Secret Scene: Dawn
Dawn is feeling very vulnerable now that Savaii is a minority in the Te Tuna tribe.
<day 25>
<Dawn is sitting in the shelter, crying, as Whitney gets coconuts>
Cochran: You OK? (sits down next to her)
Dawn Yeah. It's just...(sticks her tongue out) I feel like in some ways, I feel like oh, I've tried so hard at every challenge, and I've pushed myself further than I ever thought, and I'm like, yeah, I've done OK, and then I have all this doubt when I get to the vote and all these things and how people are affected. Who's at fault, and...
Cochran: You're not at fault for anything. You've been nothing but poised and strong.
Dawn: No, I'm falling apart. Which has been a constant theme for me in this game. (laughs)
<Whitney sits on Dawn's other side>
Whitney: You're not falling apart.
Cochran: You're showing emotion, which is healthy, in an unhealthy game. (Dawn laughs) It is! It's unhealthy in several ways. But you're showing healthy emotion and... (Dawn keeps laughing)
Dawn (solo): I feel like the Cochran switch affected me more than maybe other people because he had been one of the main people I had voted in agreement with. I feel like it leaves me at this weird bridge, because the Savaii tribe became a minority in the merged Te Tuna tribe. I might get myself in with the Upolu tribe and see if there's some wiggle room there.
Dawn: The hard part is we're playing against a united tribe.
Whitney: It's no longer all tribe. It's not possible. Where we stay all tribe and get voted off one by one. There's no tribe anymore. I had 100% confidence in our tribe and...you know, that's not the way it went down.
<Cochran looks on a bit awkwardly>
Cochran (solo): I like Dawn a lot. I think Upolu likes Dawn a lot, because she's another very spiritual person, and that seems to resonate a lot with the Upolu tribe. She's a very sweet woman. She wasn't criticizing me like some of my other tribe members were, and Upolu took note of that.
Cochran: I just wanted to make sure you're OK.
Dawn: I feel better. I was just...
Cochran: Everybody here loves you. I sincerely mean that.
Dawn (solo): This game is really teaching me in a real real way, that the impossible happens all the time, and when you're on top, you can fall right back flat on your face. So I think I'm trying to keep a steady head and trust that I'm going to play my heart out, I'm going to give everything I can at the challenges, and hopefully win favor from people, because ultimately, someone's gonna have to break from the 6. Just try to stay as long as I can, and if I get sent to Redemption, I think I can play hard there.
Dawn: The Day After
Dawn reflects on her time in the game the day after she lost the duel on Redemption Island
"My Survivor experience really has been like having a dream come true. It was a dream for me 10 years ago - I worked on it on and off 10 years, the last year non-stop, every day, to prepare. I would say for me this experience is gonna be, I got to live one of my dreams. It's like my Olympics (laughing while crying)."
(cut)
"I think the whole process of actually getting into the game was life-changing. There were several points along the way where I had to decide whether this would really happen and I had to keep pursuing it. In that way it's given me this courage to hang onto a dream even when it's not happening (laughs). Having it happen has completely redefined how I see my life and possibilities. As I've thought about it these last few days outside the game, I've already been thinking, what's next, what's the next dream. And I believe that it's doable. I think it's really going to shape the way I parent and the way I am as a wife. I've been really fortunate that my family was behind me and excited all the way to do this, and I think it's time for me to be a support to one of their dreams, too. In that way I know it's going to change me, because I'm excited to see what they want to do and what's next for the whole family, not just me."
(cut)
"My first big turning point in the game came at the strength challenge that we had where the tribes had to shoulder the load. Leading up to that I thought it was time to make a move and show the tribe I had something to contribute. I still kind of felt on the outs with our tribe. Right before the challenge I knew there was going to be one female in it. Jim looked at me and said, 'You have this. You've prepared 10 years for this.' Because they've all heard me say my routine that I've done. He's like, 'You have this.' I believed him. (starts to cry) Probably for the first time in the game, I really felt it. I think I do. I can do this."
