RHAP: We Know Survivor - Noelle Lambert Talks Survivor 48 Ep 6

Episode Date: April 8, 2025

This week, Rob and Survivor 43's Noelle Lambert discuss Survivor 48 episode 6!

Okay, flights on Air Canada. How about Prague? Ooh, Paris. Those gardens. Gardens. Amsterdam. Tulip Festival. I see your festival and raise you a carnival in Venice. Or Bermuda has carnaval. Ooh, colorful. You want colorful. Thailand. Lantern Festival. Boom.

Book it. How did we get to Thailand from Prague? Oh, right. Prague. Oh, boy. Choose from a world of destinations, if you can. Air Canada, nice travels. Hey everybody, what's going on? Rob Cisternino back here to do some catch up here and talk a little bit more about Survivor 48

here at the merge with one of the stars from survivor 43 always up to some cool stuff it's noel Lambert noel how are you I'm good how are you so excited to be here today and to be on this incredible podcast talking to you talking to talking to the one of the og Rob's one of one of them one of not even me what just just one of the one of the many And what's nice about that, Noelle, is that there was a bunch of Robs all in a row, and then there hasn't been one in a really long time. But if there's a Rob on Survivor 49,

it's gonna be so annoying. Like you're lucky, you get to be the only Noelle. The only Noelle, I was just thinking of that. I didn't even realize. But watch, next season we're gonna have a Noelle. I mean, it happens. And they're gonna outplay me. It's all right.

Well, we'll see. But we are lucky to have you here to talk with us about everything that's going on from your beautiful training facility. Now we're going to your neck of the woods this week in Boston, but you're out on the West Coast. I know I'm heartbroken that I will not be at the Boston event this Wednesday for you guys, but yeah, I'm out here in California training.

I come here on and off. It's very cold on the East Coast, so training on a track outside is just not really that much fun. So that's why I come out here and I'm very grateful to have the beautiful facility here in Chula Vista, California. But yeah, I'm very bummed. I'm very bummed that I can't make it. Now, I know you're a Paralympian.

What competition do you compete in? I compete in the 100 meter and the long jump for the Paralympic track and field team. Yeah. And when is your next big competition? We have World Championships coming up at the end of September It's gonna be a very busy month for me because I'll be getting married on September 5th And then I'll be shipping all the way out to India to compete at World Championships. So oh my god Yeah, I'll be starting my honeymoon there. Yeah wedding first and then you have to go to India for the

Championships and how much time in between? go to India for the championships and how much time in between? I'm not exactly sure. I think I might have a week, week and a half. And then, you know, we do pre camps, um, either in a different country or in India. So I'm not going to have that much time. I mean, it's crazy because being in season, you're not supposed to, you're supposed to treat your body right. Not, like no alcohol, know any of that But I have to enjoy my wedding I mean, I can't not drink at my wedding

So I'm I've been giving a one night pass and it's crazy because all my coaches and teammates will be coming and they're just gonna Be doing the exact same thing. So I don't know if it's smart But I honestly didn't know when I was booking the wedding when what the dates were for World Championships I mean we just we just found that out. And I'm just grateful that it wasn't during world championships, because I probably would have had to postpone the wedding. Yeah.

Now, how did you meet your fiance? I met my fiance back in, it was like the beginning of COVID. I went and I spoke at my old high school and his two younger siblings were actually in the audience and His younger brother kind of set us up. He went home and he was like, hey listen There's this girl that just spoke at my school. She has one leg. She's really hot. Maybe you guys should connect and It was honestly it was love at first sight. No, but I mean we had so many

Mutual interests he played lacrosse in college. I played lacrosse in college. We grew up from the next town over. So yeah, it's been, it's been amazing. Um, ever since then. And I'm, I'm one of the luckiest girls in the world to have met him. Yeah. Now I know that Ryan from your season also just started competing in the, as a Paralympian. Is that correct? just started competing in the as a Paralympian. Is that correct? Yes, yes. It's crazy, because when I was out there on the island, obviously, I wasn't telling everybody my occupation. I wasn't telling anybody I'm a Paralympian, even though I probably should have, because people would have probably believed in me more and the athletic side of things.

But Ryan was telling me his story and telling me how he grew up with Shreve Bapalzi. And in the back of my head I'm thinking oh my god This guy is an insane athlete and there are classification groups in the Paralympics for people with cerebral palsy I mean you the different classification groups you can be Severely affected or you can see somebody like Ryan who you can't see that he has cerebral palsy, but it's it's in his body So I knew Ryan's future before he even got voted off that game. And I remember when I got voted off, I went to Ponderosa.

Ryan just got voted off right before me. And I told everybody that I was a Paralympian, and then I looked at Ryan and I'm like, Ryan, do you have any interest in competing in the Paralympic Games? He's like, what do you mean? I was like, you having cerebral palsy, there are athletes just like you with the same disability and you'll be able to compete if you want to.

And his face lit up and the next day he was out there at Ponderosa training with me. And I remember telling Jeff, I wanna, I think it was final travel council when we were sitting on the jury before everyone was walking in. I'm like, Jeff, you're gonna see this man in Paris and he's gonna bring home that medal.

And I mean, this guy goes to Paris, makes the Paris Paralympic team, and he comes home with two silver medals. And I'm looking at Ryan and I'm like, okay, you owe me one of those medals because, no, I'm just, I'm so grateful to have met him. I mean, playing the game of Survivor is honestly a life dream for so many people. But then to be able to meet him and to kind of have this experience

and this journey with him, I mean, it's so special because now I get to see him at every single major competition. We get to train together. I introduce him to our coach. So I'm always seeing Ryan. And it's just that connection that makes it so amazing. Noah, what events does Ryan compete in? Ryan competes in the 100 meter, the long jump and the 400 meter. So he does three events.

Three events. Yeah. Okay. This is a lot of overlap. Yeah. It's crazy. I mean, in getting to watch him, I mean, I was sitting in the stands when he won that first medal and just the excitement on his face. I mean, when was sitting in the stands when he won that first medal, and just the excitement on his face. I mean, when people go back and they watch season 43 and they watch someone like Ryan, and he just looks like he's such a joy to be around, that's honestly who he is.

And he, I mean, he didn't care about, like, all the blind sides and the backstabbing. He was just out there to have fun. And that's honestly... And Fish. And Fish, and Fish. Honestly, I was very mad when he got voted off because he was the one feeding us.

And I was just like, why would we vote him off? He's not even talking strategy. He doesn't care about the game. He just wants to go out and have an experience. Yeah. But yeah, that's just the same Ryan that you get in the Paralympic games. I mean, he is always showing up with a smile,

having fun, and just wanting to get better every single day. And it's honestly just such a motivation to have him around because sometimes everyone has bad days of practice. But then you look over at Ryan and he's dancing, he's smiling. And then you're like, all right, I have to have a good time too, obviously. Well, Noel, I'd love to get your take on where we're at here in Survivor 48.

Have you been enjoying this season? I have been enjoying the season very much. I think this is one of the best seasons in the new era so far. I mean it's crazy because you think this season can't top last season and every season they're just continuing to do it. But I am enjoying all the people out there. I mean I think casting did an incredible job and I think it's amazing. you know, obviously people like Eva, I mean, I can connect with Eva on a level of being so vulnerable, but also somebody like Mitch.

