Survivor: David vs. Goliath interview: Natalie Cole on Goliath tribe dynamics, being voted out, and more
In our interview below, “Natalie Napalm” talks to us about going on the show, her hesitancy at potentially returning, and why she thinks it was so hard for her on the Goliath tribe most of the season.
New Survivor video! – Check out some more thoughts regarding this week’s exit interview below! Meanwhile, you can subscribe for some more updates and also take a look at our Survivor playlist for weekly videos.
CarterMatt – It seems like you have a really good life away from the show. Why decide to go through with this in the first place?
Natalie Cole – Well, it was a goal that I set and that was 18 years ago. It was an adventure and it was life experience and I don’t regret going out there to do it. I had a good time for the most part, other than that I found myself in an uphill battle for my entire game. I expected to have more fun with the people who were out there, and that turned out to not be the case.
I’ve thought about this and I’m sure you have as well; If Natalie was on the David tribe, what would think have looked like?
Natalie has been on the David tribe. Natalie started out on the David tribe. Here’s the thing — I did think at one point ‘maybe I need to cry out here. Maybe I need to get real sappy.’ People tend to respond to that and because I’m so strong and powerful, there was this whole thing about ‘get Natalie’ — well, it wasn’t only that.
But I’ve been a David before. I relate to the Davids.
This is the second week in a row where we’ve seen someone on the Goliath tribe go home, despite them having the numbers. What’s going on with this?
What happened with me was that I was the unicorn who was out there, and because of that, I suffered from group-think. It started with Natalia because I made a suggestion to her and I thought she completely overreacted — but had Jeremy not been there to be in my face, it would have probably went away.
But, on day 1 Jeremy made it clear to me that at no time would he consider a partnership with me. He was afraid and fearful because we’re both black, we’re both older, and ‘I’m not gonna be first.’ That’s what he told me on day one.’
I had spoke with John and Dan and had said ‘get me through the first half [of the game] and I got your back through the second half.’ I had two independent conversations and both of them agreed to it. Then, I got to Jeremy and he said ‘I’m not doing that.’ He never gave me the chance to tell him that I had John and Dan. He said that he wasn’t partnering with me and to go get more people and come back. Jeremy wanted no part of me so once Natalia made one statement, Jeremy took up the charge and he became very abusive — belittling and berating me and being in my face every day. I never had anybody treat me the way he tried to treat me out there. When you saw me arguing, I was just protecting myself out there. I felt like an abused woman out there.
At the end of the day, the Goliaths started to self-cannibalize. When Natalia got voted out I told Angelina ‘that’s Alec.’ She was like ‘no, one of the Davids had to have an idol.’ I told her Alec did that, and what happened? Alec did it.
It seems that you were almost a David on the Goliath tribe itself, and once you got the target off of you, you couldn’t shake it.
Right, and I said those same exact words in my [confessional]. I said ‘I’m a Goliath, but I’m at the bottom.’ Let’s say I have an epiphany, I flip the script, and tonight, somebody else goes home rather than me. Someone asks ‘well, how are you going to do that?’ and I’m like ‘I don’t know.’ Well, I got back in the camp and John comes up to me and tells me about [Jeremy saying that he and Angelina are in a showmance]. John was then like ‘well, let me try to get [this person or that person] and I realized that John was not going to move how I needed him to move, so I went to talk to Angelina. I said ‘Angelina, your husband is a Marine. He is fighting for our country. You cannot let this stand. We need to unanimously vote out Jeremy because that will send a message.’
For two hours, I watched Angelina and John go and do my work — and he never knew what hit him. In his exit interviews he said ‘Natalie, I don’t think she even knew she was staying that night. She thought it was her.’ No dude. He went because I got into Angelina and John’s head and made it happen. The thing that got under my skin was his behavior. If you thought I was going out, how can you be so mean during Tribal Council? I thought it was bad behavior, bad sportsmanlike conduct, and I told John and Dan ‘how do you let that happen and not stand up?’. This would not happen on my watch. They talked about it after Tribal, but they could have taken that opportunity. They were like ‘yeah, we wish we had taken that opportunity,’ blah blah blah.
Was there anyone really that energized in backing me with the whole group against me? No.
So would you have actually been true to Goliath and stuck with them? There is still a part of me that questions Mike’s move because I don’t think you were coming for him.
I was true to Goliath, as you saw. Even in the end, I thought it was me who was going before we went to Tribal, but I could’ve been cross and went back and tried to get the Davids. But, I was Goliath strong. I stayed true to that and I played an honest game.
At that point, I didn’t really care about going because I had been fighting the whole time. It wore me down. I was fighting from day 1. Then, these new people came over and I failed at getting to them because I thought the Goliaths were going to stay strong with me. Then, I realized that they had already been tainted and I didn’t continue to fight that fight.
If I made a mistake, it was not getting to Lyrsa and Nick first. And, the follow-up would be not fighting to turn it around.
When I spoke to Natalia last week, she said that she almost wished you were there with her on Vuku rather than Alec. Do you think you two could’ve worked together?
Yeah, because Natalia’s more like me than what she knows. She’s very straight up about who she was and I respect that. I can work with Natalia being so transparent. Angelina was very sneaky and crafty behind the scenes. I spent a lot of time doing mental gymnastics over what Angelina was telling me. Natalia had a sense that Alec was going to vote her out; she didn’t act on it, but she felt it. She wasn’t completely blindsided, either.
What has the reception been from people who have been watching you this season? I think you’ve gotten some good love from a lot of fans.
For the most part, it’s been positive. I’ve been overwhelmed with a lot of support and I’ve been blown away by it. I suspected that I was going to be hated, so I was surprised by that. I’m in a good place because of those fans. A lot of people really understand how the game works for reality TV, that you only see 1% of what occurred, so I’m in an okay place.
If I was at a job and was working for people rather than working for myself, this could be a big problem. I do know that some people might think ‘is that how she is, with her being so successful and commanding and domineering? Is that how she makes her money?’ I know there are some people who think that, but I don’t depend on them to pay the light bill.
I feel like you made enough of a case for the show to want you back for another season, but as that something you would want to do?
As you just said, I’m not sure that is something I’d want to do. I’d really have to think that through and I’m not there yet. If I go back and it’s the same thing, how does that make me feel? I can’t answer that question. The bigger question is if they would want me back, and I would take it from there. I’d consider it.
Were you rooting for Natalie Cole to make it further on Survivor: David vs. Goliath? Be sure to share right now in the attached comments! (Photo: CBS.)