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.

From the beginning, Elaine Stott’s plan was simple: Be a sidekick. “I’ve got this ability to make people feel comfortable,” she told me preseason. “I think that makes me relate to a lot of different people. And with that, they’re going to be comfortable, and I won’t be a threat.” But the factory worker underestimated her relatability, as her social skills upgraded her from sidekick to superhero from Day 1. And after a long-fought match of wrestling with that threat level, she was finally pinned down short of the finale.

The woman who calls herself a “busted can of biscuits” had a fully-baked plan to get into the hearts of her tribe members, which she did from the jump. Other players like Ronnie Bardah, though, were quick to notice her likability and tried to nip it in the bud before the days turned double digits. Elaine was frightened to become the first one out after decades of applying, but she seemed to lay the groundwork for Lairo to keep her around. Her loyalty, in turn, paid off for them after the swap, when she earned a “Block a Vote” advantage from the Island of the Idols. Facing a possible deadlock vote on her new tribe, she spiced up the game like a blast of cumin, setting up the one-two punch that knocked out Jason Linden.

At the merge, Elaine was able to make and reinforce new relationships to slip under the radar and comfortably into the majority. But under her camouflaged cap, she was watching her allies, and became wary of being at the bottom of her former Lairos. So, in a split Tribal Council, she struck again. Seeing Missy Byrd and Karishma Patel butting heads, she appealed to the latter, and the two joined with Tommy “Big Red” Sheehan to clip Missy’s wings. But when the two stacks of cards came back together, Elaine suddenly found herself on the bottom of the deck. She tried her best to stay her execution, playing an idol and being mere words away from winning immunity. But the unlucky girl from Kentucky’s time had run out, and she tearfully embraced her experience (and Jeff Probst) on her way out.

Now out of the game, Elaine expands (or extrapolates) on her last-ditch effort to stay, the move to take out Missy, and her unique back-and-forth with Probst.

Your final Tribal Council echoed your first one this season. In both situations, you knew you were a target, and you tearfully spoke about “filling your cup up” on the experience. How were you reconciling the journey through that emotional Tribal from last night?

Dude, honestly, I think I held it together great. Tribals go super long, and for the first two hours, I was fantastic! I was coming at them with good points. Then Jeff starts with his [expletive], getting into that emotional stuff. He started asking me those deep questions. And once those emotions started kicking in, I just tell it like it is and how I see it. At that moment, that’s how I felt. I knew it probably wasn’t going to keep me. But at the same time, I’m glad I said and did the things I did. It did come full circle for sure.

You try to protect yourself by pitching to Lauren that the two of you and Janet vote for Noura. What led you to come up with that idea?

I knew the boys had a Final Three deal. Lauren’s a super emotional person, and we became really good friends on and off the show. Our relationship was a lot closer than people know. I knew coming at Lauren like that was my best bet. Not just from a game perspective, but as a friend. “You need to really think about this. You don’t know what you think you know; you’ve got it twisted.” I think that was the best bet for me.

Everybody thought Noura was crazy. She was driving them nuts! She was going to vote with us until Dean did what he did. She was going off of her emotions. I thought it was best to go after her because she had just tried to blindside them and was still in their minds. It just didn’t work out.

Let’s talk about Dean, or “Mr. Shiesty” as you call him. We saw you idol hunting together yesterday, but he also had deals going with Tommy and Dan. How did that affect your relationship?

I knew he was playing hard, especially with Tommy. I knew he was trying to find his “in.” They didn’t show this when Noura talked to us at camp, but after I told her, “You’re their bitch,” I said, “Let’s make a move and find an idol right now.” She asked, “Who do you want to go after?” and I said, “Lauren and Tommy. They’re running this [expletive]. Lauren controls Tommy.” Part of that was because I knew Dean was trying to get in tight with Tommy, and if he felt we were going after Lauren, he’d be on board. There’s all this underlying stuff behind everything, and that was part of it.

But yeah, Mr. Shiesty. Mr. Cut Your Throat and Stab You in the Back! (Laughs.) Dean’s super cool, though. I love Dean. When we merged back together, I told him what went down with the Chelsea thing. He didn’t understand that I actually saved his ass. But it was sort of like how I played with Karishma. I knew she was on the bottom, and you don’t want to attach yourself to someone who’s on the bottom because you don’t want to get dragged down. We were cool, but in the end, he knew it was a lock for me! I would have won that [expletive]! (Laughs.)

Speaking of Karishma, I want to talk about that vote against Missy. What made you decide to target her then, and keep Tommy along with Karishma?

The minute I hit Vokai beach, I started bonding with Lauren and Tommy. And on the down-low, I was like, “I’ll cut Missy and Aaron’s throats in a New York minute. I don’t want to be in their alliance. I’m on the bottom; I’m on the outs.” Missy was using me as a number and was going to cut my throat as soon as possible. If I voted out Tommy in that situation, when we get back to camp, Lauren goes ape [expletive] and uses that to bond more closely with Missy, and I’m out next.

