After eight days in Fiji and an unlucky tribe swap, Matt Williams found himself on the wrong side of the numbers, which ultimately led to the end of his Survivor 49 journey.
Speaking exclusively with Men’s Journal after his boot episode, the 52-year-old airport ramp agent Williams reflects on the move that sealed his fate, his attempt to get the tribe to target Nate Moore, and whether he ever considered turning on Jason Treul or playing his Shot in the Dark. He also opened up about the brutal conditions in Fiji, the behind-the-scenes moments fans didn’t see on television, and what he’d do differently if he ever got another shot at the game.
Scroll down to read the full exit interview with Matt.
Men’s Journal: How are you doing after watching the episode back? Was it how you remembered it?
Matt Williams: Yeah, pretty much. I was at a bar and it was loud, so I’ll have to rewatch to catch all the details. But yeah, I remember going home. It’s the weirdest thing, though — I was there and still have no idea what was going on half the time. Watching it back, all the puzzle pieces come together. It’s a weird experience to see yourself on TV and realize what really happened versus what you thought was happening.
Men’s Journal: Going into Tribal, what did you think was going to happen?
Matt: I knew in my heart of hearts it was probably me. I was hanging on to the possibility that Jawan [Pitts] might actually flip, even though I knew that would’ve been a silly move for him. It was just too early to make a big move like that. The path forward for them was obvious — get rid of a Hina. It was that simple. I kind of expected it to play out the way it did, but I was still thinking, “If it works, it’s going to be awesome.” I was grasping at a Hail Mary. It was possible it could come together — and if it did, it would’ve been huge.
Men’s Journal: It seemed like the tribe wrestled between voting for you or Jason. Why do you think they ultimately chose you?
Matt: I think it was because I threw out Nate’s name. They needed a reason. It was like, “We’ve got two options — what’s the argument for or against?” As soon as Nate heard that I was throwing his name around, that was it. He said, “Matt,” and everyone else just went along. If Jawan and Sophi [Balerdi] hadn’t gone to Nate with that information, I don’t know if they would’ve found a reason to pick me over Jason. But once he had that ammunition, that’s all he needed.
Men’s Journal: Did you ever consider voting for Jason yourself?
Matt: No, I didn’t. You didn’t see it on the show, but that morning, Jason, Sophi, and I woke up and said, “We’re in a bad spot. What are we going to do?” I had built a little rapport with Jawan on the journey — we even talked about secretly working together after the merge. So I spent a couple hours fishing with him that morning, and we came up with a plan. I thought maybe he felt on the bottom and might want to make a big move.
Throughout the day, I met with Jason and Sophi, and I told them, “Jawan’s on board. Let’s do this. The four of us will write down Nate.” At one point Sophi said, “I think our move is to flip on Jason,” and in retrospect, she was giving me a sign. She knew more than I did. But I told her, “I’ve spent eight days getting to know Jason and I love the guy. I’m not going to go out like that.”
I would’ve built a fake idol out of seashells before I’d write down Jason’s name. I went out with integrity. I tried. You have to get lucky at least once or twice in Survivor to win, and I just didn’t get lucky that night.
Men’s Journal: You mentioned the Shot in the Dark — did you consider using it?
Matt: Briefly, yeah. I thought about it. But I figured if I told them, “Just write down Nate, Jawan’s on board,” and they really were, and then I played my Shot in the Dark, I’d look like the biggest schmuck in Survivor history. The odds of it working were slim, but if it did and I’d thrown away my vote, I’d never recover. I’d be the laughingstock of the game. So I took my chances.
Men’s Journal: You mentioned at tribal that you didn’t notice how much Sophi had integrated herself into the Uli tribe. Looking back, were there signs?
Matt: Oh yeah, I was aware of it. Their move was obvious: get rid of a Hina. There was no reason to get rid of a member of the tribe that was already decimated. It made sense for them to bring her in and give her a home. It was just too early for anyone to make a big move. I gave them the ammunition with my attack on Nate.
Men’s Journal: Were people looking for idols or advantages after the swap?
Matt: Constantly. I was looking every chance I got — under rocks, in trees, everywhere. They didn’t show it, but I spent a lot of time searching. At one point, Steven [Ramm] pulled me aside and said, “Dude, you’ve got to stop. People are talking. They know you’re not getting firewood or crabs.” But yeah, I was hunting hard.
Men’s Journal: What was the biggest surprise about actually playing versus watching at home?
Matt: It was just surreal. Jumping off the boat, seeing Jeff [Probst], all the cameras, being in Fiji — it was crazy. The conditions were brutal. It’s hot, hot, hot, and everything happens so fast that you lose the ability to think. Living on the island was fine — I liked building fires and catching food. But my biggest mistake was my footwear. I wore loafers, and once they got wet, my feet were destroyed. Blisters, torn skin — it changed everything. So my advice: if you ever play Survivor, bring good shoes.
Men’s Journal: What did you think watching the Uli tribe make fun of the Hina chant?
Matt: I’m proud of it! And I’ve got to give credit to Kristina [Mills] because she was our tribe cheerleader, and she came up with it. At first I thought it was hokey, but it grew on me. And hey, we were winning, so something worked. The Hina tribe was fantastic. I’m still close with everyone — not just my tribe, but everyone on the island. Huge personalities, great people. It was a blast.
Men’s Journal: Would you play Survivor again?
Matt: Absolutely. If they called me tomorrow, I’d be on a plane. It was the opportunity of a lifetime. No one can take that away from me — I was there, I did it. But I do feel like I got cut short. Because of how the episodes are structured, people never really got to know me. I’d love another shot to come back, be more involved, and make some big moves.
Men’s Journal: Any regrets about revealing your finance background?
Matt: In retrospect, I probably should’ve kept that to myself. I should’ve said I was a day laborer or something. At the time I thought, “Who cares?” But of course people use whatever information they can. I don’t understand how Savannah [Louie] likened me to a sociopath because I once worked in finance — that connection’s lost on me. But yeah, if Jason had gone home instead, that could’ve been used against me later. Still, I don’t think it changed much. I was already the target after Nate found out I’d said his name.
