Step by step, heart to heart, left, right, left, we all fall down\u2026 like toy soldiers. I have no idea why I am quoting Martika lyrics. I mean, the song is undeniably awesome. No debate necessary there. Still, a bit random.\n<\/p>\n
But the sweet sounds of Martika are running through my head as I consider the Survivor 49<\/a> members of the jury, who, not unlike the 1980s chanteuse, also fell down like toy soldiers \u2014\u00a0this time in their quest for $1 million and the title of Sole Survivor. But while they may be out of the game, their game is not over!\n<\/p>\n That\u2019s because Nate Moore<\/a>, MC Chukwujekwu<\/a>, Alex Moore<\/a>, Jawan Pitts<\/a>, Sophie Segreti<\/a>, and Steven Ramm<\/a> (along with two more jurors yet to join them) will decide who takes home the title on the Survivor 49 finale (Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET\/PT on CBS). But their decision won’t be made before peppering the final three with questions at the final Tribal Council.\n<\/p>\n First, it is time for the hunters to become the hunted, because we have our own questions for the jurors to answer. As we do every season, Entertainment Weekly got exclusive access to the latest Survivor jury to ask a few pre-finale questions. Sit back and enjoy as Nate, MC, Alex, Jawan, Sophie, and Steven reveal their thoughts on Ponderosa, including which juror played the best game of all. (Also enjoy that exclusive finale photo of the Loser’s Row, above.)\n<\/p>\n Nate Moore, Michelle \u201cMC\u201d Chukwujekwu, Alex Moore, Jawan Pitts, Sophie Segreti, Steven Ramm on ‘Survivor 49’.<\/p>\n Robert Voets\/CBS (6)<\/p>\n What was the best thing about being at Ponderosa?\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n NATE MOORE: Probably the ability to get to know some of the other contestants without the pressure of the game. On the island, you’re forced to take everything EVERYONE says with a grain of salt, but at Ponderosa, you actually get a true sense of who people are. I forged some connections there that were stronger than the ones I had in the game.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n MICHELLE \u201cMC\u201d CHUKWUJEKWU:\u00a0The best part about being at Ponderosa was that even though I was out of the game, I was still disconnected from the real world and real responsibilities. No phone, no news coverage, no emails, no work. The first 15 days of the game still\u00a0felt somewhat like a vacation. But being at Ponderosa is when those vacation vibes REALLY hit! I no longer had to starve and could order whatever I wanted to eat, whenever I wanted to eat it! Not to mention the pool, the super friendly staff, and the open bar. Without my phone or social media, I was able to really unwind. I have never relaxed quite so hard before.\n<\/p>\n ALEX MOORE: Besides the bottomless food, endless drinks, and the pink flamingo floatie in the pool that I fell asleep on every single day, the best part of Ponderosa were the late nights and early mornings with Nate and MC. I remember being nervous about showing up, I mean, I voted Nate out, and MC and I barely talked in the game. I was prepared for awkward small talk. Turns out, not at all. It was the total opposite. We instantly became a little trio, spending countless hours talking about our families, our lives back at home, and the sometimes-questionable choices being made by the people still in the game!\n<\/p>\n JAWAN PITTS: The food. My first meal after the game was fish tacos and it was probably the best fish taco I ever had.\n<\/p>\n SOPHIE SEGRETI: Karaoke. You don’t realize how much you miss music when you’re on the island. Ponderosa has a karaoke machine and there’s no better way to get over a blindside than scream-singing \u201cSurvivor\u201d by Destiny’s Child with your fellow jurors. Eating is a close second.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n STEVEN RAMM: Singing karaoke and getting to know everyone outside of the context of the game! F is for Friends who do stuff together.\u00a0\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Steven Ramm and Nate Moore on ‘Survivor 49’.<\/p>\n CBS<\/p>\n Which person voted out pre-jury\u00a0do you wish had been with you at Ponderosa? <\/p>\n NATE: Shannon<\/a>. We had a good relationship at Uli, and I think she’s an incredibly special person who I feel was misunderstood by other people in the game, and certainly by viewers watching it back.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n MC: I wish Jason<\/a> and Nicole<\/a> would’ve been with us at Ponderosa! After meeting Nicole in real life, it is a shame that the world didn’t get to see some Nicole + MC tomfoolery on the island. We would have had a grand ol’ time! Jason and I also would’ve shared a lot of laughs at Ponderosa and had more time to nerd out about video games and get to know each other like we have done now in the real world.\n<\/p>\n ALEX: I had a lot of good options since my original Kele tribe accounts for over half of the pre-jury! But in all seriousness, since filming, I\u2019ve gotten to know and spend time with all the pre-jurors, and they are all fantastic. When it comes to who I would have liked to see at Ponderosa, I\u2019d have to say Jeremiah<\/a>. Even though we didn\u2019t talk much strategy during the game, we were always goofing around. I know that if he had been at Ponderosa with us, he would have provided endless laughs \u2014\u00a0literally!