Exclusive: 'Survivor: San Juan del Sur -- Blood vs. Water' castaway Baylor Wilson opens up (Part 1)

Survivor: San Juan del Sur -- Blood vs. Water castaway Baylor Wilson finished the 29th season in fifth place, losing the $1 million grand prize to Natalie Anderson, during the live portion of Wednesday night's finale broadcast on CBS.


Baylor also finished behind runner-up Jaclyn Schultz, third-place finisher Missy Payne, and fourth-place finisher Keith Nale.

Baylor's mother Missy received only one jury vote in the Final 3 and it was from Baylor herself. 

In an exclusive interview with Reality TV World, Baylor talked about her Survivor experience. Below is the first half. Check back with us soon for the concluding portion and for more interviews with the Final 5 castaways.

Reality TV World: You said you weren't mad at Natalie for voting you off. In fact, you said it was a really good move. Could you talk about that a little bit?


Baylor Wilson: Yeah. I'm not mad at her. I really wasn't in that moment. I think I was mad at myself for not doing the same move on her, (laughs) which I actually thought about briefly. I asked it in my head, but I was too loyal to our alliance at that point to really make it. So, I'm proud of her and I think that it was an awesome move.

Reality TV World: How close did you and Missy -- or just you -- come to voting Natalie off? And what ultimately made you decide against it?

Baylor Wilson: Oh, at that point in the game, my mom was very deteriorated with her ankle and it was Day 37. I don't think I could've convinced her to vote off Natalie at that point, so I think I just passed it up in my head and that's why. I should not have leaned on her as much to make that decision, but at the same time, I have no regrets with how it went down.

Reality TV World: Natalie was shown saying that one of the reasons she wanted to get you out of the game was because she felt Missy's Final 3 case was weaker without you there. Do you agree with that and understand where she was coming from with that comment?

Baylor Wilson: I'm pretty sure yeah, because I think we talked about that -- just me and her. Actually no, our alliance -- when [Jon Misch] was in the game -- we all talked about who should go to the Final 3 and whatever.


And I think her mindset was, basically, not only was Missy playing a great game, but she brought her daughter along the whole way and even to the Final 3, she played the game for two people. That's probably what she was thinking.

But at the same time, I don't know. I think it would've been -- It might've been easier for -- I don't know. I think [Natalie] would've won either way, you know?

Reality TV World: Yeah, I was wondering if you joining Missy in the Final 3 or not being there at all would've played a significant role in the votes your mom did or did not get.

Baylor Wilson: Yeah, but I do think if she would've taken Keith, he would've won.

Reality TV World: If Natalie had taken Keith, you mean?


Baylor Wilson: Yes.

Reality TV World: Jon told me that all of you guys had agreed to a Final 5 plan in which Jaclyn would be voted off in fifth place, you would go in fourth place, and then your mom, Natalie and Jon would end up in the Final 3. It sounds like you had legitimately agreed to that plan?

Baylor Wilson: No, that's what's funny! I said to everybody in our alliance that I was cool with that, but truly deep down, I was so not -- I mean, even to my mom I explained, "Mom, I don't want to do that. I don't want to just give up my game and let you guys go to the Final 3. That's not how this game is played."

So, I always was a little bit frustrated when Jon had our little alliance meetings and said, "Okay, so Final 3 is me, Natalie and Missy?! And Jaclyn and Baylor, you guys will ride with us and vote the way we want." I don't know. I was never cool with that plan -- ever.

Reality TV World: So did you devise any type of plan then where you'd make a move to prevent that from happening at some point?


Baylor Wilson: Oh yes, me and Natalie tried to vote Jon out, like, I think four times or something crazy, but he kept winning or we couldn't get our alliance to have enough numbers. I don't know what it was, but yeah, I think I talked to the producers about, "I want to vote Jon out tonight," I think, three times.

Reality TV World: Once you got Jon out, if you had your choice, you were going to stick with Natalie and your mom to the Final 3?

Baylor Wilson: Yeah. I knew that my mom would not vote Natalie off -- ever -- and I didn't have enough, I guess, gameplay left in me at that point to try and get Jaclyn or Keith to vote Natalie out.

I know they would have probably, if I had come up to them, but I just figured, "Yeah, me, Natalie and my mom are going to the Final 3. It's no big deal." And so, I didn't (laughs) think hard enough at that point. I mean, it was Day 37. You're two days away, you know?

Reality TV World: Why do you think you wouldn't have been able to convince your mom to vote off Natalie? Because she obviously had seemed really loyal to Jon as well, but you were able to pull that off.


Baylor Wilson: I think my mom's ankle injury really affected her, not only physically but mentally at that point in the game. When she got hurt on Day 33, I really had to carry us both in our game-strategy, and physically, obviously.

And so that was really tough on me because she was kind of doing the gameplaying for us up until that point with her alliance. And so, I kind of had to do it all at that point and I was just overwhelmed. I was the daughter that was like, "Oh my gosh! This is so tough!"

Reality TV World: After you got voted off, Missy was shown saying she really wasn't that upset because it meant she'd never have to write your name down. Were you surprised she wasn't more upset that you got voted off?

Baylor Wilson: I was a little surprised. I thought her "mother" there, you know, kind of thing would come out. But at the same time, I know how close she is to Natalie as well. They really formed an awesome bond, like, aside from Survivor out there and, you know, now we're back. And so, I'm not surprised that she wasn't more upset, no.

Reality TV World: When Missy said that comment about no longer having to write your name down, was that some kind of reference to Jon's Final 5 plan that you disliked so much? Was your mom really onboard with you going out fourth and it was just you and Natalie who wanted Jon out?

Baylor Wilson: I guess. At the point when Jon and my mom and Natalie were planning on going to the Final 3, I don't know if she was okay with really writing my name down, but I also know that when we started playing this game, we knew we might have to write each other's names down.


So, if that would've happened, it would've made an awesome case to the jury and she might've won this game. So, you never know.

Check back with Reality TV World soon for the concluding portion of Baylor's exclusive interview and for more interviews with the Final 5 castaways.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski