Katrina Radke was voted out of the Heroes tribe during the premiere of Survivor's 35th season called Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers on CBS.
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Katrina, a 46-year-old former Olympian from Minneapolis, MN, was voted out of her "Levu" tribe through a unanimous vote after the Heroes tribe finished in last place at the first Immunity Challenge of the season.
Katrina cast her vote, however, for Ashley Nolan, a 26-year-old lifeguard from Satellite Beach, FL. Katrina's exit leaves Ashley, Alan Ball, Ben Driebergen, JP Hilsabeck, and Chrissy Hofbeck on the Heroes tribe going forward and a total of 17 castaways remaining.
During an exclusive interview with Reality TV World on Thursday, Katrina talked about her short-lived Survivor experience. Below is a portion of what Katrina had to say. Check back with us soon for more.
Reality TV World: Ben was obsessed with keeping strength on the Heroes tribe, and he picked Chrissy and yourself out as the weak links. Since Chrissy did the maze at the Immunity Challenge but you guys lost and she actually fell to her hands and knees and vomited after it, why do you think the tribe determined you should go before her?
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Katrina Radke: I thought she should go home in terms of the weakest link. She was actually out to get me, so I had wanted her to go home. But the problem is with the whole Alan thing, everything kind of changed, so Ashley and JP weren't so sure they even wanted to work with me.
And then Ben was with Chrissy in some way. So there's a lot that people -- and sometimes you want to take the weaker older woman with, because they know you won't win, typically. People did know I was an Olympian by the way.
I did end up telling my tribe. So in the end, they did end up knowing I was strong. I think I waited until after the first day to talk to people.
Reality TV World: I was going to ask you about whether you revealed your Olympic background, because it's hard to imagine they wouldn't consider you an asset on the tribe with your strong swimming skills.
Katrina Radke: Yeah, and also, I was one of the stronger people doing stuff around the tribe in terms of building shelter, cutting up stuff, cutting up coconuts -- I mean, you also need strength to be able to carry stuff.
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I was with the guys doing that stuff. So they saw I was maybe much more able than I look. I knew I was capable! That's the funny thing. But that's how it goes.
Reality TV World: So it sounds like Alan is to thank for your demise in that the tribe's decision to take you out was because he had planted a seed about you being suspicious of Ashley and JP and whether they had a hidden Immunity Idol.
Katrina Radke: Yeah, in so many ways. Because then I called him out on it, and he was not happy about that, of course. But he was so paranoid, and that's what is so beautiful about this game.
What you have to remember is that so many things like this do happen and obviously in signing up to do this game, you [have to realize] what can happen, and prepare for it. I think for me, it was just part of the whole Survivor thing.
They keep you on your toes, something random might happen -- something cool or bad -- you just never know, right? They could put something in your bag and you'd be like, "Oh, I got an idol," something or other, or you could end up with something crappy that takes you out. (Laughs) You just don't know!
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So it's just something you can't totally prepare for in terms of training or other things ahead of time. You can on some level, but that's it. And the funny thing is, I think many people put their judgment on others based on how they look or what their age is, assuming you can't do anything, which is so far from the truth.
Because Chrissy is super smart and she's very capable. And I'm obviously very mentally tough; I'm known for that. Whenever things were rocky in high school, I got through it, and I'm still very, very strong even though I don't look like it and have these big muscles or anything anymore. So the whole projection is really interesting, unfortunately, when people put these relative beliefs on you that are not true.
Reality TV World: JP and Ashley agreed Alan was "a loose cannon" who could definitely "rock the ship." Did JP and Ashley ever make a pitch to you or anyone else you're aware of to vote out Alan since he was so paranoid and suspicious of his tribemates? Was that ever an option?
Katrina Radke: You know, I talked to Chrissy about that at one point, but she really liked Alan, so she wasn't so for it. And Ashley and I had talked because she wanted Chrissy out. (Laughs) So everybody has different people in different moments whom they want out.
And I remember one time, I think it was me and Ben and someone else, we were sitting around and Ben was like, "Has anyone brought up my name!?" And everyone else was like, "Yeah, well, we know all of our names have been on the chopping block already." You know, it just happens really quickly because people are trying to figure out whom is the best person to take out if you take somebody out.
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Reality TV World: You mentioned earlier how you were envisioning working with Ashley and JP down the road had you stayed in the game longer. So it sounds like you weren't concerned about the power-couple perception of Ashley and JP?
Katrina Radke: No, there was no power couple. There was no power couple. That was all created by Alan. It's really interesting to see how they edited things. It was especially really interesting for me because of how they portray us, you know? Very different from what it really was.
To read the first portion of Katrina's post-Survivor interview, click here. And be sure to check back with Reality TV World soon for more.