S44: Claire Rafson

[Whimsy]

Claire Rafson

Age: 25

Hometown: Highland Park, Ill.

Current Residence: Brooklyn, N.Y.

Occupation: Tech Investor

Three Words to Describe You: Energetic, motivated, cunning

Why do you want to be part of Survivor? Survivor has been my dream since I was four years old. Survivor has been the most consistent and motivating thing for me and changed the way I approach the world. I've been playing Survivor my whole life… why not try it in the ultimate arena?

What's one life experience you feel has prepared you for the game? Growing up as a queer black Jewish woman, I have always been the odd one out. I feel like I've been playing a social/strategic game of Survivor my whole life to fit in, succeed, and reach my goals.

Which previous player do you identify with the most? Who do you think you will play most like? I identify most with Michele Fitzgerald. I love her social game and how she used people's perceptions of her against them. I think I'll play most like Natalie Anderson in Blood vs. Water – she doesn't take bulls--- from anyone and knew how and when to make a move.

What will you value in an alliance partner? Loyalty over everything! I'd also love someone who appears to be a bigger threat so I can use them as a shield / puppet without them realizing.

Favorite Hobbies: Eating, drinking, and sleeping. I also love traveling and going to concerts and music festivals… anything to make me feel alive.

Pet Peeves: People who lack self-awareness. Honestly you can do whatever you want as long as you recognize it and own it.

What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? When COVID hit my first year out of college, I led my office in a fundraiser to raise $150,000 in two weeks for the NYC community.

What is something we would never know from looking at you? I listen to the Hunger Games audiobook every night to fall asleep. I'm also the biggest musical nerd.

Who in your life is your biggest inspiration and why? My mom! She is the most selfless, patient, and loving person I know. She is the embodiment of a survivor and has seized every opportunity to give me and my siblings a better life. I could go on for pages, I love that woman!

Why will you be the Sole Survivor? I'll do whatever it takes to win. I've got the strategic knowledge and social skills to get me where I need to go. I'm also easy to underestimate. These people won't see me coming til my knife is in their back.

[LadyChatts]

Exit interview with Claire:

https://ew.com/tv/survivor-44-claire-rafson-interview/

-first and foremost, the challenges.  She said she did volunteer to sit out the first challenge, as she didn't think she was strong enough to complete it.  She also said it was to her tribes benefit, as her and Bearded Matt talked on the sidelines and she got information.  As for the other challenges, when Jeff asked who was going to sit out, no one would speak up at her tribe.  They all just stared at each other.  No one wanted to do it, so Claire got volunteered by default I guess?  She also hoped to go to the merge and have the other tribes think she was weak by sitting out so much, so they wouldn't think to target her for strength.

-she knew on day 6 she was on the tribe's radar.  She noticed that the vibe with Danny had changed towards her.  She also felt that people wanted to keep Danny happy, so that's why they opted to just vote the way he wanted to.  She thinks Matthew not having a vote also hurt her odds.

-as to her favorite moment that didn't make it to air

Quote

 

Finally, what's something that happened out there that didn't make it to TV that you wish we had a chance to see?

Probably my favorite thing is that in the first challenge, I got everyone water bottles. Because Survivor is freakishly fair. If one tribe's in the shade, everyone's in the shade. Everything's measured to the tee. And Brandon got a water bottle because he was obviously, like, dying. And I call over Jeff to the bench and I was like, "I see Brandon has water. Is everyone getting water?" And so mid-challenge they had to go and give every single person a water bottle. And I don't know when they've done that before, but I was also like, "You're welcome, you got water. That was on me from the bench." And that was a fun one that was definitely not shown.

 

 

Edited March 16, 2023 by LadyChatts

[blackwing]

On 3/16/2023 at 1:32 PM, LadyChatts said:

Exit interview with Claire:

 

Finally, what's something that happened out there that didn't make it to TV that you wish we had a chance to see?

Probably my favorite thing is that in the first challenge, I got everyone water bottles. Because Survivor is freakishly fair. If one tribe's in the shade, everyone's in the shade. Everything's measured to the tee. And Brandon got a water bottle because he was obviously, like, dying. And I call over Jeff to the bench and I was like, "I see Brandon has water. Is everyone getting water?" And so mid-challenge they had to go and give every single person a water bottle. And I don't know when they've done that before, but I was also like, "You're welcome, you got water. That was on me from the bench." And that was a fun one that was definitely not shown.

Ugh.  Sounds very much like Angelina Keeley, who took every possible moment to remind her tribe that "I got you rice".  I can definitely see that Claire seemed like someone who would actually remind everyone "you're welcome, you have me to thank for the water".   Good riddance to her.

I vaguely remember a challenge where everyone was dying.  I think it was the one where they had to dig in a huge area of sand looking for something.  Was that the same one where Caleb Reynolds was evacced for heat stroke?  I think others were in trouble too.  Pretty sure everyone would have gotten water.  So it's not like water is a new thing.

[LadyChatts]

Yeah, I feel like that’s a bad example of claiming you did something for everyone.  Brandon was in medical distress.  He couldn’t even complete the challenge.  He probably would have been worse off if they denied him water.  But she thinks they all deserved water because he was getting it?

[peachmangosteen]

I mean, I think they all deserve water at all times lol. It's really alarming that they aren't providing them water during challenges, although it does explain why people are getting so dehydrated they have heat stroke.

[LadyChatts]

2 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

I mean, I think they all deserve water at all times lol. It's really alarming that they aren't providing them water during challenges, although it does explain why people are getting so dehydrated they have heat stroke.

Oh, don't get me wrong-I think fresh water is the one thing that should be provided to them.  I know in some seasons (I can't remember if it was everyone) they gave them fresh water because of the water supply in the area.  Like in Africa, they got these big gourds with a certain amount of water to get them through until they could make fire and boil their own.  That always stood out, because some of the contestants actually decided to dump their water on the way to camp since the gourds were so heavy to carry.  And that tribe ended up struggling pretty bad as a result.  I just think Claire using Brandon, whose clearly having a medical emergency, as an excuse as to why they all should have gotten water.  And acting like she was doing them a favor.  Which, she probably was, but it's just funny that she had to use that opportunity to try and make herself a hero.  It'd be like someone in the Big Brother house being diabetic and needing certain foods to bring their sugar levels up, and the other houseguests saying 'if they get that, so should we.'  And given the caliber of people they cast on that show, I could definitely see that happening.