Rachel LaMont, Sam Phalen, Sue Smey, and Teeny Chirichillo have survived the gauntlet that is Survivor 47. But there are still a few more hurdles to clear on tonight’s season finale on CBS. That includes a final four fire-making competition that will determine the final three. Then, those final three will have to face off against a jury that has been mean-mugging them from the opposite side of Tribal Council all season long.
But before any of that happens, the last four players standing must contend with something else entirely — our questions! Every season, Entertainment Weekly peppers the Survivor finalists with some exclusive queries about their journey so far to help give viewers a more complete picture of their time on the island heading into the finale, and now it is time for Rachel, Sam, Sue, and Teeny to give up the goods.
What do they consider their best moves? What were their highest and lowest moments? And which person on the jury had the best shot at winning the game? Read on not just for answers, but key intel and insight heading into tonight’s Survivor 47 finale. (Also make sure to read our exclusive pre-finale interview with the jury.)
Rachel Lamont, Sam Phalen, Sue Smey, Teeny Chirichillo on ‘Survivor 47’. Robert Voets/CBS (4)
RACHEL LaMONT: It’s hard to not say my idol play that took Andy out at the final six! Since I had learned everyone was gunning for me while spying the night before, I knew I wanted to play the idol with maximum effect since I wasn’t able to get my original target out because Genevieve had won immunity. You saw how it all played out for me this past episode when I played possum and got everyone to discuss how I was a threat in front of the jury. But before all that happened, I still had some hope that perhaps I could save the idol at the next Tribal.
What you didn’t see was how I leveraged Andy to ensure that I knew whether I had to play my idol that night. When I had told Andy about my Block-a-Vote, he abruptly told me I was his number one. I didn’t believe this as I knew Teeny was his closest ally, but I was happy that he wanted to say it to me as I believed he would at least be loyal for the short term. Then Operation: Italy happened.
After losing Caroline, I went to work guilting the crap out of him for going out of his way to lie to my face just to immediately stab me in the back. He apologized and promised he was done lying to me and I told him that I was blocking Sam’s vote that night, and if he told me he was voting for Sam and then voted me out instead I would ensure he never got Sue or my jury votes. Andy was aware that his margins were going to be tight if he got to the end and he could not afford to lie to me and assume that risk. I was hoping that I could sway him to vote Sam with Sue and I and then use the Block-a-Vote and save the idol for final 5.
He, of course, came to me and ultimately told me that he was voting for me, and that’s when you see us chatting about his game. His attempt to bolster his perception and jury manage me ultimately led to me deciding to switch the vote because he was such a wildcard compared to Sam, who I felt was a known entity. While my threat to Andy obviously didn’t result in me being able to save the idol, I felt very at peace with the fact that I did everything I could and only played it because I knew I had to, and I’m proud of that!
Rachel LaMont on ‘Survivor 47’. CBS
SAM PHALEN: It has to be Operation: Italy. I had pitched Genevieve the idea of creating a fake idol and trying to pull off a 3-2-2 vote to keep us both alive right after Kyle was voted out. We needed to recruit a third member, and Genevieve was pushing for it to be Teeny. We had been planting those seeds with Teeny for a while. Meanwhile, I really wanted to bring Andy in on the vote. He seemed most hungry for a big move, and I had the best working relationship with him of the underdog five.
Genevieve apologized to Andy to reopen that door, and when I won the challenge, I was able to make sure I got my way by bringing Andy on reward with hopes of getting him to vote with us. Upon learning that Andy was wanting to make something happen, we got to work planning every intricate detail to make “the heist” a success. But on top of pulling it off and blindsiding the majority alliance, I felt like Operation: Italy was a threefold win for my game and position.Because Andy was the flipper and claimed it all to be an accident, I held the power to throw him under the bus in front of me — a “break glass in case of emergency” option, if you will. I was able to control the narrative of what happened on that reward.
The same thing goes for the fake idol with Genevieve. By making sure Genevieve had the “idol,” it all but guaranteed that she would be the primary target for the opposing alliance. Nobody wanted to risk leaving Genevieve in the game with an idol. Then, as you saw, I was able to expose the idol as fake at my own convenience to preserve my place in the game. Operation: Italy not only gave me insulation, it gave me power to decide the fate of my co-conspirators.
Sam Phalen on ‘Survivor 47’. Robert Voets/CBS
SUE SMEY: After the Caroline blindside, the next decision came down to voting out Andy or Sam. In my heart, I felt compelled to avenge Caroline. It wasn’t an easy choice, especially since Rachel was adamant about targeting Sam. From the start, Sam and Genevieve had always been on the opposite side of the tribe, so at least I knew where they stood. Andy, however, had lied to my face three times and blindsided me each time. I couldn’t see a path forward with someone so unpredictable, someone whose word I couldn’t trust.
