It's in the news today, but it was actually on TV Reload the podcast last week that by Hey guys, welcome back to TV Reload, Thank you for clicking and downloading. On today's episode with Kelly, the tenth eliminated contestant from this year's Australian Survivor on Network ten, I will be talking about her time in Samoa and of course what she thinks now that the smoke has well and truly
been snuffed out on her torch. Australian Survivor Titans Versus Rebels is a showdown that pits the winners against the underdogs and the big wigs against the battlers, with each player competing for the grand prize of half a million dollars.
Kelly's a psychologist from Queensland. Some may say kel was chaotic and abrasive, but no matter what you think of her and her time in Samoa, Kelly's presence acted as an unpredictable variable that challenged her tribe MAT's game in a way that most self confessed strategic players could never
have achieved. In an impressive fashion, Kirby managed to rank Kelly into her alliance, but when Kelly got wind of a decision to stack the votes on her mate Raymond, Kelly checked her moral compass and refused to toe the line. Kelly's game quickly unraveled as she relinquished her alliance to Kirby to protect ray but then was swiftly voted out
by everyone on the Titans tribe. Yes, that's right, the entire Titans tribe all seemed to lay down their swords for one time only and unite in a unanimous vote. Kelly will join me and share what she thinks of her game, watching herself back, and if withholding the information that she was a paid psychologist was the right idea after all. We will talk about Kelly's decision to save Raymond and blowing up her game now that she knows that he voted for her to leave in her final
tribal council. I get Kelly's professional opinion on Alex and find out why they clash so much during her time with him on different tribes. Plus, we will find out why her family is now refusing to follow her on social media, and how a tsunami threatened to stop the production of this series. There's actually so much to unpack, as you can imagine with kel and she's really fun to talk to. So sit back and relax as we dive just that little bit deeper into the world of
Australian survivor. Well, you look great, fabulous. I would say that you are the most highly anticipated guests that I've had this year, with so many people overnight texting me and messaging me and giving me questions to ask you. How does it feel to be out the other side of this experience?
Oh my gosh, I've had no sleep. Can you tell I've had no sleep at all? See, that's what happens to me on no sleep, hyperactive on no sleep. That's what happened on the island. Maybe it kind of sat and it's like this massive ride for the last six or seven months, and now it's like, oh, is that going to end?
I don't think it's going to end. But I want to say something I've never said to anyone before, but thank you. You know, I've really enjoyed watching you on this show. I don't know if that's a strange thing to say, but I just want to say thank you.
Well, that's nice of you. Most people think I'm an idiot, so that's nice.
You made such great television. I mean, you were unpredictable and usual, refreshingly true to yourself. I don't know if that helped your game, but it's certainly made for great television.
I just knew that I was coming under this game to have a lot of fun. I did it in memory of my mum, who died at the same age as I am, same age as I am now, and I wanted my kids to be as embarrassed as hell.
Did you manage to do that? One? Are they embarrassed?
They are mortified. They don't even want to follow me on socials.
Love it? I just love it. I mean one of the interesting things about reality television is seeing yourself back, and so you do get to watch yourself back instead of critique yourself. I mean, sure, it is a heightened version of who we are, and there's a bit of an edit there. But what did you learn about yourself from watching this show back? What was the take home for you?
I learned that I do a lot of weirdly funny or intense one liners. Okay, yes, I learned that I did a lot of funny one liners, which I know I like to do funny stuff, but I did a lot of one liners. I don't know. I just looked. I probably didn't learn a lot because I know myself very well. I am exceptionally introspective, so I just knew that I was out there to have fun. So and which is what I did.
I mean, you did highlight a fundamental conundrum in the Game of Australia and Survivor, and that is exploring the duality of being a good person and true to yourself or being a good player and needing to be ruthless.
Yes, well, I have a conundrum because I'm a psychologist. So I have been a psychologist for more than half my life, and it's always about looking after people and helping people. So that's pretty hard to shift that all value and belief that you've held for actually more than more than my whole life, because my dad and mum would like that. So it's very hard to shift that ideology. And you know what kind of didn't want to. I met Ray and I just thought you were kind to me.
And people don't realize how kind he was to me. Early on in the game, when I was freezing cold, he gave me his Game of Girlfriend shirt, and that actually means a lot on an island when you have nothing at all. So I wanted to do that, and I wanted to play a game that was different and interesting. I'm sorry, but I didn't want to be boring and mainstream and exactly what everyone else does, because like everyone else can do that in their way, I wanted to
be completely different. And if it meant that I didn't get to merge and didn't win five hundred thousand dollars, well that was the risk I took.
