Survivor‘s Ejected Castaway Details the ‘Best Move of the Season’ and Explains the Real Reason the Idol Went Unused
Cue the music! (And no, we don’t mean the sorely missed Survivor theme song that used to play before every episode.)
Anyone watching this season knows that Shantel Smith’s self-made jingle is really the hot track of Season 41. But in the show’s Thanksgiving week episode, Smith (who was, without question, getting the strongest winner’s edit thus far) saw her torch extinguished after Ricard won immunity, prompting her four tightest alliance members to flip the script on her. (For a full recap, click here.)
So why didn’t she use her idol, what developments didn’t make the episode and how did the Mafia pastor’s congregation react to her dominating (and sneaky!) strategy? We asked her all of this and more.
TVLINE | You left with an idol in your pocket! Walk me through some of the emotions you were going through in the seconds following the torch snuff.
Right after my torch was snuffed, I was like, “You know what, Shan? Hold your head high. You freaking have MS. You lasted 18 days. You didn’t think you could last five! You were terrified to play this game. You represented. You had fun. You left it all out there. There’s nothing you would’ve done differently, so continue living your life!” I had a blast out there. It was super emotional watching the last episode. I wept so much. But it was a great time, and I loved every moment of it. I was in good spirits.
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TVLINE | There was a lot of game talk about an all-Black alliance. Was that your ideal Final 4 scenario?
At this point, we had the numbers. We had the all-Black alliance, and we had Ricard. He didn’t have the relationships to go anywhere else at that time, so he really was a number for the four. Honestly, I loved him. I didn’t want to ever stop working with him. My dream world — which Ricard would never have let happen — was myself, Ricard, Liana, Danny and Deshawn for Final 5, and then Final 4, of course, us four [Black players]. I told them (and people will never believe this): “If we all get there together, take me out at four, but I just want us to all get there together. That’s my dream, that’s my hope, I love y’all.” That morning, Deshawn promised and swore on the culture that he was in for the mission. I said, “This is where my head is at too, and I know we’re having a hard time with our relationship, but I do want you to feel heard. I love you bro, you’re my family. Let’s get to the end and win this thing together.” But I think for him, he felt like if he was in Final 3 with me, he wouldn’t have won, and he’s probably right. It was a smart move for Ricard, and Ricard knew the person to go to to get that extra vote he needed. I never in a million years thought they would flip, and they did. That’s the hardest part.
TVLINE | Deshawn seemed to struggle with the communication between you two. Did you feel the same way, and are there any hard feelings? You did call him a snake on your way out!
First of all, I love that boy. There are definitely no hard feelings except for my own processing and emotional turmoil. I think they wanted to show, from Deshawn’s perspective, how he was feeling, and I totally respect that. I have thick enough skin to be able to handle that. But I definitely spent a lot of time listening to Deshawn, which is ironic because everyone’s saying my game started to dip when I stopped listening to people, but actually my game started to dip when I started listening to everybody more than I should have! I gave Deshawn Tiffany — I didn’t want to vote out Tiffany — but he wanted to protect Heather. I gave Ricard Naseer, because he was so upset that the extra vote should be ours to use as a team, so I gave it to him. I spent a lot of time listening to both of them.
Deshawn is a brilliant young man, but he’s also really sensitive. He’d often walk up to myself, Danny, Liana and Ricard and be like, “I don’t care who’s voted off, as long as it’s not me,” and he’d saunter off, and after he’d come back and say, “I feel like I’m not being heard!” At the end of the day, Ricard and I would fight a lot, probably a lot more than you saw on TV, but we were going to move together as a team. With Deshawn, a lot of it was out of place. I feel like it was coming from somewhere else, and that he used it as a reason to eventually vote me out.
I went out there to play Survivor. I didn’t want to be a “Yes woman,” or a pushover. I didn’t want to be a goat to take to the end. I wanted to be someone who was driving the game, so I spoke my opinion and I strategized my little heinie off, and I played the game. I left everything out there. I really have no regrets about that. If I was anyone else, I might not be seen the way that I am, but because I am a woman of color, people will see that as I’m not listening, or I’m being aggressive, or I’m being bossy. It’s not that. I was a boss in the game because I wasn’t sitting down and letting people push me over. But I know who I am, and I was listening to Deshawn. Every time he felt I didn’t, I went and made amends with him. It is what it is. I still love him, so it’s all good vibes. That was a hard moment in the game, for sure.
TVLINE | Often in Survivor (and in real life, too), women are judged or vilified way more harshly than men, whether they’re mothers, teachers or religious players such as yourself. What has the reaction been like from your congregation?
Everyone from my congregation and my lead pastor released me to play the game. They were like, “Go play your heart out! This is what you want to do. We support you. We’re here for you!” My congregation knows who I am. None of them was ever like, “Oh my gosh, Pastor Shan! This is who you are? We had no idea!” I’ve spent enough time with them, so they know that I love hard, and have been so supportive. I’ve not gotten any backlash. If anything, they’ve been like, “You should’ve taken out Deshawn! You should’ve taken out Ricard! You should’ve been more cutthroat!” It’s so hard to be out there and play the game that I played, but I really love them because they released me to go play as a person and use the tools in my toolbox, and not have to worry about it.
