Survivor Katie: My Tribe Will Regret Voting Me Out

On Wednesday night, Katie Hanson became the second beauty queen to be voted off Survivor: The Philippines and ETonline catches up with the 22-year-old former Miss Delaware to get her take on being voted out.

ETonline: The reward challenge seemed like one of the most awkward and uncomfortable challenges ever. What was it like for you to be watching it?

Katie: It was definitely gross! People were crawling out of the mud like swamp monsters, it was terrible. It was actually a very dangerous challenge. They didn't really show this, but after the challenge, when everyone had washed off, they had so many scrapes and cuts all over their body from the wicker ball. Also anything could've happened in that mud. You could be running and twist or sprain something, anything. I think that when we made the deal it was the smartest decision as far as... you don't want your main players to get hurt during a reward challenge when you have an immunity challenge coming up, that would just be silly. So it's a good thing that we cut it off and no one got hurt, and we ended up with some pretty awesome stuff so I can't complain.

ETonline: Were you just assuming that a merge would be coming since you were running so low on rice?

Katie: All of us knew that a merge was on its way. So we were like, "Alright, when we merge, there's gonna be food anyway." And it was so hard to get a fire all the time because our wood was always wet, and so half the time we couldn't even cook the rice. And what good is the rice if you can't cook it? So getting rid of it wasn't that terrible, it wasn't like we were empty with rice, we've had our fair share. Tandang had just won so many opportunities to eat. They won steaks, and cookies! They were definitely fueled up and ready to go, and I just thought it was our turn to indulge in some of that.

ETonline: Did you have enough fish to always eat, or was it just enough to get by?

Katie: The fish situation... I think the only fish they ever caught was what you saw on television last night. Moreso, we were very lucky with clams. We had a lot of clams that we ate, I think the biggest clams I have ever seen in my entire life. And they were a really tasty treat. But unfortunately, when we made the deal, we had eaten the rest of our clams. So now we only have rice, and now that that's gone, this is not a good situation to be in because there's no guarantee where we were gonna find food. It got so bad, we were collecting hermit crabs to eat, and we all know how small hermit crabs are. It was basically pointless.

ETonline: Was it a surreal experience for you, eating hermit crabs?

Katie: I actually never got to eat the hermit crabs, because I got voted out. But yeah, we were collecting these things, and I was thinking to myself, "Oh my God, it's gotten this bad!" No one's gonna help you, and no one's gonna sneak you food on the side, this is what it is. There were snails, and they're like basically boogers, it was kinda gross.

ETonline: Did you have coconuts to eat also?

Katie: There were also coconuts, but I'd gotten sick off of coconut, so I tried my best to stay away from that. Even down to the meat, I just didn't like it. After sixteen days of eating it, you get pretty sick of it. The smell, and the thought of eating it actually makes me nauseous to this day.

ETonline: You have a background in pageants, how did that inform the way that you looked at the game?

Katie: To play this game well, you have to be in shape, that goes along with competing in a pageant. You have to look good, and be at your best possible physical shape, so that goes hand-in-hand. And there's interviewing that goes along with pageantry, which also goes hand-in-hand with the game of Survivor, which if you make it to the final three, you get these tough questions that are gonna be thrown your way. And I think that just being around a bunch of girls, you have to be social, and the game is a social game. So I think that pageants kept me well-rounded, and well-balanced for the game of Survivor.

ETonline: How much would you say Dana going home impacted your game?

Katie: Dana going home sent me home. Because if Dana didn't get sick, and the situation did not occur, I know we would've [gone] far. Because we just had this unity about the three of us. I know we could've brought in Denise, it's something about a girl bond. I think she trusted us more than she trusted the men. And when [Dana] got sick, why would Denise side with us now? She's not at the top side with numbers. And that's Denise's goal, she needs to be on the side with numbers. So it's kinda frustrating, but at the same time, we want what's best for Dana, and that is to get her help because she was not doing good.

ETonline: In last night's episode, were you truly blind-sided, or did you know you were gonna be going home?

Katie: I had a pretty clear idea that it could be me, but trust me, I didn't go out without a fight. I tried to convince these people that now is the time more than ever to get rid of Penner. If he goes beyond this, and makes it through the merge, which you know is gonna happen, that's dangerous for you! So now is your time, to get rid of an idol, and get rid of a very experienced, dangerous player. I think they'll regret this decision that they made in future episodes.

ETonline: Do you think Penner will go all the way?

Katie: Penner's very smart, he's played this game more than anyone there. However, people are way too in tune to how dangerous he is. Obviously, Jeff [Kent] and Carter know that he's got an idol, and I think that they're gonna share that with other people depending on what they wanna do when they merge. But I think that it can either go really well for Penner, or really bad. So it's hard to say at this point. He's definitely got the brains to get himself there, but it's his mouth and his personality that's gonna get him out, because he's too vivacious, the target is gonna be on him. People know he knows how to play this, so they gotta get rid of him, he's dangerous.

ETonline: Besides Penner, who do you think has the best chance of winning the whole game?

Katie: I can tell you that Denise is a very, very likeable person. No matter where she goes, or where she gets thrown, I think that she has the ability to mold people's minds that she is your friend. Even though she voted me out, I still have nothing bad to say about her, because she's a really nice lady! She's obviously flying under the radar, she's coming in as the new person on someone's tribe. So she can survive Kalabaw, why couldn't she make it all the way?

Survivor airs Wednesday nights on CBS at 8/7c.