By John Powell – GlobalTV.com

Her Survivor journey was blessed years ago. While studying in ministry school, Charity Nelms, the personal trainer and flight attendant from Florida, used to skip class at ministry school just to watch Survivor. Now that she has lived out one of her dreams Charity wants to set the record straight about her Survivor journey, much of which like Bianca last week ended up on the cutting room floor because Civa only went to tribal council once before the merge.

John Powell: How are you doing this morning and how were you watching everything back?

Charity Nelms: I am much better than I expected to be. I feel like 1000 pounds have been lifted off my shoulders because it is hard to keep this level and magnitude of a secret! 1000 pounds have been lifted off my shoulders. I’m voted off. I got the boot. And you know what? I feel good this morning! I am beyond grateful for the experience that I had. Like I said in my exit interview on the episode, I am sad, but I’m not bitter. It’s been a great experience!

John Powell: You weren’t really blindsided either, were you?

Charity Nelms: I was prepared that night. I felt an energy in camp. I did not hear my name but I felt an energy in camp. What really kind of like tipped me off was I was walking down a path and I had kind of caught Kyle, Kamilla and someone else talking. They were all kind of looking down and talking. I kind of got them by surprise a little bit right before we left for tribal council. When I ran into them, Kyle looked up. In the way he looked at me I knew something was not right.

I originally was going to leave all of my stuff drying in the trees because I didn’t want to pack up my soaking wet underwear. I don’t want to put this soaking wet shirt in my bag. I had my expensive shoes drying. After I saw Kyle’s face, I went and got my shoes and we headed to tribal council. I just kind of had this feeling of need to put those shoes in my bag because I might not be coming back for them.

John Powell: Survivor a really huge social game and we’ve heard numerous times on the series people say they don’t trust you. Do you have any idea where any of that came from because watching the show we don’t see any reasons for mistrust.

Charity Nelms: Please show me the clip where I’m not trustworthy. (laughs) Show me the clip where I’m playing hard because right now I’m just showing you all my big toe. That’s all I’ve been showing out here.

I’ll tell you exactly where that came from and her name is Kamilla and she’s so smart. Kamilla planted the seed and all it takes is one seed and everybody will water it, whether there is proof or not because that gives everyone else more security in the game, right? If we can dog on this person or get this person to look untrustworthy that makes me more trustworthy, that takes a target off my back. So, I totally get it. I shared with Kamilla…not that I doubted Kyle was not being honest, I am just a person where I do not take everyone at face value.

I’ve known Kyle for three and a half seconds so him telling us this version of a journey, I don’t really know you, so I can’t tell I can’t say you’re lying or telling the truth. I want to look down every avenue and in my mind I’m thinking this very handsome, buff athletic man who I pulled up that wall, by the way, I will put that in there, you’re telling me he lost to a guy with one arm? That seems a little fishy. What I said to Kamilla was: ‘Well, the only person who could possibly have an advantage would be Kyle but maybe I’m just being paranoid.’ I put it out there gently and softly and she ran with it. And you know what? Smart on her.

John Powell: I face this problem in my life all the time. I’m transparent with people, sometimes far too much. So sometimes it’s a benefit, sometimes it’s a curse. Was that what hurt your social game because you come off as a person that is very much the same.

Charity Nelms: I appreciate you saying that because I was called fake on the show a couple times. I was flabbergasted by that. Listen, my face, she never lies, as we have seen. I don’t know if you watch The Office but somehow I got this Jim Halpert edit. The face never lies nor does the woman. I am like so real to a fault that sometimes I need to reel it back. I tell myself all the time: ‘You don’t have to say everything. You don’t always have to tell the truth.’ I was so taken back when I watched that I could not believe it. I was shocked.

John Powell: Many fans who watch the show forget the castaways are real people having real interactions. How did Eva’s comments during the feast affect you?

Charity Nelms: I’ll be honest with that one. I was personally hurt. It hurts to hear that and the reason why is because we are playing Survivor. We’re lying, we’re conniving. We are not required to call people mean names.

