Christina Cha: I was the 'Survivor' underdog and worthy of a Final 3 spot

Christina Cha made it to Survivor: One World's Final 4 but finished in fourth during Sunday night's two-hour finale broadcast on CBS.


During a Monday conference call with reporters, Christina talked to Reality TV World about her Survivor: One World experience -- including whether she thought she'd have a shot at winning if she had won the final Individual Immunity Challenge, how she defended Kim Spradlin against Troy "Troyzan" Robertson's attack against her character, how she defended her passive gameplaying strategy, and why she didn't fight harder to land a spot in the Final 3.

To begin reading Kim's interview, click here. To check out Chelsea Meissner's interview, click here. To read Sabrina Thompson's interview, click here. And finally, to see what Alicia Rosa had to say, click here.


Reality TV World: How big of a role do you think Kim's four consecutive Immunity Challenge wins played in her victory?  Had you and the other women ever had any thoughts of actually voting Kim out of the game and the immunity wins kept you from doing so, and once you were on the jury, do you think the fact that she won the last four challenges was a big factor in why seven of the nine jury members voted for her?

Christina Cha: I think in many times, Alicia and I had many conversations where we wanted to get rid of Kim but we kind of said it in a way that we didn't want to show we weren't loyal to her, because she was part of our alliance. But we knew that she could be a big threat, because she kept on winning immunity.


Because of that, in a sense it was kind of like, "How do we get rid of her because she keeps on winning the whole entire time. And all in all, you can't hate the girl. She outwit, outplayed and outlasted any of us, and I was also back there in Ponderosa saying like, "You've got to put it in perspective and think about it really."

If it's a game called, "Who deserve a million dollars?" [Sabrina Thompson] owns it. But the game is called Survivor and if anyone outwit, outplayed and outlasted, it was Kim. So to me, I looked at it from that perspective and the integrity of the game, and that's how my vote was in favor of Kim.

I think other people kind of thought about it too and like, yeah they were put in the jury and were bitter and everything, but you have to think about it. If you really do love the game, who ultimately deserves the million dollars?  So, that's how I felt.

Reality TV World: Do you think Leif Manson and Troyzan had the same perspective as you when deciding who to vote for? Because they both voted for Sabrina in the end.

Christina Cha: (Laughs) That's pretty obvious, you know? Troyzan even admits that Kim played a really great game, but ultimately, he didn't want Kim to win. He wanted himself to be there, and so of course he's going to vote for Sabrina. He got beat by a girl.


Reality TV World: When I talked to Troyzan a few weeks ago, he said some pretty negative comments about Kim. That although she looked like "Ms. Perfect" and batted her eyes and smiled, she was the greatest deceiver and liar out there. He also said she's not a sweet person, and that wasn't just reflective of in the game but in who she really is in real life as well. So it sounds like it's safe to say you'd disagree with that?

Christina Cha: Well you know, here's the thing. When we actually switched over and went to Tikiano, I told Troyzan about what was going to happen because of the whole situation with [Colton Cumbie] leaving. I wasn't sure where I was placed. So in a conversation, Alicia and I were thinking about making amends with each other.

I went over with [Jonas Otsuji], and I told Jonas, I was like, "Hey, I'm a free agent. I am totally out from the game. Nobody wants to take me at all. If anything, my name keeps being thrown out and I don't know why, because I haven't done anything to piss anybody off -- yet you guys want to put me there. Why don't you guys take me in if the guys are united and align?" -- which they weren't.

And I wanted to let them know, I was like -- Jonas was so sure about it -- he was like, "Yeah, Troy, [Jay Byars] and I don't know about [Michael Jefferson], but [Greg "Tarzan" Smith] and Leif, we're all together. We are all set that we're going to align, because our alliance is so strong."

And he was so set in stone about it. I was like, "Okay Jonas, if it really is, then take me in and tell Troy and Jay." And I told Troy and Jay, and they're like, "Oh, okay," -- thinking it was an option.


