Survivor: Island of the Idols has arrived! Every week, Parade.com’s Mike Bloom will bring you interviews with the castaway most recently voted off of the island.

Despite a turbulent 39 days that would follow, Tommy Sheehan had one solid goal in mind when we talked in the jungles of Fiji: Be loved. People think so much about, ‘Who are my enemies?'” he said, “instead of, ‘Who can I make love me?’ People are dying to trust someone just a little bit. They have nobody. You can be that little bit of comfort and make people open up to you.” It was a strategy that Tommy played from the get-go. Though the fourth-grade teacher never won individual immunity or touched an idol, his relationships and social game ultimately prevailed, giving him eight jury votes and a million-dollar paycheck.

Tommy made good on his classroom skills as soon as he hit the beach, forming one-on-one connections with several castaways. As a result, though he suffered from the occasional night terrors in his sleep, his position in the game was nothing but sweet dreams. The swap, though, brought a new group and series of complications to Tommy’s game. When fellow Vokai Jason Linden was eliminated, it put Tommy and his closest ally Lauren Beck in the spotlight. Though a series of challenge wins were enough to keep them in the game, “Big Red” had not disappeared from the radar of Missy Byrd, who was looking to get closer to Lauren.

At the merge, Tommy faded into an alliance that merged old and new Vokai as they aimed at other targets. It wasn’t long, though, before his name was coming up once more. A split Tribal Council gave Missy the opportunity to strike once more, but Karishma Patel and Elaine Stott elected to keep Tommy and blindside Missy. Later, when a spurned loved ones’ visit prompted Noura Salman to turn on the Vokais, it was Tommy’s relationship with Dean Kowalksi that ultimately prevailed, as the detective gave him a clue that he was on the chopping block. As the endgame loomed, the target on Tommy’s back disappeared, and other threats like Lauren and Janet Carbin fell by the wayside. Tommy had reached the finals after Noura took him there, which he turned into a microcosm of being the center of information and a cog in many core relationships. The jury agreed with his assessment, as his investment in their bonds paid dividends in their votes.

Parade spoke with Tommy minutes after his win about what he thought his chances were at the final Tribal Council, the most important relationships he made in the game, and how he believes his win will go down in the show’s history.

You just completed a very tough final Tribal Council from both a conversational and weather perspective. Leaving Fiji, what do you think your chances were of winning?

Going into final Tribal Council, I thought I thought I was going to win 10-0. But then Dean comes in and completely blows me away! I had no idea he would come in with all of that. They didn’t show it, but at final Tribal, we attacked each other. We sort of saw that when I called myself “TS Chillin.” But it was fun to battle with your best friend. It’s like playing someone one-on-one in basketball.

At one point, Jamal says that you were in the “goat” position based on getting brought to the finals by Noura. Were you surprised by that perception, and did that affect the way you approached the rest of final Tribal?

I think Jamal gave me a softball. He gave me a soft pitch to hit a home run. It was a great way to show my social game. Right before that, Noura said, “Dean’s the easiest one to beat, but I took Tommy.” So I can say, “Noura said Dean’s way easier to beat, and she took me! Look how good I am socially. Janet, Lauren, Jack, and Dean all said I was their number one. It’s more clear than ever I was able to convince people to do what I want.

Of the relationships you made, which would you say were the most important?

I have to say Janet. Janet was another mom to me. If she were sitting next to me at the Final Three, I wouldn’t be able to attack her. I had to get rid of her, and we worked through it. We just had Thanksgiving together with our families. My mom always tells her, “I’m the real mom; you’re the second mom.” And of course, Lauren. I went to a high school with no African-Americans. I didn’t have an African-American friend. Now I have a sister. We talk every single day. We’re best friends. I walked away from this game with a mom and a sister. I have a new family.

You’re the first person in twenty seasons to win without playing an idol or winning individual immunity. In final Tribal, you claimed it was part of your strategy to avoid those items and wins. How valid was that?

Going into the game, I knew I was 6’4″ and 220 pounds. I’m a physical threat. I said, “Come merge, I need to throw individual Immunity Challenges.” I knew I was a social threat; Elaine even said it. Now, if I start winning challenges, I become a double threat, and they’ll vote me out like they did with Aaron. The necklace might save you for one Tribal, but the next day you’re a bigger threat. I threw challenges until Final Eight–though I didn’t win any afterward either.

I did look for idols, so that was a lie. But I didn’t need it. I didn’t need Boston Rob and Sandra either! I just blew away their theme. I didn’t need them, or an idol, or an advantage, or an immunity necklace, and I still made huge moves. It shows I played a dynamic game. I don’t think they showed enough of how good I was at convincing people to do what I wanted.

From a historical perspective, how do you think people are going to look upon your win and what you were able to accomplish?

Jeff loves big twists. We just did the Island of the Idols. He loves advantages and idols. I gave him his big moves; I blurred tribal lines. But I just showed you don’t need all that. This show that we’ve all fallen in love with, we fell in love with season one and season two. That’s what I’m a superfan of. I was able to backtrack a little bit and go a little old school. Dean called me Larry Bird. Larry Bird hit bank shots. It’s not a pretty win. But I don’t think people understand that, in 20 seasons, someone hasn’t done what I just did, especially in this era.