Eliminated Survivor star Josefien says she made a 'lucky escape'

The first contestant eliminated from Survivor New Zealand season two says she made a "lucky escape" from the show, realising she was not cut out for a season of blindsides.

Josefien (Jose), the youngest female contestant on the show at 23, was voted out of her tribe Chani in a surprise elimination.

Reflecting on her early elimination, Jose says she realised she wasn't cut out for the game - and says she has since heard that the game becomes even more brutal following her exit.

"What I've heard is (that) I'm the tip of the iceberg, in terms of drama and blindsides and feelings getting hurt," she says. "I don't think I have it in me to be that. I'm not a strategic person, I'm not a sneaky person. I didn't realise until I got voted off that that is the operative facet of this game."

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Jose says she was "shocked" to be eliminated first, but is now at peace with it. "As soon as I was blindsided, I was like, 'I don't know these people, and I don't clearly understand this game, this particular season'. So it was like a lucky escape."

Jose began the competition as one of the strongest competitors, single-handedly winning the very first challenge and proving a strong team competitor in others.

She felt the effects of the show's first twist, when she discovered her reward for winning the first challenge was to pick her own tribe, school-yard style.

Jose says even though she was only in the game for three days, she's proud of what she achieved.

"My entire game in three days is probably more than some of the other contestans get with two weeks in the game," she says. "I won the first challenge, I scored the only point in the mud challenge, and I led the team through the maze which caught up with Khang Khaw.

"That's a pretty epic performance in my mind, and I'll stand by that."

• Survivor New Zealand continues Sundays at 7pm on TVNZ 2.