‘Survivor 39’ Karishma Patel Addressed Rumors About Her Marriage and ‘Shady Vote’ Against Noura Salman

In Survivor: Island of the Idols, Karishma Patel, the first Indian American castaway, became the first woman to successfully play a hidden immunity in eight seasons despite being largely underestimated. Much of Patel’s story revolved around her finding clarity in her marriage after admitting she felt pressured to wed. However, viewers misunderstood the personal injury lawyer and thought she had an arranged marriage.

‘Survivor’ Karishma Patel addressed rumors that she and her husband are in an arranged marriage

Unable to fit in with old Lairo, Karishma Patel opened up to her new Vokai tribemates during the Tribe Swap in an attempt to build a connection. She talked about the pressures she faced as an Indian woman to get married and the fact that she may have wed too early to prove herself.

Patel also mentioned her parents, who were in a conventional arranged marriage, which confused viewers as they believed Patel and her husband had the same arrangement. However, she set the record straight in an interview with Rob Has a Podcast.

Patel clarified that she did have a choice in who she married, but felt that she rushed it due to societal pressures. She also explained that she and her husband were “in a five-year itch” when she applied for Survivor.

However, her inability to create relationships on the island made her feel “lonely” and “worthless,” so she had to “dig deep” and think about who gave her “worth and strength,” which is her husband.

‘Survivor’ Karishma Patel broke down the Live Tribal Council

When Noura Salman, Elaine Stott, Dean Kowalski, and Patel were not chosen for the reward feast with their loved ones, they decided to make an alliance and go after Lauren Beck. However, the nanny won individual immunity, causing the target to change to Tommy Sheehan.

Even though the plan seemed simple, Salman could not grasp the concept. Therefore, Kowalski believed he couldn’t trust the entrepreneur and ruined their plan by telling Sheehan during Tribal Council that he would receive votes.

The revelation resulted in Salman telling everyone the plan, and that Stott had an idol, which caused the tribemates to disperse and figure out their next move. Sheehan, along with the majority, decided to send Patel to the jury.

In the RHAP interview, Patel said she never thought the initial plan wouldn’t work, and everything “came as a surprise” to her. Instead of scrambling and trying to talk to others to stay, the personal injury lawyer revealed she planned to remain quiet and keep the light shining on Salman.

‘Survivor’ Karishma Patel explained her ‘shady vote’ against Noura Salman

When Patel cast her vote against the entrepreneur, she wrote: “Noura will never know best.” She explained Salman has a motto, “Noura knows best,” which she constantly “plugged” on the island.

After putting in a lot of work before Tribal Council to calm Salman down, she “had to make a statement” after watching everything “implode.”

When it comes to playing with the entrepreneur, Patel noted it was “incredibly frustrating and difficult” because of Salman’s unpredictability. However, she referred to her time with Salman on the island as “highly entertaining.”

Watch Survivor: Island of the Idols Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EST on CBS.