Survivor's Karla Cruz Godoy reacts to her rift with Cassidy

Injuries to her hand and ankle could not take Karla Cruz Godoy out of Survivor 43. Instead, the 28-year-old educational project manager was taken out the old-fashioned way — by a vote of her peers.

Karla was eliminated in fifth place on Wednesday's season finale, but not before she ruffled — or, if you are Hayden Moss, rustled — some feathers on her way out. In a last-ditch attempt to stay, Karla told her ally-turned-adversary Cassidy Clark that she would work against her on the jury if Cassidy helped put her there. It was a bold play from a bold player, but it didn't work. Karla then went to the jury, where she helped award the million-dollar prize to Mike Gabler.

Did she follow through on her threat to Cassidy? What did she make of Cassidy's final Tribal Council apology? And how does she think she would have done had she made it to the end? We spoke with the island's Warrior Princess shortly after the finale aired to get the full story. (Also make sure to read our finale recap and exit interview with Mike Gabler and finale Q&A's with Cassidy Clark, Owen Knight, and Jesse Lopez.)

Karla Cruz Godoy on 'Survivor 43'. Robert Voets/CBS

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Let's begin with your vote for Gabler to win the million dollars. Why Gabler?

KARLA CRUZ GODOY: When it came down to the jury, listen, it was about we're playing in a game where we created a society that was really low key, afraid to make moves — and we saw that play out. And, for me, it was like, "Okay, out of the three of you, who made a move? Period. Who made a move that you either took a risk, that you said, 'All right, I'm going to step out of my comfort zone,' whether or not you had immunity around your necklace, and made a move."

And the only person that could really answer that was Gabler. And we saw that with the Elie vote. So, for me, it was really like, "All right, he did throw her name out at the merge feast, and we saw that." And not just that, but it was also the fire challenge. We were like, "Okay, so you just took out the biggest threat. Clearly, I was throwing Jesse's name under the bus, but you took Jesse out." And that's a big feat. So that's why my vote went to Gabler.

We saw you tell Cassidy that you were going to work against her on the jury if she put you there. She did not seem happy about that. Tell me about that conversation and trying to use that as leverage.

Listen, okay. I'm not dumb. I knew where I was at. The moment that I landed at that beach after the Cody vote out, it was me. I knew it was me. And so I was like, "What can I do to try to save myself?" Clearly, I'm not going to be like, "Hey, everyone, please save me." I'm not a beggar. So I came out here and I said, "I'm taking these gloves off and I'm going to come out swinging. I'm swinging at everyone."

I swung at Owen. I swung at Gabler, and I swung at Cass. And for me, it was kind of like, "Who's going to take that?" First of all, I'm pitching that Jesse's the biggest threat. And all three of them were like, "Yeah, I know, but I still think I could beat him." And in my head, I'm like, "What?" So I came out here, I was Daenerys. I was going to light this entire place up on fire, and if people were going to save me, they were going to save me. And at that point, whether they thought my body was going to give out or whether they thought whatever — that was my plan. I was just going to create chaos. And if it worked, it worked. And clearly it didn't, but it's okay.

What did you make of Cassidy's apology during that final Tribal Council? Did that strike you as genuine, or that she was trying to get your vote?

I honestly thought it was her really trying to get my vote. That Tribal was really hard because we really went into that Tribal not knowing who we were going to vote for. Clearly, I was crying when Jesse got voted out, and I was like, "Oh my gosh, who do we vote for now?" So to hear that apology then after we had fought many nights at this point, right? This wasn't the first time. I thought it was just for the vote. So I stayed true to who I thought deserved to win.

You and Cassidy were very closely aligned for strategic purposes early in the game. Were you ever close personally and then that unraveled, or what happened there?

So during Coco, we were definitely close. I'd say that Lindsay, Cassidy, and I formed a really close bond, but honestly, the time I felt that it was a turning point was when we merged — literally the moment we hit the beach, I saw her making bonds with everyone else. And I was like, "Oh, okay." We weren't really connecting. We weren't checking in with each other as often as we did at Coco. And it was just kind of time to be like, "All right, we all have our own games. We're going to play our own games, and I'm not going to hold you."

I'm not going to be like, "You're not checking with me, Cass. You're no longer my friend." I knew that that's the game. I respected that. And so that was what she had to do. I had to do what I had to do. But definitely the merge was the turning point for our relationship.

How do you think you do if you make it to the end? Obviously, it depends on who's there. Let's say you're sitting next to Jesse.

So with Jesse, I talked this over in my head. That would've been the hardest one. I would've been like, "Listen, he got so lucky with the idol. He didn't need to go find those beads. Life was just handed to him." So I would've tried to downplay that. I would've downplayed the whole Dwight vote because Cody and Jesse — both of them came up to me, that day and they said, "We want to get out either Dwight or Noelle."

