Ori Jean-Charles‘ Survivor 51 journey ended early thanks in part to a “brutal” tribe swap that put him on a team with only five people. After losing Jenna Doore and Alexis Levine, there were only three castaways left at the Savu camp: Ori, Jelly Loblack, and Devin Way. Jelly and Devin, aka the “evil twins,” weren’t voting against each other, so Ori knew he was out of luck.
The tribe swap was “terrible,” the New York-based personal trainer tells Gold Derby, “because there’s less gameplay, less room to maneuver, and fewer Survivors.” He addresses host Jeff Probst directly: “Jeff, don’t kill me, but you don’t have to throw a million different wrenches into it. Just let us play the game!”
Ori actually agrees with Jeff’s blunt verdict at the immunity challenge: “If you don’t know how to do a puzzle, you’re worthless.” He declares, “Jeff might be right, because if you can do a puzzle, you’re going to win nine times out of 10.”
As for Ori’s “flirtmance” partner, Jelly, he jokes that “She’s got a lot of making up to do” after voting him out. “That heartbreak last night — I do not take it lightly at all. … Hopefully my mom can forgive her.”
Read on for our full exit interview with Ori, including why he wants Sharonda Cox to ultimately win the $1 million prize.
Gold Derby: What was it like watching your elimination play out on television? It must have been emotional.
Ori Jean-Charles: That was brutal, man. You lived it, experienced it, and think you’ve prepared yourself for it. You think you’ve felt all the feels and you’re ready for it. But seeing it again was brutal. I was surrounded by so many people and so much love, but even that was a lot. That was a brutal night, I will be honest.
You were actually my winner pick. I thought you were going to go all the way, and you probably could have if not for that dreaded tribe swap. What’s your take on it?
I hated it. If you want good gameplay and strategy, and you’re a real Survivor fan, those first eight days — the first two or three episodes — were electric and intense. The amount of things that were going on was amazing. When you winnow down to three tribes, especially my tribe of five people, it leaves space for splash moves. We saw what [Danny] Kilby did, and that was amazing. But it’s terrible because there’s less gameplay, less room to maneuver, and fewer Survivors. At some point, it’s inevitable because the numbers are so small. There’s nothing you can do. You looked at me, I looked at Devin and Jelly, and they looked at me like, “What do you want me to do?” There’s nowhere to go. The tribe swap was tough. Jeff, don’t kill me, but you don’t have to throw a million different wrenches into it. Just let us play the game! Survivor is amazing. Throw us out there and let us do our thing. Both the fans and the players will thank you for it.
After Alexis went home, you had a group of three. Did you talk about merging then? Did you think there was no way they’d do a challenge with three people?
Absolutely. We were hoping we would merge, but we’d seen them do challenges with three people before. That sucks also. We knew another challenge was still possible, and we dreaded not winning it. That’s what ended up happening. We hoped we’d merge, but prepared ourselves for another challenge because we’d seen it before. With the numbers at 13 or 14, you’re right before the merge — the step before it. We had an inkling of what might happen.
At the episode’s final immunity challenge, your tribe was in the lead until the puzzle. Jeff said something to the effect of, “If you don’t know how to do a puzzle, you are worthless.” What’s your take on that?
“If you don’t know how to do a puzzle, you’re worthless.” Jeff, I absolutely agree. It’s Survivor. The game is so unpredictable — it’s about 80 or 85% luck if you ask me. But the things you can control are on you, and you should be prepared. That’s probably one of my biggest regrets: that final challenge. I knew the odds were stacked against me. In the first challenge, I tried to put myself in the best position with the buckets. Dev was having a hard time getting water to me, and I was getting a full bucket of Jelly’s. Jelly was having a hard time getting a bucket to Jenna. We couldn’t figure it out. I tried to put myself in the money position in the second challenge. I wanted to be the one shooting baskets, so I could win it for us. But we couldn’t even get me a shot. For the last challenge, I felt that if I’d gone home because I couldn’t do the puzzle, I could live with that. But all of us were there trying to figure it out, and we couldn’t. It was like three cooks in the kitchen. Like I said, if you can’t do a puzzle, maybe you’re worthless on Survivor. Jeff might be right, because if you can do a puzzle, you’re going to win nine times out of 10.
I want to switch over to Jelly. She had that hidden immunity idol and didn’t use it. How smart was she not to play it?
Absolutely — very smart. Jelly is an amazing game player, a smart and amazing girl, an amazing woman, period. She knew that she and Devin were going to vote together nine times out of 10. She could pocket the idol because she knew it would be two votes against one if I decided to vote, and Dev had an extra vote. So it was three votes against one, honestly. There was no need for her to use the idol. Good on her for pocketing it, and hopefully it turns out to be a big deal at the merge. It’s an idol that only Devin knows about, and Devin knowing a secret might not be the best thing, but she’s in a really good position. It was a smart move.
