“Survivor” contestant Sophi Balerdi — who reached the final of season 49 alongside Rizo Velovic, Savannah Louie, Kristina Mills, and Sage Ahrens-Nichols — has explained how she is perfectly happy with the fact that she did not win the show. Speaking in an interview following the conclusion of the series, Belardi revealed that simply getting the chance to appear on “Survivor” was a dream come true and enough of a win for her.
Sophi Balerdi is Simply Happy She Got a Chance to Compete on ‘Survivor’
When discussing her experience with Entertainment Weekly, Balerdi was quick to describe herself as a “happy loser” and didn’t have many negative emotions despite missing out on being crowned the champion of season 49.
The admission came about when she was asked about whether she was surprised by the way that Michelle “MC” Chukwujekwu changed her vote to her during the finale when the jury was picking a winner.
“Yeah, I thought MC was going to vote for Sav because she’s a competitor and I think she would’ve rewarded a physical game,” explains Balerdi.
She continued, “But the fact that she rewarded me meant everything. I was a little surprised about Alex not voting for me. I remember calling him a name after, but I was such a good sport about it.”
Balerdi then went on to say that she feels like getting the chance to take part in “Survivor” season 49 was more important than winning the show.
“I think my gratitude for the experience totally outweighed the loss for me,” she said. “Going out there was a win. And so I was happy regardless. Like, I think I was the happiest loser ever after that final Tribal. Even Jeff was like, “Why are you so happy?” And I’m like, “I don’t know. I’ll probably cry myself to sleep tonight, but right now I’m feeling just proud of myself.”
Sophie Balerdi Says ‘Survivor’ is Harder For Women
In a social media post that Balerdi made after her exit from the show, Balerdi revealed that she believes that it is harder for women to compete on the reality television show. Her reasoning is that female competitors have to manage their menstrual cycle while on the island, which can make it more challenging to succeed.
“Here’s the deal with the periods on Survivor,” she said. “It is a TV show where we’re actually starving. We’re actually pooping in the ocean, and I think for this reason, the women have it a lot harder. The game’s a lot harder because we have to deal with our menstrual cycle.”
“Luckily, the people behind the scenes on Survivor really care about their players,” she continued. “You’re gonna be in good hands if you ever apply. There’s a doctor on standby. There are feminine products if you need [them].”
She added, “A lot of women get lucky in that because we’re starving, they don’t get their period at all. I was unlucky and got my period two times in the entire time that I played, so I had it in the first six days of the game, and I had it in the last six days of the game. It was very uncomfortable.”