So I would've said, "I worked closely with both of them," and they don't show that, right? But I worked closely with Cody and Jesse the moment that we landed on the Gaia beach, and we started working. So it would've kind of been like I was there alongside with them. It would've been hard, honestly, but I think he would've had it at that point. But I would've been fine going with him at that point.

And what about any of those other final three, if you're up there with any of them?

That was the plan, Dalton! That was the plan! I know I had this in the bag. If I would've taken Gabler, Owen, or Cass, regardless of those three, I had a feeling I would've won just given the very strategic pre-merge game that I had. But also, if I would've helped get either Jesse or Cody out. Clearly, Cody was not my move, and I was left out of that. But I would've been able to be like, "I was able to work alongside Jesse and Cody to make these strategic moves in the majority," which is why all three of us were able to keep our idols for so long, which is why it was hard for anyone to make a move because if the three strongest people with the idols are the majority and calling the shots, of course idols aren't going to be played. We're sitting comfortable. So that would've been my case.

You told Jesse you voted against him at five to ruin his perfect game. Why did you ultimately vote for him, because it looked like you started to put Cassidy's name down and then changed it?

Jesse and I were talking about this out on the island, and I was like, "Bro, I'm going home. There's no reality where I'm staying." So I started writing Cassidy's name when I was at the voting booth and I was like, "You know what would be funny?" Because Jesse was kind of teetering at, "Maybe I'll play the idol for you." And I was like, "He might save me." And at that point I was like, well, he knows that I was thinking of writing Cass, so I could go back down there and say, "I wrote Cass."

But then I decided to write his name down in the event that he thought, "Let's make a big move." So if he played it for me, I would've got his ass out. And then that would've been the biggest move this season because that would've played everyone. So that was actually my mindset. But, at the same time, it was out of love. I honestly wrote his name out of love, which sounds f---king crazy, because I was the only one to ever write Jesse's name down. And I can say that triumphantly. It was beautiful. Poetic justice.

Is it true that during that live Tribal you were trying to convince people that his idol was fake?

Oh, where'd you hear this?

I've got my sources.

I did. Because listen, I looked at it and I thought that there was a bead missing. And I was like, "Wait, I think his idol is fake!" So I went up to Gabler and then I went up to Cass and I was like, "Let's turn the vote on him." But obviously they all tattled. They literally all tattled and went straight to Jesse, And they were like, "Karla's saying that your idol is fake." And then Jesse was like, "Oh, well screw that." And yeah, that was it. And I was like, "Dang, I tried." I tried everything.

So are you always this klutzy injuring yourself, Karla?

No! Wait, you know what? I'm not even going to say no. I have a history of injuries. I'm an athlete. When I was in school, I participated in all sports. I played volleyball, I played football, I played basketball, I played soccer. So I've had injuries the entire time when I was young. And one of my biggest fears was that I was actually going to pop out my knee, which never happened, luckily.

But you know what? I'll say this. I did not know that I could persevere through all these injuries. I mean, you saw me at that last immunity challenge. I still tried my hardest and I came so close despite the twisted ankle that I twisted twice the challenge before. I'm not that clumsy in real life. Maybe my wife would say that I am, but I didn't know that I could still fight as hard as I did.

You were even trying to run on the beach and stuff to get that advantage. How much fun was it to see Owen have that huge hissy fit after you got it?

Listen, I love Owen. Okay, so when I found that, first of all, I'm running, pulling my pants up because my pants are literally falling down. So I was like, "My ass is about to hang out. This is not funny." My ankles hurt, so I'm limping down the beach. And the moment I grab it, he's wilding out. And I'm like, "Oh my God." And in my head, I'm like, "Is he really that upset that I got it?"

And I was like, "Ohhhhhhhh. So they're really gunning after me." So in a way it was good. I was like, "Hell yeah, I took that from you. I did that." But it was so interesting to see Owen. You should have seen him. It was worse than that. He was cursing, he was chopping those coconuts and whacking at the trees. And I was like, "Bro, relax." But I love Owen, and he was like, "I'm so sorry."

Give us some inside scoop on something that didn't make into an episode.

I'll say this. I think something that should have made TV was the relationship that Jesse and I built around just being kids from the inner city and being folks who grew up in the hood. It's funny because he loves Tupac, he loves Kendrick. I love Tupac, I love Kendrick. And he has a rose that grew from concrete tattoo on him. And that's one of my favorite poems ever. So I wish that they would've showed the way that we bonded around our struggles. That was powerful. And to see two very strong players who are from similar backgrounds.

We both went to Berkeley, which we confirmed out there that we were both at the same year and knew similar people. That was wild to me. And that just goes to show that people like us, we can do it. We can play a game like this. And so we need people to apply. You can do whatever you want. I would've never thought that I would make it on Survivor, but I did what I did. And yeah, that's the thing that I want everyone to know is we can do this and we can kick ass.

Well then, what do you say when they call and ask you to do it again?

Oh yes, let's go! I've been lifting. I've been working out a lot more now. Stronger than ever. Let's do it.

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