Throughout the game so far, Viola had been sitting comfortably alongside Valeria. But as the Queen Vs became closer with Mark, the power trio attracted some unwanted attention from the middle-aged mafia. Desperate to get Mark back into the fold, the middle-aged mafia alliance of Caroline, Kitty, and Eden decided the best course of action was to fracture the trio.
That fracture came naturally in the form of Sunday night’s tribe swap where Valeria found herself in a minority of former Titans, surrounded by majority Rebels on the New Titans beach.
Separated from her “Survivor wife”, Viola knew she was vulnerable, and the middle-aged mafia smelled blood in the water.
“I could tell Caroline was constantly on my and Valeria’s ass,” Viola told 10 Play, “when the swap happened I had a feeling it was coming, but I knew that I didn’t have the power to make a move without Mark.”
Trying to convince him that they should take the first shot and aim to vote out Caroline, Viola couldn’t convince the former diplomat that it was the right time, and the pair went into tribal council unaware that Caroline had convinced the entire tribe to blindside Viola in the next vote.
“When it happened I was like, I knew it! I knew it… they got me before I could get them,” Viola sighed, “I got got.”
All of this tension seemed to stem from a suspicion that Mark had grown closer with the Vs than his former alliance with Caroline, Kitty, and Eden.
“There was a discussion about a potential tight six, Mark wanted us to combine into a larger group and me and Valeria were fine with that,” Viola explained. “It wasn’t until Caroline stopped giving us room to breathe that it started to change.
“Caroline got very suspicious that me, Mark, and Val were a lot closer… from then on, that’s when she started always being around, always being in our conversations,” she continued. “Once Caroline started making it evident that she was very untrusting of us two, that’s when I realised it was never going to work… at some point, we were going to have to make a move.”
On top of that, Mark’s status as a former diplomat only added to the confusion, the silver-tongued prince had convinced Viola and Valeria that he was with him, but there was the slightest sliver of doubt in her mind.
“He is a phenomenal player… he has the social skills to absolutely dominate the game and have you not even realise it,” she explained. “As much as he was able to reassure me of the trust he had in me and Val, I knew he was capable of doing the exact same thing with the middle-aged mafia and making them believe it.
“Even when I got out I was like, wait a minute… did Mark betray me? I had to really think about it! It was a lot to process because I really did trust him,” Viola said. “I didn’t think he would betray me, so it was confusing when I did get out.”
Mark had also recently ripped apart a locked treasure chest, earning him a hidden Immunity Idol that only he and Viola were aware of. But heading into Tribal Council the duo felt like they had to put their trust in the middle-aged mafia.
“To ask him to use an idol for me was such a big request, especially if I ended up being wrong because it blows his cover and it’s a wasted idol,” Viola explained, adding that while she didn’t feel like she could request him to play the Idol on her behalf, she did feel like she could request a move against Caroline instead.
“It didn’t land. I’ve got to be a lot more pushy the next time,” she added, laughing.
Sitting at Tribal Council, Viola had a sense that her neck could be on the chopping block but it wasn’t until Jonathan LaPaglia pulled out a slip of parchment with her name on it that the reality set in.
“My heart dropped and I thought, if I hear my name again that’s it,” she said. “I remember I told my dad I wasn’t going to be the first one out, and when JLP called my name I was like, you know what? I wasn’t the first one to get out. I’ll take that!
“The way I got out, as a blindside, just makes me realise that not only was I a threat from the physical standpoint, but from a strategic standpoint as well,” she continued. “I was a threat, and I did play a game that I can be proud of.”
Kicking off the season as a Titan, the powerlifter was a force to be reckoned with, dominating a lot of the physical trials. But her athletic background also meant that the harsh conditions and realities of Survivor hit her even harder than some.
“I went in with the cutest idea, thinking okay cool, we are going to do a few challenges, they’ll give us beds, and there’ll be plenty of food. It wasn’t until day three we had a really dodgy-looking shelter and had barely eaten because our tribe kept losing rewards.
“I was like, what have I done?!”
Viola added that after a few days she felt herself losing the ability to think rationally. “From an athlete standpoint it was super duper tough. I remember I got to a challenge with Kirby and usually I’m like, you know what? I’m ready and excited to take on Kirby.
“There was one challenge I got there and I was like, I don’t think I have the strength right now to take her! That took me by the biggest surprise. I had never been in a position where I was so depleted and I had to fight from whatever I had left.”
While she may be out of the game, Viola’s impact will still be felt as her bestie and close allies will be out for revenge, something she can’t wait to see play out.
“Watching it back I am loving it. I watched the previous season and loved that, so now to watch it and know the behind-the-scenes, the personalities and to see it now I’m like wow, this is a phenomenal season and I’m so proud I could be part of it.”
After being voted out, Viola reflected on the relationships she was able to build and a game she was very proud of — but when asked what she would do differently if she had her time again, the fan-fave was playing it very smart.
“I don’t know if I should say because if I have my time again… I want it to be a secret, don’t I?”
Australian Survivor: Titans V Rebels continues Sunday - Tuesday at 7.30 on 10 and 10 Play