And it's crazy because last episode I was thinking, you know, they're coming together with this, you know, this big physical alliance. Why isn't Mitch in that alliance? You watch every challenge Mitch is in and he dominates every single one of them. And I'm just like, we haven't seen this since Jonathan. I swear to God, he is one of the best challenge beasts

that I have seen in a very long time on Survivor. And so I'm just, I'm enjoying it so much. I mean, everybody's great. The gameplay is awesome. And I think character developments have been amazing. Yeah, it's definitely a fun group. And we're headed this week into the situation And I think character developments have been amazing. Yeah, it's definitely a fun group. And we're headed this week into the situation

where it's the split tribal council. And Noelle, when I think back to your game on Survivor, is it fair to say that the high point in your game comes when we split up into two groups like we're going to do this week? Yeah, I think so. I think I mean when when I was in that situation Obviously, I had that steal of vote advantage that everybody knew about and I was like I need to do this in some sort of way I need to get rid of it And that was the start of my downfall because it's crazy in the game of Survivor now

You can't be making these big moves so early on in this type of game of Survivor. Back in the day, you could make all the big moves you want and nobody was going to vote somebody off who was a strategic player. Now people care more about that than they do with the physical challenges. I think this is going to be a very crucial episode and I'm very excited to see kind of that dynamic because obviously you have the physical alliance and then you have Mitch kind of on the bottom, you have Say kind of

on the bottom, you don't really know where Cedric lies at this point but I think it's, no never. I mean, but yeah that was the start of my downfall so that's why it's so scary because you have to be so careful when you start making these game moves. And I think obviously I'm going to give a shout out to Jesse for my season. That's why he was so great at the game, because he was making all these calculated moves, but not in a way that people that he was playing with at the time knew.

I didn't know the type of game Jesse was playing until I was voted off and I'm thinking back, oh my god, this guy has had a hand in every single move. So watching season 48, I'm thinking, you know, who's going to be making these big moves? Because I mean, I don't think there is one person right now that has made so many different moves. I mean, I think everybody is playing a pretty decent game so far. But I'm very excited. You know what I really want to see more of? I really want to see more of the Kyle and Camilla alliance and to see what they they've done, because that's a very underrated alliance right now.

And that's honestly one of my favorite duos in the show so far, because the things that they were able to pull off without anybody realizing that they're a duo is, is pretty crazy. So Noel, as the players approach this split tribal council, and I really feel like that when we go back to that, I really feel like that. And look, I love James Jones, but what you all did that day, like I feel like should be celebrated a little bit more because there was so much going on where,

let me see if I can remember how it all went. So that James and Owen weren't on the same page. So there was some friction and then you had the steal a vote, but James had knowledge is power, right? And then you didn't want James to use the knowledge is power and you told James like hey, I'm gonna steal Owen's vote and Then because I'm gonna steal Owens vote Don't use knowledge is power and then did did you steal? James's vote or you stole you stole Owens vote and then you used it to vote for James Yes, it was I mean I had a very good relationship with Owen right off the bat, but obviously

in that moment, you're very scared to put your trust in somebody else's game because I'm stealing Owen's vote and he can't vote. But the game plan going into it was, okay, the only people that we are going to tell is for me and Owen side. And it wasn't just me. Like Owen kind of had the same idea. We kind of went up to each other when we were talking strategy and he was like, well, maybe we can do it. And we said it at the same time.

And I was like, all right, perfect. Now that you're on board, let's bring Sammy in. So I'm telling Sammy this and I'm looking at Sammy and I'm saying, listen, do not tell Carla any of this. Because if Carla gets wind of this, she tells James, James uses his knowledge as power, and then he tries to use my steal a vote. So that's when I'm giving my steal a vote to Owen.

And I guess five minutes before travel council, Sammy goes up to Carla and tells her everything. Yeah, I forgot about that. Yeah, and then I'm, and then Sam becomes, all right, don't be mad at me, but I told Carla everything. And I'm like, but I understand. I mean, it's his game. I mean, he wanted to feel secure in an alliance with Carla.

He didn't want to backstab her. And then during tribal council, when Owen and James were going at it, I just was looking at Carla and Carla looked at me and she was like, all right, let's do James. And I wasn't even going to use it. I was gonna save it because I knew that we had the numbers, but then James is looking at me and this is what didn't make the cut

and it didn't make the screen time was James comes up to me and he stands right next to me and he was like, so we're gonna do this, right? We're gonna do this. I'm like, you know what, fine, I'm gonna going to do this. I'm like, you know what? Fine. I'm going to get rid of this. I'm like, all right, yeah, I'm taking on. And then it happened.

I mean, oh, and then James, of course, had one of the all-time reactions of just being so pissed off. I mean, it makes it a good blindside, but I mean, hey, I was gone in the next episode. And the crazy thing about me and James is we butted heads so much out there But then once I was you know away from the island and I actually got to know him I'm like, oh my god, this guy was actually serious about everything

He ever told me he was never lying and I should have just believed him But yeah crazy moment and I think that we're gonna get one of those big moments this week. I mean Cuz who has an advantage right now? I know Ava has an idol. Yes, and Mitch has, I believe, block a vote. Okay, so that could be interesting in a six and six. And because they're gonna do the split, and I saw that they're gonna do the crank challenge, the one that Gabler won. Oh yeah. And RCC's like, this next minute's for Idaho Idaho or this next minute's for Noel. So yeah, I mean, obviously you're going to see probably somebody who's very strong when

that challenge. But yeah, I'm excited. And it's just, it's, it's just going to bring and it's going to expose alliances, I think. I think that's the really, the really fun thing about splitting it and doing six and six is because you're really gonna see who Wants to work with who in that moment? I say in these situations where you end up in these Split groups or even in the small tribes like if you have the advantage here

I think you have to play it and you said you were thinking about not playing your advantage But you did do you agree with that you have to play your advantage if you have one. Absolutely. I mean, I forget what season was it where everyone went home with an advantage or an idol. Yeah, 46. 46, 46. Yeah. So if you feel in that moment, if you feel like, oh, should I do this?

Should I not just do it? I mean, honestly, yeah, it sucks if it kind of comes back to bite you and you burn it, but at the end of the day, you don't want to be sitting there either walking out of tribal council because you got voted off or walking out because you lost one of your allies because you decided not to use it. I think in that moment, you always have to play it,

especially if you're feeling vulnerable in that moment. I think it's crucial to somebody's game. You said that you think that Kyle and Camilla are the pair that you really have an eye on. And a thing that I've been really fascinated by is that, do you think that Kyle and Camilla will ever turn on one another? Is there like some sort of maybe like where, as you saw in your season, maybe one part of the partnership feels like, one another, is there like some sort of maybe like where, as you saw in your season, maybe

one part of the partnership feels like, okay, I can't beat the other person in the end? I don't know. I'm not seeing that this season. I'm not seeing people other than, you know, a player like say, who will literally just cut anybody's throat to get to the to the next tribal. But these duos that we're seeing on season 48, I don't think can be broken up. And I think they're ride or die. I mean, I think this season is all about loyalty up until this point.

And it's going to, the only thing I can see is if they both play a pretty similar game, but I don't see that happening. I see, you know, potentially Kyle coming out with, you know, more immunity necklaces if they're physical challenges. So he could use that to his benefit. And then Camilla can use, I mean, obviously she's going to dominate on any of the puzzle and strategic challenges.

So she could also get a physical challenge, but I think they could separate their games, which can be obviously very important in the final Tribal Council, but I think like a duo like Joe and Eva, absolutely not. Those two are not splitting up. I don't think they would ever turn on each other. And I mean, that just shows something kind of bigger than the game of Survivor, but they've already said it.

They've already said that they're never going to turn on each other. So, I mean, I would be shocked to see it. Something that I think is interesting is these duos that we have here. And you feel like, OK, that we won't see any of them split up. But so much of the story of the new era has been people that are partners who end up turning on each other. Do you feel like that something has changed in terms of that we've seen so many seasons in the new era that the players are now feeling differently about that?

I think something definitely has changed. I mean, the biggest thing when you get to the end of Survivor now and you're in the final Tribal Council is obviously you have to explain to the jury the type of game you played. And I think a lot of people are thinking that loyalty goes a lot further and kind of gives you a lot more points than cutting somebody right at the ankles. I mean, obviously Jesse did that

to every single person he played with, but I think Jesse still would have gotten in a unanimous vote at the final tribal council if he was there. Just because people did respect the way that he did play the game. But I think nowadays it's people, I mean, you have to, as the seasons go on for Survivor, you have to feel like the game has to change. And so I think, you know, for the new era, I think in the first early seasons, people were doing anything to get to the end. And now it's like, okay, well,

if somebody sees somebody doing that, they're a lot more scared to sit next to them at the end or want to bring them further because they're like, well, maybe they'll cut ties with me. So I think the loyalty is coming out more, as you see these last past couple seasons, solely based on the fact that people needed to figure out how to change their game to make it further in the end. I mean, you do have to rely on other people.

