“Survivor 47” star Sue Smey says it 'sucked' being shut out by the jury

Sue Smey wanted to prove that she could hang with the kids on Survivor 47, and the 59-year-old (who pretended to be 45) definitely did that, making it all the way to the end of the game and sitting in front of the jury on day 26. Unfortunately, that jury did not reward her with any votes, instead giving Rachel LaMont a 7-1-0 victory over Sam Phalen and Sue.

How does Sue feel about being shut out by the jury, especially by allies Caroline Vidmar and Gabe Ortis? Why didn’t her real age reveal make a bigger impact? And what was it like having to go from the loss straight into the after-show? We asked Sue all that and more, including her current thoughts on rival Kyle Ostwald.

Related: Survivor 47 finale recap: A victory a year in the making

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Okay, most important thing first. How many Christmas trees do you have up in your house right now?

SUE SMEY: I think right now I have five.

Okay, not excessive at all. Sooooo… can you explain all that dirt we kept seeing on your face? What gives, Sue?

Well, to be honest, here's the thing: I've always been like a tomboy. I grew up in the woods. I grew up spending my summers living on an island with my family, and we had nothing to do but to play on the island all day. I'm not afraid of getting down and dirty, and that's exactly what I did out there. I was constantly looking for idols, and even though I had one, I still wanted more. I wanted more advantages.

And it's boring, so you got to find something to do. Unbeknownst to me, like wiping your face or whatever, I never really realized how dirty I was. And I was even more surprised that no one told me! So once or twice Rachel would be like, “Sue, you got a little dirt right there.” So I'd be rubbing it and she'd be like, “No, a little bit more." And we would try it and then I could tell it wasn't coming off and I finally would be like, “Just forget it, it's no big deal.” Just because I didn't realize how bad it was!

So even when you splash your face in the morning, you put a little sunscreen on — there's a difference between dirt and soot, and maybe there was dirt here and there. I did sleep in the dirt, and sometimes I'd wake up and your head's sort of on a shirt, but then you're in the dirt and rinsing it off. We didn't have soap. Or I lost the soap along the way.

Related: Rachel LaMont reveals the lie she told at Survivor 47 final Tribal Council

How were you feeling about your chances of winning as you walked into that final Tribal Council?

I really thought my whole game plan from the beginning was to hide my age from the kids. Because if I told them I was really 58 — I knew I was turning 59 — if I made it to the end, they'd already have me in the grave. So I figured if they're not going to really pay attention, I’ll I say I'm in my 40s. Nobody really cared, they just knew I was older. But I didn't want them to know how much older I was. So I really thought between my performance of finding an idol, winning an immunity challenge, coming in second place twice behind Kyle…. I wanted Kyle out so bad because he killed my chances. If Kyle weren't there, I would've had three necklaces around my neck.

So in my brain, I'm like, I'm going to be given this opportunity to really let them see that I wanted TK out, TK left, I wanted Kyle out, Kyle left.  I did make moves. I did have plans. Andy was my biggest target. I wanted Andy out. It was more of a revenge thing, even though he drove me crazy with all of the lies, I couldn't take it anymore. And at least with Sam, I knew where Sam was. He wasn't lying to me. We knew we were on opposite ends of the spectrum. He was there, I was here. I was good with that. It was easier to know what I had with Sam than with Andy. You just never could trust that what he was saying was going to be true. And then with the whole Caroline thing, I wanted him gone for Caroline.

So these were my moves. Rachel really was threatened by Sam, and I'm like, “You could do whatever you want. I'm writing Andy's name down.” So I felt like I influenced a lot. I did stick true to my word. I stayed loyal to the people I was loyal to, and I helped them, and I wanted all of my alliances to go as far as I could. And I really hoped that they would see that as well. And I really felt like once they saw that I was sort of badass at 58, 59, they'd be impressed by that and be like, “Wow, maybe she does deserve that million.” So that was my whole thought process.

Related: Sam Phalen says it 'stung' not getting Sierra's Survivor 47 winner vote

How surprised and or disappointed were you to not get at least Caroline and Gabe's votes from the jury? These were your biggest allies.

I am assuming when they're at Ponderosa, they all wanted this season to be an epic season. And they were all focused on the extreme gameplay. Rachel, I mean, my God, she was a beast. If I wasn't winning it, she deserved to win it because she was a beast. So it was hard to see that not one person put my name down, but I have to respect their choices and where they felt everyone would place their votes. And I really felt like they sort of came into here in a way already having an idea of the conversations they were having at Ponderosa to come up with this idea of who they felt was the best player.

You had that big bombshell revelation about being 59 on your birthday instead of 45. How did that go over with the jury?

I feel like they all just started laughing. I didn't really see too many [reactions] because I was just trying to focus on what I wanted to get out there before I was shut down. They all were like, “Whoa.” I think Andy especially. I felt they were shocked, but I don't know. And I guess it wasn't enough to make them have the respect for someone that's going to be 60 next year that I made it this far.

