James Jones, the most recently eliminated contestant from Survivor season 43, does not agree with the perception that he was “the Godfather” on the island. James was in a great position in the game, complete with a seven-person alliance that he assumed he could trust. It was ultimately a twist in the game that would lead to his demise when the contestants were split up into two groups of five. James had an advantage in his pocket as his torch was snuffed in a unanimous vote.
Despite James’ strong bonds with the other members of Survivor‘s Coco tribe, he was unable to shake the label of “The Godfather” off. In an interview with EW, James said, “I definitely wasn’t the Godfather…If I was the Godfather, I would still be out there.” While James didn’t feel as if he was running the show, he did admit, “It looked like I was manipulating a lot of the moves and I did have a lot of good relationships.” Unfortunately for James, the other contestants could see his power growing and seized the opportunity to blindside him.
Survivor’s James Jones Explains His Argument With Owen Knight
Although James had many strong relationships on the island, he also had some contentious relationships with Survivor players like Owen Knight. Owen voiced his frustrations with James in the most recent episode of Survivor, but James thought it was unfounded anger, saying, “I invited Owen to try to work, and then he still tried to vote me out.” Owen was upset that James had lied to him in the previous vote, but James points out that he wasn’t the only one, adding, “You’re singling me out…and I’m not even targeting you at that point.” Ultimately, Owen was not the only one who considered James to be the biggest threat. Even James’ closest ally, Karla Cruz Godoy, ended up voting him out.
James did have some opportunities to save himself, especially since he had one of the many Survivor advantages that have been floating around in Survivor 43. Fans were surprised to see him leave with an advantage in his pocket, but the real shock was Karla jumping on the bandwagon to vote him out. James and Karla seemed to run the game together, blindsiding any person in their path. Many thought the duo could make it all the way to the end together. It should be interesting to see how Karla moves through the game now that her number one ally is on the jury.
After the split tribal council, it seems Survivor 43 has really opened up so that anyone can have a shot to win the whole thing. James was a target in front of many people, due to his charming personality and strategic thinking. Now that he’s gone, anyone could rise to power and anyone can fall. Owen might be able to pick up the pieces of Survivor‘s fractured Baka tribe, but it’s hard to count out Karla, considering her dominant game thus far.
Survivor airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EST on CBS.
EW
