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

Many surprises were revealed on the CBS studio lot during Survivor’s 36th finale. But one of the earliest ones came when Donathan Hurley took to the stage to talk with host Jeff Probst after being voted out in fifth place. You see, Jeff had not brought him out just to exchange niceties. He revealed that pop artist Sia, a huge Survivor fan well-remembered for storming the Kaoh Rong reunion stage to give money to Tai Trang, was so infatuated with the young caretaker that she would be giving him $10,000. Donathan looked so happy he was about to leap to the ceiling and swing from a metaphorical chandelier, but Sia’s gesture is a great microcosm of how much the community embraced him and all of his elements, from inspirational to bombastic.

Donathan started Ghost Island with his eyes as wide as his smile. Having spent his entire life in Kentucky, he was awestruck to meet all of these individuals from different walks of life. Unfortunately, that naivete also made him stand out, and an early choice for a first boot when his Malolo tribe went to Tribal Council. But Stephanie Johnson saw the potential of a loyal ally in Donathan and helped organize the votes against her namesake, Stephanie Gonzalez. Spared being the first one out, Donathan hoped to prove himself in the next challenge. But when James Lim struggled to dive in the next Immunity Challenge, he sat on the sidelines, confident in his lack of confidence that he could do it. After some rousing words from his tribe, the fish out of water got into the water and served as the hero of his tribe, only for them to fall so far behind that they lost the challenge and he got saved from elimination once more when the Naviti tribe sent him to Ghost Island.

His trip to the mysterious Ghost Island was only the beginning for Donathan’s cross-tribal connections, as being swapped over to the Naviti tribe put him eventually in a secret foursome with Laurel Johnson, Domenick Abbate and Wendell Holland. With the numbers tied up 4-4 between original tribe lines, it was an excellent spot to be in. But as we were beginning to see with Donathan, he’s always one for entertaining options, particularly over a good cup of coffee. When a reward of coffee and pastries made him yearn for home, he made a surprising bond with Chris Noble, as they connected over their respective roles as caretakers back home. The Southern niceties of Donathan also began to wear away, particularly when he started to get annoyed by Bradley Kleihege‘s attitude after talking down to him in a challenge. At that moment, he spoke in confessional about how Bradley made the fire rise inside of him, but little did he know the Donathan inferno was only just getting started.

After Domenick and Donathan voted together at the merge, they came back together with the other pair and former Yanuya players Laurel and Wendell. They continued to play their cards under the table, though the two Malolos were always let in on the plan from the Naviti majority. The first complication in the alliance emerged when Desiree Afuye came to the Malolos with a plan to turn the game on its head by targeting the “big dogs.” While Donathan was ready to shake up the game and get himself in a better position, Laurel was reticent to turn completely back to her old tribe. So they stuck to their laurels, though Donathan did utilize Michael Yerger‘s assistance in gathering his own idol, ironically enough unearthing the fragmented super idol from Survivor: Kaoh Rong that ended uncooperatively. A new twist in the game thrust him back into the spotlight for the first time since the first vote, as he found himself in a Malolo minority at a “mini” Tribal Council of five. Knowing about his idol, Jenna Bowman attempted to manipulate him to play it on her, only to become doubly shocked when he not only played it on himself but to find out she was the intended target. As the days marched forward, he became less of a loyal soldier to his alliance, as well as more mouthy. He made Domenick and Wendell sweat when he made threatening comments about there being an opening at Tribal Council and called them out in the middle of camp on a shady exchange of supplies. Despite the bombs he continued to throw out, the explosions were relatively contained. On Day 36, Donathan decided to break the deal Domenick had brokered with his beloved Aunt Patty on reward, helping concoct a plan to blindside him using the Extra Vote Sebastian Noel acquired on Ghost Island. But the construction supervisor built a facade at Tribal Council, digging into Donathan and presenting a fake idol to get Sebastian to not go along with the plan. With all outs exhausted, and no immunity around his neck or idol in his pocket, his elastic heart broke as he finally got voted out.

I got to talk with Donathan moments after the finale on the red carpet about what contributed to his vote for Wendell, how he was able to overcome a rocky few first days, and whether or not he will invite Sia with him on his upcoming trip to Fiji.

So I want to start with this crazy moment at the finale. I know you’re a huge music person, so how did it feel to find out Sia was giving you money?

It was just a blur at first. I have Jeff up there talking to me, asking me about my life. Then he brings up Sia, and I’m like, “Oh my God.” Then he brings up the money, and I’m like, “That’s fantastic.” I so appreciate that.

