Survivor Cambodia: Second Chance castaway Abi-Maria Gomes has confessed her one big mistake in Survivor: Philippines and what she learned NOT to do through someone else's example.

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Gomes, who finished Season 25 of Survivor in fifth place, insisted during an interview with Entertainment Weekly she had no intention to jump right into making alliances like she did her first time on the show.

"This time around, I really do want to play smart. I've played the game before, I know that I made mistakes, so I actually, my strategy is to, like, chill out for a minute, let people come to me, and keep my mouth shut as much as I [can] try to and my ears open," Gomes told EW.

"I really do wanna play smart.  I wanna play the game in phases, because I'm here for the kill."

Gomes then elaborated on what mistakes she made in the Philippines.

"Well, my biggest mistake was, I let my emotions take control over me. I lost control. So that was bad. The way I handled our seat was wrong. I lost my finesse there. I was a brute. And, you know, I got to do a lot of growing on national television with the whole world watching me. It was like holding a mirror and seeing all my flaws," she explained.

Four years later, Gomes said she can only hope that she learned a lot about herself through that experience.

"And I hope the circumstances, and the weather and the starvation won't get into me, and hopefully I'll be in control of myself and be able to get it and play my A-game like I promised the first time around," Gomes said.

Gomes also refused to many any pre-game alliances.

"I'm a little smarter than that, we know that making pre-game alliances, doesn't really work in Survivor world. I mean, an example to me is [Francesca Hogi]. I've heard through the grapevine that she had some alliances with [John Cochran], and some other guys from the New York Survivor family," she revealed.

"And that literally bit her in the ass. So that was a great learning curve for me, to be aware that pregame alliances don't really work."

Gomes was a feisty, outspoken player during Survivor: Philippines. She had trouble trusting her closest allies in the game and was labeled a "bully" by some of her tribemates.

Survivor Cambodia: Second Chance premieres Wednesday, September 23 with a special 90-minute broadcast at 8PM ET/PT. The finale of Big Brother's seventeenth season will follow from 9:30-11PM ET/PT.


About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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