Survivor Edge of Extinction: Chris shares unaired stories on RHAP
The winner of Survivor: Edge of Extinction helped us to understand his journey on Extinction Island and how he was able to come back and win it all.
Continuing with RHAP’s revealing retrospective podcasts, Rob Cesternino spoke with Chris Underwood for over three hours. If you haven’t listened to it yet, here’s the link, it’s a solid interview. The Sole Survivor shared many stories with Rob and detailed his nearly month-long stay on the Edge of Extinction. Here a few of the most interesting points he spoke about.
Chris reveals his surprising but savvy initial gameplan
We knew coming into season 38 that Chris was focused on playing a perfect game, but what would that look like for him? He realized how big of a threat he would be perceived as, so his pre-game strategy was to use his physical abilities to lead his tribe to a few immunities.
Halfway through the pre-merge game, Chris planned on faking or embellishing an injury, similar to what Tyson did in Blood vs. Water. That way, his threat level would be reduced and he could strengthen his position in a majority alliance as the merge began. However, the plan went out the window once the Manu tribe couldn’t win a challenge.
Must Read. Let’s Rank the Survivor Seasons by Their Locations. light
He was so blindsided that he walked past the Edge of Extinction sign!
As Devens shared in his retrospective, he was Chris’ closest ally in the opening stages of the season. When the Manu majority decided to blindside Chris, he had no clue it was coming and did feel betrayed by Devens. He was so out of it that he literally walked past the Edge of Extinction signpost, resulting in production telling him to stop and turn around.
The Edge of Extinction was one of the toughest experiences in his life
It’s interesting to hear each castaway’s perspective on Extinction Island, as some hated it, while others didn’t find the living conditions too difficult. That said, the players that stayed for several weeks, including Chris, definitely felt the toll it took on them. Although Chris was really down when he got there, he made the most of it and learned a lot about himself.
Chris and Devens got married on the Edge of Extinction
Yes, you read that subheading correctly. After repairing their relationship on the Edge of Extinction, Devens and Chris held a marriage ceremony that was carried out by Aubry. That marriage has since been annulled. This Just goes to show how bored they were out there!
Must Read. Survivor: Ranking 36 Survivor seasons of the show. light
The players on Extinction Island thought Chris had no shot at winning
Chris mentioned how the Edge of Extinction residents would regularly discuss their shots at returning and winning. I found it intriguing that they sincerely thought Chris had no shot at winning because he missed so much time. He even revealed that the jury wouldn’t have voted for Joe if he won his way back and went on an Immunity run.
From those conversations, Chris knew that he had to rely on more than his physical ability to win the game. As a result, he decided to throw some challenges to prove that he could survive on his social and strategic gameplay instead of simply winning immunity.
Chris knew that Devens would give him the idol half
One of the biggest decisions during the finale revolved around Chris’ idol that he received after re-entering the game. Although in hindsight, Devens should have withheld his half of the idol, Chris knew based on their tight relationship that Rick would give it back.
Next. Survivor winners: Ranking 36 Sole Survivors by season. dark
He felt so confident in this assumption because Chris told Devens that he would be willing to play that idol for him. He spent a ton of time looking for an idol that Devens could use at the Final Five Tribal Council, so that made Rick feel that he had to give it back once he came across his fourth Immunity Idol.