Survivor: Blood vs. Water eliminated returning castaway Candice Cody from the game after she lost the season's fourth Redemption Island duel during Wednesday night's fifth episode of the CBS reality series' 27th edition. 
 
Candice, a 30-year-old physician and anesthesiology resident from Washington, D.C. -- who finished in eighth place on both Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, which aired in 2010, and Survivor: Cook Islands, which aired in early 2006 -- lost the duel to her husband and "loved one" John Cody and Monica Culpepper's husband Brad Culpepper.

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In an exclusive interview with Reality TV World on Thursday, Candice talked about her Survivor: Blood vs. Water experience -- or rather, unfortunately, her Redemption Island experience.

Below is the concluding portion of Candice's interview. Click here to read the first half. 

Reality TV World: If you had gotten to stick around in the game a little longer, like even just the three days prior to the first Tribal Council, what had you hoped to accomplish? Did you have any ideas whom you hoped to align with or anything like that?

Candice Cody: Yeah, I mean, out of everyone, I kind of -- I like Aras Baskauskas, I like the way he plays the game. I think you want to align yourself with someone who's calm, who is going to be steady for the long run. And I didn't have the opportunity in Heroes vs. Villains to really align myself with anyone.

I just kind of was hanging on for dear life because they didn't really want to play with me, but in Cook Islands, I had some strong alliances with people who were rational, steady and calm. You don't want to be with somebody who's off the wall, you know, crazy all the time and that you have to be their personal therapist, because that just makes it really difficult.

So I liked Aras, I liked [Tyson Apostol]. I kind of thought I could get along with [Gervase Peterson] as well. The girls I didn't really know too much and I was looking forward to getting to know them. But I think I would've been just fine.

Reality TV World: Could you explain why exactly you voted for Laura Morett at the very beginning of the game? You told your tribe you just didn't know a lot about her, so were you being honest about that? 

Candice Cody: I think I knew the least about her out of anyone because I can't remember exactly when her season was on, but I'm in residency now. I'm in medical school. Of course I still watch the show, but I haven't been able to watch and analyze as closely as I had before.

So I really had the least amount of feeling that I knew who she was and how she was going to play. And so that was really the only reason that I voted for her. Other people said her name and I was like, "Yup, let's do it."

Reality TV World: After you were voted out and Redemption Island was revealed, Jeff Probst gave John the chance to swap places with you and you told John it was up to him -- which some viewers have kind of interpreted as you wanted to switch but didn't want to come right out and say it. Was that the case -- what was going through your head at that point?

Candice Cody: Yeah, actually I knew from the very first second that I was never going to switch with John. If you look back and watch the first episode, when Jeff is giving [Rupert Boneham] the chance to switch, they kind of flash back and look at me and [his wife Laura Boneham], and I'm looking over at John and I shake my head "no." So I had already told him, I said, "No, that's not going to happen. We're not doing that."

And then Jeff gives us the opportunity to talk about it and I thought we were just basically going to say our goodbye, and you know, be done with it. And then John's like, "Well, do you want me to switch with you?" And so that kind of confused me and threw me back, you know, because I thought he already knew, "No, this isn't going to happen."

So that's why I was like, "Wait, what?! I don't know, what do you want to do?" I was a little confused, but I never in a million years was going to let him switch. I played this game twice before. This is my third time coming out. John has never played before. I'm not going to take that opportunity away from him.

And on top of that, the returning players' tribe has already shown their hand. They've already said that they don't want to play with me. No one voted for John on his tribe, so he's already well-liked, he's going to be an asset to his tribe, and he's a great, smart, social guy.

So I figured, "He can do just fine on his tribe. Why am I going to take him out, put him on Redemption Island, and then go with the loved ones whose family members had just voted me out and essentially take two Codys out with one vote?" You know, that was never going to happen.

Reality TV World: How did you end up being on Survivor again, and how did competing with John come about? Like did the producers originally approach you about coming back and ask for a few "loved ones" possibilities that they could pick from, or were you only interested in coming back if you could do it with John -- how did all of that unfold?

Candice Cody: Yeah, they called me early on and asked if I would be available, and then later they said, "Well, send us some family members." So I sent them a couple people. They had actually brought my dad out for interviews first, because I think they probably felt it might be more interesting dynamic -- father/daughter rather than husband/wife.

So they brought my dad out first and they didn't end up using him, and they asked for another family member and they asked basically to bring John out. And John went out and I think they absolutely loved him, and it was all downhill from there!

Reality TV World: How awkward were things on Redemption Island while John and yourself were there with Brad? It looked like you guys actually got up in the middle of the night when he arrived and spent quite a bit of time talking.

Candice Cody: Yeah I mean, there was a lot to talk about. I had just blown Brad up at Tribal Council. Brad had, as they said, shanked John, who was his trusting, loyal companion. So there was a lot to talk about. I really didn't feel like hearing it at the time, but you know, I was going to listen to him. And of course Brad, you know, he's a talker.

He never stops talking. So most of the stuff that he said, I wasn't sure that I was going to believe, because we were still in the game, you know? But it was definitely awkward. I got what I wanted, which was to have him voted out of the game and to come to Redemption Island. But at the same time, (laughs) it was kind of like, "Be careful what you wish for," because now you've got to compete against him.

And he was a tough, challenge competitor -- a smart guy, an athletic guy. And here I am, little old me, going up against these two big guys and strong athletes who are both very smart! We got two doctors and a lawyer there on Redemption Island, and Brad's a football player and John played college basketball at West Point.

So it's like, I kind of felt like, you know, I was in an uphill battle. But I still wanted to fight and I wanted to win, and I gave it all I had. It didn't end up working out for me, but I still have John in the game and I'm expecting him to bring it home.  

Reality TV World: Had you and John had any discussions about what you two would've done if Brad had been the first one to finish that duel and it came down to the two of you for the last spot? And if so, what had you both decided?

Candice Cody: We had already said, before Brad came -- even when it was us against [Marissa Peterson] -- I told him, and he agreed and told me that, "Whatever happens, do not stop fighting. Do not give up; Don't give in to me, because this is a game and may the best man or woman win." And so basically we just decided to give it our all.

Above is the concluding portion of Candice's exclusive interview with Reality TV World. Click here to read the first half.


About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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