Christian Hubicki’s Notes for Mike White, Jimmy Fallon

Christian Hubicki made Survivor historical past in a means no participant ever desires to — by changing into the primary contestant compelled to jot down down his personal identify at Tribal Council because of a twist from Jimmy Fallon. The wild Survivor 50 second punctuated a sudden unraveling for one of many season’s sharpest strategic minds. In his unique exit interview with The Hollywood Reporter beneath, Christian explains the way it occurred, the place the sport slipped and why he’d nonetheless “always take the call” to play once more.

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Do you might have a message for Jimmy Fallon? Anything you need him to know?

Look, Jimmy, I’m at all times open to reconciliation. I don’t know who has to get the mediator, however I feel we will restore this budding friendship. I imagine we will. And perhaps it was only a typo. Maybe it was only a typo on the notice that perhaps Christian is not going to need to vote for himself. And so we’ll determine this out, my pal. 

You grew to become the primary participant to have to jot down your personal identify down at Tribal Council. If you’d stored your vote and had the additional vote, the place do these votes go, and does it change something?

The mere incontrovertible fact that I don’t need to vote for myself and announce that I’ve to vote for myself, I feel modifications issues probably a bit. Going to that Tribal, I wasn’t in an ideal spot. But Emily, to her credit score, got here out swinging to avoid wasting me. She might have simply thrown me underneath the bus, however she got here out swinging to avoid wasting me even earlier than I received again, it appears, to pitch Ozzy. So that made her a goal. In my understanding — and once more, I come from a really specific perspective — the truth that I needed to vote for myself made me only a clear goal. 

I feel Rizo stated that nicely when he stated, “Look, Christian his back is against the wall. He has nothing to defend himself with. Why not take him out now? It’d be silly not to take him out now.” I feel it was a useful figuring out think about me going residence. But that stated, I’ve to take possession that that exact day, I made a few dangerous choices — and also you’re solely pretty much as good as your worst choice on Survivor.

What have been these dangerous choices that you just made that day?

For the primary 17 days, I made quite a lot of superb choices. Really primary, far and away, was telling Cirie I used to be fascinated about focusing on Ozzy. I used to be even nominally conscious that that they had a relationship. Back on the unique Cila tribe after we began, there have been quite a lot of dialog, however over time that pale away. I’ve to offer credit score to Ozzy and undoubtedly Cirie for having a means of simply getting previous that. And to not take something away from Ozzy, I feel he’s nice, however Cirie has a means of speaking with out trying like she’s speaking with individuals. She’s clearly crafted that so nicely, so it made it simple to neglect.

On high of that, I used to be partly blinded by how a lot I wished to go deep with Cirie. And sure, Rick and Emily, large allies, love working with them, no inclination of desirous to activate them. But Cirie is the one one that I’m pretty positive is nearly sure to have an even bigger goal than me. Not that I essentially could be the risk to beat on the finish, however in case I used to be, like I used to be perceived on my first season, I would like somebody who’s an even bigger goal, an even bigger defend.

I informed Cirie on my first day on the seashore, “I want to go to the final three with you. This is going to sound crazy, but we both have a similar problem to vastly different degrees. We both want to punch through to the end of that game. I’m not you, to be clear. But there are shades of the same problem. So what if we work together? There will be times where I will need to protect you and I’ll happily do it. And there will be times that I will need to be protected by you. But in the end, we will protect each other and go to the end.”

Now, would I’ve gone to the tip [with Cirie]? Probably not. But a minimum of it will get me deeper. I put a lot inventory into needing that endgame choice. I feel it blinded me to what different relationships have been like. And whereas I’m flattered to be Cirie’s quantity three, like she stated on the island, it’s simple to neglect that you just’re not primary, proper?

Let’s speak about your total recreation. You had gastrointestinal misery, referred to as Ozzy “Polly Prissypants” and shaped a Star Trek alliance with Rick Devens. You have been killing it and appeared to have the sport underneath management up till this final episode. So when did the sport slip away?

The present, I feel, did a reasonably cheap job explaining even what I perceive to this present day to be true. I’m positive there are issues I’m unaware of, however the motive Jonathan was focusing on me, for occasion, was due to the earlier vote on the pairs Tribal Council. That vote I felt was existential, as a result of the way in which it paired up, that Coach and Chrissy needed to go. If they didn’t, there was this potential huge, large alliance of old skool pondering those who wished to band collectively and would appear very loyal to one another that would have taken management of the whole recreation and have us on the again foot and principally within the minority. So it needed to be Coach and Chrissy. That was the simplest choice. But to try this, Jonathan couldn’t know, as a result of clearly Jonathan was in with this group and I used to be paired with Jonathan.

Jonathan began to attempt to take me in, however I needed to deceive him quite a bit. I needed to fake to him that I wished Devens and Aubrey out. I stored telling those who. And even that Tribal Council, I’m saying issues like that as a result of he can not know what the plan is. Then it sort of received all blown up anyway. So he checked out me, I feel as somebody who betrayed him and that’s why he wished to focus on me. Was that sufficient to get me out? I’m undecided. Maybe different individuals had comparable concepts, however after getting that and also you even have Cirie wanting to focus on me, that was an actual turning level. 

It’s potential if I simply lay low and say, “Cirie, what are you pondering? There’s a lot occurring. What do you do? I’ll be joyful to go whichever means you need. “Maybe she doesn’t goal me. Maybe she goes after one in every of these different individuals. I hoped it wouldn’t be Rick. That was my concern. But if I let her drive somewhat bit extra, perhaps it labored out higher.

