Survivor New Zealand contestant Isabel Pearson says she loves proving people's expectations wrong. Photo / Scott McAulay
Eliminated Survivor: New Zealand contestant Isabel Pearson says her time on the show was an "amazing, crazy experience"
But she admits it's badly affected her sleeping patterns.
Pearson was sent packing after losing to Georgia in an intense Redemption Island challenge that involved precariously stacking a number of plates and bowls.
After her elimination, Pearson told the Herald she was still getting used to having luxuries in her life again.
"When I got back into the hotel the crew gave me a Snickers bar and I just remember thinking, 'Oh my god this is so sweet,' and I was so happy. It really went to my head.
"I couldn't sleep that well that night because I was used to being out in the bush, and I just remember the sheets smelling so clean, so clean that I couldn't sleep."
Pearson says she entered the competition with the full intention of winning.
But she also wanted to break stereotypes of strength and capability.
"A lot of people just look at me and think I'm a certain something and I just love it when I flip that," she said.
"I don't look like Sala, or Avi. I wanted to break through some stereotypes, I guess. I do like to dress up and wear heels, but I can get my hands dirty.
"Strength has many shapes and forms."
Pearson has been a model and beauty pageant queen, as well as an oil rig steward off Western Australia, which involved living in a 'floatel' - the living quarters provided on offshore oil rigs - for four weeks at a time.
Despite showing her cunning and quick wit early on - the first episode saw her sneakily steal supplies from the Hermosa tribe - Pearson says being sent to Redemption Island didn't come as a surprise.
"I knew it was coming. It was really annoying because every time tribal [council] came up, I knew I was on the chopping block," she says.
"No matter what I did, it was really hard to break that first alliance that everyone made on the first day, so I had prepared myself."
She says Georgia needs to be careful in the way she plays the game from now.
"She was feeling really comfortable and secure at the beginning and now things have completely changed."
Robyn Malcolm's acclaimed TV drama is to air in the UK.