(cut)
"The moment that challenge was over - I was still listening to Keith, I didn't know it had ended - and he actually came up and kind of knocked it off of me to let me know, and picked me up, and my little legs were dangling. I keep saying Olympic, but it really was my Olympic moment. My legs were dangling, I couldn't breathe because Jim was crushing me so hard. I just felt the best that I've ever felt. All of that work was right then. 10 years was that moment right then."
(cut)
"The other moment for me came...in the early part of the game, I couldn't understand Ozzy. He was the person that was more difficult for me to read. I felt like I had a good read of people on the tribe, but having watched previous returning players, I didn't want to trust Ozzy at all. And he's so confident and so capable, I probably held back from getting to know him. We had a challenge, the wheelbarrow challenge, where I really struggled. It was heavy, and I wasn't orienting the wheelbarrow right. He was so kind, and got us through that, not obstacle course, but through our side. I just gained this immediate sense of appreciation for him, that he's really just playing his heart out, and he's a good guy. He's playing, it's a game, but I saw all that kindness in him, and I had an immediate affection for him. Up until then, I wasn't sure how I felt about him, but from that point on, all I could see was that I have a lot to learn from him about how to give everything you have, every minute. I feel like I learned the most from Ozzy about challenging yourself and staying calm when there's stress."
(cut)
"I think the biggest lesson I learned is how to prepare for something and how to have courage. You can be so, so prepared for something, and then still lose confidence when it comes down to it, when you have these big obstacles or a challenge. The biggest thing I learned is how important challenges are, and how you have to challenge yourself every day in life. My biggest thought is if you would do all this prep for a game for a million dollars (starts to cry again), you should do it for your life, which has just as many possibilities. That's the biggest thing I've learned. If you're gonna go big for a game, you should go big for life itself."
(cut)
"I think the nicest thing about Redemption Island, the arena itself, it's like a closing ceremony. I think when your torch is snuffed, it's so personal, and you're alone, and you just get sent down the stairs. This felt like almost a closing ceremony. It was kind of cathartic. I didn't want to let it go, I wanted that buff, but I wanted to be in the game, I didn't want the buff. That was what it was. It was emotional because it was the end of this really long journey and dream for me. But more than anything, I felt grateful. I felt an appreciation. I was happy to do it. I'm lucky to be someone who got to do that."
(cut)
"I'm so thankful. It's changed my life. It's been a complete adventure. It's been a thrill. I can honestly say I loved every day out there. It was hard, there were days I cried and cried and wondered if I could stay any longer, because it was so physically hard or emotionally hard, but I loved it. I think I'm a bigger fan than I was before. I'm excited to tell other people about it, and I'm excited to tell people what my experience was like. I really was that woman sitting on the couch, season 1, saying, 'This is incredible. Do you wanna do this? I wanna do this?'"
Secret Scene: Whitney
Whitney and Dawn hide some coconuts for themselves
<day 25>
Edna: I'm going to try to find some coconuts.
<Cochran is cutting up a coconut>
Coach: Give me a big ol' piece there, Cochran.
Edna: There's no more coconuts. All the coconuts we have here are in the ground.
Cochran: We should ration, have some sort of system.
Coach: I think if we each had 2 a day. If you guys wanna walk and go to see...
<Dawn says she'll go to the well and look, and Whitney joins her>
Whitney (solo): There's been a little bit of a coconut issue in the last few days. It's been tough to find good coconuts. Today, Coach goes, "We need to ration these coconuts. Everyone should get 2 coconuts a day." And it's just like...yes, father? Um, no. Don't tell me what to do. You're not my dad!
<Whitney drinks from a coconut as Dawn tries to break one open>
Dawn: That's a good one.
Whitney: I feel so mischievous.
Dawn: I don't care. I'm not gonna have...
Whitney: Someone else dictate how many frickin' coconuts I eat. Screw them.