I mean, this is the question I have for you at this point, what do you think about holding back that you were a psychologist? Because I often thought that you might have been able to use that card to your advantage.
People have all said that to me post realizing that I'm a psychologist, even my own players. But I have been a psychologist for all these years, every day, day in, day out, and I wanted to go onto the game free of any stereotypes and any perception of what it means to be kel So I wanted to play a different character. So I knew at some point I was going to tell them I was a psychologist. I was just choosing my time that was going to be most strategic for me. And in the early part of the game.
That wasn't the time for me. So I didn't get to merge because I took the knife, but I would have probably told them at some point when it was very an opportunistic time to do so, So I don't regret not doing that. I love my job as psychologists, but I all so am many different characters in life, so I just wanted to play a different one.
Well, they kind of wrote you off as a bit of a crazy old lady, but I wondered whether or not your tribeates, or your different tribes that you were on at different times, they might have been a bit more beguiled by you if you had told them your profession.
Absolutely, you are correct, I'm not going to say you're not. I downplayed the silly Kelly who knew nothing. I'm a mushroom, which is why I did the on the mushroom. I downplayed that so well. My threat was so low that
I gained zero credibility. So maybe next time, if I get to play this game again, I'll produce a completely different character because I play lots of games at board games, and I am a different character in all of them, so I'll be a different character, and I will go on as a psychologist and I'll be a completely different story. So yeah, I did downplay it so well. I think that it disadvantaged me, but it kept me under the radar.
I mean, it is a tactic. I want to know. If someone comes into your practice and has a conversation with you about doing Survivor and they asked you about who they should be on the show as a psychologist, might you have said to just be yourself. Shouldn't we always just be our truer self.
So I obviously advocate for authenticity all the time. That's what I teach people, that's my motto. But we all wear these kind of masks. I'm trying to help people take off their masks. But you know, everyone puts a mask on every time they go to work, or you know, every time they go to a wedding or so I just know people so well that I just know how to act any sort of emotion, any type of personality trait.
So I am authentically me in that I'm a happy, positive psychologist, and I show that to my clients every day. Every client gets the same positive psychology in me, so that part of me is real and that's what you saw on the game, that positive, happy person who wants to just promote joy all the time. That was authentically me.
Maybe it's good to explore some of the relationship that you had because there was a lot of banter between you and Alex. So what do you think was the reason behind the unusual rivalry that seemed to developed there.
Now, don't get me wrong, I have a soft spot in my heart for Alex, and he's an interesting chap. But Alex is you know, a little bit arrogant, quite haughty, and you know, on the application form they said who would you not want to be on an island with? And I said, arrogant men, Well, not.
The show for you, because we find that we find that there's a lot of those type of blokes that they'll want to come and do this show exactly.
So they gave me. They gave me Alex, didn't they. So I was like, oh no, So I just decided to spend my time putting Alex in his spot a little bit. So that's where the band had probably begun.
What's your read on him though? Like is in you know, were you trying to hold a mirror up against his behavior? Like were you using any psychological or I was any of your work practices on him?
Yeah, I was. I was trying to get into have some interest fiction, you know, that just didn't happen. I was trying to get a look at himself that you know, other people are important in this game. The other people have a voice. It's not all about you, Alex. So I was for a lot of this game trying to use my psychology. I mean, obviously I'm analyzing every moment,
every second of the game. So yes, I was analyzing Alex, and I was thinking, please, Alex, I beg you just to have a look at yourself and have some insight. But anyway, we have a great banter and a lot of fun, and I like that side of him. And Alex is a very driven man and I'm a very driven woman. And maybe that's also why we clashed a little bit, because we are both very driven in our own right.
Yeah. True. We have to talk about the fact that your effort to save Raymond was obviously very admirable, and you know, the viewers saw that. And I think you know you did the right thing by being true to yourself, by valuing a friend that you'd made but it ultimately was your death wish too.
