Survivor 50's Cirie Fields Talks Changing Up Her Game And Not Being Excited To See Anyone: 'They're All Jury Members To Me!'

The following interview was conducted on location in Fiji before filming began for "Survivor 50."

To "Australian Survivor" and back again, Cirie Fields is ready to close this chapter of her reality TV career... by winning "Survivor 50," of course. 

Fresh off of falling just shy of making the Final 3 in the Australian version's "Australia V The World," Cirie is known to fans as one of the best players to never win. With her A+ social and strategic games, Cirie has unfortunately never found herself in one of those final Tribal Council seats. This season, she's hoping to correct that. 

Below, TVLine talks to Cirie about braving the elements once again, her reasons for returning, and one major change she's making to her game in "50." Plus — a Shane Powers nod! 

TVLINE | You're no stranger to the sand, Cirie, but tell me, why are you back for more?
CIRIE FIELDS | Well, my "Survivor" journey is not over! This is graduation. I need to walk across the stage with the cap and gown and the diploma. I haven't received that yet, so what better time to get it than Season 50.

TVLINE | Who are you most excited to see out here?
I ain't excited to see nobody! They're all jury members to me. [Laughs] I mean, I gotta get through all of them to win the million dollars, so excited? Eh, relative.

TVLINE | You already gave me my headline in less than 60 seconds. So speaking of all these future jury members, who do you think needs to be the first one sent packing?
Honestly, in my opinion, the first person that needs to go is Kyle. Kyle just won yesterday and he's back today, so that tells you he still has a hunger in him, and we all know and have seen his capabilities, right? So, we want another two-time winner? I mean, Tony's enough, right? [Laughs]

TVLINE | You've obviously played this game many times before, but will you do anything differently this time out?
I think the tweaks I made to my game is... no one is dead to me. My major adversary could be my best friend for the next vote. I need to be more fluid and adaptable in that aspect. Before, if I heard you mention my name, that was it, you were dead to me, there was no game that we could play together, there was nothing you could offer me, sandwiches included. I would turn it down. But now I've realized everyone is a potential opportunity to get to the next day no matter what happened today. I need to be able to put my big girl panties on, get over it, move on, utilize them appropriately, and then get rid of them when I have to! [Laughs]

TVLINE | You're one of the best never win this game. You did win "The Traitors." How does your reality TV career overall affect your threat level?
We're all here with threat levels. Like I mentioned, Kyle won yesterday. Dee's won before. You have a challenge king who's about to break the record (do we want to give him that opportunity?) in Joe. There's so many perceived threats that should be perceived higher than me. I should be low on the totem pole threat level. I'm just a grandmother. [Laughs] A Lola, to be exact.

TVLINE | How well-versed are you in the new era?
I'm pretty well-versed. I know the faces that I see, but I think being an old era player, we have an advantage over the new era players. We're used to a harder game. We're used to a longer game. It could be an advantage or a disadvantage. The reason that it's an advantage for me is because I also had the opportunity to play a short game recently [Cirie competed in "Australian Survivor: Australia V the World"], so I have the best of both worlds. The new era players, they only know this way and God forbid the fans are thinking like I'm thinking, and let's go back to the old way and take away all the advantages and all of this and that, and make them really show what they're made of. Then we'll see what the new era has to offer.

TVLINE | Any new era hot takes you'd like to share?
I just think for the new era, you have to hit the beach running and I don't mean outwardly. You can run in place. That is my plan because if people see you running, they're gonna automatically target you. However, your mind has to be open and fluid and adaptable, and you have to be two steps ahead in this new era, when as before, you had 39 days, so the first three days you can kind of shoot the s–t, you can sit around, get to know each other, talk about your life at home. You don't have time for that here.

TVLINE | Do you think the new school players have any sort of advantage?
I don't think the new era players have an advantage. They think they do, and that's when you lose. The first moment you feel like you have an advantage. Because you've played in this new era and you don't give any value to experience and knowledge, then you're already shooting yourself in the foot. So I hope they all think they've got advantages. I hope they all think they know it all, and then we can show them that they don't.

TVLINE | If this is the last time we see you on this particular show, how do you want to be remembered?
I want to be remembered as the lady who got off the couch 20 years ago, grabbed life by the balls, and never turned it loose and continued to push herself. Just gave it everything to experience all of this and not miss out anymore.

TVLINE | The cast is currently on lockdown, so you're not talking to each other, but I'm sure that there's probably some looks and glancing going down. What vibes are you getting from others in the cast?
With not being able to speak, I feel like it's my opportunity to lessen my threat level, right? So I keep my eyes to the ground for the most part. I don't want any of the other cast members to perceive, "Oh, she's smiling at Stephenie" or "She's looking at Aubry," so I try to discreetly watch everyone and be totally aware that everyone is watching me, so I'm not making eyes at anybody.

