Survivor 49's Kristina Mills Breaks Down Her Controversial Final Tribal Question — and the ‘Uncle Jeff’ Criticism (Exclusive)

Kristina Mills' journey on Survivor 49 ended just short of the Final Tribal Council when she was voted out after her fellow castaways decided they didn’t want to face her in the fire-making challenge. Still, her impact in the finale didn't go unnoticed especially during the final jury questioning.

In her post-finale interview with Men’s Journal, the Oklahoma native, 36, exclusively reflects on the widely-debated question she posed to eventual winner Savannah Louie at FTC, her complicated path through shifting alliances, her reaction to the "Uncle Jeff" criticism, and how she thinks she would do if she ever returned to play.

Scroll down to read the full interview with Kristina.

Men's Journal: How are you feeling after watching the finale?

Kristina Mills: I am riding a high right now. I'm so happy. I love the way that I went out. The girl who's never been camping goes out because she can make fire. I was like, that is Survivor for you.

Men's Journal: How did no one else practice fire?!

Kristina: I don't really know. I think there was always like, me or Steven [Ramm], and we would just do it. You don't think about it until the end, like, "Oh crap. I probably should have practiced that a little more."

Men's Journal: Talk to me about your vote for Sophi Balerdi to win. Were you always voting for her? Was there anything Sage [Ahrens-Nichols] or Savannah could have said that would persuade you?

Kristina: Yeah, I came in kind of thinking my heart was going to vote for Soph. Me and her actually had gotten very close, and I really did admire the game she played. So my heart was kind of leaning towards her. If Savannah could've answered my question and proved me wrong, then I actually probably would have flipped and voted for her. Or if Sage really was able to own exactly all of her moves, and if she was able to just really say, "No, this is why I did this." I was impressed with the with how she was breaking things down. But then, as we kept going, it kind of felt like she just wasn't owning it enough for me. So I feel like it honestly, I could have gone, you know, all three ways. It just kind of depended on how their performance was at the Final Tribal.

Men's Journal: Speaking of, let's talk about your question to Savannah because it sparked a lot of debate. Some people are saying this is the best question of the new era. When did you plan to ask that? And was it specifically to point out some flaws in Savannah's game, or more to sort of help Sophi?

Kristina: So if you actually go back to, like, our preseason interviews, they say, what's your favorite move? And, you know Survivor history. And I said I loved when Kelly [Wiglesworth] back in Season 1 was supposed to go home, and then they did a "Do you know your tribe?" [competition] and she knew basic information because she had that social game. And that's something I value, a social game. Also, if you go through and look at all the challenges we had, people were saying, "Do it for Gabriel," "Do it for Brandon." We were saying all these names. And this was kind of like our thing, and I just wanted to see at the end, like, could you actually do that? And I wanted her to prove me wrong. I really did, and she didn't.

Men's Journal: How did you feel when she was responding? Obviously, she was caught off guard. But she was honest that she couldn't remember. Where do you stand today?

Kristina: I think she answered it exactly like I thought she would, if we're being honest. I do think that question kind of solidified Soph for me, because I did see her in that moment–she looked at me and she mouthed Cody and Jackson, which are my kids names, and I was like, thank you for that. So she kind of solidified it for me. And plot twist, me and Savannah are really great friends. We're like, plot twist, we actually love each other. And yeah, we have a really good relationship.

Men's Journal: I love that. So going into FTC, what were you looking for from the finalists to cast your vote?

Kristina: It was different for each of them. So for Savannah, I wanted to see her drop kind of that, like, just the tough girl, just like all that. And I just wanted her, for once, to just kind of be real and just tell me how you feel, be a little bit more vulnerable, right? For Sage, I wanted her to own every move, because we as the jury didn't really understand the moves she was making. And we're like, if she can own it and explain it, and it wasn't just like, maybe an emotional thing that she was doing week to week, then like, that could be something. And then, for Soph, I needed her to come out swinging. Like, I know you're my girl, but I need you to tell me exactly, strategically, what you did. And there's a moment where we say, "Okay, well, why didn't you take Rizo [Velovic]'s idol?" And she said, "I didn't need to take that idol. I controlled that idol. I told him what he was going to do. I told him to say this lie. I did all that." And I was like, "Alright, give her the check."

Men's Journal: How do you think you would have fared at Final Tribal Council because you said you were ready to go.