Dawn: Is this horrible? I seriously want to hide some of these and I'm so not kidding.
Whitney: Let's do it. (laughs) I'm with you. They're gonna eat all the frickin' coconuts anyway.
Dawn: Well, they're gonna ration the coconuts, they're gonna watch over themselves...
Whitney: We're gonna be the ones that are weak, because they get the food. So I think stashing them away is a brilliant idea.
Dawn (solo): We came across the coconuts, and I feel like it's every man for himself, which is Whitney and myself at this point. We decided we're going to collect as many as we can, and at least create a stash for ourselves, so we're not dependent on the Upolu tribe to feed us. We just hid 'em under some palm fronds and now we're drinking as many as we can.
Whitney: Have some more. That's a good one.
<Dawn hands it to Whitney, who finishes it, then throws it away>
Whitney: We actually hid these coconuts, because we decided to take control. I don't listen to people, they don't tell me what to do. They may send me to Redemption Island, but they ain't tellin' me how many coconuts I can have.
<last shot of the two drinking from coconuts>
Whitney: The Day After
Whitney reflects on her time in the game the day after she lost the duel on Redemption Island
"My Survivor experience was amazing. Not quite as long as I would prefer, but amazing all the same. I learned a lot. I learned a lot about myself, and dealing with other people. I came into this game thinking about how hard it would be. It's gonna be really difficult, and there would be days where I'd be thinking, 'What on earth was I thinking by signing up for this show?' But you know, I came out, and there were lows, for sure, but I like to hang on for the highs. I like to think about the days where Savaii went out into the water and we chicken-fought, and we had a blast. We became a little family and hold onto those relationships for life, hopefully."
(cut)
"I definitely would still love to be in the game. I don't like losing. I didn't come out here to get 10th or 9th or 8th. I came out here to try to win the game, and I feel like I played that way. From day 1, Savaii was playing the game. We mad alliances day 1. Keith and I were very active in trying to get out the people Ozzy would use against us, in case we needed to get out Ozzy. I was pretty proud of the way I played the game. Looking back now, I didn't realize Cochran was even thinking of flipping. I think my thing was it made such good sense to me, and where I come from, but I never come from a place of fear. I don't fear. My mistake was not realizing he was coming from a place of fear. He didn't want his faith in drawing rocks in this game."
(cut)
"I was kind of shocked...I love my family, and I'm a very family-oriented person, but I've been so career-driven in my life, music, music, music all the time, that's how I live my life. Being out here, it definitely shows you priority. Career is very important, but it shows you how important family is and how much you miss your family. Life is so short and you have to prioritize. I think I'm gonna do that more when I get back. It definitely showed me how important family is."
(cut)
"You don't realize, coming into this game, that you can form such a strong bond with someone here. I had no idea being this close with people, but...we're together 24/7. Everything is done together. We eat together, we sleep together, we survive together. Everything is done together. It's very surprising the strong bonds you make with these people. Dawn feels like a second mom to me now. It's funny how you gravitate towards certain people in the game. I gravitate toward her because she reminds me of my mother. She worries all the time, she worries about everybody and needs to make sure everybody is OK. I just think she made me comfortable with her. I trusted her from day 1. I trusted Keith from day 1 too. Those are the two...well, and Jim. I see me being friends with Jim the rest of my life. Those three people I really enjoyed. They made my time on Survivor so much easier than if I wouldn't have those bonds with other people."
(cut)
"I did come into this game being very - I didn't want romance, I didn't."
(cut)
"But you know, I came out here, and who knew this would happen? I do like Keith, and at some point, I just said, you know what? I'm gonna take my life day by day, I'm gonna follow my heart, and I'll deal with the consequences when I get back home. I'll put my life together and figure out some things. I think some Savaii thinks there's gonna be a wedding to attend to. Dawn said she just wants to be flower girl, which is interesting. (laughs) We'll see what happens. This game is...like I said, I had an amazing time. When I get back, my life is gonna change. There are gonna be some changes, and I'm excited about it, and we'll see what happens."
