In a turn that no one saw coming, Ross Clarke-Jones was forced to bow out of Survivor after an injury left him with a broken ankle.
The surfer has faced waves over 80 feet tall, but during the immunity challenge on Monday night’s episode, it was a broken rope that signalled the end of his Survivor journey.
It’s not the best way to go, granted, but Ross revealed to us why he doesn’t regret a thing about the way he played his game, plus why he’d do it all again in an instant.
TV WEEK: Roscoe, we’re so sorry you had to leave the show. What exactly happened out there on the obstacle course?
Ross: The start of the challenge was this stepping stone thing so you had to step from pole to pole and I did that successfully, but that was kind of like an ankle break in itself! And then you get to the platform and I had to swing across like Tarzan to the other side and mid-swing the rope broke and the whole weight went on the ankle. I was screaming like a girl, I was in a lot of pain!
TV WEEK: And how are you going now?
Ross: I’ve been to a couple of physio appointments, I’ve had an operation. It’s a long road ahead still, I won’t be surfing for another four to six months. This is the hardest thing to do, surfing is my livelihood so I can’t do anything, it’s horrible.
Ross was forced to drop out after breaking his ankle at the challenge.
(Image: Network Ten)TV WEEK: Your Survivor experience was cut short but did you have a strategy up your sleeve for merge?
Ross: Definitely! If we stayed Champion strong, it was seven to five so we were going to vote Harry out next. I was going to stick on him like glue so he didn’t find an idol!
My relationship with the girls was stronger than it appeared and I trusted them to carry me through that. But it was a numbers game really, you don’t have to be Einstein to figure it out. Luke and Dave, I could trust them so once it came back to the merge we’d be strong.
TV WEEK: You said you’d want Luke to win for his family, do you reckon he could take out Janine?
Ross: Yeah I think so. She’s very good at what she does and she’s very good on Survivor but I think Luke can take her out, hopefully- he’s the people’s champion! That was my strategy, if I was in the final two against Luke I’d go ‘Just give him the money!’
WATCH: Can People’s Champion Luke Toki win? Post continues after video…
TV WEEK: You always had a smile on your face but what was the toughest thing for you?
Ross: The sleeping for me was torturous especially in the first couple of days. I have sleep apnea and a big roaring snore so I was trying to avoid sleeping in the first couple of days. Everyone’s dragging me through the mud for my snoring but it’s a condition. It’s not really a joke. It’s a condition, it’s a disorder and it’s nasty. I’ve ripped my throat out and got my tonsils out to try and open up the airwaves. It’s funny though, even my daughter laughed.
TV WEEK: You had your packet of Twisties after your ankle injury but did you have a special meal when you got home?
Ross: That packet of Twisties, I couldn’t help myself, I just inhaled them! But not really, I can’t remember, I’m still on painkillers.
It’s actually the shower that was the best, the comfort of lying on an actual bed with a clean pair of underpants and clean teeth! I felt so clean, I didn’t know what to do with myself but I was so comfortable, I slept with the windows open with no mosquito net.
Ross confesses the toughest thing to deal with was the lack of sleep.
(Image: Network Ten)TV WEEK: You said you learned what was and wasn’t important while you were on the show. What were some of those life lessons?
Ross: I mean, you don’t need all this comfort and all this food. We definitely overeat, all you need is water, a couple of coconuts and a little bit of food. But as far as the iPhones, the computers, the technology, the TV all that stuff is unnecessary.
And forming friendships, you just go back to basics with no phones, everyone goes back to talking again! I’m pretty old school anyway. It really affects your mood checking your phone, everyone was calling me crazy I was very stable out there. Living on the ground with no shoes, I was so into the jungle experience.
Ross really enjoyed getting back to basics on the show.
(Image: Network Ten)TV WEEK: If you had the chance to go back do it all again, would you?
Ross: Of course I would, I’d be better prepared. I wouldn’t wear pink T-shirts that’s for sure because they got dirty straight away! I wouldn’t change my strategy or anything, I was in a position to really screw things up but I didn’t, I mean I screwed myself up.
I stayed on course, what I set out to do. I’m not going to lie, I just avoid the truth. At some stage I would’ve had to throw someone under the bus somehow and I could’ve quite easily done that but I stuck to my game and it was working.
TV WEEK: Well Harry tried to sway you to vote his way and ditch the Champions at the last tribal council.
Ross:There’s no way he could’ve swayed me. He was genuinely sad at the time and I felt sorry for him but there’s no way I was going to flip on the girls. They looked a bit worried too but I knew what I was doing all along.
There was no chance Ross would ever ditch the Champions and side with Harry.
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