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.

Janet Carbin has built a decades-long career on defying expectations. As the first female chief lifeguard in her state, she worked against several environmental biases, driven by her desire to save lives and build a “beach family.” As she transitioned to the beaches of Survivor, she had a similar mentality about bucking the norms. “I just don’t want to be stigmatized,” she told me preseason. “I want to be given a chance. If I get voted out, I want it to be for a good, not stupid, reason.” Though the jury’s out as to the quality of the reason, or the method she was removed, Janet ultimately was given that chance. And with that chance, she became not only one of the biggest endgame threats, but one of the most universally beloved Survivor contestants in the show’s history.

Starting the season, Janet was looking to buck the stigma against older women in Survivor. She proved herself to be an asset immediately from not only a camp perspective, making fire without flint, but also emotionally, serving as a sounding board for conversations both personal and strategic. As her game moved from Vokai to Lairo, she continued her dual roles as provider and player, finding herself in a strong spot of the majority. For that reason, when she took a trip to the titular Island of the Idols, she became the only contestant not to take the test offered, fearing it would jeopardize her spot in the game. Her decision earned her commendations from the Survivor legends that resided there and going into the merge, it was safe to say Janet’s approval rating was at an all-time high. Little did Janet know how much the merge would not only change her game, but the Survivor season as a whole.

When Kellee Kim spoke up about Dan Spilo’s inappropriate behavior throughout the game, Janet once again served as a sympathetic shoulder. Despite Dan being one of her tightest allies, she elected to vote against him, only to realize that she had been left out of the vote. Despite realizing that others had played up their feelings of discomfort to pull the wool over her eyes, Janet now found herself sinking to the bottom of the tribe. But true to her aquatic nature, she kept treading water, as idols and rebuilding relationships allowed her to tread water and stave off elimination.

Despite her survival, though, Janet still loomed as a large threat. So when she found her second idol, she finally saw a path open up for the end game. But as she and the rest of the Final Five transitioned to living on the Island of the Idols, she unfortunately had counted her chickens before they hatched. Only days before, Dean Kowalski had been in that exact location, winning an Idol Nullifier from a risky coin flip. And when word got out about it, everyone weaponized it to make sure Janet would not see fire-making at the Final Four. Stunned and heartbroken at the results, Janet was left to join the jury. But her actions reverberated both on and off the island, earning massive acclaim online and $100,000 from pop star Sia.

Minutes after the season’s reunion, Janet talks with Parade about how she became a surprising provider, how she recovered from her low point at the merge, and how she’s reacted to the reaction from both her family and the fans.

I can’t imagine how bittersweet this is for you right now. You came out to rapturous applause from the audience, but that was right after your guaranteed spot in the Final Four gets nullified.

I had so many goals to accomplish going into the game. I accomplished so many of them. When I found the idol, for the first time in my heart, I believed I could win this game. I’ve got to tell you, an Idol Nullifier with five people left is stupid. I didn’t get taken out by gameplay. I got taken out by a coin flip. I even told Jeff that. With that few people left, no matter who that fifth person is or what they have, if there’s a Nullifier, they’re done.

You ended up getting targeted because of how much of a threat you were for the endgame. Was there anything you tried to do to change that perception in the game?

It was who I was. I could have been less trusting in Tommy. I shouldn’t have shown him the idol. But that wouldn’t have mattered. If the Nullifier was available, it was going to be played on me just in case because nobody wanted me in fire-making. I never thought I would make it there until I found that idol.

Let’s go to the beginning of the game. You wanted to work against stereotypes around your age and gender and became a provider, making fire and spearfishing. How did it feel to be able to accomplish that?

My heart sang. I had made fire at home, but you do that so many times, and then it doesn’t happen when you’re out there. And I got it going! I thought, “Okay, I’m showing my worth.” And Tommy actually stepped up for me with that. He said, “Look at this!” We had our alliance at that point, and he wanted everyone to see there was value to me. The spearfishing was so cool. And I found breadfruit! And I was the one to bring it to camp and say, “This is breadfruit.” And I made a suggestion to make two pots of rice at once, just in case. I felt good about breaking stereotypes of women staying in the camp.

At the same time, you were also a person that people turned to both strategically and emotionally. How did that role come about?

I went in very quietly with that in the beginning. I work with 150 young lifeguards. Observing people is key. You can tell what people are thinking based on their stance. I observed a lot, and then I start dropping in connections, and it just happens. I wasn’t seen as a threat, more of an ally.

The merge was obviously the lowest point in your game. From an emotional and strategic perspective, what was your plan to pull yourself out of the bottom?

It was a very dark time for about three or four days. At one point, sitting under the stars, I was absolutely hysterical. I didn’t want my daughters or my husband or my beach family to be upset with me, that I let them down. I said, “Okay, if I’m here, I’ve got to play. How can I do that? What am I going to change?” So I got up the next day and started looking for idols. And I found it!

Then I made an alliance with Dan. He had been my ally all along. I knew he was at the top of an alliance, and he agreed. We had a heart-to-heart, but we agreed to keep making it look like I didn’t have friends. We decided to continue with that to eliminate the threat level. In the meantime, he and I would talk. That way, people on the bottom would then approach me because they also thought I was on the bottom. That was intentional.

You mentioned Tommy before, and you ended up voting for him. What ultimately led to your decision?

I went into Tribal totally open. I said that to all of them. Dean lied in Tribal to me, so that lie took him out. Noura was still in the hunt until I asked her a question and she didn’t own her behavior. Tommy owned his behavior. Nobody’s perfect; I make a ton of mistakes. Own it! Say, “Hey, I screwed up. I’m going to try to change and be better.” He’s the only one who owned it.

We need to talk about the fan reception to your time on Survivor, which has been overwhelmingly positive. What has it been for you to experience that ovation?

Very overwhelming, to the point that it made me very nervous. I am very honored and grateful for the support that I got; I don’t want anyone not to understand that. But I didn’t understand what I did to deserve it. I did what a human should do. If you do what you’re supposed to do, what’s the big deal?

I couldn’t let my girls down or my husband down, or the girls and boys that work on the beach. That means more than a million dollars, knowing I had to come home and be with my people. My family has been very proud. My husband’s been a little emotional because he worries about me. He loves me so much and didn’t want anything bad to happen to me. But he was incredibly proud. I also had two female lifeguards here as part of my guests. They’re my two up and coming lifeguards, and I love them to death.

What has that experience been like in your work environment after you supported Kellee in the merge, given how many young women you interact with in your daily life?

They’ve seen how hard it can be. We make life and death decisions every day, and we have to deal with a lot of difficulty with the public. I need to teach them how to be the best human beings they can be, male or female. I lead by example.