‘Survivor 44’: Claire on Jeff Probst Calling Her out and if Her Exit Will Spark a Trend
The game is getting more complicated with time, with real idols and fake ones. Showbiz Cheat Sheet talked to Claire Rafson over Zoom on March 16, 2023, about her significant impact on Survivor 44 in so little time.
[Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers from Survivor 44 Episode 3, “Sneaky Little Snake.”]
Who got voted off ‘Survivor 44’ Episode 3?
Claire played a unique game of sitting out in challenges to give the Soka Tribe a better shot at winning. She didn’t just cheer her tribe on from the sidelines. But she gathered information and caused chaos in the Ratu Tribe. Soka’s winning streak was broken in episode 3 and she was voted off.
Claire Rafson on her sit-out ‘Survivor 44’ strategy
Q: My first question is, it felt like before tribal Jeff [Probst] made it clear that he was kind of judging your tribe’s choice of you sitting out for multiple challenges. Did you ever talk about his comments after the challenges with your tribe members?
Claire: When we come back, we would like debrief a bit. And I remember once or twice […] somebody to be like, ‘Oh, it’s kind of rude. That Jeff just, like, called you out.’
To me, honestly, maybe that was just like, I love a good, like, banter back and forth. I like to spar a bit. So for me, I feel like that was kind of indicative of me and Jeff’s relationship and I didn’t read into–I read into it in so far as, yes, this is a blatantly obvious thing that Claire keeps sitting out and people are noticing. But, like Jeff saying it…Jeff calls me out for me being dumb all the time, and I call Jeff out.
So I thought it was kind of fun. Just as a super fan, being able to, like, spar with him in any way. But yeah, we definitely talk about it. And most people were like, ‘Oh, it’s OK. Like, don’t think about it.’ And so I was like, OK.
Q: Did you decide you were going to sit out before you even hit sand. Or did it just play out that way once the season started?
Claire: It kind of played out that way. I definitely I think one of the big factors was when Bruce [Perreault] left, honestly, like when Bruce left, which is so heartbreaking and devastating. We knew in advance because of the journey they talked about it, and we knew Matt [Blankinship] had told us.
And so I had a feeling I was like, OK, two people are going to be sitting out from each of the tribes. And so there was something in the back of my head that was like if somebody I want to get to know more or be near sits out, this might be good. Then that plus the challenge is being like absolutely brutal looking. When Matthew [Grinstead-Mayle] put his hand up, I was like, ‘I will sit out with you.’
Claire reveals the Ratu Tribe information she gathered from Matthew Grinstead-Mayle
Q: Let’s talk about that. Matthew sat out. We saw you tell him about Matt losing his vote and having the proof. What other kinds of conversations were you having on the sidelines?
Claire: We had so many conversations. So just for reference, Matthew is loving watching the challenge. And he, I think, is more of a rule follower than I am. So I’m slowly just being like, ‘Hey, crazy challenge to sit it out.’ Like trying to make like a little bit of ‘Eating well over there?’
And finally, you know, I started to get some information. So we started with confirming that we had the same story of the journey. But I noticed really quickly that he mentioned the exact same story, except […] he never mentioned the shell and the little like devil in me was like, ‘I should give him some information anyways. And so maybe he knows this didn’t mention it. Or maybe he doesn’t and let’s go from there.’
So I remember just kind of being like, ‘A little shell. I don’t know. He just showed us the shell. Maybe she lost it. Whatever.’ I said, it’s so throwaway. And then I remember a few minutes later, he looks at me, and he goes, ‘So it was like a shell?’ And I knew I was like, ‘Oh, it’s landed like this it in his brain. I caused some havoc.’
And from that information, I gave him it like opened him up like a book. So at that point, he started telling me about the bird cage, about Brandon [Cottom] having found the idol. The whole group knowing about it, the fact that there was a fake idol. He just started sharing and sharing and sharing. And I got a ton of information on that bench. Got some tribe dynamics from him.
He was very once I gave him something of worth, he reciprocated. And so that was a very fruitful conversation and, like, devastated that I’m out because I really was just dying. I was like, I want to work with this guy. I want to get together. We are both sneaky little people. Let’s work. And unfortunately, like, didn’t make it past my first vote out, but it was very fun, very thrilling. I’m playing Survivor even though it looks different than a normal game.
Like, yeah, I’m not out there pushing the blocks, doing the challenge. I’m making moves, I’m playing, and I’m playing different and I’m playing the way that I want to play as myself. I kind of knew it was like a big game-changing thing, but I didn’t know to the extent that it would like…I didn’t even know if they had cameras on me. And so it was fun to just see it play out.
Are castaways sitting out of challenges allowed to talk to each other?
Q: So, is there technically a rule that you’re not supposed to talk on the sidelines?
Claire: So the only one where I know I shouldn’t talk too much about production, but my understanding is like, I can’t help. The only rule I was communicated: that you can’t help your tribe. So I couldn’t tell them how to move the puzzle.
I can cheer them on, though. And I actually even asked before I started, like, ‘Is it OK if I chat with him?’ And they said, OK.
I’m kind of a big ask for forgiveness, not permission. So at that point, I was like, I’m going to do it until somebody comes up to me and says, stop talking. And that was my plan.
Q: So some people were, like, loving your role. They were comparing you to sit-out Queen Sandra [Diaz-Twine] and all of this. But yet, at the end of it, it became a bigger topic when it was time to go to tribal. Are you kind of worried because there have been a lot of successful castaways who sat out for multiple challenges. Are you worried that maybe a new trend will happen, that future castaways will be a little bit more worried to sit out repeatedly?
Claire: I mean, I think the trend is clear already. I think the trend right now is you should be a little afraid if you’re a small woman or a small person going into three tribes, right? Like, that’s just how it is, you know?
I remember seeing Maddy [Pomilla] go home and be like, ‘Oh, that’s weird.’ She’s kind of like my high my age-ish. I don’t know how she went home. Then I remember Tika walking in and seeing Helen [Li] was gone and being like. So if Maddie’s gone and Helen’s gone…well. And being like, ‘Oh, no.’
So I think people are always afraid of appearing weak for sort of reasons. But I think especially now, we’re seeing like, it makes sense, right? It’s if you don’t think you’re going to swap, you’re just trying to get to merge with a group of six people. It makes sense why you want people like big people like Danny [Massa] is a beast at challenges.
Of course, he’s going to be somebody whose name never comes up at all. Because he’s somebody who we needed to get to the merge and we were looking at the merge. And so I think that’s more of a trend. And that people are a little bit more aware of now and a little more afraid of whether or not you’re on the bench or not. You’re still going to be perceived the same like they were going to see me as weaker than themselves, whether I was there or not.
This interview has been condensed for this article.
Other Survivor 44 Exit Interviews:
‘Survivor 44’: Maddy Pomilla Knew Her Exit Would Be a ‘Crazy History-Making Thing’
‘Survivor 44’: Helen Wants ‘More Original Puzzles’ and Talks Accessibility for Pregaming
