This is a good interview and covers a lot more than why she voted Brando out. Sounds like the Sabiyah boot episode should have been two hours long.
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Survivor 45 star Emily Flippen reveals why she voted Brando out in exclusive mid-game interview

The comeback kid says she was "completely shell-shocked" to make it to the merge episode.

By Dalton Ross

It's been a wild ride for Emily Flippen on Survivor 45. The 28-year-old investment analyst called out Bruce Perreault just moments into the game, and then set her sights on the dominant alliance of her own Lulu tribe. All that drama and negative energy had Emily's neck on the line at the first Tribal Council of the season, and she would have been voted out right then, on day three of the game, had Hannah Rose not threatened to quit unless the tribe voted her instead.

That reprieve gave Emily a second life, and she has made the most of it — forming an alliance with Kaleb Gebrewold that flipped the script on Lulu. She then ended up in the all-powerful swing vote position when a tribe swap put her on a tribe with two original Belo and two original Reba members. With both sides wooing her, Emily eventually sided with Drew Basile and Austin Li Coon over Brando Meyer and Kendra McQuarrie — voting Brando out.

With all three tribes combining onto one beach for tonight's "mergatory" episode — when players will battle to make the merge — Emily was the natural choice for EW's regular in-season merge interview. What does she make of her 180-degree turn in the game? What were her highest and lowest points during the first 11 days? And why did she ultimately side with Drew and Austin over Brando and Kendra? We asked Emily all that and more.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: After all the turmoil you experienced, what was it like to make it past the three-tribe portion of the game, on the precipice of the merge?

EMILY FLIPPEN: I'd like to say that I was excited, but the reality was that I was completely shell-shocked. I was still grappling with the reality that I should've been voted out at the very first Tribal Council, which, for an already insecure person, certainly made me that much more doubtful of my own gameplay. However, the bright side that came with this new reality was the realization that every day I was on the island, I was essentially playing with house money. I wasn't supposed to be there; I had already made every mistake in the book, so screw it! How much worse could it possibly get?

What's something interesting that happened in the pre-merge portion of the game that never made it to TV?

Kaleb approached me about voting out Sean early during the day of the third Tribal Council, before we swapped the vote over to Sabiyah. He felt that Sabiyah (along with her idol) could be an asset for us should there be a merge or tribe swap. Sean, on the other hand, was extremely social and "go with the flow," which could give him more options. However, we decided Sabiyah's idol could be used against us if we lost another immunity challenge, so we swapped the votes over to her. I still think about what might have happened should we have stuck to Kaleb's original plan to vote for Sean.

How worried were you that Kaleb would not believe you and think it was a ploy to save yourself when you told him Sabiyah was gunning for him?

Initially, I wasn't worried at all. Kaleb had gone out of his way to bring me into the fold, both strategically and personally. He independently approached me about swapping the vote onto Sean, so I was fairly confident that I was in a swing position. I felt it made little sense for us to not vote together, and believed I was putting my neck on the line for him should the vote result in a 2-2 split.

However, doubt initially sprouted up shortly before Tribal Council when Sabiyah and Sean told me details about a private conversation I had with Kaleb, making me realize he was still sharing information with them. It's embarrassing to say, but that's when I panicked and realized it was possible Kaleb was playing me and could still write down my name. What viewers saw in the third episode was a last-minute scramble on my part, attempting to ensure Kaleb was aware that if he did not write down Sabiyah's name, he was going home. In reality, Kaleb was already aware of this and already voting with me, so he took my panic in stride.

What was it like going from being on the bottom of what might be the worst Survivor tribe ever to all of a sudden being the all-powerful swing vote on Belo?

Weirdly enough, I much preferred playing from the bottom of Lulu than being in a more influential position on Belo. I had little to lose on Lulu — anything decent I did was just gravy. On Belo, I had to be much more conscious of what I said and how I acted.

When Belo lost immunity, I knew that my decision on aligning with former Belo or former Reba members would have a lasting impact not just on my game but on others' games as well. That was an incredible amount of pressure, especially when my starved brain could barely form a coherent sentence (sorry, Brando - not Brendo!). It was strange to suddenly have options, and I was not well-prepared for my position to change so dramatically so quickly.

Realizing things can change moving forward, at that point on day 11 of the game, what made you pick Austin and Drew over Brando and Kendra?

I had an immediate connection with both Drew and Austin, in part because we seemed to have similar communication styles. Both of them, but especially Drew, were very direct and honest, which made me feel comfortable. Moreover, they both included me in their conversations. While I knew the two were closer with each other, they talked to me like an equal rather than attempting to direct me. They gave me information about the dynamics of the Reba tribe and wanted to create an alliance between the three of us.

Brando and Kendra were a bit more complicated. While Kendra and I got along surprisingly well, in part thanks to her unadulterated authenticity, I still had lingering doubts about her allegiances given her previous visit to Lulu camp on the night of the first Tribal Council. She never told me about her vote that night. Brando wanted to work with me during the swing vote, but I didn't get the impression he was truly interested in creating an alliance that would survive the merge.

I could make a compelling case for both sides, and there were points where I legitimately found myself unclear about what the "right" decision was. At some point, I had to accept that I couldn't know what the best choice would ultimately be, so I voted with my gut instinct.

What was your favorite moment you experienced this season leading up to the merge?

For some reason, the first memory that comes to mind is our very first night on Lulu beach. We had no shelter, and everyone was lying on the ground, trying to sleep. I suggested to the tribe that we should go around and share interesting facts about ourselves to get to know each other better. I went first, sharing with the tribe that I could swallow my tongue. I thought it was a fun fact!

However, the rest of my tribemates opened up about very personal and meaningful stories from their lives. I remember laying there thinking to myself, "Emily, you are so stupid!" While my failure to open up really isolated me at Lulu Beach, it's hilarious to look back on, made even better by the fact that my fellow castaways were able to have a good laugh about it as well.

What was your lowest moment leading up to the merge?

This is easy: the days following Hannah's quit when I realized I would have to change aspects of who I was in order to be better at the game of Survivor.

I mean, I shouldn't have been surprised! After all, since when does conflict and bluntness win you any friends? But it was still somewhat painful to discover that key qualities and traits of my personality, some that I previously prided myself for, were looked upon so negatively. While "weird aggressive Emily" is not a complete picture of me, it was (and still is) a very real part of who I am.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Source: https://ew.com/tv/survivor-45-emily-flippen-reveals-why-she-voted-brando-out/

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Brian