But instead, they were so solid on their other option, which was Kim and also Chelsea, and when I saw them talking, I was thinking to myself, "Okay this is probably not going to work." And whenever everyone started throwing out Jonas' name, I went over to Alicia and I was like, "Okay, I don't know what's going on here. Take me with you."

And of course, that's what I had to do. I had to do whatever I had to do just to save myself from being taken out. As long as it wasn't me and it was Jonas, it seemed like I could save myself in the game. So Troy saying that he didn't know and he was totally duped, I gave him information that this was going to happen with the girls aligning together, so.

Reality TV World: Kim made some comments about your gameplay in the end and said you might've been a good option to take to the Final 3 with her had you actually made some good arguments, and she said she was kind of disappointed you didn't at least try and campaign more to stick around at that point. What was your reaction to that, and if you had made your arguments, what would they have been?

Christina Cha: You know, when I noticed that Alicia was gone, I already knew that there was a strong alliance with Chelsea, Kim and Sabrina. And for me to even campaign that, it was just like -- to really say that I wasn't worthy to go there, I was the underdog.

I did not believe that I was not worthy to make it in as the Final 3 -- like, I was saying, "I am not worthy enough, so take me to the Final 3," and maybe that's my pride coming out of me saying that. And yes, there was that conversation, but I actually told Kim that. That's actually the part that was edited out.


I'm like, "Let's be honest here. What are you, Sabrina and Chelsea thinking?" Because right when they all voted Alicia, it was a totally unanimous decision that they had already made their alliance, and that's the side that Kim decided to go with and everything. Did she want to take me? No.

I think Kim, Chelsea and Sabrina made that alliance from Day 1. And for me, it's like I never really worked with Sabrina and Chelsea in an alliance. And again, it's like what Alicia said -- trying to work with Troyzan to make a last-minute change and everything?

You go with people that you trust and that you know is going to work with you and everything. This is how it is in everyday life. If I were to work with a business vendor, what am I going to do?

Am I going to go to someone who's going to be cheaper, faster and say they're going to give me a better deal, or am I going to work with someone who I trust -- and is a little bit more -- but I know they're going to do the job well done. It kind of comes to that.

I mean, I'm probably more of the realist in the whole game and everything. The only chance that I felt that I was ever going to make it to the Final 3 respectively was to win Immunity, and I was so close. I gave it all that I could and I was barely there, and I just felt like, "Okay, I was defeated." It is what it is. (Laughs)


Reality TV World: If you had won immunity in that final Individual Immunity Challenge, do you think you would've had any chance of winning or getting any votes, or do you think you basically would've been "Chelsea'd" and shut out?

Christina Cha: Oh, no. I think absolutely there would've been a great chance of me trying to win the million dollars and I guess it's kind of like how I would do my speech and everything.

I mean, I was the underdog. I was on the outs the whole entire time and nobody gave me a chance to really build an alliance with them, and my edit was so weird because I mean, I don't know if you noticed the chemistry amongst our whole entire cast at the final Tribal Council.

There was absolutely no bitterness in between any of us. There's no bitterness between Alicia and I. There's no bitterness between Colton and I, or Troyzan or anyone at all. We all respect each other in how we play the game and everything.

If anything, my speech would be like, "Hey, I was basically a pawn in a game of chess and I made myself get all the way up here. And if anything, I kept myself into the game. I haven't turned you guys down, I haven't lied to you, I haven't cheated or anything. I've played the game as honestly and truthfully as I could without backstabbing."

I can't say that I wasn't part of any blindside. I was part of a blindside, but if anyone were to ask me, I wouldn't answer it at all, because I'm not a good liar. It was probably one of my problems in the game.


To begin reading Kim's interview, click here. To check out Chelsea Meissner's interview, click here. To read Sabrina Thompson's interview, click here. And finally, to see what Alicia Rosa had to say, click here.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski