"It's like Noonan was right!" she cried out after her remaining OG Brawn tribemates were the only two players to write her name down. But a double idol play meant that it was enough to snuff Noonan's torch, ending her time on Australian Survivor.

"I was three years old when the first season came out and I was six when I have the first memory of Survivor," Noonan told 10 Play after her elimination on Sunday night.

"I told myself if I ever made it on [the show] that I had to have fun and keep the Survivor magic alive for me, and I just had the best time. I was overwhelmed with absolute joy."

Prior to the tribe swap, Noonan said her OG Brawns had a saying, "Blessed to be Brawn", as they managed to evade tribal council for most of the early game. For a superfan like Noonan, the swap signalled a time for her to pump the gas.

"I was excited to muddy the waters, and I wanted the other tribe to see I am actually a player and we're not just a bunch of Brawns having a vacation here," she said.

"I definitely used the Brawn mentality of being one big happy family to shield how strategic I could be. I was itching for tribe swap and it was a huge thing to tick off my bucket list."

The swap also saw AJ step up his game, proudly announcing his 'take hostages' plan, urging the other tribe to throw challenges. But the strategy took a turn when AJ himself wanted to throw an immunity challenge, putting Noonan's time in the game at risk.

"You play Survivor for the risk/reward factor and I thought there's no reward coming from throwing because, unless you have seven idols in your pocket, you never truly know what can happen," she explained.

"I know a lot of people watch the show for different reasons, and people love to see an average person give their heart and soul in these challenges," Noonan continued. "When someone throws it, it takes that away. It now becomes 'who can throw a challenge better'.

"I couldn't hide that it upset me because I came to compete on all levels. That means strategically, socially, and physically in these challenges. I just idn't want that to become our Survivor narrative."

On Sunday, the immunity challenge hinged on one player from each tribe attempting to shoot three balls into three nets. Ben and AJ were the two stationed at the final part of the challenge, and both players were more interested in throwing the challenge than throwing the balls into nets.

Ben and AJ took so long to land their shots JLP threatened both tribes could end up going to tribal council.

"I respect AJ and I'm excited by that level of gameplay and being that strategic," Noonan said, adding that challenge throwing is a bold strategy because it so visibly creates waves on your own tribe.

"Throwing a challenge hurts too many people's feelings. It's that balance of being strategic but now I have to manage emotions and almost control them. When JLP said why don't we all go to tribal I was like, yeah let's do that!

"It felt like we were all losing control of the game except AJ and Ben," Noonan said.

"I love challenges, they're such a good way to build confidence in yourself and work together as a team. I've worked in teams my whole life and it went against everything I believed in," she continued. "Even though Ben was throwing the challenge to save us, it felt like drinking off milk. It leaves a bad taste in your mouth."

To add injury to insult, Noonan rolled her ankle during the challenge and was left hobbling back to the beach in defeat where she stayed around the campfire while her tribemates scrambled in different directions.

"The whole time I just thought, god this could have all been avoided and I think that’s when people were like yes, Survivor is about strategy and you go hard or you go home, but there’s a time and a place for it," she said.

"That’s when I think throwing is detrimental because if you don’t have to play the game with your foot on the accelerator the whole time, that’s awesome.

"You can push and pull and really weigh up your options. When you’re thrown into tribal you have to really stick to a plan. If we didn’t go to that tribal I think it would have given us a great opportunity to explore more."

Tribal council also held not one but two surprises for the tribe, with both Paulie and AJ playing idols for themselves. Though she had her suspicions, Paulie had managed to keep his idol a secret from even his closest ally Noonan for 14 days.

"You can see my face when he said, 'I'm playing it for myself', I was like yes! You play your idol. You put your money where your mouth is. You found the idol and you play it for yourself," she said.

"There's no ill will that he didn't tell me because if I had found one, there's no way I would have told him," Noonan laughed. "I was proud he played it but I knew, as soon as he did, that it was probably going to be me."

Putting her vote on AJ, Noonan hoped there was a slim chance her OG Brawn allies Paulie and Kristen had voted with her, but they had written her name down instead.

"As a fan I was in this weird place, crying because I didn't want to go home, but at the same time... what a way to go out," Noonan laughed.

"That's how you want to go out in Survivor, a double idol play and blindsided by your best friend. I'm glad that's how I went.

"Paulie and I had such respect for each other that we knew, at some point, we were going to have to blindside each other. I wanted that to be more like a day 35, day 37 type of plan but what can you do? I loved it. I loved the poetic justice of it all."

Looking back on her time in the game, Noonan said that people who claim they wouldn't change a thing are naive, adding, "I definitely could have hidden my facial expressions way better".

"To say, when I eye-rolled, that my mum was disappointed is an understatement. I wish I was more subtle but I don't regret being who I am. I'm expressive and wear my heart on my sleeve and I think Survivor is about knowing when to be 100 percent yourself or 80 percent yourself.

"I had too much fun to regret anything. I just know if I ever play again, I'd play differently."

As for her final thoughts on her time on Survivor, the superfan said, "To anyone who has applied once and has got what I call the 'Survivor call', it's like becoming a nun.

"When you get the call, you have to answer it. So please keep trying because it changed my life and I'm more in love with Survivor than I ever was. It was my first love, and I think it'll last a long time."

Australian Survivor Brains V Brawn II continues Monday - Tuesday at 7.30 pm and Sundays at 7pm on 10 and 10 Play