Survivor NZ's Kaysha Whakarau on that 'awful' blindside

Kaysha Whakarau says her elimination from Survivor NZ was a "complete blindside" and she had no idea it was coming.

Whakarau, who was The Hits' wildcard contestant, was eliminated in a shocking twist during last night's episode.

After Khangkhaw lost an immunity challenge for the first time, all signs pointed to Whakarau's tribemate Dylan Conrad, who had ruffled feathers in the tribe, being on the chopping block.

This played out at tribal council as Adam O'Brien unleashed a string of reasons why he didn't like Conrad. Meanwhile, Whakarau stood up for her friend, becoming emotional as she defended him.

Whakarau became emotional while standing up for her friend Dylan during tribal council. Photo / Scott McAulay

But Whakarau was voted out over Conrad. The Wellington-based social worker says while she's "gutted" she got voted out, she's proud of her time on the show.

"I went out saving my friend and being true to my morals and values," she says. "But they voted me out because I was a massive threat to their game, and I think that's the most important thing. It's a backhanded compliment.

"I've got nothing but respect for my team. They played a great game, and while it's easy to be bitter and sad about being voted out, because don't get me wrong, I'm gutted I got voted out, they played a good strategic game, and if I was in their shoes, I would have done the exact same thing."

Kaysha Whakarau says she is proud to have stuck to her "morals and values". Photo / Scott McAulay

While Whakarau is at peace with her elimination now, she says that wasn't always the way.

"Getting voted off, I just cried the entire time until I got on that plane to go home. It was awful, it was an awful time, feeling rejected," she says. "At tribal, Adam said a lot more than what was shown (on TV), and he explained to the team why he was voting a particular way.

"And he said some rather hurtful comments, and obviously he voted for me. So I left that game feeling uncertain about how I was perceived by the team. It turns out he wasn't talking about me, he was talking about Dylan, but it was just things like that. It played with your head."

Kaysha Whakarau is the fourth contestant to be eliminated from Survivor New Zealand. Photo / Scott McAulay

Whakarau says on the show, she formed a "lifelong" bond with Conrad, and hopes to see him go far.

"I'd love to see him win," she says. "That's all I'm rooting for."