\n<\/p>\n JAWAN: Jason. My Pok\u00e9mon brother\/partner in crime would have been nice to have around. We would\u2019ve had endless talks about video games and other annoying nerd stuff.\n<\/p>\n SOPHIE: Jeremiah! Ponderosa vibes need to be HIGH and I trust Jeremiah to meet that need.\n<\/p>\n STEVEN: This is a tie between Matt<\/a> and Jason! Both of them were my dudes. In another universe, we\u2019d all make it to jury.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Sophie Segreti, Jason Treul, Matt Williams, Steven Ramm and MC Chukwujekwu on ‘Survivor 49’ and.<\/p>\n Robert Voets\/CBS<\/p>\n If you had to live at Ponderosa permanently with one of your fellow jurors, who would it be and why? <\/p>\n NATE: Probably MC, because we have similar temperaments and we both value quiet time AND socializing.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n MC: I would pick Alex, although Nate is a close second. Alex, Nate, and I really had a great time as the initial trio to start off the Ponderosa crew. Those guys are hilarious, by the way. Definitely softens the blow of losing out on $1 million when you at least have good company with you. Alex and I would definitely keep the vibes lit and spirits high at Ponderosa. Margaritas for everyone! Weekly karaoke maybe?!\u00a0There would not be a dull moment.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n ALEX: If I were on a permanent vacation at Ponderosa, I\u2019d want to be stuck with Nate. Beyond being extremely welcoming and wise, he\u2019s someone I share a lot in common with. We\u2019d go running around the same time each morning, we\u2019re both competitive and love playing cards, and most importantly, we both appreciate a good gin and tonic or a glass of red wine. It\u2019s funny, because during pre-game, I was deeply suspicious of the guy in the fedora. Turns out, he became one of my favorites out there.\n<\/p>\n Jawan Pitts and Alex Moore on ‘Survivor 49’.<\/p>\n Robert Voets\/CBS<\/p>\n JAWAN: Probably Steven. It was dope learning more about how awesome his job is. He\u2019s just an all-around solid dude. We probably would\u2019ve started a Baldur\u2019s Gate 3 campaign together or wrote some songs.\n<\/p>\n SOPHIE: Oh, easy \u2013 my girl MC! We would have the most fun! Aside from the fact that she’s the best, I’d get all her workout secrets and for the first time in my life have absolutely cut abs.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n STEVEN: MC! She was my ride or die not just because she\u2019s a great game player, but because she\u2019s hilarious, down to earth, and an all-around awesome person.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Michelle “MC” Chukwujekwu and Nate Moore on ‘Survivor 49’.<\/p>\n Who among the jury played the best game and why? <\/p>\n NATE: \u00a0Survivor is a zero-sum game, so logic would tell you that because Steven lasted the longest, he played the best game. But I think Survivor is also about luck and circumstance, and I think had things broken differently during the early part of the merge, MC was best positioned to actually win. She was respected by everyone, was a physical threat, and had she not ended up in a micro tribe with the Hot Grim Reaper<\/a> paying them a visit, things could have been very different for everyone.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n MC: Besides myself… I would say Nate. He had some good connections and could’ve made it further, but his vote-out was honestly just collateral damage. He was only voted out in an attempt to weaken his allies. People really looked at him as a leader, and he was starting to build bonds with others outside of his initial Uli crew.\n<\/p>\n ALEX: Just looking at my fellow jury members, I think MC played the best game. There\u2019s no doubt she was a physical and social beast, and she was in a really strong position when she was taken out. If the final 10 hadn\u2019t been a split Tribal Council, there is no way MC would have been the target. Of course, that\u2019s how the game goes, you have to be ready for anything, but I would have loved to see what she could have done without that split vote after the merge.\n<\/p>\n Sophie Segreti, Alex Moore, Nate Moore, and Kristina Mills on ‘Survivor 49’.<\/p>\n CBS<\/p>\n JAWAN: I\u2019m biased, but I think Steven played the best game up until this point. I believe his win equity is high because he was a comp threat, well-liked by most people, and escaped the vote multiple times (Shannon boot, merge boot), and even had people play advantages on him. If he somehow made it to the end, I think he\u2019d have a strong case against anyone. I\u2019m kinda biased though. I also think Yellow Sophie had a solid game. If she continued positioning herself on the right side of the votes and won more challenges, she definitely had a shot, too.\n<\/p>\n SOPHIE: Can I say me? Because \u2026Me, a.k.a. Sophie Segreti, a.k.a. Yellow Sophie. Right side of every vote (except my last), two individual immunity wins, many tribe immunity wins, and switched alliances to great effect.\n<\/p>\n STEVEN: Sophie Segreti!\u00a0There\u2019s a reason why I was okay with voting her out as the seventh juror over Savannah. This didn\u2019t make the edit, but there was a moment when she turned on the waterworks for me right before a big vote. I found out later it was all a ruse. Truly an Oscar-worthy performance.\n<\/p>\n This interview has been edited for length and clarity.\n<\/p>\n