You can't be a lone soldier playing the game of Survivor. You have to rely on your alliances, but you also have to figure out when the correct time to cut an alliance, especially if you're playing the same game as that other person. And I mean, it's crazy to say this, but I think for my season, if Jesse didn't cut Cody, I still think, I mean, Cody played one of the best games, of course, I mean, I think he was definitely up there

with Jesse as one of the best players from our season. But I think Jesse still would have beaten him in the end just because he played a part in every single vote. And so did Cody, but I think strategically it was Jesse driving the votes. And Cody was more the physical player and more of like the, having a great time and was just playing Survivor just to have a wild experience. But I think nowadays it's, people are getting smarter. And that's why it's, it's, I would be terrified right now

to play the game of Survivor because everybody is so, everyone critiques everything. And that's why I was scared to do it because obviously going out there, I'm a fan of Survivor. I've seen every single season season but I'm not like the die-hard fan that knows everything about everything so going out there that's why I connected with Dwight and that's why I connected with Owen because those were the people that knew so much about the Survivor game and they could

help me in my game. When you said that you were afraid to do things because everybody critiques everything, were you concerned with the people out here, the people, whether it's like people who have a podcast or are on social media? Were you thinking about like what

people would say about certain moves? I mean, I wasn't I wasn't thinking too much about that. I think what I wasn't, I wasn't thinking too much about that. I think what I was thinking when I was out there playing is if somebody was playing too hard in the moment, it's, I wasn't trying to gun them. Honestly, I was just thinking about my game and I honestly played a very loyal game of survivor and I think that's just, that's why I didn't win because I put my trust into other people and that's why I didn't last further than making it to the final three.

And I was I was just thinking, you know, how is how is this Alliance going to help my game and how how am I going to get further? And if I'm looking at another Alliance, I remember I remember when I made it to the merge and I'm looking at Carla and Cassidy, their strong alliance that they had, I didn't want to work with them. And I didn't even want to pretend to work with them. And honestly, that could have, that was probably part of my downfalls, because I should have opened up my game to that. But when I looked at people who were like, like Owen and Dwight, who were diehard survivor fans, I didn't view that as a threat. I viewed that as, okay, well, that can help benefit my game because they're gonna help figure things out or see things that I'm not going to see

because they're analyzing every little detail. So that's why I was kind of working with those people as opposed to, okay, well, this person just won three immunity challenges, we need to get them out or something like that. So I was honestly just focused more on how is this alliance going to help further my game. But it's crazy because nowadays that doesn't work.

You have to be able to analyze and just see the different groups that's forming. And then I think it is a huge threat when somebody knows so much about the game of Survivor now, because that's what people care about. People don't care about these physical beasts anymore. And that's why I think you're seeing that on season 48, because people are sick of people not caring about the physical beasts and they wanna bring that back.

They wanna, people, you know, I relate so much to Eva because I was that person. I wanted to work with all the men. You know, I grew up with three older brothers and that's how I connected. And so what about Justine? Love Justine. I was heartbroken. Just he was my first alliance out there.

Yeah. But that's when she got voted off. I was like, that's it. I'm done. I'm working with women. That's honestly what it was, but it was honestly I and I think Eva's getting I mean, she's not gonna get ton of crap on the internet But a lot of people are saying she only wants to work with the men. It's

Eva's an athlete. Eva's an athlete and She's I mean, she's literally a part of a men's hockey team back at home So obviously it makes sense why she connects a lot better with men than she does with women It doesn't mean like she hates women and doesn't want to work with them It's because that's how it works for her in her everyday life So that's how she's trying to propel her game And so that's why I mean, it's I mean the I love the fans and everything but you have to stop analyzing It's I mean the I love the fans and everything but you have to stop analyzing And critiquing how people are playing the game because they're honestly playing I mean some some people are playing how they live their lives and

It's it's crazy. That's that's why I relate to Ava So much is because I was the same person out there just wanting to play with the physical guys And I remember Ryan coming up to me being like, we have to stick together. I'm like, honestly, yeah, I'm down because I knew Ryan wasn't the strategic guy, like figuring every single move out. And he was he was feeding me every night. So I loved it. This week, charity ended up going home.

Did you feel like you had a good read on Charity? No, I did not feel like I, you know, I think her edit, it was, you know, on one hand, you have Ava saying she's fake, she's this, but then on another hand, you have her being genuine in her confessionals. And so I just, I didn't get a read on her in her gameplay, but I think she was genuine. I don't think she was being fake in any way. But I honestly don't think that we got enough in her edit

to see the type of game she was playing. I knew that she had a great alliance with Mitch. And I knew from the, that was from the beginning because I remember them sitting on the beach and her saying like, absolutely absolutely I want to work with Mitch I want to I want to I want to get to the end with Mitch and so of course I'm gonna respect that but I don't think I got a great read on her and her gameplay I mean, what do you what do you think? I think that she was with the wrong tribe

I think that maybe if she started on one of the other groups She would have had a better chance to find her people. And I think that she just was like going uphill, basically the whole game, because she basically she says to Camilla at one point, like, hey, do you think that Kyle got an advantage? And then basically she's like persona non grata after that. And I wonder me if she was just like with a different starting tribe, maybe might have gone differently. Yeah. I mean, I was very shocked at how they put those tribes to begin with. I mean, the purple tribe were just filled with a bunch of challenge bees. And then, I mean, the orange tribe, I mean, I feel like Charity could have been switched

to the purple tribe and maybe Star or Eva maybe switching those two and maybe she could have had a better path and could have figured out her footing in the game. But yeah, I mean, I remember for my season, Ellie didn't get the best edit and like you couldn't read her very well. And I remember when our season was airing and I was shocked because that was not the impression that I got when I was playing with Ellie.

I thought she was the most genuine person, so nice, so charismatic. And then they just honestly made her look like she was a villain. And I mean, that's the beauty of editing. I mean, they have all this footage and they can make you one way or another. But I think, yeah, I mean, I really do wish

I could have seen a little bit more gameplay and kind of how she was thinking of how she was gonna get to the end, but it's crazy. I mean, they don't have two hour slots. Well, look, they have 30 minutes more than they had when you all played. But I'm so glad you brought up Ellie. And I would love to just hear a little bit more about this was just the merge episode.

And that was when she went out on your season. And she was my winner pick in Survivor 43. I wish we would see more of her on social media. And she was such a big personality. Can you just, were you at the merge feast when Gabler told everybody about that she went through his bag? I was at the merge feast for that. What was that like?

Honestly, I was protecting anybody from Vessi. That was my, that was my sole goal going into it. That was your starting tribe. Yes, that was my starting tribe. And that was, I think the only person that was vulnerable that night that wasn't safe was Cody. And then so I'm thinking anybody about Cody. And then when Gabler brought that up,

I mean, it's survivor. I mean, you can't expect anything less when you're playing it. And I think it's crazy now how people get so butt hurt. That's not really a great term. That people just really analyze the fact that you're searching their bag. Like you're playing the game of Survivor. You knew this was going to be cutthroat and you shouldn't get, I mean, I think I mean this time this season who was it? I think Kyle's back got sure It was it was Shaheen went through Kyle's bag in front of Camilla Yeah, I mean and I mean Kyle took it like a champ listen if that was me and someone's such a buyback

I'd be like what the hell but then afterwards I'd be like all right. I understand it They were trying to vote me off. But when Gabler was throwing Ellie's name out there, I'm thinking to myself, obviously I just don't want anybody but Cody. And it was at that moment, it was just, I didn't want to ruffle any feathers and I didn't wanna come in and say,

well, we can't vote Ellieff, we need to do this. So I was sitting back, I mean, I was just trying to make the actual merge. I mean, I know I had the merge buff and everything, but we as a tribe or a cast, we knew that the next person, even though they had a merge buff, there was a good chance that they were not making the jury.

