Yam Yam Arocho told us on day one ofSurvivorhow excited he was to poop in the ocean.
But when Carson didn’t get there, Yam Yam was the jury’s choice.
you might watch the entire interview above or read it below.
Yam Yam Arocho on ‘Survivor 44’.CBS
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Let’s get to the most important question first.
You told us on day 1 how excited you were to poop in the ocean.
YAM YAM AROCHO:It was everything I could have imagined and more.
Yam Yam Arocho on ‘Survivor 44’.CBS
If you’ve never done it, try it.
Oh, I’ve done it ever since.
Let’s talk about the big win.How confident were you walking into that final Tribal Council?
Yam Yam Arocho on ‘Survivor 44’.CBS
Well, I was not confident.
And I think that was the reason I went so hard for it.
It was because after Heidi making that fire, it lit up something in me.
Yam Yam Arocho on ‘Survivor 44’.Robert Voets/CBS
I couldn’t sleep that night.
When Heidi did that, it was so f—ing amazing.
When I walked into that Tribal, I made sure to tell everyone how I connected with them.
At some point, I had some lines that were good.
That was my thing about using people’s reaction and my connection with them to my favor.
When Frannie was like, “Wow, that’s awesome!”
I was like,I think I’m saying something that is making sense on the other side.
Did I think it was enough?
No, of course not.
And Heidi, I respected also the stuff she did.
I’m sure you were doing jury math in your head, so which votes surprised you?
He was, like, blank, you know?
And I was like, “Oh.”
I mean, any people that voted for me surprised me.
What was your thought process like when it came to that?
There was nothing about the game.
In a lot of scenarios, I played like that and I worked like that.
You know, my friend is Carson.
I loved everyone, but Carson and Carolyn were there with me since day 1.
When I was practicing fire on the rock with Carolyn, we got it right away.
I was like, “I want to talk to you.
What’s going on?”
I knew he wasn’t playing at that moment.
The way he was talking to me was not a game.
He did the fire against the fastest fire-making person in the history ofSurvivor.
He had a flame.
In the history ofSurvivor, she was the fastest fire-making ever.
I win every time, Dalton, I win every time.
I don’t know.
I don’t play “What ifSurvivor.”
What happens, happens.
But it might have been closer.
I don’t know.
Well, let’s say you had won that final immunity challenge.
Who would you have brought with you to the end and who would you put to fire?
Had I won Simmotion?
It’s funny because I always ask Carson who would he have brought, but I never asked myself.
I was like, “Carson, would you have put me against the fire?”
I trusted my fire-making skills good enough to put myself against someone.
And I did talk about that before we went to the last immunity challenge.
But it was a possibility of me putting myself against one of them.
How much of that was real and how much was acting?
We were joking and she was like, “Whoa!”
And turning against me and going “Are you for real?
Are you serious?”
And I’m like, “Girl, we’re good.
It was a joke.”
“Oh no, no.
If you said it, it was because you meant it!”
I was like, Oh my God, I’m a good actor.
But I was like, “Carolyn, you know, it was like a joke!”
How much weight did you lose out there?
I weighed myself four days after I came back.
I had already eaten for four days and I had lost 35 pounds.
So I estimate it was a little bit more.
We’re going to bed and everyone’s like “What’s going on with Carolyn?
Where is she?”
And I go like, “Oh my gosh, it’s her walk.
The poor guy being the [interviewing producer] talking to Carolyn.
And everybody just burst out in laughter.
It’s like endless laughter.
Everybody cannot stop.
Every time we look at ourselves, we only had to say, “Poor guy.”
The Poor Guy T-shirt is coming.
You wrote your name down as the winner ofSurvivor 44.
Will you write your name down again?
If they ask you to play this game again, what will you say?
I told Jeff right away.
It’s been 44 seasons.
The first time two Puerto Ricans played together, and we’re one and two.
We’re very, very proud.
What aboutThe Amazing Racewith Carolyn?
Would you do that?
I will playThe Amazing Racewith Carolyn any day.
Will we be good at it?
That’s a whole other story.
It’s such an honor to be able to represent44with such amazing people around me.
I could not have asked for a better family likeSurvivorfamily.
I’m so lucky.
