Kyle Ostwald has no ill will toward in-game nemesis Sue Smey

Last week's eliminated castaway, Kyle Ostwald, was a standout on Survivor 47. Despite being voted out and becoming the fourth member of the jury, Kyle maintained a positive outlook on his game and the remaining tribemates, including long-standing rival Sue Smey.

Rivalry with Sue Smey

Kyle and Sue’s contentious relationship on the island became a focal point for fans. It was largely one-sided with Sue mentioning over several episodes her intention to vote out Kyle. However, Kyle harbors no ill feelings toward Sue. He explained that once the game ended, their dynamic changed entirely.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Kyle shared that "Every conversation, every interaction that Sue and I have had off the island — positive, not one negative word. I think the first thing that happened when we locked eyes was we both smiled and we hugged each other. And I think that it's only fair that you give every single cast member a fair opportunity to be your friend and to be part of your life outside of the game, right?

Kyle also acknowledged that he did indeed call Caroline and Sue "Tweedledee and Tweedledum", but insisted that there was no malice behind the term. The term was a point of contention for Sue, likely leading to her grudge; she wrote it on the parchment when voting out Kyle.

"I said that on television, they just chose not to show you. I was not scared of anything that I said. I don't regret anything that I said. I said everything that I said in front of a camera knowing very well that my entire family, the world would see it or could hear it, right?"

"You've already heard the things that came out. What, Tweedledee and Tweedledum? I want you to look at a definition of that right now in the dictionary. What's it going to say? It's going to say "of two people alike," and in the game, if you have two individuals that will not vote for each other and will only vote the same direction, are those two of the same people in a game?"

Kyle added that he looks forward to having good relationships with his fellow castaways. "And so now that we're in the outside world, things have calmed down a little different. You're going to work normal schedules, your life is kind of coming back to as regular as it may be. And so this is time for us to give an open opportunity to show me who you are again. And hopefully there's just good relationships for a continuous future."

Eating meat as a vegetarian

One of the more personal challenges Kyle faced was breaking his vegetarian lifestyle for the sake of survival. After seven or eight years of commitment to a meat-free diet, he wrestled with the emotional toll of eating meat during reward challenges. However, he was confronted with the decision when he won buffalo wings as a blind auction item.

"It's been tough. But I went on Survivor in hopes I was giving it all the whole way through, and you get hungry out there. And so you have to do some things on Survivor. Like I said in the show, what happens on Survivor stays on Survivor for the most part. I continued my vegetarian lifestyle after."

Reaction from family

If there was one takeaway from Kyle's journey in Survivor, it was that he was doing it for his family back home. His gameplay was driven by a desire to make his family proud, and their response to his performance was overwhelmingly positive. He highlighted how the show gave his family a sense of pride and community.

"I've received a lot of very positive attention. My family's receiving a lot of positive attention, which has been very good because just like anybody else's life, there's a lot of highs and a lot of lows, and we go through that just like everybody else. And when we do hit those lows, when we do hit those highs, it's to be able to see other families and community come together and create a safety net for family."

Just a guy from Cheboygan

In the interview, Kyle also added that hailing from the small town of Cheboygan, leaving his hometown for Survivor was a significant challenge. He had not been apart from the town for more than a day in over a decade.

"It was hard for me. I haven't left Cheboygan in 11 years. I spent one day away from her in 11 years — in a van, out of the van, whatever it may be. So to uproot myself from all of that comfort and put myself in that situation and have all these intrusive thoughts entering my mind"

He is open to returning for a future season

Kyle also added that he is open to returning for a future season if invited back. Additionally, he does not intend to change his style of play if he gets a second chance.

"I don't think I would do anything differently. Like I said, when I entered Survivor, I put my foot on the gas. My foot wasn't going to leave the floor until I saw God or a checkered flag. I just couldn't find it in myself to start rolling over in challenges or doing things that my family wouldn't be proud of. And I think that the greatest representation of that was watching when it was a pretty unanimous vote that Kyle needs to leave."