So in that moment, I'm just like, just make the jury, just make the jury. Don't be coming in here with any big personalities. And I remember, I didn't even vote for Ellie. I voted for Cassidy. And the only reason why I was voting for Cassidy is because Cody knew that his name was kind of getting thrown around. I mean, it wasn't anything crazy. And I was like, well, do you want me to throw a vote on Cassidy so you don't have to burn your idol? And if somebody, if one person voted for you, that means it's tied. And he was like, yeah, do it.

I'm like, all right, I don't care. And so I knew it was Ellie going home. And yeah, I haven't talked to Ellie in a little bit, but I mean, she's doing amazing. I mean, she just had a beautiful baby. And she got married. Yeah, she got married after our season. And Ellie is the type of person

that if she made it far in the game, she would have been a hell of a player. I mean, she was, I mean, from what I heard from Janine, because her and Janine were so close. And I think another reason why I was scared to defend anyone was because when I had that very short alliance with Justine in the beginning of the game, we were pegged as the two girls. It's like, okay, we need to split them up. And that's one thing I told

myself going out there is don't get into bed with somebody and be right and look like the ride or die because that'll put a target on your back. So when I made it to the merge, I saw two pairs and they were two girls. I saw Ellie and Janine, I saw Cassidy and Carla and I was like, nope, I'm staying away from it. Obviously, like I love Janine and I was like, I want to work with Janine, of course. And then the next or next two episodes, Janine was going home and I actually had to vote Janine out because the tribal council before that, it was when Dwight going home and I actually had to vote Jeanine out because the tribal council before that, it was when Dwight went home and I voted for James. So I knew that

I needed to gain James' trust. And I, cause I thought at that point he was playing a part and kind of running things. I was obviously, I mean, he was up there in the group. So I was telling myself, okay, well I needed, I need to allow James to realize that I want to work with him and that I messed up. So I was going up to him and be like, next tribal council, you tell me a name. I promise you I will vote that name. And that was to gain the trust with James so that the next tribal council, when we split into a, into six that I could, I think it was five that I could vote James out because he wouldn't see it coming.

He thought that he had me in his back pocket. But yeah. You mentioned that at that merge vote, the mergeatory vote, that you just wanted to make it to the merge, you just wanted to make it to the jury. And this was something that, you know, Steven and I had been talking about how, you know, these last couple of votes have been just like a little,

not that exciting when we get to this point in the game. And we were speculating about how much of it is that people just, okay, whatever the first name is, let's just go with it. And we just want to get to the merge buff. Do you think that that's an issue? Absolutely. I think it's one of the main issues is because I mean, when I first found out and got the call that I was going on Survivor, my mom looks at me and she said, don't get voted off first and just make the jury. That's all I care about. Like that's all we care about. Just make the jury and we'll be good. And so that's what goes through a lot of people's

minds is because they want to play this game, but they want to make the jury so that they can have... It's crazy because there are some players out there that feel as though if they don't make the jury, they don't play a part in the season because they don't pick the winner. And I never believe that. When I got home from Survivor and we were talking to the pre-Merge people and I'm talking to And we were talking to the pre-merge people and I'm talking to Dwight, Justine, Nneka, and I'm telling them how everything was going. And then I'm asking their opinion on it. And I'm saying, you know, how, like, how do you feel about this? And because they play a part in it just as much as we do, even if they don't get a vote. And I think nowadays people are terrified because they want to make the jury. They want wanna have that say in the game.

And it's tough because this point, like in the middle of the season, these few episodes, they're not the most exciting thing because people aren't gonna fall on the sword and try to throw a name out there, make a huge gameplay because they're probably going to get voted off next because they've painted a huge target on their back that they're a huge game get voted off next because they've painted a huge target on their back that they're a huge game player and they want to dictate

the vote. So I think it's, you know, I think it's terrible for the game itself and for people watching. But listen, people have to think and try to put themselves in the player's shoes and be like, you just want to make it to the next vote. You just want to keep making it so you can get that merge buff so you can sit on that jury, so that your face can be shown in every episode. I mean, of course.

I mean, I don't even think my mom wanted me to win the game because she wanted me to look and be on the jury with makeup on and be like, oh, she's not that dirty in real life. The jury, I don't know what they could do about, but should they just give everybody a buff at the merge? Do you think that people might make more bold moves at this vote? Yeah. Yes. I mean why? What's the problem with it? What's the problem with 11 or 13? Yeah. No, I know I'm saying but like what's the problem?

you can still earn it do the art like everybody earns it but It's just it's what's the problem, it's like at this point they need to do a season where the first boot, first member of the jury so they can see like the edge of extinction. Yeah. Yes. I mean I want to see that again because that was awesome because everybody played it how to how to say and who they voted for and the people watching the jury, I mean, I would trust somebody in their opinion who was first boot because they're seeing everything in tribal. Obviously, like they're not seeing the behind the scenes. They're not seeing confessionals. They're not seeing alliances

talking. But what they're seeing is how the dynamic at tribal council and they're kind of forming an opinion of their own. And obviously when I'm getting voted off or if I'm losing at fire making and I'm going out, the first person I'm talking to is the first boot because they've been sitting through it and they've been kind of thinking in their brain, okay, well, this person from this episode or from this moment has been doing this,

has been driving tribal council because tribal council is not what it was like back in the day. Every, I mean, there are a few tribal councils where people will say what they mean. That's why our season wasn't exciting during tribal council. And that's why Jeff hated our tribal council because nobody would say anything. I wasn't saying anything. I wasn't putting my neck out there and being like, well, I'm voting this person because

that, I mean, we're going to get voted off and we're going to paint a target on our backs. So it's like we, we have to figure out a way to make tribal council. I mean, listen, don't, don't get me wrong. There has been so many exciting tribal councils in the last few seasons. I'm not, I'm not saying there hasn't been, but to get fireworks at every single one, we need to get rid of either. I mean, the shot in the dark sometimes worse, sometimes doesn't. I've never been a fan of the shot in the dark. I've never been a fan of it. What don't you like about it? Because I don't like the fact, because you can't tell somebody that they're being voted off. You have to, it

has to be so sneaky. You can't, you have to, you have to go up and you have to be like, yeah, well, you have to make them feel comfortable so they don't feel scared and they don't play their shot in the dark So that's why I don't like it personally, but listen, I'm so happy that it works for so you feel like Noel that you think that the shot in the dark Everything has to be a blind side and yeah, you get the blind side moment But a lot of these tribal councils end up everybody has to be coy and talk around it and nobody can actually say councils end up everybody has to be coy and talk around it and nobody can actually say what they really think at tribal council because you always got to be trying to stop somebody

from doing the shot in the dark. Yes. I mean, that was a huge reason why season 43 tribal councils never were fireworks is because nobody wanted to say anything because if you said something, someone's going to go play their shot in the dark. I mean, I miss the seasons where Somebody would go up to somebody be like yeah I'm voting you out because then you would see that person fighting for their life and going up to every single person trying to find A crack in the Alliance and I mean obviously you still get that now, but to it's to an extent

It's not you're not getting somebody absolutely fighting for their lives because you don't actually a hundred percent see it and you don't 100% believe it. You're like, well, at least I'll have my fallback and I'll be able to do the shot in the dark. I hated it. I hated it and I just, just for one season, maybe for 50, let's see for 50. Let the fans vote.

