Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X castaway Rachel Ako was voted off her Takali (Gen-X) Tribe during Wednesday night's premiere broadcast on CBS.

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Rachel, a 37-year-old recruiting director from Los Angeles, CA, became the first castaway voted out of Season 33 on Night 4 at the game's first Tribal Council session.

Rachel seemed to know she was on the chopping block because her personality clashed with her tribemates and she was accused of letting her tribe down by failing to complete the Immunity Challenge's puzzle, which resulted in a loss.

During an exclusive interview with Reality TV World on Thursday, Rachel talked about her Survivor experience. Below is the concluding portion.

Reality TV World: The episode made it seem like Bret LaBelle is emerging as the leader of the Gen X tribe. Would you say that's accurate? What do you think about that?

Rachel Ako: Hmm. He's very vocal. He's one of the very vocal people on that tribe.

Reality TV World: Did you clash with anyone in particular? We saw a scene or two or Bret rolling his eyes at you.

Rachel Ako: Yeah, I clashed with all of Gen X because they voted me out! (Laughs) No, it was just that I was closer to some people than others, and yeah, I just felt [left] out a little bit by other people who were actually forming an alliance. And I just felt like I couldn't win.

Reality TV World: Based on last night's episode, you volunteered to do the puzzle in the Immunity Challenge, supposedly saying puzzles were your "thing." Did you already feel like you were on the chopping block and that's why you volunteered, in order to prove yourself? Because the school of thought is that it can be dangerous to magnify yourself in the tribe so early on.

Rachel Ako: Yeah, no, I didn't say puzzles were my thing actually. [David Wright] was the one who said, 3D puzzles, he has them at home and he was practicing Survivor puzzles. For that one, I said, "I'll do the puzzle unless anyone is really good at puzzles and wants to do it."

It was a couple days of conversation leading up to before [the challenge], and no one wanted to step up. It was just that David was the only one that really had experience in it. I hadn't trained in puzzles. I wish I didn't step up. I wish I just would've been silent (laughs) and let it go for days with another puzzle person.

Reality TV World: Okay, so you were never confident in doing puzzles like your tribemates made it seem.

Rachel Ako: No! I'm not. I didn't train doing puzzles before I went. (Laughs)

Reality TV World: Looking back on everything, do you have any regrets?

Rachel Ako: Yeah, I just wish I wouldn't have said anything! (Laughs) I wish I flew under the radar and had no communication.

Reality TV World: Is there anyone you wish you had tried to become friends with earlier on, someone who might've helped to keep you around?

Rachel Ako: I wish I spent a little bit of one-on-one time with everyone. However, at times, I did. And [the conversation] just didn't seem to be reciprocated.

However, I think what would've been smarter for my strategy is, even though I got along really well with [Ciandre "CeCe" Taylor] and got along well with [Ken McNickle], not make it apparent -- pretend like I didn't. That probably would've fared a lot better with both the guys and the girls, instead of seeing how close we were.

Reality TV World: After watching last night's episode back and seeing the dynamics on the millennials' tribe, do you think you might've fared better in the game if you were on a tribe with those people, personality-wise and things like that?

Rachel Ako: Yeah! I should've switched. I should've said, "Hey, [Zeke Smith] with the mustache, you look in your 40s. I think you're just pretending; You're funny! Let's switch!"

Reality TV World: The millennials are proving themselves to be physically fit and sharp. Do you predict the millennials might go on a winning streak in the challenges or are you confident Gen X could turn things around?

Rachel Ako: Yeah, I hope so. I'm rooting for the millennials since Gen X voted me off.

Reality TV World: How were you cast on Survivor? How did you end up on the show?

Rachel Ako: Great question again! I think it was about three years ago, I applied and they called and said, "Hey, we want to do something different, where we're putting family members against each other on tribes," and they were talking about [Survivor: Blood vs. Water], although they didn't say that then.

They said, "We want you and your dad to be on the show," and so I said, "My dad is not going to do a reality show." (Laughs) And so, the casting director said, "Well, if you want to be on Survivor, you should be able to do anything! And if you can't do this, then you're not cut out for the show."

And so, I was like, "Okay, good point." So I called my dad and said, "Dad, Survivor wants us to come in," and mind you, he's watched since Episode 1. He's a super, super fan. And he said, "No," and I was secretly dying inside because I knew my chances were going out the window.

And I said, "Dad, why!?" And he said, "My knee. I'm eventually going to have to get surgery." So I said, "Okay," and went back and told [casting]. And they said, "Alright," pretty much, "Bye!" (Laughs)

So I thought I would never hear from them again, and then a couple years later, I decided to apply again and I was like, "I can do this on my own!" So I applied and they called, and I felt like I was one of the last add-ons. I only had a couple months notice, about two months or so. And then I left to come!

Reality TV World: Based on your experience, would you ever want to play Survivor again?

Rachel Ako: I would have to ask a lot more questions, seeing whether I'd be put on a Gen X tribe.

To read the first half of Rachel's Survivor interview, click here. To read what she told Reality TV World about the history-making evacuation for the cyclone in Fiji, click here.


About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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