TVLINE | When the game does begin, who do you think you need to keep an eye on from the jump?
Oh Lord, who don't I need to keep an eye on is a better question. I need to keep an eye on all of them. No, but particularly, even though this is my road dog, I'm a rider for her, I just don't know that Stephenie feels or understands how much of a rider I truly am for her. I think Stephenie might feel a little threatened by me because we've played games together that I've won and she didn't, even though in those games I never targeted her. I don't know, I get a little wonky vibe from Stephenie, and it should be a warm, welcoming vibe. I'm definitely gonna keep an eye out for Q. Q is that hot stove that if you touch it you're gonna get burnt, but you can't help it because you wanna see, like is it hot-hot or is it just hot. [Laughs]

TVLINE | Is there anyone not here who you were expecting?
I thought maybe Tai would be here. I thought Tai was a big figure in our season that we played in, and in his season. 

I didn't think he would be here, but how fun would it have been if Shane Powers made another appearance on the beach. As crazy as Shane is, I think it would have been phenomenal. He probably would have gotten voted out first, but Shane is hilarious. It would have been awesome to get one more shot to look at crazy Shane. I mean, I never say never. Crazier things have happened.

TVLINE | Besides winning, is there anything in particular you're hoping to accomplish this time out?
Well, it's a double-edged sword on things that I would like to accomplish in this game because this is in the hands of the fans, right? So I'm not sure if the fans have decided to get rid of all the idols. If the fans have decided to get rid of all the idols, I'm with them. I 100% agree, but if the fans decide to leave an idol in here or there so Cirie will have her last chance to find one, then I'm with that too. [Laughs] Just leave one for Cirie this time, that's all.

TVLINE | Did you vote in the fan vote? Any particular category you're hoping goes a certain way?
The craziest thing ever, I did not vote and I don't even have a reason as to why I didn't vote. I'm just an idiot. I don't know, it never even crossed my mind to vote. But the one thing I do hope remains in this game is the opportunity to make fire at four, because I think it's a travesty that you can make it all the way down to the Final 4 and then be voted out because people are afraid to sit next to you. I think you should have an opportunity to make it to that final stage and take it out of the hands of the people who are afraid to sit next to you and put your game in your own hands. If you make fire and you win your spot, how great is that? And if you don't, it's still on your shoulders and not in the hands of someone who's afraid of you.

TVLINE | Cirie, you've been out here so many times. Do any of the elements even bother you any more, or are you just a pro at this point?
I still hate sand. I've never liked sand. It's a beautiful thing. It goes nice with the water. I just don't like it. I don't like all the things that are moving around. I'm set in my ways. I don't like bugs and stuff. I don't know. I would love to love them and be one with them in nature, but I'm from Jersey City! [Laughs] I don't want any bugs on me. I don't wanna get bitten. I think it's a beautiful atmosphere, but there's so many things that lived here before we got here that don't really want us here, and they want to put us out. [Laughs] Yeah, I want to get out... at the end, of course!

TVLINE | But still, you keep coming back for more! What's the allure of "Survivor" for you?
I think the allure that brings me back to "Survivor" over and over again is the love affair that we started 20 years ago. I fell in love with myself and it exposed to me capabilities that I didn't know that I had. It gave me self confidence that I lacked. So the challenge of learning more of what I'm capable of, even in times of travesty like the balance beam [in "Game Changers], it just continues to give. It's like my first love and we haven't crossed the threshold of marriage yet. And that win would be, we finally got married. I can put this chapter to bed.

TVLINE | Is there any single moment of regret you have from any of your past seasons?
I think the only thing I regret is not just sticking with Sarah [Lacina] all the way to the end on "Game Changers." I was in my head and feeling like she was gonna dump me for the guys which ultimately happened, but had I not shifted first, maybe that wouldn't have happened. We'll never know, but outside of that, I don't really regret anything.

TVLINE | You have quite the reality TV resume, but are there any shows left that are still on your bucket list that you want to check off?
I'm getting old. [Laughs] I'll be 55 next year. I am exhausted! Oh, you know what I would play just because it seems, well, see, by the time I get an opportunity, I'm gonna be 1) 60 and 2) they're gonna bump up the challenges and make them as hard as "Survivor." But I wish I had the opportunity that David [Genat] had on "Deal or No Deal Island" to play one time and get [$5.8] million is phenomenal. I could put it all to bed. So I would be open to "Deal or No Deal." [That series has since been canceled.] I used to think like, oh "The Amazing Race," but I've watched "The Amazing Race" recently... I'm like, woo child! Oh no. I might have needed to do that one when I was like 38 or something. So I don't know, whatever the universe has to offer me, I'm here for it.

TVLINE | Generally speaking, how are you feeling in this moment? What's the anticipation like? What's going on in your head, etc?
So if you could see inside, it's probably just so chaotic, like everything, a machine that's just going over and over and over and over and over all the things that I'm seeing, all the things that I'm thinking of the players that are here. What could potentially happen? What could potentially be? What if they don't like me? What if they all love me? It's just so much and then when you get here, there's this smell that brings everything rushing back from all the seasons, so you're like, "I'm overwhelmed a little bit," but I'm trying to play it cool because everybody's looking at me. But inside is sheer pandemonium.