Yeah, I know, but sometimes in life, like I said, you have to take you have to, you know, take the sword. And you know, Raymond, like I said, was a very special person for me in that he's a bit quirky and he's a bit different. He doesn't have much of a voice, and you can see that even on the production that you know, he hasn't got much
of a voice happening there. And I'm all about empowering people who are underdogs, empowering people to have their voice, and that's what I do every single day of my life. And I just saw Raymond and he was so kind to me. And like I said to you before, people do not understand how important it is those little tiny things giving me your shirt. When I was freezing cold, pouring with rain, all I had was a beginning in a red singer and that man hugged me in the
nighttime to keep me warm. Even though he doesn't do physical touch, he did that for me. So that meant a lot. And at that point in the game, I knew that if I got that man to merge, it would basically change his life. Being on Survivor for a longer time, for the rest of his life. And I really wanted to do that, and I really wanted Barris and Eileen to see that we could take out a bigger player. But they didn't see that.
They didn't say that today. I mean, he was not a threat.
He was my shield. He was not a threat.
Now that you know that Raymond voted for you, though, changed the way that you feel about your choice to ultimately self evict to make a point that you liked him not at all.
I would have voted for myself too if I was I would have voted for Raymond too, if I was in his position winner with an er, remember, I mean we had to put that in right, because you know winner. So look, no, if I was, if I was in his position, I would have done Is that the same thing? Because he knew at that point that Merge was just around the corner. I knew that Merge was just around the corner, So of course he had to look look like he was maintaining his alliance with Ferris Eileen. Why
would he do that. That would be stupid of him to do that. So no, I don't I don't begrudge Raymond at all. I think he made the right trus.
It would also appear that Kirby was in this episode, was doing the right thing by you. You know, she really did look like she was trying to help you, and you did have a sorry. You did have a great relationship with her from what we could see. But when you're looking back at her trying to explain how survivor works at the time, it sort of looked like you were a bit defensive about it. How do you feel about it now? You kind of wish that you're taking Kirby's advice.
No, I know how survivor works. I'm not stupid. I analyze people and details every day. I just chose to disagree with her, and Kirby like me. We are again, very strong women because we are both mature. We've you know, got businesses. You know, she's lived a very big life, so have I. And you know, I absolutely respect that person so much. She's a great friend and shall be
a friend for life. And I just decided at that point that I didn't agree with her decision to vote out such a small player, even though he was a bit of a shield to Ferris. We were so close to merge. Everything changes emerged like dynamics changed dramatically. So I was just like, for this vote, let's all come together, be original, rebel strong, and let's vote out Vale or winner.
That's and we tried to do that.
We tried to talk to her about that, and she just had a different idea in her mind, which is totally okay, that's her game play. But me and Eileen and Ferris we had I just talked about that with her end Scottie, but they wanted to do that because they were scared for their own position in the game, and that's why they wanted to stay with the Titans.
So did you have a game plan moving forward? If you made it just that one more day and made it into the merged, what was your gameplay moving forward?
So moving forward, I was going to still maintain my alliance with Kirby and Scotty. I knew that Kirby was going to move away from the og Titans because now we were back with the Rebels. So I knew that Kirby and me were going to move back stronger with the Rebels, but because we are a very strong tribe. But I also knew that I had established those relationships with Kitty and Caroline early on, like they weren't enough
a lot lot of time. But I had started that and so I thought, well, I've got that there, and I've got Kirby there, So I was going to continue to do that. Me and Ray had an agreement that if we got to merge, and we had an agreement also with Kirby that basically, once you get to merge, it's every person for themselves. So but we were going to keep that strength of what we built in the game on the low down.
Do you know what was interesting was Valeria seemed like she was basically done with you, and it almost seemed like she was cross with you. That's what I thought. What was her beef with you? Do you think that there was more to her beef with you than what we got to see as an audience.
I think so. I think Valeria is used to running a business, and she's used to be in control, and she's used to having, you know, to make decisions and things like that. And I came in and I probably challenged that. And remember she thought I was an idiot because I downplayed everything enough. She had no idea who I was, she had no idea what was doing. She surely just met me previously. She had no relationship with me, so you know, from her perspective, this girl has no
clue what she's talking about. So like, back off, girl. So I don't begrudge her that because I understand that that's the way she saw me. But yeah, like I think there was that she didn't understand that she wasn't part of my alliance. I said to k she is not my mob. That's not my mob. My mob was you and the rebels. Because you know, I'm a rebel. That's it, It's deep in my heart. I'm born a rebel, in a dire rebel. So I told Kirby that on the beach, and you don't get to see that. I
drew all the dynamics for Kirby on the beach. We didn't see that in the edit. But I was saying to Kirby, this is not my mob, babe, this is not your mob. And she's like, Kelly just for murdered, and I'm like, I know, but please, let's not sell our sould to the devil. Let's go original rebels.
