“Survivor” is the ultimate social competition. It’s about building bonds, knowing who to trust and to what capacity. It’s about having the ability to lie, and to discern deception. It’s about recognizing when to sit still and when to strike — all while enduring the harshest of conditions. By day 27, as determined as she was, it seemed that Desiree Afuye was losing some of these essential qualities.

No one can say Desiree didn’t go down swinging, though. A fighter her whole life, the once-homeless student felt like she was on the bottom of the majority alliance. Desi mobilized a coup against Naviti, but whether it was bad timing, or who it was she chose to rally, her revolution was crushed.

Laurel exposed her plan to Domenick, and Desiree was forced to launch a wild, defensive flurry of lies. At Tribal Council all of Desi’s co-conspirators turned on her and revealed the truth, and what should have been the easy vote-out of Michael turned to Desiree. Probst delivered swift punishment and snuffed her torch.

RELATED: ‘Survivor: Ghost Island’ Castaway Libby Vincek On Being Voted Off: ‘I Really Trusted Our Alliance’

We caught up with the third member of the jury, who explained how and when it all went wrong.

What was a bigger factor in you getting voted out – the timing of when you made your move, or who you trusted?

I would definitely say it was who I trusted. The timing I don’t really think had anything to do with it because the timing, I feel like, was in my favour. There was no better time to do that. Kellyn had a lot of power. Dom has a lot of power. Wendell had a lot of power. And Wendell and Dom had idols. You don’t want them to get far in the game with idols. It’s dangerous.

How should you have executed that plan differently?

I would have regrouped. I would have went back and tried to still execute the plan even after Laurel had spilled the beans on it. I would try to get her to see that that was actually still the best plan for her. Like it was still the best option.

At what point did severe paranoia kick in for you?

I was never really paranoid at all. Like even in final tribal council I was never really paranoid. I had to deal with a lot of paranoia from everybody. Like the thinking I was lying and all that. I had to deal with a lot of damage control. But other than that I wasn’t really paranoid at all.

How hard was “Survivor” compared to being homeless?

“Survivor” was pretty hard, but not as hard. But it was definitely hard, you know, having to be without food and go through all these physical challenges and still make sane decisions, and sound decisions. It was pretty difficult to do.

Did you find yourself coping better than your tribemates?

I think I definitely was coping better than a lot of people. Like I said, I never got paranoid. I didn’t really find much to complain about. So, yeah, I think I definitely took coping with it well.

What was the most challenging thing you had to do out there?

The most challenging thing we had to do out there, I’d say was just the daily responsibilities of ‘Survivor’. It’s like going out, trying to get food. I guess food might have been one of the hardest things to do. Even though it’s not shown as much like if you don’t get anything if you catch anything, you just don’t eat that day. So that was very difficult. And on top of that, making sound decisions while not having food was very difficult as well.

Right before the game started, you told ET Canada that you couldn’t make fire, but you would learn how to. How well can you make fire now?

Girl… Honey, I could burn the house down. Like I can make a fire. Yes.

Now that you’ve played, fill in the blank: You shouldn’t come on “Survivor” if you can’t _______

You shouldn’t come on “Survivor” if you can’t take the heat.

How much has “Survivor” changed your life?

Tremendously. Not only taking certain lessons into my daily life but just in terms of where I thought I could be, where I saw myself while I was homeless and how I view myself now. It’s totally changed my outlook on life. Yeah it’s helped me tremendously.

Would you ever play again?

I definitely would play again. Without a doubt.

Watch “Survivor” Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Global and catch the full episodes here.