Adding to that, after Andy pulled off Operation: Italy, I knew the jury would have been incredibly impressed by his gameplay, making him an even bigger threat. I made it clear to Rachel that I wasn’t budging — I was writing his name down. Ultimately, Rachel agreed to go with my choice, and we voted Andy out. Sweet revenge for Sweet Caroline.
Sue Smey on ‘Survivor 47’. CBS
TEENY CHIRICHILLO: I’d say the move I’m most proud of is getting Genevieve to admit that the idol was fake. It is representative of what I’m really most proud of, which can’t necessarily be classified as a specific “move” — my social game. I developed special and intense relationships with everyone in the game. Mine with Genevieve was the most complex. You’ve all seen the turbulence of our dynamic and not much of the laughs — the way we talked as if we were siblings, the deep care we had for one another.
When I came to her and asked if the idol was real, she told me the truth because our personal relationship took precedent in that moment. Sue and Rachel were too skeptical to write her name down until I told them to, and I told them to as a product of the information I learned in that conversation. Even though, of course, I did get all spun around about it (cut me some slack — at that point in the game I was questioning if I was even really on Survivor or just in an elaborate prank). I was still the one who convinced Sue and Rachel to vote Genevieve out that night instead of Sam.
Teeny Chirichillo on ‘Survivor 47’. CBS
RACHEL LaMONT: Oh man, I think my favorite interactions were with so many of the women, and it all seemed to revolve around braiding hair. On Gata, we would wake up early and sit on the beach, and Anika and I would braid Sierra‘s and each other’s hair and just take in the most beautiful sunrises I’ve ever seen while chatting and laughing together.
On Beka, hair braiding continued to be this daily bonding time with many of the women. Sierra still, of course, but also Tiyana, Caroline, and Genevieve, too. You often get lost in the game and forget that you’re literally living on a beautiful island in Fiji! Hair braiding was one of those times where you just sort of left the game for a few minutes and took in connection with others and the simple fact that your home is outside and you’re dirty and tired, but that someone is there that cares enough to help you look and feel your best when you’re often at such a low mentally and physically. Later in the game, there was something so poetic about how Genevieve and I would go to challenges, battle it out for the win, and then go back to camp and braid each other’s hair. Those moments are something I will cherish forever!
Rachel LaMont on ‘Survivor 47’. CBS
SAM PHALEN: It’s not a specific moment, but the most fun I had out there was hanging out with Genevieve giggling about how everyone was targeting us and we were doomed. We talked about the enneagram, and food, and whatever…. I just had a lot of joyful days thanks to her. We got each other and communicated effectively. It’s a friendship and strategic partnership that I wish was shown to the audience a little bit more. Playing baseball on the ribs reward is a close second place.
SUE SMEY: In the first few days of the game, I was battling severe stomach issues, vomiting, and had a relentless migraine. It was tough and incredibly worrisome because the thought of being taken out of the game for something beyond my control was devastating. To make it even harder, we had been keeping track of the days back home, and I knew it was my daughter Chelsea’s birthday. That night, Tuku gathered around a massive bonfire and sang “Happy Birthday” to Chelsea. It was such a mix of emotions — I laughed and cried at the same time. It was one of the most touching gestures complete strangers could offer, and it reminded me of the goodness in people. For the rest of my life, I will never forget that moment.
Sue Smey on ‘Survivor 47’. CBS
TEENY CHIRICHILLO: On Lavo beach, I quickly discerned that I was the only “chronically online” one of the bunch and kept myself entertained by teaching the tribe about various aspects of the internet zeitgeist. There was so much coconut talk the first few days. I viscerally remember mansplaining the Kamala Harris “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree” quote to Kishan and Aysha, who had never seen the clip. I gave a vocab lesson to Sol about a curse word that rhymes with “punt” and how it’s been reclaimed by the queer community as a compliment, which he adopted into his language instantly and hilariously. And, of course, filling Genevieve in on how she’d be called “mother” by a vast majority of social media, which is the highest possible term of endearment from the most selective and tasteful group of people in the fanbase.
Andy Rueda, Teeny Chirichillo, Rome Cooney, and Sierra Wright on ‘Survivor 47’. CBS
RACHEL LaMONT: Losing Sierra was the lowest moment of the game. When I lost Anika, I still had faith that I could somehow move forward with Sierra and even Sam, despite not fully trusting them. When Sierra went home on day 15, I felt completely and utterly alone. I realized that every single person left in the game had lied and burnt me and that I had no allies. I laid in the dirt by the fire that night thinking “Everything you’ve done in this game so far hasn’t worked at all and if you want to survive, you need to adapt now.” It was by far my lowest moment, but it also felt like the turning point in my game where I decided that I had absolutely nothing else to lose and started playing like it.