This episode sort of did have a bit of a fork in the road when it came to people's making, people making decisions. What was your rationale when it came to choosing to look for or to stay and have the food and sit with the others overlooking for the idol.
There's no way I was going to find an idol against you know those boys, you know that would have been pushing and shoven, and you know, I was like, there's no way I'm going to find an idol. And I just thought to myself, it's my son's birthday. He's dating what what? Here's my birthday party?
It's a birthday, well my son.
So basically that was a great motivation that I had, and I was pretty hungry. I was losing quite a bit away, as you could see, and I thought it was a great viportunity to tell the other tribe that pretty sure I'm going to be going home. Girls.
So well, you did play very hard to win over Kitty. But the one thing I was curious about was your take on this. I mean, you kind of gossiped about everybody in a way to win over her affection. That does not make that kind of makes me wonder what she would think of you because of that, Mainly because my mum always said to me, the way that you talk about others is the way that you build trust
with new people. Did you worry about gossiping about all the others and throwing them under the bus with someone who you were trying to develop a relationship with.
Look, I never gossiped or said anything negative about anyone on the show, because that's not who I am. But at that moment, I knew I was going. I knew my back is against the wall and I was going. So I had a very short amount of time. I was hoping to rely on the fact that me and her had been winking at each other for the last
four weeks or more. Wink, wink, you know, not no smiling, and all those sort of non verbal gestures that I was doing with her and Caroline, And when I got to the tribe, we had lots of cuddles and so the things. I was hoping that at that minute, because we didn't have long the party wasn't exactly long, that I could quickly tell them bang bang bang bang bang
bang bang. And yes, I didn't have time to develop a rapport, which you normally have much more time to do that, so I quickly just went bang bang bang bang. And I also wanted my alliance to see that I was totally gone from them, and I wanted my new alliance to see that I was totally with them. So there was a strategy to get people to see that I was like a complete severing. There was no if some barts, I have severed my alliance with you, Kirby
and Scottie, I have severed it. And that's why I did that, because it showed people that it was completely severed, and I thought Kitty would pick that up that if I was completely changed my alliance that quickly, that they'd pick up that I was doing that for a reason. So hopefully they did pick that up, but maybe they didn't.
Maybe you have given them some information that will help them move forward. You might have severed yourself just a little bit early. What's your take on Ferris not taking a swing for Kirby or even the and Winner v and Winner probably being lower hanging fruit.
Yes, I was so confused watching that episode, so I'm thinking, what are you doing? Like, why can't you see? That's what my song says. My rebel kel song says, why can't you see? I need your rebels to trust me, That's what I say, Like, why can't you see that this is so close to merge. We can just come together. And I'm thinking, Paris, why can't you see this what's going on? And I was just like last night, going wow, like that's just so obvious what I was trying to do,
so obvious. He could have taken down Kirby at this point if he wanted to, I mean, his greatest threat. He could have taken down and Ferris and Eileen and Ray did not take that opportunity. And I was just dumb founded. I've got to admit I was just dumbfounded that tribal and I was dumbfounded last night.
Do you think that maybe Kirby spent a little bit too much time trying to flush those off? In your mind? What do you think her ambition was? Was it to flush those idols or to get rid of you?
Oh? I think at that point it was to get rid of me, because you know, she wanted to make sure the target she didn't have an idol. She wanted to make sure the target wasn't on her back, and there was going to be no flipping going on, so if she could just quickly come with them now on this vote, because you know, they thought that I was unpredictable and chaotic at that point, because remember I'd had the Tobias vote, so they already had that in their background.
Even though I had done really well to crawl my way back from that, they trusted me again. I think, you know, they're still in their mind. So I think Kirby's idea was just basically to get rid of me, and that's I'm totally okay with that. That's how we play the game.
Who do you want to do better now that the merger is about to happen. Do you want Kirby to do better or Ferres?
I like and respect both those people immensely. They're both incredible people, and they both hold a soft spot in my heart. But I the moment I saw Ferby, I wanted her to win this game. I told her that from the very first day, and I saw her standing
this beautiful Aboriginal woman. And that's the only thing I'm sad about not going to merge is that I really feel like if I was with Curbs, it would have been good for her because she would have had my backing, and maybe we can't have two queens standing on the board. If I was still there but not now.
This season, people are very critical of Kirby. They're saying that she's arrogant and she's smug or you know, she's not confident. She's this you know people are and they've talked about you. They pulled you apart every day, like throughout all the forums. What do you think about what people have to say about the Survivor players.
