. But Rob, the perfect game. Anastasia, thank you for playing.

You, even though you did not get the outcome you were looking for, part of history here. Yes. Part of twist. Well, here's what I think you should do, Jordan. Put it on in the comments on Patreon for people who want to have it. Oh, yeah, yeah. Also, I'll still make it available.

Yes. Okay. Yeah. All right. Anastasia, what else do you want people to know? Um, I just, I love this season. I actually really am excited about 49.

I think it is... It's picking up. It is. And I think that even with the first half, I really enjoyed it, because I enjoyed watching Alex and Sophie. Mm-hmm. And they were moving with what they had.

Yeah. So... And where could people check out those coloring books? On Amazon under Anastasia Green, or if you want to check, me out on Macari. It's homemade for me. So. Okay. All right. Well, Anastasia, thank you, Jordan. Thank you that this was your finest hour. Yes. I think that any time that we don't get the Rebus in, I think some of the fans will be a little bit upset. But if anyone who wants the Rebus will get to do the Rebus,

especially if you're a Patreon. Yeah, read on Patreon. So I guess you have to be patron-only Rebus this week. So become a patron if you want to do the Revis. And Rob, I was in, you know, I was in a comedy show last night. I know you know about this. I was, I was in a comedy show. How was it? Yes. It was so much fun. Jared Laxter, who hosts Outlawf New York in, it's a comedy survivor show in New York City. Somehow invited me as a special guest. Usually it's someone who's played Survivor next week. Ethan Zahn is doing it. So I don't know how Dees got in the mix here, but I've been to the show before. It's a great show. I got to judge some improv. There's a lot of really funny comedian. So if you're in there,

New York area or if you want to check out the there's a live stream that they also record so you could you could watch it if you want it's uh it's a show at UCB and the instagram page is out laugh new york all one word all right thank you so much for joining us for this week's five for history take everybody have a good one bye the ways to optimize your strategy on all of our favorite reality TV games. But there's a guy that I listen to in real life who's the knowingest know it all when it comes to how to deal with your money and all sorts of other areas of your life. It's called all the hacks and it's hosted by the master optimizer, Chris Hutchins. This is a podcast I've actually listened to for a couple of

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