I think the harshest thing I said was I called David a ‘big dummy’ but I called him that to his face. He’s like, my older brother, who’s so annoying. We roast each other all the time. That’s kind of how we that was our interaction out there.

We aren’t required to be cruel or mean to people. That one did hurt a little bit, but outside of the game I’ve spoken with Eva. She’s a wonderful human. I love her to death. She is as strong as hell, incredible, tough as nails.

John Powell: During your race with Sai it looked like she snuck up on you. Detail how it all went down.

Charity Nelms: No, no, no. What happened was, number one, I was in clogs. I just want to preface it that I was trying to run through the jungle with. Sai was actually in front of me and she did not see the advantage. I was trailing behind her and I looked left and I saw it and it’s my fault. I gasped, so she was actually closer to it but when I gasped she stopped, turned around, looked at me, and we both gunned it. She was closer by, probably, I’d say, like a few yards. So she had a little bit of an advantage but the camera work on that deserves some type of award because it looked like she appeared out of nowhere. It was incredible.

John Powell: Is there anything you wish fans saw about your Survivor journey?

Charity Nelms: Obviously everyone wants a little bit more camera time but there was not a lot of getting to know me, hence why there’s been a lot of kind of like: ‘Oh, she’s not trustworthy. She’s fake. She’s this, she’s that.’ I’m like: ‘You don’t see the clips of me listening to David talk about his girlfriend who just broke up with him and he’s living in a trailer. I was really trying to give advice and be understanding. I had that conversation long before he told anybody else.

We don’t see the clip of Star coming to me and revealing: Hey, I have the idol and I trust you. I feel like you’re really cool and then opening up to me about her home life. We don’t see all of that. I wish some of that would have been aired because I can laugh along with them. I have a great sense of humor. I look like a big ding-dong out here. Nobody likes me or wants to work with me. It wasn’t quite that extreme.

John Powell: As an adventurous person who has travelled around the world how was your time in the Fijian jungle and tell us about how you originally got into the show.

Charity Nelms: Well, my Survivor journey began when I was in ministry school, skipping class to watch the show. I was 100 pounds heavier and I would watch and go: ‘I wish I could do that’ but I never could. I was just physically not in a place to do it. I was so self-conscious. I would never even go. I didn’t want to be on camera. I would never be on TV. I would embarrass myself in the challenges. I don’t want to be in a swimsuit. I don’t want people to see my body.

Long story less long, I finally am in a place where I’m super healthy internally and externally and my confidence is through the roof. Nobody tells me what to do. I will would crush this game! I’m applying! That was kind of the journey of getting there.

Being out there, I had a freaking blast! I was the best time ever! I think that’s also why it looks like I’m a little bit just off on my own, in my own world, because I was just grateful to be there. I couldn’t believe I was there. I’m doing this! This is so exciting and the best time! I had fun sleeping on the ground. I had fun freezing to death. I had to wear a blazer out there. It was the best!

I walked into Ponderosa and everybody expected me to be mad and upset and bitter. Of course I was upset I didn’t win but I was so overwhelmed by the gratefulness of what I got to do. So few people get to live their literal dream and I checked something off a bucket list that I never thought I could or would. That’s really how I exited the game and how I really feel about it.

John Powell: You mentioned your personal journey. What words of advice would you have for people who might be in the same place you were years ago?

Charity Nelms: I would say two things. Number one, I would say you can do anything you set your mind to. Losing 100 pounds was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in getting healthy. Secondly, is that if you are wanting to get healthy, it starts with this. (points to her head). If you are healthy here, the rest will follow and vice versa. There is no real balance or health if both things aren’t in alignment. You can’t just lose 100 pounds and go on with life like normal. Just because you lose 100 pounds doesn’t make you healthy. That’s the advice I would give but truly, and I say this to everyone in life because I have just learned this lesson. You can do anything you set your mind to. I live in that delusion and it has taken me places in life that I never thought I could go.

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