Major blunder leads to shock exit
Survivor evictee Erik Reichenbach says he is still recovering after making "the biggest dumb move" in the history of the reality TV show.
The ice cream scooper from Hell, Michigan was voted out of Survivor: Fans vs Favourites in humiliating circumstances after being tricked by the tribe's remaining members into giving his immunity necklace to Natalie Bolton.
Just four competitors are left in the show: Bolton, Amanda Kimmel, Cirie Fields and Parvati Shallow.
Speaking exclusively to Stuff.co.nz, Reichenbach, 23, said he realised he had made a mistake when everyone at tribal council - including members of the jury - laughed after he gave up his immunity.
"I knew it was a crazy risk but if it had paid off it would have been an amazing play," Reichenbach said.
"It would have guaranteed everything all the way to the end, but it was too crazy to work and I knew that about three minutes too late. It was pretty hard to watch. I have to laugh or else I'd cry about it."
Reichenbach, who has returned to his job as an ice cream scooper since the show ended, said the "vicious, strong, confident" women in his tribe had him "all spun around".
"At the time leading up to it my mindset was in a bad place. The girls knew that I was between them and $1 million and they needed to mess with me, and they totally did. They totally tricked me."
Being a huge Survivor fan should have prepared him for the blindside, he said.
"I've studied the game and studied the way it's played. I knew taking off an immunity idol like that was suicide. There's no question that was the biggest dumb move in the history of the game, and people are telling me that from other reality shows too.
"People say that was the biggest dumb move in the history of reality TV."
Reichenbach, whose first overseas trip was as a Survivor competitor, said he had learnt a lot from his stint on the show.
"I'm never going to trust women again. If they have a goal in mind they're vicious, they go for it.
"But I definitely learnt it's a big world out there, you need to go out and see it. You can't stay in one place. You need to go out and do things and see things.
"You need to make mistakes sometimes and get hurt, and just see the world."
*The final of Survivor: Fans vs Favourites screens on TV3, Thursday at 8.30pm. Stuff.co.nz will have an exclusive interview with the winner the following day.
*Who do you think will win? Post your comments below.
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