Let’s speak about early in your recreation while you had some points with Ozzy since you determined to take out Mike White. When I talked to Mike, he informed me in his exit interview, and I’m quoting him, “There’s a part of me that thinks Christian felt like I shouldn’t have been asked back.” And when referring to different gamers presumably angling for a White Lotus cameo, he stated, “Both Emily and Christian are purists about the game and saw that as some kind of unfair advantage.” Are these correct or inaccurate takes by Mike?

In phrases of The White Lotus cameos, individuals use no matter they will to get additional within the recreation. The solely motive Mike was the goal was all about diffusing my goal on the merge. If the three of us went collectively into the merge, after we have been on a tribe altogether, it will seem like I used to be defending them. After I used to be telling individuals, “No, no, we’re not working together.” But the truth is, I wished to work with Mike. I completely did. But after we stored going to Tribal Council on the swap, I needed to do away with one in every of them. Originally I used to be like, “Oh, it’s Angelina.T hat makes all the sense in the world. Angelina and I are not that tight.” When she will get to the merge, she’s an individual; I’ve been there, she simply goes to the tip. She goes from being a goal to not a goal in a short time. 

So I used to be like, that’s dangerous as a result of who’s the goal? Me. And individuals love working with Mike. Celebrity or not. I’m the goal of the three. One of them has to go. But then when Mike is actually pushing to maintain Angelina to the purpose the place he’s making an attempt to get me to disregard the hazard to me on the merge and say, “Just get rid of Emily instead.” And once I ask him about what we’re going to do on the merge, he’s like, “We’ll figure it out.” I’m like, “Oh no, there is no plan. He just wants to save Angelina.” At that time, I begin taking a look at Mike as an individual that isn’t my closest ally, however somebody who’s the glue between Angelina and Ozzy. Yes, Ozzy shall be mad, however Angelina and Ozzy will not be a pure match. They’re unlikely to lie collectively to get me out of the following vote. And positive sufficient, I caught no votes within the subsequent Tribal Council. What was the opposite accusation? 

Mike stated, “There’s a part of me that thinks Christian felt like I shouldn’t have been asked back.”

Oh, no, no, no. I feel that’s unhappy. I’ve been Mike White’s greatest supporter through the years. I voted for him [in the David vs Goliath finale.] I believed his recreation was transformative. He completely earned, regardless of his celeb, his spot on Survivor 50. I’ve at all times stated he’s a wonderful participant. I stated he was a transformative participant. He earned that spot. I don’t know precisely the place that comes from. I feel there could be individuals who suppose that, however I’m not one in every of them.

What’s your relationship with Mike White now?

I feel it’s a little bit of a hiatus as a result of once I received again from the island, I knew he’d be understandably damage. The factor is, I do know he has many, for my part, nice issues occurring in his life, and I’m thrilled for him. But I additionally know he loves Survivor. Of all of the issues he might be doing in his life, he goes again and performs Survivor once more, the place he doesn’t eat and he received ripped to be on the season. Purely strategically, the transfer was to do away with Mike. And I feel time has borne that out. There was no a part of this that’s like, “I don’t think Mike would’ve been able to save me from being targeted at the merge.”

But my level is that I knew it damage him as a result of he wished to be there so badly. So I reached out to him as quickly as I received again and I despatched a message, an absurdly lengthy voice message principally saying, “I felt I owed you an explanation for what happened. This was not some grand plan. I wanted to work with him. I did. It was just a bad situation and why I targeted him instead of Angelina. The thing I liked about it the least is that it would hurt you. And I knew that it might, and I knew it probably would. So I hope someday you’ll understand that my phone’s open to you whenever.”

Your final problem was a significant first. You are one in every of solely 11 individuals to ever take part in a problem with Jeff. What was going by way of your thoughts while you noticed he was going to take part? You even outlasted him.

Of course, pleasure in the long run. But what I spotted, a lot as I loved on Survivor: David vs Goliath doing a protracted endurance problem the place I’m yammering at Jeff Probst and he’s my hostage, I additionally realized it’s a possibility for interrogation and extortion. So you possibly can hear me yammering. I used to be beginning to speak about, “Jeff, when we’re done with the season, we tend to do these little exit press interviews and some of these postseason interviews, you limit it to an hour. I would like it not to be limited to an hour if I beat you. Can you please do that?” I’m negotiating that stuff and utilizing it for leverage as a result of he’s in ache and he’s not of his full psychological colleges. That’s what I’m pondering. Leverage.

After season 50, do you’re feeling you’ve put a bookend in your Survivor expertise, that you just completed every thing you wished or would you play once more if requested?

If I used to be requested, I’d at all times take the decision. I do know realistically there are such a lot of individuals who haven’t gotten a second probability on the present who’re because of be referred to as again, and I positive hope that they’re. But if sometime down the road they’re saying, “We need more metaphors at Tribal Council again. The people stopped giving them.” I’ll ship them my fee. It’s very cheap.

We began our dialog with me asking in case you had a message for Jimmy Fallon. I’d prefer to wrap issues up with a message you might need for your son Michael. Imagine years from now, he’s watched you play twice and he’s studying previous exit interviews. What would you like him to find out about you and season 50? 

I would like him to know that in life it’s best to at all times be form and good to individuals, and in addition that it’s best to be capable of get up for your self and attempt to struggle for what you’re feeling like you possibly can earn. That you’re feeling it’s okay to attempt to win as onerous as you possibly can, as long as you’re respecting others. My first season — I talked about this once I met you, Terry, out in Fiji — once I received voted out in David vs Goliath, I used to be like, “Yeah, I did really well. But I guess it was my time.” But you already know what? There’s at all times a possibility to do higher. There’s at all times a possibility to comprehend, “You know what? I am worth it. I can earn this for myself. That’s okay. You don’t have to limit yourself.” And that’s an effective way to reside life.

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Survivor airs new episodes on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on CBS and Paramount+.