Let the fan, did the fans vote for that? Was that one of the- I don't think it's been up yet. They haven't put that one up for a vote. Yeah, just get rid of it I mean, okay, that's when you see the cutthroat. That's when you see no well just not giving a crap I'm loving this that you're coming in with a lot of different takes some of them are spicy get rid of the shot in the dark Every player should be on the jury

Do you think in the final tribal council in your season, if every player was on the final tribal council, do you think that it would have gotten spicy with Ellie at the final tribal council asking a question for Gabler? It would have been. It definitely would have been. I am very curious. It's crazy because you don't know what, because obviously he's the reason why she went home. So that's always in the back of your head when you're voting for someone. I mean, listen, Jesse voted,

Jesse was the reason I got voted off. He drove the vote. I would have given him the million dollars because I felt like he was playing the best game. But I think it would have played a part. It would have given Cassidy a little bit more if you had somebody directly firing shots at Gabler because Ellie had that type of personality. Ellie would have, you know, given him something for him to take.

And, you know, our season was just so, it was so tough because of course, we don't get the hour and a half episodes. So, like, everyone's not seeing every little thing. But it was tough in the end because it really came down to the best social game. That's really, as a jury, that's what we thought of. And we thought, okay, who had the best social game? Who was a part of most of the votes? And I mean, listen, I went in, I went into my final tribal council thinking that I was voting for Owen because I had that alliance with Owen and I was Thinking you know what like he played a great game in my eyes

But I said this in in one of the interviews I said listen I want the person sitting on the final jury to fight for their life. Like I want everything I want to hear it and I I forget what Owen said but He he kind of downplayed his game a little bit. And I was thinking to myself, that's not true. And that's when you see me, like, I think it showed me cutting off James, and I was trying to give Owen, I'm like, listen, you had the social game where you were trusting me with not having a, you told me to take your vote so that we can get somebody off or you use the physical beast

like if you didn't win I Forget what episode it was, but if Owen didn't win immunity he was going home. So I was thinking, you know, I At the end of the day I do wish I threw a vote on Owen, of course because I I believe that he played an incredible game I think he was one of the most entertaining people to watch from our seasons. I mean, all of his confessions were incredible. But yeah, I think it's tough watching.

And I think Ellie would have definitely played a part. And I think she deserved a shot at sitting on our jury. I don't care what anybody says, but I think if you make it to that point, if you make it to the drop your buffs, give everybody, you don't even have to give everybody a buff I Don't even I don't know. I don't know what you got to do, but just just try it for one season They used to have 13 people all right. No, what was it? They've had 13? Yeah

They've had 13. I think they've had 11 I think that I Want to say was it was the Edge of Extinction 13 person jury? Yeah, I mean it kind of makes sense because they don't want they don't want to do What is it five and five if there's ten jury members? Okay, I think they care that's what happened in Ghost Island, and it was a tie and they loved it Oh, okay, then why why is it a thing I get it? It's like they they want to make it harder

They want they need a reason they need to find a way to make the 26 days as hard as possible because it's going from 39 to 26. So I get it. They're trying everything. I shouldn't be questioning anything. I'm just, you know, I'm a fan of this one. You can question it. I played it once. I mean, it's not that I can come in with an opinion. I mean, it was crazy though because Dwight was so worried about that. Dwight was worried, he was like, I'm scared that I'm gonna get a merge buff

and then I'm gonna be gone. And I'm sitting there, I'm like, you're fine. What do you mean? And then literally that's what happened. And I was thinking, that's insane. That's insane. With the Fizz loyalty program, you get rewarded just for having a mobile plan.

You know, for texting and stuff. And if you're not getting rewards like extra data and dollars off with your mobile plan, you're not with Fizz. Switch today. Conditions apply. Details at fizz.ca. Well, you said that it was very important for your mom

to watch you get on the jury and wear makeup. Is Survivor an important thing in your family? My mom is the biggest diehard Survivor fan there never miss a season never miss an episode. It was crazy because She would tell me oh my god We need to find a way to get you on the show before I even lost my leg And I would be like I'm not applying to this show. I lied on the first episode of Survivor It's like yeah, Jeff. I applied with what when I had two legs and then I applied with one leg I never applied to Survivor. It's like, yeah, Jeff, I applied when I had two legs and then I applied with one leg.

I never applied to Survivor. I was recruited. They actually reached out to a couple of us Paralympians when I was in Tokyo for the Tokyo Paralympic Games. And the only thing I could think of is, oh my God, my mother is literally going to die. Because my mom is the type of person that could never play the game of Survivor.

She loves it. She has a very strong opinion, but she needs her bed. She needs her makeup. She needs her food So obviously going through the like the casting process and everything she was so excited But it is it is a very a very big thing with me and my mom my brothers had I have three other brothers never They had never watched a season until I was on it my dad was the same way But it's crazy because I I mean, my fiance, he was never a big Survivor fan, and now he watches every single season

and he has this opinion. But yeah, my mom was honestly the person helping me kind of figure out how I was gonna portray myself on the season, what I was gonna do, what I wasn't going to do. But yeah, that was the, she literally told me, if you get voted off first, don't come home. And I'm like, well, there's a big possibility because everyone's going to

look at pressure, mom. Yeah, I'm watching season. I'm watching season 21. I'm blanking on her name right now. Oh, my God. Kelly Bruno. Yes. OK. Kelly, I remember watching that season before I went out and I was terrified. Obviously it was a different time, but I was like, oh my god,

am I gonna get a Neonca? Like just not giving a crap that I have one leg and like I didn't like I didn't want the sympathy from anybody, but I didn't want people to look at me and be like we need to get her out from day one. And you know what's crazy is James was like the real like the Realest person out there with me because he literally said Listen, nobody's gonna want to bring it to the end I'll bring you to the end and that never made the edit but like I remember when he said that and I'm like At first I was livid. I was pissed. I was going out to everyone. I'm like get James out I'm like I'm like this but I'm like, you know what like he was real with me and it was true

I mean, I wouldn't want to sit next to... I mean, nowadays it's like, I'm not going to get handed the million dollars just because I have a prosthetic leg. But you have like, I mean, it plays a part. Like, nobody wants to get, nobody kind of wants to sit that next to somebody with an incredible story overcoming this entire season. So... And you still voted James out, even though he said he would go to the end with you. Yeah, well, it was getting to that point. I mean, him and him and Owen just kept bickering back and forth. And I was over it.

And at that point, I think the only person that I would have tried to vote off in that small group in the group of five, it would have been Carla. But she had the immunity necklace because I wasn't voting off Owen. And I had very good conversations with Sammy. So it was kind of like, it's kind of, and the funniest thing was, I remember when I went on, what was it? When I went on my adventure or what are those called?

The journey. The journeys, I can't think right now. When you go on the journeys, it was very funny because I went on a journey with James and Owen. And so in that episode, it came down to us three kind of going at it. But yeah, it was just, listen, I regret, I regret kind of voting James off

because he was being real with me. And he was telling me, listen, we call them the Godfather out there. Godfather James. Yeah, you'd be like, listen, I'll get you to the final eight No, I'll like I'll get and I'm like, okay cool. Finally. What's that gonna get me? like I want to get to the final three like and

But no, I mean I I did end up apologizing to him saying I apologize because I thought everything you were saying was just you Were blowing smoke up my butt and you were actually being very real with me. So I appreciated that So no, well, they recruited you, was it right before your season or was it earlier in the process? So I received a DM on Instagram from Jesse Tannenbaum, and it was in August, it was late August, maybe early September of 2021.

And so I mean, but listen, when I reached back out to him, he's like, listen, just because I'm reaching out out to you doesn't automatically mean you're on the show You have to go through the casting process that doesn't mean anything if they contact you I really doesn't I mean I think they were just trying to find some Inspirational people and I remember going up to one of because I went to his Instagram And I was looking at the people he was following and it was a couple of my teammates And I remember going up to one of my teammates, her name's Brittany Mason.

I'm like, did you get a DM from like this person? And she was like, yeah, I'm not doing that. Why would I want to go on Survivor? She was like, I would not last a second out there. And I'm like, oh, I want to do it. I've watched every single season. And I think that was the year that they had taken a break because of COVID.

