“Survivor 51” contestant Aaliyah Puglia has opened up about a major regret after becoming the first person eliminated from the show’s new Open Era. Discussing her exit from the show, she explained what she would do differently in hindsight.
Surprisingly, Puglia’s biggest regret actually dates back to something that happened before she had even settled into life with her tribe in the latest season.
Puglia entered the season with a plan not to play too aggressively early on. She believed doing so would help her strategy as other contestants might expect her to come into the game “too hot.” The 25-year-old chef was among the earliest players to be rumoured to be taking part. In fact, she was included in the initial rumored “Survivor 51” cast months before CBS officially unveiled the new season.
Looking back at the experience, Puglia believes she overcorrected and went too far in the other direction, making her vulnerable. She went on to say that she should have been considerably more aggressive and willing to take risks from the moment the game began.
Aaliyah Puglia’s Elimination Didn’t Taint Her Experience
Puglia’s “Survivor” experience ended after her tribe, Toka, lost the first immunity challenge. It had appeared that Jenna Doore might be the castaway who was in the most serious danger but she was able to successfully shift attention toward Puglia.
The vote was actually considerably less straightforward than the final result suggested, with RHAP host Rob Cesternino later breaking down why the vote nearly flipped.
Despite being the first person eliminated, Puglia told TVLine she now feels “immense gratitude” about the experience. However, she also admitted there was some embarrassment due to failing so publicly. Spending time at Ponderosa after her “Survivor” elimination ultimately changed her perspective.
After spending time thinking about her “Survivor” journey, Puglia said that rather than becoming afraid to take risks, the experience made her more fearless in her daily life. “If I knew going into ‘Survivor,’ I was going to be the first one out, I would do it again,” she said.
She added that she doesn’t blame Doore for making the move that sent her home. Puglia said she will “always respect” Doore for doing whatever was necessary to save herself.
Puglia also made it clear that she feels like she could have been more aggressive to help keep her in the game. As an example, she cites potentially volunteering for Exile Island, which would have prevented her from becoming the first person voted out.
Aaliyah Already Revealed Another Secret About Her Tribal Council
Puglia has also provided some additional context to what viewers saw during her elimination at Tribal Council.
During the final discussions at Tribal Council, she appeared surprised when she was identified as a potential target.
In reality, though, Puglia was already aware that her name was circulating. She later revealed why she was deliberately pretendintvto be blindsided, explaining that her allies Devin and Jelly had warned her beforehand that she was being targeted.
Puglia didn’t want to reveal that information too early, because doing so could expose the people who had tried to help her and make her even more of a target.
