‘Survivor Cambodia: Second Chance’ exclusive: Spencer Bledsoe on surprising end, strategy, and more

Spencer Bledsoe made it all the way to the end on “Survivor Cambodia: Second Chance,” but he did not receive a single vote to win the game for his efforts. Given that he played a cutthroat, daring, and exciting game all season, this surprised us, and we were very curious to get to the bottom of precisely what happened.

After speaking with Spencer this morning, we got some answers about his time out there this season, his edit, some of the big moves that he made, and also why he’s ready to go back to a normal life after a crazy year and a half of playing this game.

CarterMatt – I still have a lot of questions coming out of the finale. I wasn’t necessarily sure you were going to win, but I thought you’d get a few votes. What happened? Was it Jeremy’s story, was it you doing almost what Vytas did to Tyson in ‘Blood vs. Water’ in threatening Jeremy, or was it something else?

Spencer Bledsoe – It was a combination of things. I think people on the jury felt betrayed, I think people on the jury looked at the game objectively and thought that Jeremy played better, and the jury is the [judge] of the game and Jeremy did play better. I think that the final four tribal council didn’t do me any favors. It’s a lot. That’s kind of why they were hard on me. There was a lot to look on, regrets. If I was to tell one reason why I thought I lost, I probably couldn’t. There’s ten thousand things that it had to do with.

Let’s start with this: Out of the jury, who did you most feel like you had a vote coming your way from?

I didn’t really think I had a vote for sure from anyone. I thought I had a good shot at Keith’s vote, I thought I had a shot at Ciera’s vote, Joe’s vote. I had no idea where Wiglesworth’s head was at. I don’t think that she actually had the number 2 in mind (laughs), I think she probably just wanted to vote for Jeremy. I thought I had a shot at some votes, but after it had ended I thought my best-case scenario was one or two votes.

So looking back at the game, was there a spot that you could have taken out Jeremy? He had a lot of power in the game, but obviously you didn’t know about the immunity idol or anything else at that time.

There’s more than one, but if I had to pick one I’d say the final nine. I wish I had voted Jeremy out instead of Stephen. At the time I thought that Stephen’s advantage was dangerous, I didn’t know he was going to play it. He told me about it at the last-minute and I couldn’t change it. We definitely should have voted Jeremy out then.

What I was really impressed by is that in ‘Cagayan’ Tony was kind of throwing you around, and this time you were able to be in power and make some more of your own decisions. Were you able to [figure out how to find power] more because of what happened in that season, or because of what happened earlier this season when it was like ‘Spencer’s in trouble’ all over again?

That’s kind of based on how I came into the game this time. I needed to talk to people how they needed to be talked to, and relate to people how they needed to be related to in order to have the footing you need to in order to make moves. You have to know how to interact first and foremost, and I think I did better with that than I did in ‘Cagayan.’ I played in a way that I couldn’t in ‘Cagayan.’ It’s weird saying this because I didn’t get any votes, but I think I played better. (Laughs.)

I think you actually did something a little similar to Tony this time in that you were able to make these moves on people, like with Stephen, and then find a way to get back in Jeremy’s good graces without having any hurt feelings on his end.

I think there were a couple of differences. One was that Tony was in a position of power, and I had to make moves thanks to being at the bottom. Like I told Stephen at final tribal council, I felt like I had to do that. I felt like if I kept going with the Stephen, Kimmi, Tasha, and Jeremy group, I was on the bottom. I was going to be a pawn. Ciera’s going into these tribal councils saying ‘play the game,’ and I feel like I had some perspective on the game. I had to do that.

I think the other difference is that people this season were such good game-players. After every tribal council people came back and were like ‘good move.’ There was no yelling, people did not blow up their game, nobody was willing to close up doors. I think people were willing to work with anyone, which is why you saw voting blocks come about instead of alliances, and I was able to be more maneuverable, because after I voted someone out, everyone would see that my moves would change, the people I was working with would change.

Do you think Jeremy would have played an immunity idol on you? I just talked to him, and he said that he absolutely would have.

I don’t think he would have played the immunity idol. When he played it on Stephen it was because he trusted Stephen, and he knew that it would lock him in in terms of loyalty in the game and a jury vote after the game. He was absolutely right; that won him Stephen’s loyalty. I don’t think he saw me that way. I think he thought I was loyal in the moment and that the immunity idol would be a nice gesture, but for me I was always going to do what I had to do to give me the best shot at winning. I don’t think that Jeremy thought that playing an idol on me would guarantee him my vote, or guarantee him my loyalty. I don’t necessarily think he would have played it on me.

How bummed are you that there is no Fan Favorite vote anymore? It could’ve been close between you and Joe!

Yeah, no. I think Joe would’ve won handily. (Laughs.) I think as long as some kids are voting, young pre-teen girls, I think Joe wins like 95% to 5%.

I’ve heard a lot this season in exit interviews about how there is still this physical and mental exhaustion, and you even said last night how you’re having a hard time watching the show. Where are you at right now? After everything does this make you want to take a long break from the game in terms of ever playing again?

It makes me want to take quite a long break. I mean, I enjoy talking to you, you’re awesome…

Well thank you (laughs).

I’m just ready to be done. I’m ready to take a breather and just focus on life, and focus on things that are going on in life.

In between the conditions and the constant gameplay going on, was there ever a point out there where you felt comfortable? Even when you were in a good spot the weather just made things impossible to think clearly.

It was the weather and then again, the level of gameplay. The level of gameplay at the merge, it was absurd. It was all day, with almost every possible group of three, four, five, and six. Things were happening on the beach, on the trail, left and right. It was so hard to keep things straight.

[For the show] you have to set the story and the story that was told was accurate, but I think there was so much more going on.

Okay Spencer, last thing. The edit you really got this season was ‘the boy becomes the man,’ so with that, are we still supposed to call you the Young Lad? Do we need Tony to commission you a new nickname?

(Laughs) No! Don’t take my nickname. I can handle no votes and losing the game, but I want to keep Young Lad.

If you’re interested in getting interviews from the winner Jeremy and the rest of the final six on “Survivor” this season, just be sure to head over here! Also, sign up right here to get some further TV news on everything we cover, sent right over to you via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: CBS.)