Did it immediately connect when you heard him talk about her? We know she had given money to Survivor contestants before.

I knew she was a big fan because she tweeted out after the premiere, “Oh my God, I love this guy!” I didn’t really expect anything to come from her. But then to see it happen, I was like, “Oh, Sia!” It’s insane.

Let’s start with the end. What contributed to your jury vote for Wendell?

I had two days to sit down and process it all, look from the outside. I’m a big fan of the show, so I wanted to be political about it. Wendell’s game is a game I wanted to play out there. I wanted to be second-in-command, but also make moves and have [another ally] be boastful and a loudmouth. I was in that with Laurel, and I ended up being the loudmouth! So I didn’t end up where I wanted to be, and Wendell was the epitome of where I wanted to be in the game.

What was your reaction in ultimately your last Tribal Council, when Wendell played his idol on Laurel? Did you think there was a chance something might be up, and you could be staying?

I knew it was “go broke” throughout that. Like I mentioned on the show, [when I got voted out] it was just a relief because it was do or die. I didn’t know the idol was going to be played for Laurel. I just wrote her name down because there was a chance there was going to be her or me. I knew they weren’t going to mess with Angela, and I knew they would both be safe. I didn’t want to write Laurel’s name down, but you’re at five! You have to do something!

I want to rewind to the beginning of the game. The show told us you were an early target at Malolo due to your perceived weakness, but a few people told me you went to Brendan to keep yourself and get rid of Gonzalez. Can you talk a bit more about that?

Well, a lot of that wasn’t shown the way I think it [happened]. I actually went to most of the tribemates and said, “Tell Gonzalez you’re gonna vote me out, but we’re actually gonna vote for Gonzalez.” That’s how it happened. But Brendan was a cool dude; I wish I could have played more with him. But he was a cool dude who had my back in the end. I was scared, though, when Gonzalez whispered in his ear [at Tribal Council]. I felt safe up until that point.

There was a perception of you as the sweet kid from Kentucky, which seemed to take you off the radar as a threat to anyone for a good portion of the time. Did you play that up at all?

I did. I knew people would look at me and say, “What’s this guy before?” I had to play up the twang. One thing I also did was tell everyone my story in the first Tribal. I did that because you’ve seen Adam [Klein] and Jeremy [Collins] wait until the end to tell their story. I wanted to reverse that to let people know who Donathan was, but also play up the “Aw, shucks” [mentality]. I definitely had a good time out there, though.

So then what happened when we transition into “truth bomb”-dropping Donathan? Did that shift of personality come from strategy, or just the effects of the elements?

It was a mixture of both. I wanted to go out there and play the game; I didn’t want to be remembered as someone who didn’t go out there and try. So the strategy of “truth bombs” was I’m going to be showing people that I’m playing the game. But half of it is the elements. You get out there, and it’s a rough game. It’s real, and it’s winter in Fiji, so it’s cold at night and the wind’s awful. You’ve got all these different elements, and then you’ve got all these different twists that go on. I wanted to work with Des, but I wasn’t able to. Then you’ve got Laurel, who wouldn’t flip at eight. [Then] at seven, I realized I was on the bottom.

So it sounds like it was just mounting frustration from realizing you were on the bottom of the totem pole without the ability to do much about it.

I keep trying to climb the mountain, but it keeps pushing me down!

How have you dealt with the reception from your time on the show? You come from this small community in Kentucky, but there’s a reason Sia gave you $10,000; you have had a real impact on the fans this season. What has that been like for you and your town?

It has been amazing. It was such a blessing to play Survivor, and that’s some of the reward in a sense, getting the love from everybody. I didn’t see a lot of people after the show, so social media was my outlet to kind of be in the mix with everybody and see what was going on. It’s amazing, that’s the only word I can think of right now.

At one point in the season, you said that Survivor taught you to be the best you can be and showed who you are at your core. Can you elaborate on that?

I learned I could go somewhere on my own and thrive! I had never been out of the country before. I’m still learning and still growing today, so this experience pushed it up a bit. I’m ready to take the world on, for sure.

When is Donathan Hurley’s European vacation coming?

Soon, hopefully [laughs]!

You have to do a world tour!

[Laughs] We just got free Fiji tickets, so we’re definitely going back to Fiji. I can go and relax and enjoy it! I’m excited.

Any thoughts about a plus-one? I know there’s probably a pop star who would want to go with you.

[Laughs] Hey, Sia! If you want to go, I have an extra ticket. Let’s roll!