'She's the best social player.' Why Janine Ellis believes Pia Miranda will win Survivor.

On last night’s episode of Australian Survivor, the Godmother’s reign ended.

Boost Juice CEO Janine Allis, 54, was sent packing after being epicly blindsided by Dirty Harry and her former Champions tribe mates Luke Toki and Abbey Holmes.

For the entire season thus far, Janine was an absolute Survivor machine. Despite the disappointment of being voted out, Janine told Mamamia she left smiling because of a very valid reason.

“First and foremost I was smiling because I was thinking ‘Oh my god, I’m going to a bed and food’,” she laughed.

Watch Janine be voted out of Survivor. Post continues below video.

“I probably couldn’t hide that emotion of glee but once you get over that you think ‘Bugger, I’m out’… It’s obviously disappointing that I didn’t have to pitch and get to the very end, and I also was conscious that it’s tough out there – I didn’t want to leave Pia on her own because we’ve been close since day one. There was certainly a mix of emotions and it was a roller coaster ride.”

Most people would be angry and upset at being blindsided by former allies, but Janine said she was mostly just impressed.

“I really respect them for playing the game and the way they blindsided me – good on them. As a Survivor fan I think they did a great job.”

Recognised for her tough resolve during challenges, Janine let us in on her secret to success - and you may want to break out the yoga mat.

"I do a lot of yoga, and breath work and Pranayama are really important in being able to keep calm, and so I used that technique in challenges.

"I also, I know this is probably a bit strange, but I do this practice called Ashtanga and all the poses in this yoga practice has a Sanskrit name and they're actually quite hard to remember. So every time I was in a challenge with endurance I would close my eyes and go through every single Ashtanga name to actually try and keep myself focused... I kept on going through those poses in my head to keep me distracted from the pain in my hands, or feet, or hips or shoulders."

That's clever, because when you're hanging from poles or balancing on tiny pegs against a wall, your mind is bound to run away on you if you're not careful.

"I think it's important too because your mind gives up so much quicker than the body, so if you can keep your mind somewhere else your body will look after itself. That was my strategy, and I was surprised myself by how long I stayed in challenges, I was really happy actually with my physical game," Janine said.

 

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Thanks to everyone who supported me on the crazy journey. @survivorau

A post shared by Janine Allis (@janine_allis) on Sep 9, 2019 at 6:00am PDT

Her gameplay saw her dubbed the 'Godmother', and she laughed when asked about the name.

"I just think it's absolutely hysterical. My best friend in there, I think my parting words [in her Jury Vila interview] were that she was evil and manipulative and that was a compliment. You've got to take it all with a grain of salt and if everyone thinks I'm the 'Godmother', well that's just funny."

Besides, complimentary names are not exactly common on Survivor: "Poor Harry, I called him a cockroach."

After 44 days on Survivor, Janine described herself - and her hair, which was "just one mass" - as "feral". While she's embraced shampoo and deodorant, her time in Fiji helped her limit her use of one 'necessity'.

"The only thing that's probably changed a lot is how I manage my digital," she said. "At night with my family we're very strict on putting our phones away because what I found was, what we tend to do is whenever there's a gap is we pick up the phone because it's so stimulating. What I love is to not have that phone around at night, to actually have that space to either think or spend time with your family.

"That's something I loved about Survivor, in fact I probably found I had less stress in Survivor than I do in daily life despite the fact people are lying and cheating around me."

With only five players left, the crowning of this year's Sole Survivor is on the horizon. For Janine, there's only one possible winner.

"I think who I'd like to win is who I think deserves to win: Pia.

"She was obviously my closest buddy in there and continues to be a great friend of mine, but because I was part of her whole game I knew what a good social player she was. Was she the most physical? No. Was she the most strategic? No. But my god she executed the social game, I reckon the best it's ever been.

"She's definitely got my vote, but no surprises there because I'm her biggest fan."

Read more:

• A very serious and thorough investigation into who will win Australian Survivor 2019.
• No toothbrushes and constant backstabbing: Three former Australian Survivor contestants on what it's really like on the island.
• "It was completely insane." Australian Survivor's David on the gross reality of the show.
• "I’m very lucky." Pia Miranda on being diagnosed with an autoimmune condition on Survivor.