With his ally Brooke out of the game, Sam knew he had fallen out of favour with buddy Lee and power player El. Flick, knowing she would be perceived as the ultimate flipper, tried to assure everyone she may have ever had an alliance with that she was on the up-and-up.
After a two-part reward challenge in which Matt, Flick and Kristie ended up in a spa overnight while El, Lee and Sam ended up on Exile Beach, the tribe regrouped for a balance-endurance immunity challenge. Lee won for a second time and set about securing his alliance, especially wavering Kristie and Flick. He and El also spoke of their growing closeness on the island, not just as strategists but also as trusted companions.
While Matt and Sam hoped Flick and Kristie would join them in splitting up El and Lee, the core alliance held and likeable Sam was voted out.
WHO spoke to Sam Webb, the 28-year-old Sydney-based CEO and co-founder of mental health organisation LIVIN, about becoming the nineteenth person to leave Australian Survivor and the sixth member of the jury.
Q: Was there hope that Kristie and Flick would side with you and Matt or did you know you would be going?
A: Look, there was very small hope for me. I had a solid feeling I was going home that night, so I prepared myself mentally and I took it on the chin. Anything that would have happened would have been a bonus but they didn’t come through with their decisions.
Q: You came in as a novice to the game. Do you think it helped that you had no preconceived notions before playing?
A: Definitely. One hundred percent. I think if I’d known the game back to front, I would have started becoming the game itself and would have played it too hard. It wouldn’t have worked. I’m really happy with the way I played it. I was me, as best as I could, I tried to keep my morals intact and everything I do in my daily life intact, but I was challenged a couple of times and did things people probably question, but I have a reason for why I did things, so I’m happy with that.
Q: Did Kate showing you the hierarchy pyramid affect your game play at all?
A: It affected my game a bit. It gave me another avenue to think and keep in the back of my mind. I didn’t want to be naïve, I didn’t want to be ignorant to what she was saying, which was true. People don’t want people in the game that are threats and could win at the end. You want to sit with someone you could probably beat.
Q: You were indeed close to Brooke. Was she more aligned with you than Flick or El?
A: Me and Brooke were real tight. We were really close and there was a time when I had to make a call to try to save Kate and I went around the alliance’s back and maybe it questioned their trust [in me], but it was all in good intentions for the group on a greater scale. Brooke and I, it was hard when she left when we tried to do that move to get out El. That’s when it all started to spiral out of control. It was either going to go south or it was going to go north. If it went positive, we would probably be at the end of the game and if it didn’t, yeah, that’s why we were the next voted off.
Q: You knew turning on El and Lee would have consequences but you still chose Lee as your bedmate when you won that reward challenge. How do you describe your friendship?
A: Lee and I, our friendship is great. It’s never been questioned. We’ve always gotten along. After that tribal where we tried to blindside El and Brooke went home, he was pretty disappointed. He was pretty upset that we cracked the alliance sooner than he hoped for but we both agreed with one another that it was part of the game. He understands that and I understand his upsetness and we just carried on like two grown men and we are very good friends outside the game.
Q: After getting the boot, you seemed to have a really good time in the Jury Villa.
A: Oh my God. The first thing I finished was that jar of Nutella. It was the best thing to ever happen to me!
Q: We know you are a chocolate fiend. How long did it take you to finish the tray in your villa room?
A: I smashed that, I am not joking, in literally 10 seconds. I gorged on all the chocolate. I didn’t eat the cheese stuff because I don’t like cheese, but I definitely ate all the chocolate as if someone had stolen it. Chocolate is my Kryptonite. I’m going to have to reach out to Cadbury and get them to sponsor me or something.
Q: What struck you the most about your experience?
A: Just the resilience and feeling grateful and stuff. Everyday, I preached messages to people about living healthy and happy lives. You see in different countries, especially like in Samoa, the native Samoans, they don’t have anything but they are very happy. It opened my eyes to the fact that you don’t need ‘things’ in life to be happy. I was stranded on an island where I thought I was going to melt after a couple days not having access to phones and my home and stuff, and I actually felt refreshed. It gave me a lot more sense of worth and helps me to be able to articulate parts of my message when I speak to people. Gratefulness and gratitude is something I’ve learnt wholeheartedly from my time on the show.
Q: I spoke with Gus Worland about his documentary Man Up. Your group LIVIN does a lot for suicide prevention. How involved are you still and what do you want to tell people about the group?
A: I run the charity with my partner Casey Lyons. We co-founded it. It’s a big part of my life and always will be. We utilise education programs, rolled out a number of pilot programs at schools, we do a lot of events and we’re selling a fashion label as well online to create conversation and get people starting to chat and speaking up and being the first point of contact for people to get help. We motivate people to want to help each other and help themselves and get back on track and get livin’ again.
Q: What other things are you doing?
A: I may get into acting, some professional public speaking, motivational speaking and looking to create my own retreat to motivate and inspire people to live happier, healthier lives.
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