Aaliyah Puglia knew she was in serious danger before becoming the first person voted out of “Survivor 51,” but she intentionally did not let everyone at Tribal Council know that.
Puglia joined Tyson Apostol and Riley McAtee on “The Pod Has Spoken” following the Season 51 premiere. During the show, she revealed more about what was happening behind the scenes before her elimination.
When Pat publicly named Puglia as another potential target at Tribal Council, her reaction suggested the information was new. In reality, Puglia already knew her name was circulating.
“It wasn’t like a super shocker to me,” she said. “I definitely knew my name was circulating at that point.”
Playing surprised, Puglia explained, was part of her strategy.
Aaliyah Puglia Didn’t Want to Expose Her Allies
Puglia said Devin and Jelly had already told her that she was in danger before Tribal Council.
Because the other players had noticed how close she was to them, Puglia did not want to reveal that they had warned her. Instead, she acted as though Pat naming her was the first time she had heard she could be the target.
“Yes, it was a strategic situation,” Puglia explained.
She reasoned that openly admitting Devin and Jelly had given her information could have damaged their games. They had extended an “olive branch” to her only three days into the competition.
Despite knowing she was vulnerable, Puglia still had some hope that the vote could change.
She estimated that she was about 70% certain she would be eliminated over Jenna before Tribal Council. However, Puglia was already prepared to play her Shot in the Dark because conversations back at camp had failed to make her feel comfortable about her position.
Once Tribal Council became more fluid, however, Puglia briefly thought there might be another opportunity.
“People were open,” she recalled. “I feel like there was maybe a way in.”
That hope did not last.
Before the castaways sat back down, Puglia said Maggie told her to play her Shot in the Dark. In addition, the other players told her they planned to vote against her.
“At that point, it was up to God,” she said.
CBSAaliyah Puglia Hopes for Another ‘Survivor’ Chance
Although becoming the first boot was difficult, Puglia is trying not to define her experience by the placement.
She admitted that approaching the premiere knowing she would be the first person eliminated could make her want to “crawl into a hole,” but she no longer considers the result embarrassing.
Instead, Puglia pointed to the unusual live Tribal Council as evidence of how many connections she managed to form within only three days.
“I went out in a really epic way,” she said, adding that an early elimination does not necessarily mean someone would be bad at “Survivor.”
Puglia also found another purpose after leaving the game. She described trying to make Ponderosa a positive environment for the contestants who would arrive after her. She called her approach “building purpose on Ponderosa.”
As for another reality show, Puglia is not particularly interested.
“For me, it’s ‘Survivor’ or nothing,” she said after Apostol floated another reality competition.
Puglia is already hoping another opportunity could eventually let her show what her game might have looked like beyond Day 3.