(cut)
"The overall experience of the game was amazing. I have nothing - this game is hard. It's so hard. No one understand how hard it is. I feel like - of course I wish I'd stayed longer, but I feel like I did well in my 28 days. I got through the days that were the lowest of the lows, and we had days that were the highest of highs, and had amazing times. The first 19 with Savaii felt almost like a vacation. You were hanging out with people you liked. Didn't have very much food, but you had a good time, because you were bonding with people and surviving together, and doing things you don't normally do in life. We didn't have much responsibility beyond keeping the fire going and gathering coconuts, and just focused on living. It was simple, and it was amazing. Then when it gets time to merge with people you don't know, and aren't necessarily the nicest to you, and you feel like an outcast, the game changes a lot, then it becomes really difficult. Those days of hopelessness, thankfully, I still had Dawn in there with me. We kept our spirits up - we had to. Walking away, overall, I'd say I'm so happy I did it. I really debated at the beginning, I was struggling with some things at home, and family. I'm happy I did it, I'm proud I did it. I wanna live with no regrets, and if I hadn't come out here, I would have had regrets. I can absolutely walk away from this game with no regrets."
We Can't Lose
Dawn is proud that a Savaii member will still be on Redemption no matter who wins the duel.
"I'm actually proud to represent the loyal part of the Savaii tribe here. I think one of us has a really good chance of playing the back end of this game and making the final 3. If any 3 can do it, I actually think one of us can win this duel, win another duel, and re-enter the game. I'm proud to do it. It would be a lot easier to duel against an Upolu member, because you'd have a little more fire in your belly, but I don't feel like we can lose today. I really believe we can't lose. I may go home, Whitney may go home, Ozzy may go home, but one of us is staying. That was important to us in the beginning. I always said, I really believe a Savaii member is gonna win this million dollars, and I still feel that way today."
(cut)
"I have a lot of peace with where I'm at in the game today. I think my feeling is I've learned so much from the Savaii tribe experience, and staying loyal to that group of people, and seeing how much Ozzy did sacrifice by exiting the game early to go to Redemption and then re-enter the game so we'd have the upper hand and have a majority - his first exit to Redemption, I respect that so much. I feel like he needs encouragement today too, because he does have the ability to play the backside of this game and probably win the men in the challenges, more than Whitney or myself. In some ways I feel like he sacrificed for the tribe, and if I can't win this today, I need him to know he can do it. I need him to have the courage and the strength and the faith we have in him. I want him to feel that everything we feel he did was worth it."
Nobody is Playing the Game
Whitney is amazed that the seven remaining people in the game are so content
"...had an opportunity to make a huge move. Everybody admitted it in Tribal Council. They said, tonight's the night for a big, big move. But nobody's playing the game. These 7, they all think they're going to top 3. Either they think they're going to top 3 and they're badly mistaken, or they're content being in whatever position they go out in. I don't think that's the case for everybody, but people like Edna and Rick, I think they're completely satisfied with 6, 5, 4. They don't care. Half of them, I think they have a promise from Coach, or he's made them feel like they're going to final 3. 7 can't go to final 3. They're gonna be picked off, one by one. It's gonna happen. It's gotta happen."
(cut)
"I'm at Redemption with the last 3 of the LOYAL Savaii members. Me, Ozzy, and Dawn. Of course it's good to hang out with these guys. They're awesome. Love them. It's gonna be difficult to compete with them. I know Dawn's a strong competitor. Ozzy, obviously, is...amazing at these challenges. Dawn and I, we feel happy that we're here, and content, but at the same time, we're afraid Ozzy's definitely gonna win. We're gonna give it our all, all we've got, but Ozzy's great at these challenges. He's done 'em before. But maybe something will be on our side. Maybe we step up today and win. It's a possibility."