But I do feel like the only way to win in this game as a woman and have everybody love you is if you come across as having a soft power, which I don’t even know if that’s a real thing? Like, be who you are! I brought to this game all of my Italian-ness, all of my Jamaican-ness, all of my energy, all of my leadership skills and every tool I had from living on the streets, from being in a gang. I brought all of that. I was able to integrate myself into this game, and for that reason I make no apologies. I’m so thankful that I got to do that. It’s unfair to put women down because they’ve come to strategize and play. A lot of us aren’t incredible comp beasts. With women, we get out there and strategize and use our brains and make these relationships, and it’s knocked. I don’t understand! [Laughs] Ask any of my members, “Is Shantel a leader?” They’ll all tell you yes. That didn’t just come from the game, that’s who I am. The best players play this game how they live their life in real life, and that’s what I wanted to do.
TVLINE | Is there anything of note from your last day in the game that didn’t make the edit?
Oh my goodness, Nick! That day, I came back from the challenge and I hadn’t used the bathroom in like 18 days. I was with the medic that whole afternoon. I only had 10 minutes before Tribal to scramble on the beach, so I really wasn’t there that whole afternoon. But they took a shot at me! Good on them, because it was a good move. Listen, I was not going to take my foot off the pedal, hell no! So Ricard is brilliant, he’s amazing, I love him. It was the best move of the season, in my opinion.
TVLINE | Do you think you could’ve prevented your vote out had you not been tied up with the medic?
Nick, if I was not with the medic, I would’ve been reading the room, reading the energy. I was laying there, and at one point I turned to Liana and said, “Something’s not right,” and she was like, “You’re fine,” but I was really, really sick. When I got to Tribal, my Spidey senses were not going. Nothing was tingling. I was just focusing on getting through the night. If I hadn’t been sick, I’m almost certain I would’ve played my idol. But here’s the thing: What happened happened, and I’m not going to lose sleep over it. I just have to learn from it. Outlasting in Survivor is a part of it, and in that moment, I didn’t outlast. I was not well. You can only push yourself as hard as you can go, and I gave it all I had that day.
TVLINE | So if Jeff wants you to play again, are you picking up his call?
It’s too soon, it’s too soon! [Laughs] But if Jeff called me, yes, hell yes! But I don’t know, don’t call me for a year, maybe three or four years, because it’s just so much! But I love this game, and who knows what the future holds?
Id like her to name every female winner that is well loved by every contestant because that statement she made is utterly incorrect.
Amber, Kim, Danni…on the other hand women who manipulate and aren’t considered “sweet” like Sarah and Sandra face more criticism from fans of the show. What Shan said is true.
Women who play loud, bold games like Tony or Boston Rob typically aren’t as well liked and don’t always make it far. I believe Sarah is the last female winner and that was a long time ago.
Shan was a full blown racist and I was glad to see her go.
In what world was she racist? She wanted to uplift her people with an all black final 4? God, get a grip. It’s about representation. Having an uplifting moment for one group doesn’t automatically push down another. Honestly this comment says more about who you are then it does her.
You you would be crying the same story if there was somebody who said they wanted to get 4 whites in the final 4.
Maybe because out of 40 seasons that has already happened 17 times! God! There’s only been 7 winners who weren’t white in the history of the game. It matters! Just say you don’t understand racial inequality and be done with it.
Given that blacks only comprise about 14% of the US population, the fact that seven non-whites have won out of 40 winners (around 17.5%) sounds about right.
OTOH, the fact that there have only been 15 female winners out of 40 (and that includes Sandra twice) is definitely significant.
Thank you Rick!
Nobody EVER mentions this.
Because it doesn’t fit the current narrative.
But it proves that Black people have been pretty accurately represented on shows like Survivor and Big Brother.
Were all the white alliances in basically every season of survivor racist?
I’m not white you foolish simpleton.
I’m glad Sham (not a misspelling) was voted off. She was 100% a racist. If a white player, let alone 4 white players looked into the cameras and said multiple times how every black player had to be voted off first because of their race the show Survivor would be shut down and cancelled on the spot. But Sham and her group did it and everyone applaudes. I’m all for diversity but when Jeff is afraid to open his mouth because he might offend someone or some group and he has to ask permission to speak, this is getting too much. It’s funny when Sham was backstabbing all the other players because of race and voting them out, everyone was saying “You go girl”. But when Sham is voted out, not because of race, the crybabies come out. Survivor let that line be crossed and I think this is the end for the show. Don’t worry Sham fans there is season 42 coming and I bet Sham will be a returning contestant. After all Survivor is now broken.
Agreed
Another example of the double standard.
