Michelle Tesauro, the 22 year old student from Pittstown, New Jersey had no problem swallowing the special seafood smoothie in last nights Immunity Challenge, even though her tribe members had singled her out to be the one that they hoped the Morgan tribe would chose to go twice and give them a clear advantage to win. Michelle talked with Julie Chen this morning on the Early Show about why she chugged the smoothie and if it was truly her ticket out of the Drake tribe last night. SurvivorUpdates is pleased to bring you the transcript and ScreenCaps of her interview.
Michelle on the Early Show Transcribed - by Lexie
Julie - Last night on Survivor, an Immunity Challenge offered a pessimistic Michelle Tesauro a chance to secure her place in the Drake Tribe. But, swallowing her pride proved to be more difficult than swallowing a seafood smoothie
(shows a clip of last nights show - where Trish is talking about the upcoming IC and where Jon says to let Michelle drink twice if it's needed - then on to show the IC where Michelle was drinking the smoothie without problems and the reaction of the Drake tribe to her...then Jeff saying Michelle - the tribe has spoken)
Julie - Michelle, Good Morning.
Michelle- Good Morning
Julie - You were chug-a-lugging, you weren't suppose to. Why didn't you act like everyone planned... it was the worst thing in the world?
Michelle - It's more easily said than done. It was repulsive. It's nothing that you want to take your time doing If I had taken my time .....
Julie - but that's the point if you had just acted naturally right? ......
Michelle ..the thing is If I would had thrown it up.. I would have had to drink my own throw up .and I wasn't about to do that so... my old motto is ..just get it over with get it done ..I knew I could do it There's no way I could have done it slow like that
Julie - Is that what cost you the game?
Michelle- I don't think so, I thing that my game was spent after Burton had left and it was just a matter of convincing everybody else that I was on their side. When I had no intentions of ever being on Drake's side.
Julie - You voted for Shawn to get the boot last night and you actually thought he might be leaving?
Michelle- Not really the consensus was, I mean before the had left for Tribal Council , everybody knew it ... everybody knew that I knew it.So, it wasn't really a surprise for any of us... It was just a matter of if anybody would stand up for themselves..and... everybody is talking saying Oh Michelle we want you to stay ...Shawn you know he's not somebody that we want to have around in the long run. And, nobody acted on it so....
Julie- Shawn was in your alliance very early on and then you voted him off yesterday. Burton was in your alliance who got voted off last week.. Do you pick the wrong group to align yourself with? Why didn't you try bonding with the girls?
Michelle-Ohh...ummm.... From the beginning, the people I felt more comfortable with were Shawn and Burton. They were like my brothers. They treated me just a lot of respect and they were fun to be around. I'm not one to sit around and braid people's hair and give massages, so that was out of the question. I'd rather play with hermit crabs and talk to the guys than braid somebody's greasy hair..
Julie (laughs) then says... Christa, obviously you did not get along with her...you tried to vote her off last week and that didn't work . Why didn't you get along with her?
Michelle -ummm... Christa was just really very rude to people at certain times, just it was uncalled for and it caused a lot of uneasiness around the camp altogether.ummm...nobody really... ummm.. I just didn't want to deal with it and I tried to sty away from her and we were too anxious to vote somebody off last week.
Julie- You guys actually planned to throw that immunity challenge. Was that ...looking back now was that a mistake?
Michelle - looking back - obviously it was. But at the time, I thought ..you know..everybody was so anxious to get into the game. It was almost two weeks in and all eight of us were there and we're sharing the same exact food. It just - that the game hadn't started.
Julie- As a result of throwing that immunity challenge last week, the other tribe , the Morgan tribe - also got to pick Rupert - whoever they wanted - to join them for 3 days. A lot of your people in your tribe didn't like that - but you actually did - How come?
Michelle- I didn't mind that. It gave us a chance to see that we didn't need Rupert around and heat he wasn't the glue that was holding us together. But.... So I wasn't missing him. It was one less mouth to feed and he definitely - you know - ate his fair share and then some, so it more for us.
Julie - We have some callers on the line - Let's start out with Dale who has a question for Michelle. Go ahead
Dale - Hi Michelle... I'd like to know if you felt that Rupert was your demise?
Michelle-ohhhh Rupert.. I have mixed feelings about him altogether. ummmm he... he.... It really has turned into the Rupert show. I love him to death, but at the time I just had had enough of him. ummmm.... I don't know. I'm kind of reserved on what I think I should say about Rupert now.
(nervous laugh)
Julie...Ohhhh
Julie - Thank you Dale Next on the line is Allen from Indiana ....Go ahead Allen -
Allen - Yeah Michelle... I would like to know, if y'all are ..if y'all see Jon as a threat up until that point and why no one seems to be concentrating on getting rid of him because he didn't look like he was really trying to pull his own weight - just starting trouble and stuff?
Michelle - Jon actually did more than you would think that he was capable of. He did a lot of hard work. You hear him complaining and making a big, you know.. hoopla every place ..but .. really he's a pretty down to earth guy and he did a lot of stuff that contributed to the camp and made it more bearable place to be so.....
Julie - He was drunk at Tribal Council ..
Michelle - ...and that's amusement for us. We don't have luxury items to play with ..it's something... He's like a big toy.
Julie - He didn't have kind words for you on last night's show.
Michelle - He doesn't have kind words for too many people ..but the thing about Jon is that he lets you know that. It wasn't as if it was a secret when I saw on TV he would say something like that. He came right back and would say it to my face....so......
Julie - At least he's honest about it
Michelle.. ( shrugs her shoulders and says ) Yeah
Julie- Alrright we have Bethany is on the line from New Jersey...go ahead Bethany - what's your question for Michelle...
Bethany - Hi Michelle..
Michelle - Hi..
Bethany - I was wondering if you got to loot the other tribe what would you have taken?
Michelle - Oh I would have went for where it hurt... I would have gotten food, definitely. Just because whatever makes them weaker.. makes us stronger. so...
Julie... now They didn't really lot your tribe when....ummmmm
Michelle... I couldn't believe that ... (every excitedly said)
Julie - When Ryan came over
( note - Julie did say Ryan that is not my typo )
Michelle..He was... It was just ..
Julie -I think they were scared...
Michelle - Yeah they were . they were expecting the merge and didn't want to mess anything up and cause any harsh feelings going into something like that. so.... But I mean, come on..
Julie - It was like under the guidance of Rupert
Michelle - (laughs) says if it were me I would have been like give me the jug
Julie - laughs then says Michelle Tesauro .. Thanks so much and good luck to you
Michelle- Thank you - Thanks
Check out the ScreenCaps of Michelle's appearance on the Early Show in our Photo Gallery HERE
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