YouTube Swati Goel and Romeo Escobar in episode 4 of "Survivor 41."
Episode 4 of “Survivor 42” saw 19-year-old Swati Goel of Ika sent packing after her duplicity caught up with her. After her tribemates Romeo Escobar, Drea Wheeler, and Tori Meehan all realized that she told each of them that they were her “number one,” they all decided that she was untrustworthy, leading to a united vote against her.
However, as fans of the show know, the edit can often give the wrong impression of what really went down. Although Swati laughed off the humorous cut, she also revealed that there was more to the flashback scenes than the audience saw. In addition, it turns out that her real number one might’ve been the only person who we didn’t even see her say it to. Here’s what you need to know:
Swati Explains What Happened in ‘Number 1’ Scenes With Romeo & Drea
YouTubeSwati Goel tells Romeo Escobar that he is her “number one” in a flashback scene in episode 4 of “Survivor 42.”
In her exit interview with Rob Cesternino, Swati revealed that there were more to these particular flashback scenes than were shown. She explained that the reason she said so with Romeo and Drea in particular, for instance, is because they actually said it to her first. “In my defense,” she said, “Drea told me she was my number one…literally, I think, seconds before that clip.”
She said the same was true of Romeo. “So,” she explained, “it just seemed like the right thing to do, to say it back.” She added that she didn’t think either of them meant it either, so her response was little more than just mirroring theirs.
In an interview with Parade, Swati also revealed that her “real number one” was “definitely” either Tori, or Rocksroy Bailey, whose bond with Swati wasn’t showcased so much during the show. “I really wanted to work with Tori, [and] I really wanted to work with Rocks,” she said. “Rocks and I were actually very, very close.” It is also worth noting that Rocksroy was the only one on the tribe who didn’t vote for her last episode (he voted for Tori, with whom he did not get along).
Drea & Romeo Were Giving Her ‘Good Vibes’ Before Tribal Council
Swati also shed light on what the hours before Tribal Council were like from her perspective, revealing that Drea and Romeo in particular had led her to believe she was safe. “I was getting really good vibes…from Drea and Romeo before Tribal,” she said, per Parade. However, she said, her fears were heightened about half an hour before Tribal, when Drea went to Romeo and told him, “We need to talk.” Swati went on:
I think [Drea] might have even said, like, ‘We need to change the plan,’ or something along those lines. And I was like, ‘Damn, it’s going toward me right now.’
I don’t know exactly what it was that made Drea change her strategy right before Tribal. But then I was like, ‘OK, I guess the only solution here is to fight because they clearly are planning to vote for me.’
Nonetheless, despite the fractured relationships Swati may have had with the other three while on the island, she holds no ill will toward them. “I think people in my tribe are all great people,” she said. “I didn’t love all of them necessarily while I was on the island. But rewatching it, I don’t have any feelings of bitterness, really. I wish them all the best for the rest of this season.”
“Survivor 42” airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. Eastern on CBS.