SAM PHALEN: Probably the night that Sierra got voted out. It was my first time being surprised at Tribal Council, and it left me feeling like I had no friends in the game. Survivor is like a boxing match. It doesn’t really start until you get punched in the mouth. It was the first time where it really hit me that nobody truly had my back. Everyone is out for themselves. Having that realization during such a delicate and complex stage of the game can make you feel vulnerable and alone. But it’s also liberating.
Sam Phalen in ‘Survivor 47’ deleted scene. CBS
SUE SMEY: My lowest moment came after a long night filled with whispers between Kyle and Genevieve. What people don’t realize is how sensitive you become to every sound in the dead of night — whispers feel as loud as full conversations. I couldn’t be certain they were talking about me, but the signs from the day before made me believe they were. They had just blindsided me by voting Gabe out, and I’d heard from others that Kyle was rallying hard to target me, even calling Caroline and me names. The weight of betrayal was suffocating. It had been a day of constant lies and shifting alliances that left my head spinning. When you’re exhausted, losing your closest allies, and constantly on edge, the cracks start to show. That night broke me. It was the lowest point of the game for me, a moment when everything felt like it was slipping away.
TEENY CHIRICHILLO: Is there a word limit? I actually might need to create a bracket to decide which is the worst one. Losing Sol was heartbreaking. From as far back as Ponderosa during pregame, Sol gave me this sense of calm and comfort. He was instantly and still is my best friend. I felt safe and better and totally myself around him. At that time in the game, I wanted so badly to sit at the end with him and Genevieve. In one fell swoop, I felt like I lost them both.
Then, of course, my outburst after the Italian reward challenge was such a low for me. I completely lost all self-control and self-awareness and allowed some gender insecurities to manifest as an obnoxious tantrum which doesn’t even align with how I feel about Sam, who is lovely and who I got along with extremely well out there on a personal level. And, unfortunately, those are not even the lowest.
On day 24 when Sam told me the details of Operation: Italy something shifted in my soul. To live in a false reality as confidently as I had and to then learn the extent of it and grapple with the fact that millions of people would see it was the most filling slice of humble pie a person could ever be served. I’ll be learning from and clowning on myself for that for a very, very long time.
Teeny Chirichillo on ‘Survivor 47’. CBS
RACHEL LaMONT: I doubt I will surprise anyone by saying Genevieve Mushaluk would have kicked every person’s ass out there. She is the full package — hyper intelligent, strategically minded, physically capable, and while she may have been guarded socially, her ability to persuade others and incept her ideas within the people she was working with was nearly infallible. She’s a formidable opponent and the rival of my Survivor dreams!
SAM PHALEN: Genevieve. Easily. She beats anybody in the game if she’s sitting at final Tribal Council. I knew as much, which is why I had to take her out eventually and expose her fake idol. She likes to self-deprecate, but she is deeply respected by everyone she meets. She made a deliberate effort to have no friends, but still ended up in a group of 17 people that wanted her to like them. And I don’t think any of that is a facade. She truly doesn’t know how good she is.
Sierra Wright, Sol Yi, Gabe Ortis, Kyle Ostwald, Caroline Vidmar, Andy Rueda, Genevieve Mushaluk on ‘Survivor 47’ finale. CBS
SUE SMEY: Gabe undeniably played the most impressive game. He played with relentless determination, constantly out searching for idols and advantages, leaving no stone unturned. His social game was exceptional — he had a natural ability to draw you in and earn your trust effortlessly. In challenges, Gabe gave everything he had, always striving to help his teammates push forward and succeed. He had an uncanny sense of what needed to be done and how to execute it perfectly. I witnessed firsthand his compassion and unwavering support for anyone who needed it. Gabe truly embodied the essence of a well-rounded, all-star player.
TEENY CHIRICHILLO: Say it with me now… the terminator herself and the person I’d be rooting for the most had I been a fan of season 47 and not a player… GENEVIEVE. It took me maybe 30 minutes after Kishan was voted off to realize that Genevieve is one of the greats. Though we were at odds and her game oftentimes advanced at the detriment of mine, I was always in awe of her as a player. It was never lost on me how lucky I was to be playing alongside someone the Survivor community will be talking about for a long time. Social, strategic, scrappy, complex, quirky, intelligent, articulate… I mean, come on. In any final three scenario, if Genevieve was there, she would have my vote. And I don’t think I’m alone in that sentiment.
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