Nina, Shaun and Sam were sitting at the bottom of the tribe, but luck was on their side when Nina discovered an Idol, and Shaun revealed his well-kept secret Idol.
“I came into Tribal Council and we thought we were prepared,” Sam told 10 Play. “We had two Idols and it would have been the best move in the game to play it for the right people. Nina was going to give the Idol to me before we went in, but I told her to hold on to it and give it to me at Tribal.”
That decision was one that Sam would later regret. Despite going in confident that Nina’s Idol would be played for him, the pressure cooker Tribal Council got the better of everyone.
“My instincts were telling me maybe it's Nina going, so I told her to play it for herself. That was probably my heroic move, but I should have used self-preservation and played it for myself. As soon as she played it, I knew I was up.”
After noticing the vibe was off and reading the body language of the majority alliance, Sam spoke up and tried to convince Shaun to play his Idol for him. But Shaun’s response was a simple one, “I'll buy you a case of beer if I'm wrong.”
“He will be buying me that case of beer for the rest of my life,” Sam laughed.
"That was the world's biggest rookie mistake. I had the gut instinct and saw straight through George's poker face. I just wish I had that Idol in my hand from Nina. Tribal this time around is seriously so much harder than Tribal in season 1. You would go in with a decision and it was pretty much set in stone, but now, you go in with a plan, and that never happens.”
Heroes V Villains pins new and returning players against each other, and Sam said this dynamic played a big role in the alliances which were formed.
“I had never played with any of the returnees, but having them there made the dynamic even more challenging. For certain people in certain alliances, it probably helped because some had played together in previous seasons. I never had that luxury. I didn't have those relationships before the game. So, to be brutally honest, I kind of played this game as a brand new person because no one remembered me. I played back in season one which was so long ago!”
Beginning the game in the Heroes tribe, Sam admitted it was hard for him to define why he was a hero.
“I'm always a little bit unsure about why – I think that's just me. I don't like to claim it, so to speak. But I felt like throughout the season, there were plenty times where I was listening to people who were struggling with certain challenges or certain parts of the game, with the elements and whatnot. I was always there for them personally, putting the game aside. I had their best interests at heart. That may or may not be perceived as being a hero, but speaking up, sharing how I feel. I felt like I did that pretty well.”
Reflecting on when he got the call, Sam said coming back to play a second time was an easy decision, and he would do it again in a heartbeat.
“It was great timing for me. Although there was a lot going on, and I live here in LA, coming back to Samoa – I love that country. I've learned more about the game of Survivor since I first played. I'm not a superfan by any means, but it was great to come back, and it was quite easy for me to come back because it was redemption in a way, and I wanted to work with the best. And if the Heroes V Villains season was anything like America's, it was bound to be a really good one – and it seems like it's headed in that direction.”
Despite the difficult elements Samoa presented, being back was like a slice of familiarity for Sam. Not only did he get to spend time at a beautiful location, playing a game he loved, but he made good friends along the way.
“After six years, coming back to Samoa was really fun. I felt like I had an upper hand because I've been there before and I was familiar with the elements. But as far as gameplay, it was tough. It was a brutal season. I had a great time and met some great people. I would have loved to last longer, I felt like I had a lot more energy in my system to last a lot longer. But I mean, it's the game of Survivor, anything can happen.”
