An early target. Drea Wheeler felt the need to fight for her life in the game since “episode two” of Survivor 42.
“I would just always do whatever I could to maneuver the vote off of myself,” the fitness consultant, 35, exclusively tells Us Weekly after being voted out. “I knew that my name was out there two tribals beforehand, and that if there’s any time that they’re gonna get me out, it’s probably gonna be now.”
She felt the heat was always on her. “I was social. I got along with everyone pretty much,” Drea says. “I was blunt. I played a hard game. I later found out that everyone knew about Maryanne [Oketch]‘s idol in her tribe. So then I knew that they all knew I had an idol, and that I probably had other advantages as well. So it was just all going up on top of me. And then, I had such a strong tribal. No one in the jury hated me, so that was another thing.”
Drea also held some power. In fact, she told ally Omar Zaheer that she had a Knowledge is Power advantage, allowing her to possibly steal someone else’s idol or advantage. But when she asked Mike Turner for his idol at tribal council, he had already given it to Omar, a move she didn’t anticipate and ultimately sent her packing.
“I was closer to Omar than you guys see on the show,” Drea says about why she told him about her advantage. “Myself, Hai [Giang] and Omar were pretty tight. We connected with each other on pretty emotional, like, personal conversations. So, once Hai was gone, I felt like it was in Omar’s best interest to keep me around because I could work with him, and I was a good player.”
She felt betrayed by Omar, telling Us, “But good for him, it’s a game.”
After the season’s airing, there was talk of tension between the two, which she hinted at in her interview with Us: “We had had some pretty personal conversations where I felt like, ‘OK, we have each other’s back.’ So in a game where you can’t trust anyone, I genuinely did trust Omar, but I later found out at Ponderosa that was my fault.”
Scroll down to read our full interview with Drea Wheeler from Survivor 42.
Survivor airs on CBS Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
Us: Hi Drea, how are you feeling this morning?
Drea Wheeler: I feel good. I feel free. It felt exciting [watching the show]. It felt emotional, and it felt like a relief. It was all that bundled in one, even though I knew it was gonna happen.
Us: I know you had a sense you were in trouble. Talk to me about that day before tribal. What vibes were you picking up on?
DW: I knew that I was on the chopping block in episode two (laughs). So I would just always do whatever I could to maneuver the vote off of myself. I knew that my name was out there two tribals beforehand, and that if there’s any time that they’re gonna get me out, it’s probably gonna be now. And Lindsay had given me a little tip that Mike said my name. So I was fully aware that he was coming out to me, which was why I was like, “OK, well fine. If you’re gonna come after me, I’m gonna come after you.” So I knew it was in their best interest to get me out. And I knew that they weren’t talking to me. So I knew that I would have to play the game as hard as I could to the end.
Us: Why do you think you were such a target?
DW: I was social. I got along with everyone pretty much. I was blunt. I played a hard game. I later found out that everyone knew about Maryanne’s idol in her tribe. So then I knew that they all knew I had an idol, and that I probably had other advantages as well. So it was just all going up on top of me. And then, I had such a strong tribal. No one in the jury hated me, so that was another thing.
Us: At the time your torch was snuffed, who did you credit most with getting you out?
DW: Lindsay. I credit Lindsay because she told Omar to tell Mike to give him his idol. So I credit Lindsay in doing it.
Us: Tell me about the decision to tell Omar about your Knowledge Is Power advantage.
DW: I was closer to Omar than you guys see on the show. Myself, Hai and Omar were pretty tight. We connected with each other on pretty emotional, like, personal conversations. So, once Hai was gone, I felt like it was in Omar’s best interest to keep me around because I could work with him, and I was a good player. We had some pretty personal conversations where I felt like, “OK, we have each other’s back.” So in a game where you can’t trust anyone, I genuinely did trust Omar, but I later found out at Ponderosa that was my fault.
Us: So when you went to Ponderosa, in that moment – I know things may be a little different now because you’ve seen the show – who did you feel the most betrayed by? Was it Omar?
DW: Yeah. For sure. But good for him, it’s a game.
Us: Do you think had Jonathan not won that immunity, that you might’ve been safe?
DW: I think they still would’ve wanted me to go home. I was a threat for sure. They were coming after me. After week two, I knew that I just had to play a savage game and play as far as I can. So that’s what I did.
Us: Talk me through the decision not to play in the immunity challenge with the whole Do or Die twist.
DW: I almost fainted walking up to that place. I can’t eat coconuts. I’m allergic to coconuts and seaweed. So, I was starving. My body was going into ketosis. I can’t explain. I was hurting. I would watch them complain about eating coconuts and would just get furious. Like, just eat, at least you can eat. You know what I mean? So for me, it was more like, if I go and play this challenge, I know that I’m a competitor and that I would be up there and I’d probably faint and I’d be medically evacuated. So it was more that I can’t physically do this challenge.
Us: What did you think of the Do or Die twist overall?
DW: I hate it. It took me out. It just really pissed me off because it took two players who could have actually really worked together and gone far together, Lindsay and myself – because we were actually genuinely talking about working with each other before we encountered this whole Do or Die. And then we were working against each other basically at that point, all because of this. So it sucks. I can’t even imagine how far we could have gotten with each other. We understood each other. We talked each other’s language, so it sucks really, really, really sucks.
Us: Were you bummed that she told Omar to take Mike’s idol or did you think that was a good play?
DW: No, that’s a good play. I would’ve said the same thing.
Us: Who did you want to go to the end with?
DW: I wanted to go to end with any of the strong players. And I perceived the strong players to be Lindsay, Omar and Jonathan. I feel like they were the only ones moving around and making moves, not just laying around camp. I just felt like, “Come on, this is Survivor. Let’s get out here, let’s play. Let’s not wait to be told who to vote for. Let’s make moves.” I wanted to get to that tribal at the end and I wanted to fight for my life. I wanted to be entertainment. I wanted it to be a real competition. I wanted to prove what I did and go against the best. That’s what I wanted. I didn’t wanna go there with goats.
Us: Well, your last tribal was definitely some entertainment. Tell me about that and your parting words!
DW: I wanted to spice it up. I’m like, “Come on, get mad. What are you gonna do?” (Laughs). Like, what are you going to do with this information that I just put in your hands? Obviously Lindsay, may have something, what does she have? Maryanne’s doing Maryanne. Are you just letting her escape and get away with things because she’s enthusiastic? Like, pay attention, you know? Romeo, your name is always out there. You need to start making moves because someone may actually put your name down and you may go home, make a move. Mike, you’re playing a strong social game and I’m telling these people that you could win. So maybe they’ll open up their eyes to that. Jonathan, I would’ve probably taken Jonathan to the end because I didn’t think anyone really liked him. So I was genuine about that. I hope people understood that. And then Omar, I just wanted people to know that he is the only person I trusted with this secret.
Us: Are you interested in playing Survivor again?
DW: Uh, yeah! I would do it again in a heartbeat. I mean, when I first came off, I wasn’t quite sure about it, but now I’m just like, “Yes!” I got so much out of this game. And it’s not just a game. I am a different person. My friends tell me, “Drea, you just live life to the fullest.” I’m grateful for the journey that this took me on mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually. And I can only imagine what another season can bring to my life. I thoroughly enjoyed it to the fullest.
Us: To wrap up, do you think there was anything you could have done at tribal council to stay or was your fate sealed when you walked in?
DW: I really think my fate was sealed once Lindsay was safe. No one wanted to be in the final three with me.