And I was just like, oh my God. So when I was watching season 41, I was going through the casting process. And that's when I'm thinking, oh my God, am I actually gonna have to do this? And in the back of my head, I honestly didn't think that I was gonna make the cut. I was thinking, you know,

they're probably gonna let me go last minute because I didn't even know what I needed with my prosthetics and stuff because I told them I'm like I know you guys have had two below the knee amputees on before me But me being an above the knee amputee, I am completely different I am it's a whole different ball game to me for me to be able to do the show I need two different prosthetic legs I need I need to have my running blade and I need to be able to have a walking prosthetic.

And I mean, production was amazing. They were saying, whatever you need, we'll figure it out. I believe they consulted with a prosthetic person, a prosthetist. So that was crazy because I mean, it didn't make me feel safe, but in the back of my head, I'm thinking, how am I gonna do this?

Because prosthetic legs don't mesh well with salt, water and sand. They actually tell you to stay away from it. And so I remember when I told... I didn't even tell my prosthetic guy that I was going through the casting process. I didn't want to jinx it. So when I got the call that I was gonna be on season 43, I called him back up and I was like,

hey, have you ever heard of the show Survivor? He was like, no, what's that? I'm like, great, we're off to a wonderful start. Um... Well, basically, it's the show that you go out and you starve to death on an island and you have to survive, but also do all these physically grueling challenges

with receiving zero food. So I'm gonna need to do that and figure out a way, because it's crazy, when I lose weight, that means my leg loses weight. So I was thinking, you know, how am I gonna keep my prosthetic legs suctioned onto my body while I'm continuing to play the game?

And he was incredible. We were figuring all these different ways to make it work. And I mean, we did make it, I'm kind of glad that I got voted off when I did because it was getting very tough for me to keep my leg on. I mean, I could keep it on in the morning, but then once, I mean, it's very hot out there. Once I started sweating, it was done. I was to keep my leg on. I mean, I could keep it on in the morning, but then once, I mean, it's very hot out there. Once I started sweating, it was done.

I was like holding my leg on. But no, I was just, I was grateful for the opportunity and I was grateful that they, that, you know, the casting team believed in me when I didn't believe in myself at first, because I never would have applied to Survivor, because I had never seen somebody like me play the game before.

And I think that's why it's so amazing that you're seeing more and more people being casted with these physical disabilities or people going through, you know, struggling moments in their lives because a lot of people relate to that. And then they get to, they get to see it happening. And then they think, okay, well, if this person can do this, then why can't I, I'm going to apply. So I think it was the best moment of my life. Honestly, Survivor was so incredible

and just getting to play it. I'm just, I'm so grateful because, I mean, it's not like it opened up any new doors for me, but I got to meet all these incredible people that I never would have met my entire life. And I loved everybody I played with. I told myself going out there, if I get voted off, don't be bitter, just because, you know,

receiving an opportunity like this is once in a lifetime. And I was just grateful for the opportunity, but I also told myself, you can't get mad at people for lying and backstabbing you when you're doing the same exact thing. Of course if I made it to the final three, I probably, it would have been a tougher pill to swallow. But yeah. I know you said that you would have never applied had it not been for them reaching out to you.

But when you were going through the process, at any point did you have doubts or second thoughts about like what should I even be doing this? Oh? Absolutely every single time I had an interview and every single night I was thinking do I actually even want to play the game of survivor like obviously in the back of my head? I'm like such a cool experience. Yes, I want to do it But then I'm putting myself and I'm exposing myself to this entirely new Experience and you know me as a person, I am the type of person to rely on my loved ones, my team back at home.

I am that type of person that will admit that I would not be where I am today without all the people that have taken the time to help me get to where I am. And going out and playing survivor, I knew that I was gonna be by myself. You are completely cut off from the outside world. I can't just call my fiance or my mom and playing survivor, I knew that I was going to be by myself. You are completely cut off from the outside world. I can't just call my fiance or my mom and be like, listen, I'm having a tough day. Can you help me out with this?

I was solely going to be by myself. And that terrified me because that had never happened up until that point in my life. I was always, I'm, I'm the type of person that needs, I just need an outlet. I need somebody to vent to or something like that. And it's crazy because when I went out there, I found that in my tribe mates and they welcomed me with open arms and I'm thinking to myself, how lucky am I

to have, to be playing with a group like this that isn't just seeing me as somebody with a disability, they're seeing me as somebody who's a human being. And that's why I value my relationship with NECA so much. I mean on the show, like, if you watch my season back, it kind of looks like they're kind of pitting us against each other, but she was one of my favorite people out there because she was, everything that she said, I was just, she was glowing and everything she said was with wisdom. She just, she was like the motherly figure to me.

I mean, that's what my mom told me too, when I went out there. She was like, just find a mother, find a mother and relate. Like that's why if Lindsay made it to the merge, I probably would have clung down to Lindsay because Lindsay kinda, Lindsay has blonde hair, just like my mom, my mom has blonde hair.

But so yeah, I mean, it was just overall an incredible experience because here I am thinking, I can't do this. Why should I be able to do this and not even wanting to get casted? But then once I got casted, I was like, this is for a reason. This is something that's bigger than myself. I need to go out there and I need to not only prove to the world, but prove to myself that

I can do something like this. And that's exactly what I got. I bet you must have gotten so many people reaching out to you on your Instagram and people with all sorts of different stories when your season was on. Absolutely. I mean, I still get, I mean, I don't get flooded with DMs, but every now and then someone will come up to me in the airport or something, and they just say,

and the only thing they talk to me about is my comeback challenge. The comeback challenge that I had when I was losing, and then I ended up winning. But during the season, every single week, I had people in my DMs, I mean, people with disabilities and people who were parents and had kids with disabilities. And I remember I got a couple DMs saying my daughter, who was an amputee points to the TV every single Wednesday night says, Mom, she looks like me. Maybe I can do this show one day. So that's why the episode with Ava, when that went viral, I mean, it brought me back. It brought me back to my moment and I'm thinking,

oh my God, all the people that she is going to help right now is astonishing. And it's going to be so good for the whole survivor community to see a moment like this. Ava actually reached out to me a couple months, no, right after her cast got released. And she told me her story, how she has autism. And I remember the next time I went to a survivor watch party

and there was a gentleman there that had autism. And I told him, I'm like, well, in the upcoming season you're going to see somebody with autism on. his face lit up and he was like that's incredible that's amazing and I'm like that means you should go home and you should submit a video because Ava is paving the way for people like yourself to believe in themselves that they should go on that show so that's why it's just it really hit home for me watching that moment with her and Joe. You know, I wish I had, I mean, I didn't have a Joe, like a father figure out there, but I had, you know, I remember when I got stuck in the net, everyone was rallying behind me, picking me up,

hugging me. It just shows you how incredible the survivor game really is because it's so cutthroat, but it also is, everyone realizes that it's bigger than themselves, especially in those moments. Yeah, I think that that's what really speaks to people. It's like there's like a humanity in these moments like the Joe and Eva moment has been something that's really transcended the show and everybody's been talking about it and I don't know there's something about that the game is so hard and so cutthroat and so competitive, but that whenever there's a moment where, and you see it like in these like videos where it's like something happens like in a little league game where, you know, a kid like can't run down the first baseline and they like stop to help them.

When there's a moment that's like outside of the game where people show humanity in a super competitive environment that is just so emotional for people. It really is. And I think that's what it brings up. It brings a survivor community and makes it even stronger because you have the audience just flooding everybody's DMs from, I mean, I think Eva's social media has blown up and so has Joe's.

