Yahoo News The Survivor 43 jury speaks!
They may have lost the game, but they still have the most important job in front of them on Wednesday's season finale of Survivor 43. Jeanine Zheng, James Jones, Ryan Medrano, Noelle Lambert, Sami Layadi, and Cody Assenmancher are the six jurors heading into finale night, where they will be joined by two more people that will vote on the winner of Survivor 43.
Before the jurors make their important, million-dollar decision, they will pepper the final three with questions that will help inform their choice. But before we see how that all shakes out, we decided to hit the jurors up with some questions of our own. Take that, jurors! Questions like: Which person voted out pre-jury do you wish had been with you all at Ponderosa? Questions like: Who among the jury played the best game and why? Questions like: How do you spell "preposterous"?
Okay, not that last one. But we did want to get a sense of what life was actually like at Ponderosa (where the jury stays after being voted out), so we polled the current jury members with a few important queries. Unfortunately, it seems Ryan was off somewhere stuffing his pockets with fish and Cody was too busy LIVIN!!, but we still managed to track down Jeanine, James, Noelle, and Sami, so enjoy this little peek into life as a member of the Survivor 43 jury. (Also check out what the final five — and the entire cast — told us right before filming began about how they wanted to approach the jury.) Behold, as the Survivor 43 jury speaks!
Robert Voets/CBS (6) Jeanine Zheng, James Jones, Noelle Lambert, Cody Assenmacher, Ryan Medrano, Sami Layadi from 'Survivor 43'
What was the best thing about being at Ponderosa?
JEANINE ZHENG: The best thing about being at Ponderosa is that I still had a role to play in the game. Leaving is difficult at any stage for anyone, but knowing I was still part of the final decision meant everything, and made that transition much easier. As a super-fan, there's no better seat than watching from the jury, and no greater honor than getting to vote for the winner of season 43!
JAMES JONES: The curry lamb and running water.
NOELLE LAMBERT: The best thing about being at Ponderosa was the incredible Fijian staff that was with us. The food they prepared was always incredible, and we always had an amazing time with them! They made us feel so welcome in their beautiful country.
SAMI LAYADI: The best thing about being at Ponderosa was definitely access to everything from massages to pepper steak. It was also refreshing to be able to kick it with people in a non-game sense and to see people put their guards down. Jeanine was the best Ponderosa Queen! She even stopped me from eating the peanut butter with my hands when I got voted out so that others could enjoy it!
Robert Voets/CBS Jeanine Zheng on 'Survivor 43'
Which person voted out pre-jury do you wish had been with you all at Ponderosa?
JEANINE ZHENG: My sister Elie and my kindred spirit Dwight! My heart broke when Elie left the island because we had been attached at the hip from the start of the game, and she truly cared for me as an older sister would. I also so wish Dwight made it to the jury because he was an inch away and we would've had the best Pondi banter.
JAMES JONES: Morriah or Lindsay.
NOELLE LAMBERT: Even though I wish we could've had everyone, the person I wished that was with us that got voted out pre-jury definitely has to be Dwight. Dwight was my best friend in the game and it would've been incredible to have him with us.
SAMI LAYADI: I'm gonna give a two-part answer and go with Morriah and Elie! My Baka peeps would have been a ton of fun to hang with! They're probably glad they didn't have to endure me knocking on their doors every hour just to show them new food creations I made, like spring pizza (spring rolls rolled into pizza, man it is so gas).
Robert Voets/CBS James Jones on 'Survivor'
If you had to live at Ponderosa permanently with one of your fellow jurors, who would it be and why?
JEANINE ZHENG: Noelle, because it'd be like Step Brothers except Step Sisters — we'd just have so much room and time for activities. One such activity being finishing every new juror's food — those rookies would always order too much on their first night at Ponderosa and it'd be up to us to achieve Clean Plate Club status.
JAMES JONES: I was kinda at Pondi permanently based on when I got voted out. I would say Cody, because we would have fun exploring and having fun.
NOELLE LAMBERT: If I had to live at Ponderosa with one person permanently, I would 1,000% pick Jeanine. I loved hanging out with Jeanine every day and stuffing our faces with food and just enjoying our time and living our best lives.
SAMI LAYADI: If I had to live at Ponderosa permanently with one of my fellow jurors, I would definitely have to go with James. They've all got traits I need in my life: Ryan brought laughter and joy, Noelle inspired me even back at Ponderosa to stop gaining so much weight, Jeanine was like my big sister I never knew I needed, and Cody, well his demeanor speaks for itself! James edges out everyone else because one moment we could be talking about 76ers legends and the next about the importance of family. I loved our conversations, and that man is a culinary genius! He was out there pushing Ponderosa chefs to their limits!!
Robert Voets/CBS Noelle Lambert on 'Survivor 43'
Who among the jury played the best game and why?
JEANINE ZHENG: I have to give Sami props for playing the middleman so well for so long — he was able to gain the trust of both the minority and majority alliances and had the most information as a result. Not only did he obtain this information, but he used it at advantageous times to sway votes his way. I'm so proud of Sambam for his stealthy skills.
JAMES JONES: Cody. He wasn't really targeted. I don't know that feeling. He was playing hard and was a challenge competitor.
NOELLE LAMBERT: I think out of all of us, Cody played one of the best games. Not only was he extremely great in challenges, but his social game was also a huge strength of his. He was able to connect with everyone out there and was so well liked.
SAMI LAYADI: Among the jury, I definitely think that Cody played the best game. His ability to use his carefree attitude to his advantage was something that I was incredibly impressed by when watching the show back. He had a preposterously remarkable social game and was strategically active during the entirety of the game! Not to mention, he was good at the challenges, too — and that takes a lot for me to admit because he called me a challenge loser! Cody impressed me out there, as I'm sure he did millions of other people!
Robert Voets/CBS Sami Layadi on 'Survivor 43'
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