It seems clear to me that Survivor hunted high and low for the most diverse cast ever.
Sadly, it also led to a so far, fairly boring season.
The entire cast underperformed in challenges, aliences based on race…
I don’t want to watch this.
The fact that in one balance challenge they lasted like 6 minutes when the record was a couple of hours told me that the casting department wasn’t searching for top players, of any race or sex, but really searching to check the box of diversity.
And Probst changing his, “C’mon guys!” To just “c’mon” should have clued me in at the very start.
Just pick the best players, please.
I honestly don’t care what color, I’m not keeping score, just make it exciting again.
Sorry, but that’s some bulls**t. These situations aren’t the same and you’re conveniently leaving out the context. There were several all-white alliances in the history of the show, but they didn’t have to say it out loud to the camera, because they were always in the majority – they fell into it without having to work for it. It’s easy for the white players to play with “their” people without the need to explicitly articulate it, but the same cannot be said for the black people or other non-white people, because they’re always (with the exception of S13 and S14) in the minority from the get-go. Also, we saw several occasions in the past when a player was being downright offensive to a black player for no other reason than them being black – that was racist. Shan and the rest of the all-black alliance weren’t degrading or humiliating the white players, they didn’t say that they want all the white folks out – they only connect with each other on the basis of their shared experience as members of a racial minority (something white people lack) and decide to enhance that bond, their culture and the opportunity that black players didn’t have in the past, because there were always so little of them. Nothing racist about that. Heck, even Shan reflects in another interview, that one of the best players this season in her opinion was Evvie, a white person.
Please, even though Shan may identify as black, she is biracial. I believe in this thread, she is half Italian and half Jamaican. Even though she identifies as black, her story is different from the other black players.
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That’s a horrible thing to say. These days I shouldn’t be surprised at how downright awful people can be online.
You can definitely see her pastor training in her comments.
Her comments during the show about listening to people just to give them the feeling they are giving input but saying she does what she wants was controversial so in the interview she tries to head that off by claiming her game became at risk when she listened too much to others. Yeah right.
Just trying to save face.
There has never been an alliance that said they were going to take 4 white people to the end. Saying and planning it makes all the difference in the world
She even says she planned to manipulate people like she manipulates the people in the church when they don’t do what she wants them to do them to do and she needs to convince them otherwise.
Love you Shan! I hope she plays again. Also. I really believe Deshawn would have been more loyal and less patriarchal had Shan been a man. She got hit because she played an aggressive game. And that still is looked at negatively on this show. Very proud of Shan tho. I hope Ricard makes it to the end. (But I don’t think he will sadly)
I am not a Shan fan but everyone bringing race into this is losing the point. I am an Italian-American. The last part being the most important part! I hope you all saw pictures of her mom in the summit episode. Shan is multi-racial like most Americans. She can chose to identify as any race she wants but it goes beyond one culture.
Shan is the one that made it about race.
Has there ever been an American native on the show?
Shan was the most beautiful, interesting woman to play this game. With her leaving, I’m no longer interested in what happens this season. Since she is a pastor, I will use this biblical analogy… her downfall was like Adam and Eves…trusting a snake. Her snake was Ricard. And add to that the two House Negroes deshawn and danny.
Sorry; but she was a snake herself. She and Ricard were a perfect match. Personally, I hate rooting for the snakes. I know the snakes normally win but it doesn’t mean I have to like it. Shan was definately a hard, aggressive player as is Ricard. Didn’t like either one of them.
Someone made a comment earlier about the diverse cast. I’m sorry to say, I believe this could finally be the beginning of the end for Survivor. When you start having the blacks all teaming up, and all of the gays making alliances, and all women teaming up; there just isn’t much surprise left in the show. I hope the producers of this show have second guesses of making this show so diverse. Weather you like it or not, the diversity of the show should represent the diversity of the population. Just saying.
No, it shouldn’t. Life is hard enough for minorities, whether it is a racial minority or sexual one, as well as for women – there is no reason why they should face the same disadvantage every single season in a game for a million dollars. There is no reason why the show would have to mirror the diversity of population precisely – it’s an entertainment show first and there is nothing entertaining about seeing the same people face the same disandvantage every single season. You have only one season where multiple black players have teamed up (two if you count S14 as well, where it was not said out loud to the camera) in 41 seasons! Maybe wait few more seasons to see if it becomes a trend before you call the show ruined. There were only few women alliances in the history of the show and only 2 of them were succesful. There were also svereal men alliances for the record – I don’t see you having a problem with that in your comment. And what exactly was the season where all of the gays made an alliance together? I’m really curious about that one.
Im glad she was voted out! Wish it happened sooner! Now with Lianna gone maybe this game will be worth watching!!
Kay, you sound like an angry Karen.
I have been a Survivor fan for over 16 years and enjoyed every episode. However Season 41 is totally off the rails. Season 41 (Dec 1) gave us not Survivor the TV adventure game but Survivor the Board game you can now buy at Target.