I felt I did really good in the challenges. Maybe I wasn't a head runner at times, but I never held anything back either in the competitions. One, I won. And even with the bucket, I made the comment to Kyle. And he had been struggling already, and in my brain I'm like, “Do I stay and just beat the guys even though I'm done? Or is that going to put a target on me?” Because I still believed in my game and I believed I could maybe win another one or two challenges. So I was hoping that they'd be impressed by the fact that as old as I was, I did pretty damn good.

Related: Jeff Probst calls Survivor 47 winner one of franchise's 'best overall players' (exclusive)

What was that emotional whiplash like to go from not getting any votes to the smiles and champagne of the After-Show?

Well, I knew the results, and the last couple days it tears me up because one, I'm sad it's over. And two, it was sad that I didn't get any votes. And I was trying to hold it together last night watching it with everybody there and with the love of my family and my friends, it choked me up a little knowing I didn't get any votes. It sucked. It's hard, but I was still proud of myself for doing what I did and sticking through and being strong and pushing through.

I literally was pushed to my limit many times, physically, mentally, emotionally. And I always say when you can just stay there and it gets better, you come out like, “I freaking did this!” and you're so proud of yourself. And that's another thing, I want to be an inspiration for people my age that age is just the number. And I kept saying that all along is that anybody can do anything. You just got to have the desire to try because what's left is the grave. So get out and do live your life and just do everything you possibly can do.

You had quite the journey with Kyle. He then twisted the knife by giving that one vote to Sam, so you didn’t even get the second place money. What's the deal now with you and Kyle? Because, obviously, you two had a rollercoaster ride.

Well, I love Kyle and I want it to be clear, I love Kyle. He's a wonderful, wonderful guy. And to basically put it out there, I felt like he has a great story. He had a rough childhood. That was a story that you don't want to sit next to at final [Tribal]. He's a competition beast. That's another thing you don't want to sit next to. And he's a good guy. And he had such a great relationship with everyone that he's someone you want out.

And he was the one that held me back. Honestly, he held me back because he did beat me, and I beat all of their asses except for him twice. So he was my competition in my mind and I wanted him out. Do I love Kyle? Yes. Was I trying to influence the other people to maybe look at him differently and see we got to get him out? I really rallied hard to make sure I knew I wanted him out, but I wanted to make sure that the next opportunity we had, that we would get him out. But he's a good guy. I love Kyle to death.

Related: Rachel wants to own Survivor challenge record in finale deleted scene (exclusive)

What was it like for you having to watch that montage of all the things you were saying about him?

I don't even remember it! [Laughs] I was blown away. And the hate I got was pretty severe. And I wish people could understand that when we're in the middle of this, you're speaking to other people the way we're having a conversation now where when people go out to dinner, you're having your conversations. You're saying something, and yeah, I was frustrated with Kyle. He wanted me out and I hold a grudge, whatever. I wanted him out because he was my competition and I wanted him out because he did write my name down.

And, to be honest, the day that we were going to Tribal, [he] and I went for a really long walk and we had a really, really good conversation. And his words to me were, “You're a mama and my girlfriend is a mama, and I'm not going to write down a mama's name. I have other options.” So I literally never expected him to write my name down. I thought he might write Caroline's name down because I knew with TK, we had the vote swung already. But I was shocked that he had told me he wouldn't write my name down that day. And then he did. So there was a little bit of stuff going on, but still, he's a great guy. It's a game.

I understand you were very sick at the start of game. What was going on there?

Yeah, I was severely sick. I think after a couple days of not eating, and I don't know what happened, but I had stomach cramps and was vomiting before one of the challenges. I remember one of the other tribes, they saw me in the field throwing up and then we had to go compete. I was severely sick and almost like in a zombie state for easily two days. It was really, really tough.

My biggest fear was being taken out because of being sick or something. And my whole training was based on not getting injured. All these other people are training to build their muscles up and be a beast. I was training to not get injured. I was taking weighted vests and running four miles to strengthen my joints. I had a different mindset of: Don't get injured. And that was my biggest fear, was being taken out of the game because of an injury or an illness. And it weighs on your head. It's really, really tough.

Related: Survivor 48 teaser shows muscles, mayhem, and possible medical evacuation

That would be my nightmare, getting out there and being sick on day one.

God, it's crazy. And it happened to a few of us that we were very sick. And then some other people throughout the time got very sick and there is nothing you can do but pray you're just going to feel a little bit better to make it through the next day..

What’s something that happened out there this season that did not make it to TV that you wish we got a chance to see?

I think the most important thing, and the most touching thing to me is when it was, I think day two, I can't remember. And it was my daughter's birthday and these guys were just getting to meet each other, but they knew it was Chelsea's birthday. I was very sick. I remember just laying on the bamboo, just not knowing what's going to happen to me. And they surprised me. They built a huge, huge fire and sang “Happy Birthday” to Chelsea.

It was probably one of the most touching things that a group of strangers could do for someone in this situation. And that right there bonded me with all of them. I wish that they showed that because it was a beautiful thing and it was a beautiful community coming together to support one person and a stranger they don't even know. So they're beautiful people, and that was something that if the world could see what Tuku did for Tuku, they would just fall more in love with the show.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly