TVGuide.com: You looked really thin toward the end. How much weight did you lose?
Janu Tornell: About 12 lbs. It took a toll. There was no water and then no food. Then [when] there was food, I would throw it up every single time. It was really rough.
TVG: How was it dealing with the rats?
Janu: At first they freaked me out. Afterward, they just became gerbils and Muppets. They are just part of the tribe. What can you do? I would sleep next to Coby and, bless his heart, he had a rat stick and he would say, "Go away, rats, and leave my sugar alone." And I would scream. They were not afraid of us.
TVG: Coby — who now sits in the jury — looked so disappointed when you quit. I think he took it harder than you did.
Janu: Possibly, or at least [equally]. He's gone, so who's going to stir it up? Now I'm gone and the only other hope is for Stephenie to stir it up. I think that is why he gave a look to Stephenie when I laid my torch down.
TVG: Any regrets about your decision?
Janu: No, none whatsoever. I got what I got out of it. I don't come from a family of wealth. If somebody were to [hold out their hands and] say to me, "Here's $1 million or here is the experience that you had," there is just no equality there. A million dollars would have been great — I'm not saying I wouldn't have liked the $1 million!
TVG: You seemed a little undecided during tribal council. What pushed you to quit?
Janu: When I started to listen to how the [tribe] was answering the questions that Jeff [Probst] was asking them. I realized I'm a play piece. I am a pawn and they are moving me around. [I thought,] "Eventually, I'm going to go, and I'm ready to go now. So I'm going to go when I want to go, and it is going to make them think twice about what is happening." TVG: So you did stir up a little more trouble.
Janu: I did. Just to their faces and not behind their backs.
TVG: Being sequestered on that island alone seemed to rejuvenate you. Would more time there have changed your decision?
Janu: No, it wouldn't have changed anything. It changed me, but I just couldn't stand being [in the game] anymore. I was able to play the game and not talk bad about anybody. [I don't understand how you] are able to change your complete personality and be this "game" person and still live with yourself. If somebody can explain that one to me, then maybe I'll have a different viewpoint. I don't see how it can be done.
TVG: Were you freaked about when you had to go to the island alone?
Janu: No. I wasn't. Absolutely not. I remember being in the cage and thinking, "I almost want to go on exile." Then Jeff started talking, asking, "Are you getting cold, Janu?"
TVG: It seemed like Jeff was trying to make you quit that challenge.
Janu: No. He knows this game better than anybody. He is very good at assessing what is happening, and good [at saying] things that are going to trigger your mind. He's not just a host. He gets in your face. He got in their faces when they were in the cage and said, "Here you are, this happy Koror tribe, and one of your members gets [exiled] by her choice, but you guys are laughing. What is this, open mic session?" That shut them up.
TVG: Katie gave you the most trouble. Was she the hardest to get along with?
Janu: Yes. She was the most difficult. Do I hate her? Absolutely not. Do I have ill feelings toward her? Absolutely not. For her, I was a piece that she could do her stand-up comedy act [about] and be on camera all the time. She's not funny. To me, she's hurtful.
TVG: Are you planning to return to your Vegas show?
Janu: I don't think so. But I don't want to close the doors because I loved working the show. They have been supportive.
