Linnea Capobianco went home on Wednesday’s Survivor 51 without a single rock being drawn. Maggie Nestor, visiting from Toka, handed extra votes to Danny “Kilby” Kilby and Lewis Kelly, forcing a surprise 4-4 tie between Linnea and Lewis at Dina’s wild Tribal Council. When the revote deadlocked and Kilby refused to budge, the rest of the tribe–Eric Macksoud, Sharonda Cox and Cristian Chavez–chose to send Linnea home rather than take the risk.
Linnea told Men’s Journal the morning after that she walked into Tribal feeling safe, and while she understands why her allies folded, she didn’t love watching it happen. “I was definitely empathizing in the moment,” she said, “but I was also like, ‘Damn, y’all are softer than I thought.'”
In the interview, Linnea also explains how her tribe sniffed out Lewis’ fake Blood Ring, the off-camera relationship with Kilby that made her feel secure, why she still respects his refusal to budge, and how fast she’d go back to Fiji.
Scroll down to read the full interview with Linnea.
Men’s Journal: How are you feeling this morning?
Linnea Capobianco: I’ve been better. It’s rough to watch that.
Men’s Journal: Let’s start with Lewis and Kilby. After the Blood Ring came out, how confident were the Savu four going into Tribal that they didn’t actually have anything?
Linnea Capobianco: So I was the one that looked through Lewis’ bag, and Cristian was the one that knew immediately that the Blood Ring that Lewis came up with was fake. And so I was feeling quite confident. I did have a relationship with Kilby that really wasn’t shown on screen, and he showed me the advantage that Maggie gave to him. So I felt really confident. No one on my tribe thought there was any possibility that Maggie gave two advantages to both Lewis and Kilby. We thought it was out of the question. I felt really safe going into Tribal.
Men’s Journal: And did you have any inclination, when the votes were starting to come out, that we would see all of your tribemates double down on the fact that they were not willing to go to rocks? Or could you understand it? Were you empathizing in the moment, or was it not truly until they all said, “I can’t”?
Linnea Capobianco: I was definitely empathizing in the moment, but I was also like, “Damn, y’all are softer than I thought. Come on! Like, please help a girl out.” I love my Savu members. It was devastating that they weren’t willing to go to rocks. It’s the reason I went home. But I get it. It was a three-to-one situation, and it was more likely that someone from Savu was gonna pull their name and have to go home instead of me. So I get it. However, I think my number one, Alexis [Levine], would have definitely gone to rocks had she been on that tribe with me. But it is what it is.
Men’s Journal: What do you make of Lewis and Kilby’s move from a fan perspective?
Linnea Capobianco: Yes, I mean, any sort of epic move is epic. It’s Survivor. It was a super exciting Tribal because of what they were able to pull off. Granted, they weren’t able to pull it off without Maggie, who came from a different tribe and blessed them with not one but two advantages. So it was impressive. Kilby stood 10 toes down, said he wasn’t going to go to rocks. Totally respect it. I was super hurt, and they also got blessed by these crazy twists and turns that Survivor sometimes throws at you.
Men’s Journal: How quickly would you say yes to playing again? Would you pick up that call?
Linnea Capobianco: Yeah, I would pick it up immediately, and I would say yes, I am ready to go back. I’m seeking vengeance. I really would love to be back on the beaches of Fiji.
Men’s Journal: You weren’t too far from the merge. Was there someone you were hoping to connect with?
Linnea Capobianco: If I made it to merge, apparently not Maggie. I thought I was excited to work with her, but she was not excited to work with me. I was excited to connect with Thien An [Nguyen]. I didn’t really get to talk to her that much during marooning, but I liked her energy. We have kind of different personalities. I’m very loud. She’s a little bit quieter. I was excited to potentially work with her, as well as Mike [Pinsky]. He’s from New York City. We just vibe, and, you know, I’ve gotten to know him outside the game. I really love him, and so working with him in the game would have been a blast.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Related: Survivor 51’s Alexis Levine Reveals What She Told Jelly to Try to Save Her Game (Exclusive)
