Sierra Wright learned the hard way about being in a power couple on “Survivor.”
The 27-year-old nurse was voted out on Wednesday’s episode because of her tight bond with Sam Phalen.
Before the merge, the other tribes perceived Wright and Phalen as a romantic pair — which was certainly not the truth.
Wright exclusively told The Post how her boyfriend, Justin Ammerman, reacted to the narrative about her and Phalen when he watched the show.
Wright also talked about being betrayed by Andy Rueda, Rachel LaMont’s decision to play her Shot in the Dark, and more.
Read Wright’s full interview below.
New York Post: Before tribal, did you suspect that Lavo and Tuku were going to team up against Gata?
Sierra Wright: I definitely was noticing the smaller conversations breaking up. It started right after the challenge. I see Andy in the water and he’s talking with Genevieve. And then I walk over to touch base with Andy, see where his head was at prior to the vote. And Genevieve immediately walks away. And I got that weird vibe where you’re just like, ‘Something’s going on. They’re plotting.’ So I kind of confirm that with Andy. I’m like, ‘I feel weird, are we still good?’ And he didn’t sell it well So then I go back to Rachel, and I’m like, ‘Something’s not right.’
So I didn’t really know that Lavo and Tuku were talking. Come to find out, they were more so even throwing Rachel’s name out there and not mine. Ultimately I guess they decided we got to target Sam and Sierra, one of them has to go. Why that was me and not Sam? That is a phenomenal question. I’ve gotten multiple responses, whether it was the meat shield answer, they wanted to keep Sam around for those purposes. I was the glue to Sam and Rachel, I was told. And then I know Andy ultimately decided he could work long term with Sam more than he could work with me.
How did it feel that Andy betrayed you?
It hurt. It was hurtful. But you have to respect it. I respect his game. Looking back on it, of course you’re like, ‘Damn it.’ I was pissed and you could see it. And then I got emotional in my final words. But, yeah, it’s pretty hurtful where you felt like you spent so much time building this relationship. It hurts when you’re on the other side of it.
And what about when Rachel played her Shot in the Dark? What was going through your mind when that happened?
Before tribal, Rachel and I were mouthing to one another like, ‘I do not feel right.’ We’re like, ‘We feel weird,’ and we’re just telling each other this from across the shelter. I knew she wasn’t feeling secure. We both weren’t, so that made sense to me why she was playing her Shot in the Dark because she was so unsure. But I didn’t know she had an idol. So I have some questions where I’m like, ‘Why the Shot in the Dark and not the idol if you’re that unsure of the vote?’
You and Sam were pegged as a showmance, which obviously wasn’t the case. What was your boyfriend’s reaction to that playing out on the show?
That’s hard. It was really challenging for him to watch each week. Of course, I don’t think the edit made it so, like, kind of take that route. But for Justin to just sit back and have to watch it and hearing the other tribes say it. I mean, Kyle and Rome at the journey, that was like day three and they’re saying, ‘Sam and Sierra are a couple. Are they dating?’ I’m like, what are we in second grade? It was just such a joke to us.
But then, of course, when you’re watching it on national television and he’s having coworkers be like, ‘Dude, what is this?’ It’s just not something that’s settling to watch. So I get it. But ultimately, Sam was like a brother and a childhood friend to me out there. So, it just is what it is.
Do you have any regrets about turning on Anika during the pre-merge and aligning with the boys?
I really don’t look back with much regret. I know that tosses people through a loop. But the thing was I did not feel safe and as comfortable with Anika and Rachel. It didn’t even come close to how I felt with Sam. I knew I was completely on the bottom with Anika and Rachel — by far. They don’t even show it as much as it came through on the actual island. Rachel and Anika were always the two, and that started on day one. I never felt like I could catch up to them. So why jeopardize ruffling Sam’s feathers? I pitched many cases to Sam to vote Andy versus Anika, but it wasn’t working.
I’m not gonna continue to push, push, push and stir the pot just to be on the bottom of a trio. And then you hear it in Anika’s last word. She’s like, ‘I’m more upset that they played me before I could play them.’ I don’t know how loyal she would have been. I felt that that if I didn’t get Anika before she got me, I thought that time was gonna come in the merge.
“Survivor” airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