Kristina: I was ready. I don't think it was shown, but I saw everything as it was happening, and so I 100 percent was blindsided by the Alex [Moore] vote and the Jawan [Pitts] vote, but just my read on the whole situation, I saw our alliance imploding. I kept trying to be like, "Okay, let's do this. Let's do that." And everyone just kind of had their own agendas and things like reasons that they made their decisions, which I completely respect. But it got to a point where I was like, "You know what, you guys are putting people on the jury that I have a really good relationship with. You're putting people on the jury that I know the criteria and what they're looking for in choosing a winner. And so, like, if these are the moves you want to make, and my name is not being brought up at all, and I'm not getting any blood on my hands for it, technically, then cool, right? Like, you can do it. Like, let's go for it."

Men's Journal: Let's go back to when you were voted out. Did it surprise you that Sophi and Rizo ultimately went with Savannah even though they preferred to keep you over Sage?

Kristina: Honestly, I knew it was a 50-50 shot. And I was like, which way are they going to go with? Because yes, on one hand, I could potentially beat Savannah at fire, but also the probability of Savannah winning that last challenge is very high. It's very, very high. And so they're like, "But then that means one of us has to go against you." And so I think it came ultimately down to like, well, statistically, she probably wins the last challenge, and now we have to go against you. And so I wasn't shocked at all, but I knew it was a chance going in. It was a compliment. And I'll take it. I will take it.

Men's Journal: We saw a lot of really vulnerable, emotional moments, tough moments for you over the season. When you got back home, how did you sort of decompress from the experience, and what was it like watching it back with your family?

Kristina: Oh, my gosh. I don't know that I've I've gotten to decompress yet, like, it's still fresh, but honestly, I am a mom. I'm a mom, and I was gone for five weeks. I'm not allowed to come home and sit back. I was instant mama. Like, instantly I was at a recital the next day. Having my family watch it back, my friends, my village, like my kids' school did a whole "Dress up Team Christina day," and so, like, just seeing this whole community come together, most people who had never even seen Survivor, and now they're huge fans. And just the impact it made on me and letting go of so many different things and just being, like, joyful again, it's honestly been the best journey.

Men's Journal: Was there anything watching it back that was different from you remembered, or anything in the edit that surprised you?

Kristina: Honestly, a lot with Steven, I really thought that he was like my No. 1, and I was his from day one. And watching it back, I was like, wow. I don't think I ever was actually your No. 1.. Like, ever, but he that speaks to his social game. The reason why he wins at the end, the reason that we did have to vote him out, essentially, is because he was so good at making everyone think you are my person. And so looking back, that's been kind of the most eye-opening thing is, like, "I was not your person."

Men's Journal: What are your thoughts on the criticism of the "Uncle Jeff" thing or "Uncle J"? Are you sick of hearing this?

Kristina: I am so sick of it. I'm like, there are more important things happening in the world right now. It's just something that I literally did the entire casting process. He was fine with it. It didn't just start on the show. That was just kind of, like, my nickname for him. It's no different than someone saying, like, JP, or whatever. It was just my name for him.

Men's Journal: If Survivor calls again, are you picking up the phone?

Kristina: I think it would be hard to find a player that's gonna say no. Like, 100 percent. Second Chances, I'm ready. I think I played such a loyal game, and it was almost to my detriment, and I had to learn to kind of get over that and actually really play for me. To be a little selfish. And I finally got the permission to be selfish. I've never been selfish in my life, like, outside of coming on Survivor. And so, it kind of gave me permission to be that way. So I'm very interested to see what happens if I go in with that mindset.

Men's Journal: My last question is: what were your thoughts when you found out Rizo and Savannah were on Season 50? Are you interested and excited to see what happens?

Kristina: I maybe was a little surprised about Savannah going on just because she was a winner, but, like, I completely agree. I think she's such a competitor. I think she's going to hold her own. I'm interested to see how she does without having that trio together, how she does with that and then with Rizo. Like I get it, Rizo is, I mean, you're talking about 50 seasons, and like all these different players, and probably most of them are over 30. I don't know the exact breakdown, but they're all probably, and even the younger ones are probably still more like millennial thinking. And Rizo is Gen Z, like he is all Gen Z. And I feel like he's gonna bring just a little, I think he'll bring a little fun to that group.

Related: CBS Just Dropped the ‘Survivor 50’ Trailer — Teasing the Franchise’s Biggest Season Yet