The first two times Sandra Diaz-Twine played the game of “Survivor” (in “Pearl Islands” and “Heroes vs. Villains”), she won. The next two times she competed (in “Game Changers” and “Winners at War”), she lost. Specifically, she was voted out both of those seasons on Day 16. Now that she’s made it to Day 15 on “Australian Survivor: Blood V Water,” Sandra is understandably worried that the “Day 16 curse” is ready to strike her yet again.
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The “Survivor” Queen reminded people about her so-called “curse” in the recent sixth episode. She reflected on her time in the game so far, saying she “can’t believe” she’s made it two weeks Down Under. The two-time American winner thanked the reality TV show for giving her more than she ever could have had on her own, including sending her daughter Alanna “Nina” Twine to college. Nina is now competing against her mother to win this “Blood V Water” installment of the Aussie version of the show.
Sandra, now 47 years old, has her sights set on a third victory and she claims she knows what it takes to get there, but the “Day 16 curse” is looming. The last two times she played, her tribe lost immunity on that day and voted her out. This time around, the tribe swap will happen on Day 15, which means all of the close bonds she has created (with people like Ben Watson, Michelle Chiang and Samantha “Sam” Gash) on her Red (Blood) tribe are at risk.
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The preview trailer at the end of the sixth episode revealed that after everyone “drops their buffs,” both Sandra and Nina will pull out brand new Red buffs. That means mother and daughter will go from competing against each other on opposite tribes to playing with each other. But it also makes the target on Sandra’s head exponentially bigger. All of a sudden, the Red tribe has a Queen and a Princess to worry about. How will her fellow players react to that news?
So far on “Australian Survivor,” Sandra has been to three tribal councils. The first time, her plans of ousting David Goodchild were upended when he played an idol and saved himself, resulting in Kate Tatham going home instead. The Queen was then instrumental in voting out Sophie Cachia (who merely switched tribes) and Jay Bruno (who left the game). Click here to see Sandra’s journey so far.