Viewers saw an edited version, but how much work did you do talking to Jelly and Devin to try to get them to vote your way and target the other person?
The four or five hours between the challenge and Tribal were all I did. I tried to find the cracks here and there. I turned around and tried again. I tried one angle, then another. I remember asking them, “What’s your why? Why are you out here? What’s the thing you want most?” Jelly said, “I just want to be able to say I played a loyal game.” Dev said, “I really want to be able to say that I protected and helped Jelly.” I’m like, “Oh, I’m out of here. Nobody’s talking about winning. You guys are just worried about taking care of each other.” In a game that’s so unpredictable and up and down, they found someone they could trust completely — a thousand percent, eyes closed. They found that in each other. They weren’t willing to risk it, even if it might look bad and make them seem like a duo. You can’t blame them; a bond like that on Survivor is irreplaceable.
You went on the summit in this episode, and it didn’t look like you wanted to go to Exile and get that Tethered Idol. Why wasn’t that interesting to you?
Jeff, the producers — what are we doing? You’re going to send me on a summit where there’s an idol I can use only on the other two people? I can’t use it for myself? That’s crazy. Strategically, the summit was awesome, and the opportunity to go to Exile was awesome, too, because you never know what might be behind those doors. But I knew my only hope — my only guarantee of seeing another day — was winning immunity. Going to Exile might have led to something special, or there might have been nothing back there. I knew winning the challenge was the only way to guarantee another day. I thought bringing the food back would give us a few extra calories, boost our energy and morale, and put something in our stomachs. Any one of those things might have been the little boost we needed to pull out a win. Sadly, it wasn’t, but it was the only guarantee I had to see the next day. I could check what was behind the door at Exile, or do what might help me get the result I needed; it was a no-brainer.
And those ribs looked pretty good, too.
Amazing! Especially after 13 days of not eating — just water, coconut, and a little piece of chicken. You saw how we tore those up. Those ribs stood no chance at all.
You mentioned playing this game for your mom. What was her reaction to seeing you on Survivor?
It was awesome. That’s probably one of the highlights of my whole experience. My mom knew nothing about Survivor. All she knew was that her baby said he was going out there to win, so he was going to win. Watching it with her was awesome. That’s my little lady, that’s my everything, that’s the woman who sacrificed and did everything for me. Getting the chance to tell the world about her meant so much. I’m this big, 6’3″ monster of a man, but every good quality I have, everything positive about me, I learned from a tiny, 5’4″ Caribbean woman. It was amazing, and it meant so much. But she’s not happy with Jelly right now. She’s like, “You did what?” She was all in on the show and loved the edit. Hopefully my mom can forgive her.
What is the status of the “flirtmance” with Jelly? Is there anything romantic there, or are you just friends? What’s going on?
After last night? Oh, she’s got a lot of work to do. She’s got a lot of making up to do. You chose Devin over me and broke my heart. But she’s a really cool, amazing girl. She’s come to New York, I’ve been in the Midwest, and we’ve all hung out. You’ll have to wait and see. But she’s got a lot of making up to do. That heartbreak last night — I do not take it lightly at all.
Halloween’s coming up. Do you have a costume planned?
I’m thinking Snickers, Hershey’s Kiss, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup — take it off, Chocolate Fantasy, big piece of chocolate. [Laughs.] We’ll see, but I’m definitely going to do something awesome. Let me know what you think. Let me know what piece of chocolate that Chocolate Fantasy should show up as this Saturday.
Maybe a Kit Kat, with you and Jelly as two pieces of the bar.
Jelly, Marcus said Kit Kat! That doesn’t sound too bad. I’m going to make that call. I might have to do it.
If you could pick one person to win the $1 million, who would it be and why?
That’s a really good question. I’d have to say Sharonda. Like Devin and Jelly, Sharonda was my Day 1 — my A1. We had a cross-tribal alliance, and it was funny how things worked out. Jelly and Devin, those evil twins, are so similar. Sharonda and I are so similar. Devin and Jelly are exciting, loud, brash, entertaining, and awesome people. They’re in the forefront; they’re superstars. Sharonda and I are stoic, strategic, low-key, but we still have our fingers on the pulse. And secondly, I love what she stands for as a woman. Sharonda is an OB-GYN resident, working 18- or 24-hour shifts and not making real money yet. She’s not at that doctor level where she’s making all the money in the world. To see her be rewarded for all her work would be amazing. The work she’s doing is important, especially given the death rates for women giving birth. She works so many hours and doesn’t get the pay or recognition she deserves. If she gets her flowers and a million dollars — maybe two, at the end of this — that would be awesome. Shout-out to Sharonda. I’m rooting for you. Let’s go, let’s do it!
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
