CBS Hai Giang and Daniel Strunk negotiate at the chaotic Vati Tribal Council in "Survivor 42" episode 3.
Daniel Strunk, the most recent boot of “Survivor 42,” was known for declaring a number of times that his game was subpar and would most likely not result in a win. This likely became most apparent in episode 3, when fans took him to task for declaring outright that he was unwilling to draw rocks in a deadlocked tie at Tribal Council.
On Wednesday, Daniel’s game came to an end when his tribe voted him out for being the least trustworthy member of the group. Since then, he has taken the opportunity to explain the reality behind his disastrous episode 3 performance, as well as other important moments viewers may have missed.
Here’s what you need to know:
Daniel Explains ‘I Really Do Not Want to Draw Rocks’ Line
In post-game interviews, Daniel explained his rationale for declaring at the infamous Vati Tribal Council which saw Jenny Kim go home that he “really [does] not want to draw rocks” right at the onset of negotiations; a declaration which gave his opponent Hai Giang leverage in deciding to stand firm and declare he was willing to go to rocks.
In an ET Canada interview Thursday with “Survivor 41” winner Erika Casupanan, Daniel said that the reason he made this declaration wasn’t because he wanted to put all his cards on the table, but rather because he wanted to declare his loyalty to his tribemates Mike Turner and Chanelle Howard, who also would have had to draw rocks. He noted that this statement came immediately after he asked host Jeff Probst which members of the tribe would have to draw rocks (Probst said all minus Jenny and Lydia Meredith, the two who received votes that night). Daniel explained:
So I open the negotiation – what I thought was a discussion – with a terrible opener, but my opener was designed to communicate to Mike and Chanelle, ‘I have your back, don’t worry, I will not make you draw rocks, you can have faith in me.’ I was thinking, the three of us will together manipulate the discussion to get Hai to flip and have Lydia go home.
However, instead of Mike and Chanelle backing up Daniel to get Hai to flip, they both decided to put the decision entirely in Daniel’s hands. “Worst case scenario is what happened,” Daniel said. “Mike said … this is all you and Hai, this is your problem; Chanelle says … ‘This is not my problem, you and hai have to figure this out’.” At that moment, he said, he felt “totally and utterly alone.”
“I was wrong on every level,” he said of the infamous night.
Daniel Says Chanelle Isn’t Getting Enough Credit
When it came to the rest of his tribe, Daniel had some strong opinions. On Hai, Daniel explained that it was because of Hai that he felt safe going into Wednesday night’s Tribal, given how they had a touching conversation in private about their personal lives a few days before Daniel’s elimination. “I thought after that, ‘I am totally safe, I don’t need to worry,’ … I felt so safe.” This, however, also makes him an excellent player, in Daniel’s judgement. “Hai is an excellent player,” he said. “He didn’t have a great social game for the first seven days … but [he is] excellent at deception.”
When it came to Chanelle, his once-ally in the game, Daniel said that she was a much better player than fans give her credit for, and that viewers should continue to be on the lookout for her. “Chanelle is totally not getting enough credit,” Daniel told Erika. “She made one bad decision, and in reality, in 40 out of 42 seasons of ‘Survivor,’ that’s not a decision she would’ve been confronted with … in 40 out of 42 seasons of ‘Survivor,’ Chanelle sails through the first vote and Lydia goes home.”
Looks like we have some tribe tension.👀 #Survivor
Daniel put it succinctly: “I said in one of my first confessionals that there isn’t a dud on the Vati tribe, and I still believe that. I think everyone on [Vati] is an excellent ‘Survivor’ player.”
Fans indeed have been ridiculing Chanelle’s decision to “Risk” her vote in episode 3, which of course lost her her vote and precipitated the chaotic tribal council that we saw.
Vati, like Ika and Taku, all have 4 members remaining going into the “fake merge” next episode. Will they remain strong and indeed make it to the final 4? Or will the fractures which are already evident come crashing down on the former tribe, despite their skill at the game? Tune in Wednesdays at 8 p.m. Eastern on CBS to find out.