The stunned player also threw her buff against a wall… as one does.
“What the hell, guys?”
That was a shell-shocked Kellie Nalbandian after she was surprisingly voted out on this weeks episode ofSurvivor 45.
Kellie Nalbandian on ‘Survivor 45’.Robert Voets/CBS
And just like that, a major threat toSurvivor 45was off to the jury.
Also, what would have transpired if Jake had agreed to not play his Shot in the Dark?
Was her amulet to blame for her exit?
Kellie Nalbandian on ‘Survivor 45’.Robert Voets/CBS
And does it hurt to go out before her ball and chain Uncle Bruce?
What do you remember about that moment, or is it all still a huge blur?
KELLIE NALBANDIAN:I actually mostly blacked out.
Kellie Nalbandian and Jeff Probst on ‘Survivor 45’.Robert Voets/CBS
Obviously, I think one of the most memorable things I said was, What the hell guys?
And Kaleb had to tell me several days later that I said that.
I had no idea, no recollection of even saying that.
Kellie Nalbandian on ‘Survivor 45’.Robert Voets/CBS
So that will tell you how shocked I was.
What about after you walked out of Tribal Council?
Were you still reeling as you waited to do your final words interview and then went to Ponderosa?
What was the night like after the cameras cut off?
I was like, Okay, I don’t want to.
But I was pretty shocked for a couple minutes, and then I was mostly just angry.
So it happened a little sooner than I thought.
What was it like watching it all play back on TV?
It’s a little jarring to watch yourself.
I don’t remember that whole moment very much.
The thing that’s burned into my memory the most is Kendra crying for me.
I was like, get you an ally that will cry when you leave the game.
I very honored and love her so much.
That’s really all I remember from that.
And then obviously that I forgot my torch not my best moment.
But I don’t really remember anything else.
So watching it back, it’s a weird part ofSurvivorhaving to sort of relive.
And then you have to relive it and watch it again.
It’s like re-experiencing drama.
I think we missed a lot of what was happening on the beach right before I left.
And unfortunately for me, Bruce losing his vote was really a nail in the coffin.
I did not expect that the auction would result in something like that.
And then when I needed him the most, he wasn’t there.
And then Jake was very clearly going to play his Shot in the Dark.
I think people might be confused: Why did I tell him [to not play it]?
But it’s because it was very obvious that he was running around searching for idols.
He was pretty erratic that day.
Kind of hard to get through to.
Well, let’s say you had the math.
Let’s say Bruce has his vote and Jake’s now feeling a little more comfortable.
What play would you have tried to make?
We don’t really want Jake to go.
And I’m like, Okay, who are you nervous about?
And it was one of those 1, 2, 3 situations, and they said Dee.
It also really didn’t make the show that Dee and I did have a pretty close bond.
It was kind of like a game respect game sort of moment.
Emily really is a linchpin here.
I mean she is in between these two old tribes by this point.
I have to give the Reba folks props for that.
We see Emily go to Drew and tell him about the womens alliance…
I know, what a narc.
Honestly, I don’t think so.
I was like, obviously I would love women’s alliance.
That’s my dream scenario.
But for me, I was just looking at it like, I love my options.
So I was like, this is another option for me.
I’m not going to shut anybody down.
I lose Brando, I lost Kaleb.
Bruce loses his vote.
It just sort of felt like I couldn’t catch a break in some instances.
I think in this game you really need someone who you might bounce ideas off of.
It is what it is.
It was half my day.
How would you describe your experience of playing with Uncle Bruce out there?
Listen, I had to say, Bruce has such a good heart.
He is such a good man.
But you see how I talk about him, he is a little bit of an anchor.
He was hard to work with.
He just is a little bit his way or the highway.
He had a vision of how he wanted to play the game.
I was like Really?
But it was great.
Did it hurt a little bit to go before him?
Be honest, Kellie.
I’m there to win the game.
We’re playing a game for a million dollars.
I’m so competitive.
I had waited a long time to come play, and yeah, I was crushed.
And I don’t feel embarrassed or sad that I was that.
When that all blows up in your face, it is a bummer.
It was sort of one of those, everything just slipped through my fingers all at once.
Your reaction is exactly what you want to see as a viewer.
There’s nothing embarrassing about it.
That’s what you want to see.
That is my fuel, Kellie, seeing people’s hopes and dreams crushed on national television.
I’m so glad to provide the entertainment for you, Dalton.
Do you think that played any role in your ouster here?
Probably not because we need threats in front of us so that keep moving through the game.
So I definitely think that was a factor.
I didn’t know Austin had another idol.
I didn’t know how tight he was with Drew.
And so that’s why I took it.
I was like, people are going to target Austin.
We weren’t even that.
It’s just like when you get on the beach and you’re vibing with somebody.
We just liked each other, and I think that was a pretty obvious to people around us.
We’d braid each other’s hair and things like that.
There was an astronomical amount of strategy and talking at Belo the second we were there.
So I feel like I played so muchSurvivorin those first five or six days that was exhausting.
That didn’t make it, and that would’ve been cool to see.
What was your end game?
Whom did you want to sit next to at the end?
The person I wanted the most to not leave the game was Kendra.
She’s the one who I wanted to play with.
I think you could see she was pretty loyal to me, even till the bitter end.
That’s my girl.
And actually that’s really why one of my regrets is not targeting Drew at the six split.
I tried a little bit, but I got a lot of pushback immediately.
So I was like, Okay, this maybe is not going to happen.
So I was hoping to take Kendra.
That was my plan.
