Survivor: San Juan del Sur -- Blood vs. Water merged the two tribes and the new Huyopa tribe lost a castaway, Julie McGee, who decided to quit the game during Wednesday night's seventh episode of the CBS reality competition's 29th season.
 
Julie McGee, a 34-year-old model and owner of a spray-tan business from Atlanta, GA, eliminated herself from the running on Day 18 after she got overly emotional missing her boyfriend John Rocker and felt defeated as the outcast in the group. Her choice to leave the game and its harsh elements resulted in a canceled Tribal Council session that night. 

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Julie was on the former Hunahpu tribe prior to the merge, and her boyfriend John Rocker had been a member of the former Coyopa tribe before he got voted out on Night 8 at the season's third Tribal Council.

In an exclusive interview with Reality TV World on Thursday, Julie talked about her Survivor experience and surprising decision to quit the game. Below is the concluding portion of her interview. Click here to read the first half.

Reality TV World: Everyone seemed to feel you didn't do anything around camp. Do you agree with that or challenge it?

Julie McGee: I challenge it. I disagree fully and I challenge. Because what is not picked up by the camera -- or was, and wasn't shown -- it is what it is. It's my word against what everybody can actually see, but I was not afraid to pick up that hatchet or that machete and open up a coconut.

I was not afraid to gather as much wood as possible. I was not afraid to, you know, keep that fire stoked, to go get water, I mean, come on. The list goes on and on and on.

And so, I thought that was a copout and a bunch of crap when I heard that. I think [Alec Christy] said that, so that brings me back to our first Tribal when [Drew Christy] said I didn't do anything and I didn't do anything in challenges. Are you kidding me?! The day before, I won a challenge. I mean, give me a break.

Reality TV World: Alec made that "trail mix" comment what seemed to be shortly before you chose to quit.

Julie McGee: Yep.

Reality TV World: Did that play a role in pushing you over the edge? And if so, if he's supposed to be your ally, it would appear representative of dumb gameplay on his part, basically shooting himself in the foot. What are your thoughts on all that?

Julie McGee: Yeah, well to your first question, to answer that, he didn't confront me and I didn't hear him making any comment.

Reality TV World: Oh okay, so you didn't hear that at all then.

Julie McGee: I didn't. Nobody said -- you know, this is all happening, I guess, when I would walk away to go to the bathroom or something. (Laughs) I don't know! Where was I?! Was it another day and they just kind of cut and spliced it? I mean, I know that's not true, but I was like, "What the hell is going on here?"

Alec, your little young ass, acting like you're all big and brave and talking all this smack when I'm not around -- and then when I walk up, he shuts up. I'm like, "If you have a problem, confront me and I will tell you exactly what's going down."

Reality TV World: Missy Payne was also shown saying she wished she had a chance to talk to you again in the hopes of getting you to stick around. Just for the record, is there anything Missy could've said to convince you to stay?

Julie McGee: Yeah, sure! I think so. I do. I think she was really putting on a heavy act and I saw straight through it. And, you know, I know that she doesn't need me around for her.

She doesn't need me around to be a crutch for her. She has her daughter [Baylor Wilson], she has her strength and her family there. And for her to tell me she loved me and needed me there, I just -- it was a bunch of crap and I didn't believe it for one second.

Reality TV World: So, just to clarify, you don't think she could've said anything to change your mind?

Julie McGee: No, no. I think, you know, I was very, very much still on the fence. So, yes, there could've been things that may have really just kind of jarred my head to say, "Wait, let's take this through one more day." But if you're asking specifically about what Missy said, it kind of pushed me in the opposite direction of what she wanted.

Reality TV World: You were shown telling Jeff Probst that you felt bad you were potentially costing a member of your alliance a million dollars because, by you leaving, your alliance was down a number and it remained unclear how things might play out after that. Did you really mean what you said? Because if you did, why not stick around for one more night?

Julie McGee: Well, if it was one night, it was going to be multiple nights. I mean, get real, let's not hide anything here. If it was one night, it'd be multiple nights because whoever wanted me there, wanted me there as a number, and they were going to drag me through the mud and the muck.

So, I had to really, really think about what I needed at that moment. Absolutely, if somebody makes a decision for themselves that's for themselves, they can still think, "Hey, you know, yeah, I feel bad for [Jeremy Collins] or I feel bad for [Natalie Anderson]." Because I made a great connection with Natalie, and if I hindered them in any way, hell yeah I feel bad. But I do have to take care of myself.

Reality TV World: I think they were coming from the mindset of you being the seventh vote for that one upcoming Tribal Council, but if after that point you opted to quit, six would still be enough to have the majority.

Julie McGee: Right. What it came down to was, the moment I had that conversation with Missy, production took me aside and I swear to God, I can hardly remember it. My head was spinning at that point because I was being pulled left and right. Jeff came out and the decision had to be made. I couldn't think about it.

He was like, "You have to make a decision. You have to do it now or otherwise it's not going to happen." So, I was just like, "Ahh, what do I do!?" In that moment -- it's just so hard, so hard, to explain to you or anyone that wasn't there what was going on in that moment and how I felt needing to make that quick, quick, quick decision.

Reality TV World: So in how bad of shape do you think you left your alliance?

Julie McGee: Umm, you know, let me think about it. Right before all that happened, the consensus around camp was [Josh Canfield] was going to be the one to go. So, I have a feeling -- a very, very, very -- I mean, I'm almost 90% sure Josh was going to be the one to go. So, it really didn't mess with my alliance and those people that I was...

Reality TV World: So you firmly believed Josh was going home and therefore you didn't feel like you were potentially destroying Jeremy's game or anything like that?

Julie McGee: Yeah, I do! I feel like everybody saw Josh as a big threat because he was really, really, really playing the game. He also had the numbers. So, you know, I think everybody really saw Josh as a huge threat and they wanted to get rid of him. And if you're comparing Josh and Jeremy, Jeremy doesn't have anyone, so you gotta separate all these power couples.

Reality TV World: How were you cast on Survivor? And how familiar were you with the show before appearing on it? I heard producers had approached John Rocker, so how did you come to be involved with it as well versus another loved one?

Julie McGee: Well, yeah, they approached John and I guess since it was -- they wanted to break him into Blood vs. Water, he needed a loved one and they, I guess, perhaps saw me in some pictures and requested for me to talk to them and asked if I was interested in interviewing.

And, you know, I'm a very supportive girlfriend. This was a great opportunity for John to kind of come out 20 years after all the debacle and the crap that happened to him and really show who he is. And hell yeah, I was going to step up and be a part of this.

Reality TV World: So you didn't have any hesitation?

Julie McGee: I don't know if it was hesitation or just a lot of -- I was excited and scared. But hesitation, yeah, so yeah. I guess so. I was going to do it no matter what, but I was definitely, definitely a little scared going in.

Click here to read the first half of Julie McGee's exclusive interview with Reality TV World.


About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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