And I mean, it's because they're just, everyone is wanting to show how much that moment meant to them because everybody can relate to it. Even if you don't have autism, even if you don't have a prosthetic leg, it's somebody struggling in a moment and never quitting, never giving up, and somebody watching that

who's going through a difficult time, of course they're gonna sympathize with that, and they're gonna think, okay, well, if this person was able to overcome this, then what's stopping me from believing in myself and never quitting? So I think it's moments that are crucial, and it's so funny, actually,

I was just talking to Jesse a couple days ago and Jesse was saying if I was out on that season in season 48 I would have voted off any I would have voted off Joe or or Eva after that episode and split that duo up Oh my god, Jesse We thought it was bad when he voted out Cody We should edit that out. No, not in like a bad way, but it's like, you know, that's why this season is special. You know what I mean? Because if you had gameplay, like people that didn't care about any of that, hey, I'm sure that they're on some level, everybody there is touched by that experience. But then also, like you saw in your season and you experienced that everybody has their own reasons

why they wanna win and why they wanna play hard. And so that, and now how do I navigate that situation of like, am I gonna potentially now, now I can't vote out Joe or Eva and I have to go to the end with them and lose to them? I mean, I wish I was in this season because that was my nail in the coffin when I had my big comeback moment. Everyone was like, get her out, get her out, because she's gaining too much momentum. I just had the James vote. And then I had this emotional comeback challenge when, and everyone was like, I don't want to sit next to her at the end, like she's starting to build her resume.

So I mean, but I think it shows you that Survivor is also, we actually have human beings playing this show. It's not, people are robots and have no emotions. And I think that's what makes this season so special. And that's what really builds this bond of castaways and these people playing this game together, because they're going to be bonded forever.

They're going to be able to share this moment and be able to look back on it and be like, I was a part of this historic moment in Survivor, making Jeff Probst cry like of course. But I mean, just it's it's it's very special.

So, Noel, as an athlete, how much did going on Survivor, how much were you concerned about it affecting your career in terms of like, I know how hard you train for your athletic competitions. I know how much that Survivor can take out of a person where you, I'm sure, have like a diet and exercise regimen, and then to go do, you know, 15, 16 days on Survivor.

What day did you go out, 18? 19, I think. 19, yeah, 19. And then I'm sure that did a number on so much of your training that, how do you do that as somebody who takes your competition so seriously? You know, it was, so when I went on Survivor, it was during an off year.

So we didn't have world championships, we didn't have the Paralympic Games, and I was thinking, all right, I have a whole extra year to train for world championships. Like, I'll be fine, I'll be able to get my body back. And it's crazy because like when I told my coach I was going out there for Survivor, he told me, well, you're still going to Nationals.

In my Nationals, my National Championships were two weeks after getting home from Survivor. My prosthetic legs weren't even fitting at that point. And he still made me go and I got my ass kicked. I mean, I couldn't even run down the runway or run down the hundred meter without my leg kind of slipping off. But I didn't realize because obviously like I could get my muscle back I can get it I could get in the groove of things like in a couple months but

mentally it took a toll I mean it was just it was hard to get motivated and a lot of people a lot of people do struggle with this when they get back from Survivor because you play this incredible game and you're on such a high and then after that you're like okay okay, well, what do I am I supposed to go back to my normal life? Like what am I supposed to do? So me as an athlete, I'll tell you how I was preparing to even go on the show. I was trying to figure out a way that would work best for me with the eating portion of the game because I knew that I was not going to be eating and And me as a person, if I am overeating and my body gets used to it, I knew that I was going to shut down day two and it would have been very difficult for me to carry on.

I remember reading an article that Malcolm actually wrote. Malcolm Freeberg. Yes, and this is what he said. He said, I mean, however many times, four times he's been on Survivor. Three so far. Three, three. And I remember him saying how he trained for it is he would basically starve all day up until two or three or four p.m. and then he would fill his body with crap.

He would not have any nutrients, he would go to McDonald's, get like a four piece or a McDouble and he would eat something small that would hold them over for the rest of the night. And he would train really hard in the morning and then he would wait and then he would eat the crap food. So your body gets off of craving nutrients and you can learn how to perform at a physical, at a like high physical level on an empty stomach.

So that's the route I chose to go. I did not tell my coach I was doing this. I was practicing and lifting in the morning and I had no energy, no energy the whole month leading up to it. And when I went out there, it helped. Like I- Okay, so it works.

I honestly swear by it because on day four or five, you saw people depleting a little bit and that's when you saw people kind of shutting down and like their body is going into shock. It's like, what's happening right now? And so when your body is not craving the nutrients and then you're feeding yourself something like coconut or eventually when you get rice, you're like, oh my God,

what is this great food that you're having? So that is honestly what worked for me. And I, food wasn't, I mean, yes, it's, I was starving to death every single day, I was dreaming about food, but that wasn't the toughest part out there for me. It wasn't starving to death. Getting home and getting back into training,

it was difficult. And I remember it took me a lot longer than a year to kind of get back in the swing of things. In 2023, we had world championships the year after I played Survivor. I did not make that team because the whole year leading up to it, I was still trying to figure out ways to get motivated.

And I needed a failure to kind of get myself back on the horse and to kind of light a fire under my butt, but it took a long time. It's not as simple as, okay, I'm gonna get home and I'm gonna start working kind of light a fire under my butt, but it took a long time. It's not as simple as, okay, I'm going to get home and I'm going to start working out. I'm going to gain my muscle back. I mean, I remember working with my strength coach and Team USA's nutritionist saying, okay, well, I'm back.

I just did this show. I don't have any muscle left. I, I don't know, lost about 15 to 20 pounds. Like what am I doing? And they were helping me, but it was still mentally, that was the hardest part. It wasn't even the physical part, it was just mentally feeling like

you have a place in this world still. And that's what a lot of people don't realize. So it sounds like Survivor takes a huge toll on you and creates all sorts of complications in your career. Noel, could you even consider going back to Survivor? Would that just be totally a non-starter for you at this point in your career? No, I would do it in a heartbeat, of course.

Really? Yeah, you get the call, you gotta go. I mean, obviously. But would people try to talk you out of it? Would your coaches say, Noelle, we're not doing this again? Yes, but what I would say is, listen, it's a million dollars on the line. I don't have a million dollars on the line when I run a track meet. So, and it's the experience of doing it.

And I'm that type of person that says yes to everything now. I mean, especially after doing something like Survivor, because you never know like the relationships that you're going to meet, the experiences and you you do only live one life and That's what I've learned after losing my leg is you have to take every single opportunity that that is that is given to you Um, but yeah, of course I would do it in a heartbeat Does that mean that I'll actually get a call to do it again? Probably not. I don't know I got to do it. I got to do a cool game show with Ryan raid the cage. That was pretty cool. Oh, yeah So yeah, can you explain raid the cage, that was pretty cool. Oh yeah, so yeah, can you

explain Raid the Cage so that it's like that you have time and you have to go get to go and like what steal stuff? No, so yeah, there's um you're going up against another pair so in this instance we were actually going up against an amazing race team. It was Scott and Laurie, they're actually on Amazing Race, the season that's going on right now. And so one team goes at a time and one partner does trivia. And based on how many correct answers you get, you get a certain amount of time in the cage. So say if you have 15 seconds in the cage, you run into the cage, you try to grab as many things as possible with not getting the door shut on you. And you can't see the time that you have, so you have to kind of gauge it.

So my partner was Ryan, and thank God I had Ryan, because that dude is so physical, is a beast. He was the runner? I mean, so you have to do both at least once. There's three rounds, so there's three rounds, and you have to do each one once. But I knew that I was probably gonna be doing trivia twice. And then after the three rounds,

the team that has the highest Value and prizes they win that round they beat the other team and then they go into the final round of like trying to Beat the cage and like just playing tag team. Yeah, it was very fun We won money I won a honeymoon I won an outdoor kitchen set Thanks to Ryan, it's all because of Ryan. How much money did you guys win? So I believe we tallied at like 57,000. $57,000?

Yeah, we didn't even, so that was the first three rounds. So Ryan beat the record in how much money you can generate in one round. I think he got $36,000 in one round. It insane, but then we ended up losing the final round like we got stuff or We didn't you have to beat fifty thousand dollars And I think we got like forty seven thousand, but it's I was just happy to go home with something But yeah, I mean it was unreal experience, and I know you said your honeymoon was gonna start in India Where'd you win the trip to?

Tuscany, Italy. Oh, OK. That's on the way home? Yeah, we won two trips. It was Tuscany, Italy, and then it was a trip to an all-adults exclusive resort in Key West. Obviously, I gave Ryan kind of first dibs at everything, but I was like, can I have the Italy trip for my honeymoon? And he was, he was great. He was like, absolutely, whatever you want. But so when you're getting like the prizes in the, in the cage, a lot

of the prizes, you don't get the actual prize, you get the cash value. So one of the prizes Ryan won, or Ryan grabbed, it was the Rolex watch. It was a Rolex watch. But luckily, it was the cash, so we could just split it. And that's kind of how what we were worried about it was like how are we gonna split all these prizes like what if this person yeah but I was a very grateful Noel he owes you you saw him as a lump of clay and you said I'm gonna get you two silver medals one day yeah you know what yeah and he did me I I forget how much money you went for a silver medal, but I think it's close to 30,000. So pretty well Yeah, you get money when you get a medal in the Olympics. Yeah, so it's by country. So basis so for Team USA, I think gold medal is

37,000 Silver is around probably like 28 to 30 and then bronze is like 15 to 17 I think. I didn't know any of this. Yeah, and so that's why I was heartbroken when I was shy. And you still go back on Survivor and hurt your chances to win all this medal money? Well now I know what to do when I get home if I ever play Survivor again. I know how to kind of get back into the swing of things, yeah, of course survivor comes calling you have to you have to answer it no matter what no matter What where you are in your life?

I think it's it's just such a special opportunity to be able to do it. But listen, I mean if there's any other shows out there Please hit me up. Sure. That's how I pitch myself. I'm like, hey, you never had an above-knee amputee on the show Come on, let me be what about these world championships? You get money if you get medals here too? You do Yeah, and that one is I believe it's top six. It's top six. It's not as much I think first place is like eight that or seven to eight thousand and then it kind of goes down Each by like a thousand or two But yeah, yeah you get money. I mean, it's not as much as a million dollars or getting first boot on Survivor, but hey, it's close.

Wow. Well, Noelle, do you have a winner pick for this season? You know, I was just thinking about this. Or you have to say Eva, because she reached out to you. You know, but Mitch also reached out to me as well. Oh, that's true. He said, yeah, Mitch said that he got compared to me when he was doing his pregame interviews a lot. I don't know. I'm going to, I'm going to, I'm going to say Camilla for a winter pick. That's a good winter pick. That's who

I would pick too. Yeah. I think she's playing a really great game and kind of she's, she's laying low when she needs to. So I'm really, I'm rooting for her, but again, this cast is awesome. I was just saying, like, everybody's likable. I mean, Mary is hilarious. I have to point that out. Oh my God, and her social media is a riot. I love it. Could your training improve

if you drank a gallon of milk a day? So this is actually really funny. And Jesse called me the other day, he was like, do you drink milk every single day as an athlete? And I'm like, actually I don't. I'm not a huge milk drinker, but my fiance drinks it every day.

And he is, you know, he's pretty built and he does a lot of distance running and he lifts a lot and he swears by it. Swears by it. Whole milk? None of this 2% crap? Whole milk. Yeah, a gallon of whole milk.

Yeah, it has to be the real stuff. Can't be anything. No processed foods, nothing. Wow. Everything has to be very clean. Yeah, that's another thing with my fiancees. No processed anything. We have to go to whole foods.

We have to get organic. So what about if you were going on Survivor and you were doing the Malcolm diet and you go get four piece McNugget or uh. Oh he was he was hating me. He wasn't hating me. He was like just being like what are you doing? Like why is I'm like this is gonna work. I'm like I promise you. And he you know what he would do? He would cook himself a beautiful steak dinner With all the veggies and potatoes, and I'd be sitting there at eight o'clock at night starving I'm like why are you doing this to me right now? And he was like just have a bite. I'm like no For a survivor I would do it absolutely absolutely me being an athlete I mean I have you would do what you would drink a gallon of milk a day

That and but I would do do the McDonald's diet again. And I, because listen, it works. It works. Next person, when they get casted on, you're listening and you get casted, try it. I never heard that before. And I feel like I've, you know, been in this space for a long time.

I never heard that one. I need it. My mom is the one who found the article that he wrote, but that's what he does. I think he's done both I think he's kind of because then you saw someone like Carson who gained a lot of weight before the show so that there's There's stuff that you can lose. Yeah, but I knew going out there if my body got used to overeating I also have to look good out there, you know

But I knew that my body would shut down. So it's honestly, it's dependent on the person. I forget who that other guy was. I believe he was on season 39 and I forget what day it was. It was like, he was the model type of looking guy was his name. Will or Cole was a Cole. But one of the days has he completely shut down. Oh no, that was 35. 35. And he completely shut down and he was like throwing up like he collapsed. But he was like a rock climber and he was somebody who was eating like, you know, 7,000, 8,000 calories a day

normal in the real world. So obviously your body's gonna go into shock. So he should have done the McDonald's diet. I think it must be harder for like, you know, elite athletes who are burning so many calories for as opposed to like mere mortals like myself who might not have the fastest metabolism. I was born to play Survivor. Put me on the island. I've got the reserves to go. I had no problems. No, yeah. My coach was, every day he was like,

why are you so sluggish? Like, why do you have no energy? And I was definitely afraid to tell him what I was actually doing until afterwards. And he was like, he was like, I'm gonna kill you. Why would you do that to yourself? I'm like, it worked for me. I was fine.

Like, it was, I wasn't craving craving or I wasn't like dying of food because the best he tried but Wasn't too great in the beginning of the game. So we didn't have Flint. We couldn't we couldn't cook things All we were eating was coconut. We didn't have food on our island. So yeah All right, Noel, how could people keep up with everything you're doing? I You could follow me on my social media at noel lambert. You could follow the Paralympics on social media Listen, if you don't watch the Paralympic Games you are missing out I mean these athletes are so incredible and just getting to watch it you're Every time I'm in awe when I go to an international

Paralympic competition and getting to see all these incredible athletes competing, not just at a level for people who are disabled, but they could honestly perform just as well as able-bodied athletes. And it's just so inspiring to watch. So if you want to keep along or keep up with myself and Ryan, you can follow US Paralympic track and field on social media. And yeah, we're going to bring it home for LA 2028. Ryan are going to come home with those gold medals. Home field advantage. Home field advantage. And we want to see the whole survivor community there. OK, all right. Well, Noel, this was such a delight to get to talk to you. I'm glad that we got to do it.

I was telling you before, I've heard you on Bryce's podcast. And I know you have great takes some outside the box takes Also, I kind of outlandish sometimes but people like that. We don't want all samey same Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Well, thank you so much. It's an honor to finally come on come on rap I'm so heartbroken that I that I can't make it this Wednesday to your Boston event, but next season I'm there. I promise.

Okay. I don't know if we're going to be there in Boston next season. Not in Boston. I'll find, I'll come to another one. I'll come to another one. All right. All right. Well, that'll be very fun.

Looking forward to that. Of course, I'm going to get on the road on Tuesday and I'll be out seeing a bunch of our patrons on Tuesday night and then the live show on Wednesday, a-studded show on Wednesday night no well more survivor alumni than I know what to do with yeah I love it I love it yeah you're coming to Boston too so you got all the Boston personality all the Boston personalities there's gonna be so many people on the stage that it's gonna look like Noel changed the rules to survivor and this is what the jury looks like every single person is there you're so many people on the stage that it's gonna look like Noel changed the rules to Survivor and this is what the jury looks like. Every single person is there.

You're making me jealous. Come on, I'm gonna have huge FOMO now. Alright well be on the lookout for that. That's gonna be on Thursday. In the meantime, Wednesday night Stephen Fischbach is gonna be doing Survivor Know-It-Alls with Sam Phelan on Wednesday night. So that should be a fun one. And then I'll have exit interviews as well on Thursday and you'll get to see our live show from Boston. Thank you so much for listening. Looking forward to seeing what you have to say in the comments.

Take care of a good one. Bye.