Look, I don't want to get too political, but at the end of the day, what I've done and what Kirby's doing is probably bringing out all the mass discrimination that we see in life every day, from women to age, to gender, to sexuality to race. I brought all of that out. Kirby's bringing that out. I think there is an element of that in there. Kirby's very smart and strong willed. I'm strong willed, and maybe they don't like that as well. Because I walk with angels fear to tread.
My dad said that to me when I was a little girl, and one of the episodes is named that Kirby is the same. She has to walk her path and she probably walks a little bit with angels fear to tread too. I mean so, yes, I think the audience is very serious. I think they I don't understand. This is a game, and I think they forget that we are characters in the game and this is reality TV. But is it really reality?
And I mean, it's interesting to watch the way in which people interpret one piece of information. It's like that old saying of you know, send two people into a room and they come out saying something different, you know what I mean.
It's just the whispers too, of course.
Of course, but someone's personal experience might be triggered by one person's action, and that action, in reality might not have even translated to be that, you know.
So really it's decontextualize. Everything must be in a context. And even me as a psychologist that some of the comments online are hilarious. You know, my clients are just going, huh. I'm been a psychologist for more than half my life and you know how old I announce it.
That's just going to bring in more work for you, Kelly? Is this going to bring in more work?
People? I want to have people who text me DM me. Can I be your Can I you be my psychologists? Please? There's already happened this morning, so I'm making business.
Okay, let's roll this again. I need some help. I reckon you can help me. We'll do a psy psychology session with me. I'm joking. I'm joking. Before you go, we'd be here all day. We'd be here all day. I was going to ask you everyone, I've been asking this sentence to in the Game of Australian Survivor. And if you can say that in a sentence with something that you've learned.
The game of Survivor, I have learned that living on an island with a bunch of people is bloody awesome.
Are they all coming to your next birthday?
They better be.
I feel like you should have a reunion next year for your son's birthday, or this year, I should say when your son's birthday.
My son is so excited. He pretends he's not right, he pretends he was so embarrassed for the last seven months, but deep in his heart he is so proud, as is my daughter, and my dog's proud of me too. I know I can read I can read his mind and my son, Yes, I'm pretty sure he will be excited if we had a reunion on his birthday. It was such a beautiful moment and I'm so thankful that Survivor did that for me, I mean and my son.
I mean, how beautiful of them to do that is so magical, all of us coming together and the flowers going out into the ocean all the way from Samoa, Australia.
That's amazing. It was great. The last question to ask everyone is what is something from behind the scenes, something that we didn't get a chance to see.
Look behind the scenes was fantastic, truly. It was one thing that people don't know, which I hope I'm allowed to say, is that we actually got a tsunami scare like a birthquake happening. Oh wow, If you're not allowed to use that one, we are. But behind the scenes is that people are beautiful and they're very and there's a lot of fantastic relationships behind the scene and you just don't see any of that. Well, love each other. The revers is really great.
I just thoroughly and I started this podcast by thanking you, and I thank you again. I thought, when it comes to these reality shows and we're seeing them, you know, so many seasons in, we're always so thirsty for new players, for news stories, new characters, and my favorite thing is people being truly themselves and being a little bit mad. It's my favorite look.
I know. I've been so long. I know personality, so I can produce any personality you want. But at the end of the day, my friends will tell you Kelly is the most happy, fregarious, fun loving extrovert who takes risks. And that's what I do in my life. I just the any character I want, even in my personal life. I just do whatever I want that makes me happy and brings laughter to people, and that's what I do. So technically I am authentically me.
Well, we all need to be our authentic self, and I think that you've even unlocked more of that in me today from talking to you, So thank you so much. Enjoy chatting to the media. I think you're going to have a great time and I think a lot of people are going to really love talking to you as well.
Yeah, someone's asked me to do it the podcast, but yeah, you should do that.
You should do that. I'd love to hear your take the psychology had on and I'd like a debrief of every player, all of the twenty three of them.
My psychology had is very interesting, but you know, you know, there's ethics involved in things. But my psychology had has seen a lot of those dynamics, trust me, and those little features of narcissism. Whoa, that was a bit of narcissism coming out there. So yeah, there's a lot of that on Survivor. I can see that. So yes, I would love to do podcasts. And I hope people love my merch and I hope people love my Rebel Cow song because Billy id Or what what an incredible song to do a parody on.
So I'm in your audience, mate, I'm in your audience and I will be for a very long time.
See you next one. By