Part of the reason was self-preservation. I saw my moment and used her relationship with Karishma to my advantage. I don’t necessarily think it was the best move for Karishma, because Missy never wanted to get rid of her. But it 100% was the best move for me. The problem was I should have tried to build some trust with Karishma, because we didn’t have any. We were both on the outs, so I was trying to distance myself a little. We should have been having conversations, so when she had her idol, she would have told me about it, and we would have flipped the script.

Who would you have used that idol to get rid of if you knew about it?

I was totally down to get rid of any of the big three: Lauren, Dan, or Tommy. That would have been the perfect time to do it. Karishma and I actually still talk about it. Everybody thinks the Missy vote was the big moment that changed everything. But for me, it was when Karishma played her idol and I didn’t know about it. That’s my biggest regret.

On the note of relationships, you told me you wanted to be the Robin or the Cal Naughton out there. Did you ever find your Ricky Bobby?

No, I didn’t! And it’s because of Ronnie and Aaron. Those two guys put a target so big on my back that I couldn’t get rid of it. So though people were cool with me because I was so funny and social, they weren’t trying to go deep with me whatsoever. However, big Tom, in whatever situation, would always be my Ricky Bobby. I love that guy. The problem was, with his mindset, there was no way people would bring him to the merge. He was like, “That’s my alliance, and that’s it.” (Laughs.) It’s like, dude, at least try! If I had gotten back to Tom, that would have been beautiful. I couldn’t find another in the long haul.

You go to the Island of the Idols, which not only gives you the “Block a Vote,” but a lesson in risk management. Did that change your gameplay at all moving forward?

As the game goes on, your window for opportunity gets smaller. When it came to going after Tommy and Lauren, Dean and I were in the water, and he was like, “Are we sure you want to do this? Or do you just want to vote Karishma and save your idol?” And I was like, “You know what, bro? We’re on Survivor! Let’s make this happen.” I didn’t want to hesitate, because I know you won’t get many opportunities to do [expletive] like that. So I guess in a sense, it did. But if you’re a fan of Survivor, you already know you’ve got to grab the bull by the horns.

During one Tribal Council, you spoke up about “picking a core” of people and sticking to it until the end. Was that true to how you played?

I’m a super honest person. If I genuinely connect with you and I’m cool with you, I’ll “ride or die” with you. I was also made aware of things going on behind the scenes where they wanted to vote for me, possibly. So even though I said that because I wanted to reassure that I was with them, in the back of my mind, I always know I’m going to cut whoever wants to cut me. If Lauren and Tommy didn’t come after me, I would have been willing to go to the end with them and stay loyal to them. But because I found that out, I couldn’t. Some things you’ve just got to say, but some things you have to keep to yourself. It’s kind of true, but it’s not.

You provided a lot of humor around camp. In a game where emotions can be so easily tied into strategy, did you have a tough time doing that when you knew you were on the outs?

I never wanted to take anything personally. I always try to keep things separate. If I was cool and joked with you, I knew it was a game. Lauren voted for me a couple of times, but I understood. Even when I got voted out, I was like, “It’s a game, I’m not mad.” When Dean cut my throat, we went back to camp laughing. “I get you; I’m not mad at it. Just try not to run me over with the bus too much.” I try not to take it too seriously. Laughter’s the best medicine in all situations, to make others and myself feel better. I was super emotional out there, so it was fun to be lighthearted.

I can’t think of a recent contestant who has had more back-and-forth with Jeff Probst than you. What did you make of your dynamic?

I love Jeff! That’s my dude. I’ve never one to fangirl about anything. It is Jeff Probst; it’s “big time.” But at the same time, Jeff’s just a dude; he’s just some guy. That’s how I would talk to him. I think I just approach it differently than a lot of people do. And Jeff’s got that quick wit! And I appreciate that because I’ve got a smart ass mouth. (Laughs.) And he took it well.

You spoke at one point this season about wanting to have that “Survivor soul searching experience. Now that the experience is all said and done, did you learn anything significant about yourself?

It really confirms everything for me. What you see is what I am. There’s nothing fake or to hide. I knew I was a threat from the beginning because of my personality. Even though I tried to cut back joking around, I couldn’t do it. I’m good people, or at least I try to be. I just connect well with people in general. It confirmed that I am who I am.

And I’m one strong badass chick. Don’t let the jelly belly fool you! (Laughs.) I’m a badass, dude! I went spearfishing and almost got bit in the face by a shark. I killed one of the most poisonous snakes in the world. I’ve done some [expletive]. I’m proud of who I am. I’m proud that I’m so kind and loving and funny. I’m glad it did that for me.