Survivor’s Ali Elliott Dishes on Patrick Bolton and Ryan Ulrich
Survivor’s Ali Elliott Dishes on Patrick Bolton and Ryan Ulrich
By: John Powell – GobalTV.com
Alexandrea “Ali” Elliott had one hurdle to clear before she could even get her footing on Survivor island. Her tribe mate and real-life acquaintance Patrick Bolton was uncontrollable, unpredictable and made himself a pest. He quickly became more of a hindrance than a help to her game.
“Initially I was very worried. I know Patrick. He is a very outgoing character. He is a lot to handle at times but he means well. I knew though that I had to think of a lot of things other people didn’t. I had to not only think of my game but also his game, whether I wanted to or not. It was hard,” said Ali of having to juggle two games at once.
Ali tried to rein Patrick in numerous times but it was all wasted breath and time.
“He would listen to me and then run off and do whatever he wanted. When it comes to Patrick, I feel bad. I wanted him to go far but I had relationships with Lauren, Devon and Ryan. My social game was strong enough with them that I no longer needed Patrick. I thought about telling him he was being voted out but he could’ve just caused uproar at camp. I wasn’t going to risk my game for him. I hope that he understands that it was just a game,” she said.
“I was completely myself. I didn’t go out there and try to put on a mask. I was able to relate with people. I don’t want to change who I am. I want to win as Ali.”
When it came time to face Patrick at Ponderosa (a camp for Survivor contestants before and after being voted out) Ali was surprised to see Patrick was still angry with her.
“The thing is I know it is a game and I understand what Survivor is but I don’t know if he understood what Survivor was. Getting to Ponderosa and seeing him still fuming was almost laughable. It made him more angry that I didn’t care he was upset. We laugh now but he is still like…How could you do that? I am like, Patrick, go watch a few seasons,” she laughed.
RELATED: Patrick Bolton Confirms Secret Pre-Game Alliance | Survivor: Heroes v. Healers v. Hustlers
Ryan Ulrich was another partner who also didn’t carry his part of the load, betraying Ali and throwing away the core alliance they had established.
“Going forward he is just going to lie about everything. I am curious to see how he explains my being voted out to Lauren [Rimmer] U . Unfortunately, they will have to believe whatever he says because I am not there to have my say. I think he is in a good spot right now, though. He has pretty much carried Chrissy [Hofbeck] thus far. Chrissy has JP [John Hilsabeck] and now Ryan has JP. Ryan will go back to Devon [Pinto] and Lauren will come running too because she doesn’t have anyone,” Ali predicted as she talked more about her confusion over Ryan’s decisions in the game.
John Powell: Like Roark Luskin you were also affected by the Immunity twist, the secret relationship between Chrissy and Ryan. That was something you could not prepare for or mitigate. What do you think of the entire situation?
Alexandrea “Ali” Elliott: “Being out there and not knowing about any of it, I was so confused. And to the point that Ryan had that Idol, it was shocking that he would pick someone he didn’t even know over someone he had spent the last nine days with! It was baffling! He could have brought me in and revealed what he had, he could have shared the Idol with Chrissy and we three could have gone on from there. I am not offended he didn’t tell me about the Idol. I am offended he picked JP over me. I can understand picking Chrissy but JP over me? I had his back too.”
John Powell: Roark said the same thing last week. Nobody can read JP and his entire game is being a provider. Why would he keep him over yourself who is playing a very social and strategic game?
Alexandrea “Ali” Elliott: “Exactly. I think that maybe Ryan saw that we were similar players. We both had our social games. We enjoyed each other’s company very much. We were like brother and sister out there. We had a great relationship. I don’t know if he was scared of taking me to the merge or if he thought I was going to turn on him. I would have stuck with him though. I still think he is playing a very good game but he could have been playing a great game.”
RELATED: Roark Luskin Exclusive Post-Tribal Exit Interview | Survivor: Heroes v. Healers v. Hustlers
John Powell: We saw you get really upset on last night’s episode. What pushed you over the edge? Was it Ryan betraying you? Was it being all alone?
Alexandrea “Ali” Elliott: “There was a lot that was going on. I really felt alone. Three people voted together and I was on the outs. I was hurt by the friendship but more because I was confused. I had no idea why Ryan would pick those people over me when he had known me. The last few days were very hard. I did spend a lot of time by myself thinking of what to do and how to dig myself out of that hole.”
John Powell: Is there anything about your experience that you wish the editors would have shown?
Alexandrea “Ali” Elliott: “The last few days Chrissy and I did get pretty close. We hung out a lot. We talked a lot. She tried to convince me that I could trust her and Ryan.”
“I am a very spiritual person so I did pray for a lot of people out there. I feel that I am very strong in myself so I wanted to be there for people. Even though it is just a game I didn’t want people to struggle out there. I wanted to show people that this is just a game and you could still be kind out there.”
John Powell: In the past, many Survivors I have talked to have mentioned how much they relied on their faith as an anchor out there, being in an environment where they cannot trust anyone. Was it like that for you?
Alexandrea “Ali” Elliott: “I think so especially during my last few days where I was really down. My faith was my escape. I would sit by the ocean. I would watch the sun rise. Those were moments where I could find my peace again. It was all God’s plan and whatever he had for me would and did happen.”
Next time on Survivor…
John Powell: I kinda felt like your story wasn’t completely told and you had two unforeseen twists of sorts tear down your game. Would you ever return and how would you play any differently?
Alexandrea “Ali” Elliott: “Of course I would come back! I would come back tomorrow if they asked me. I don’t think I would change the way I played. I was happy with the way I played. I was completely myself. I didn’t go out there and try to put on a mask. I was able to relate with people. I don’t want to change who I am. I want to win as Ali.”
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