1997 graduate sixth person to be voted off CBS show

The tribe may have spoken, but UA alumna Lindsey Richter is still a survivor outside of Africa.

The 1997 graduate became the sixth person voted off CBS's "Survivor: Africa" after a deadlocked vote and four previous votes against her resulted in her departure from the show Thursday night.

After contemplating whether to vote against her friend and tribe-mate Brandon Quinton, Richter said she decided to keep her dignity and risk being voted out rather than betray her friend. After the tied vote between Richter and 46-year-old Tom Buchanan, both members had a chance to address their tribe mates.

"I don't care if I'm voted out tonight, because I didn't vote for a friend of mine, and that makes me the happiest person on the face of the earth," Richter said on Thursday's show. "So I'm not going to convince you to keep me, because I'm leaving with my pride."

Richter said she doesn't regret her decision to not vote against Quinton.

"At that moment, I was totally at peace with leaving," she said. "I was really talking to my team, saying, 'Don't go against your values as a human being for this game.'

"I feel so much better that I followed who I am as a person and didn't get all caught up in the dynamics of the game."

After both members addressed the tribe, a second vote - also a tie - was held, and the final decision was based on who had more previous votes. Richter had four, while Buchanan had none.

Richter, a self-proclaimed athlete who races mountain bikes and grew up playing "tomboy sports," said the best part of her 18-day stay in Africa was the physical challenges for rewards or immunity.

"The challenges were so much fun," she said. "They were awesome. They brought out the athlete in me."

UA journalism professor Susan Knight taught Richter during her time as a writer for the Tombstone Epitaph, a newspaper produced by the journalism department for the city of Tombstone.

Knight said she wasn't surprised Richter was comfortable in Africa's environment.

"She always wanted to hike and be outside, not stuck in the Franklin basement," where the journalism department is located, Knight said earlier this month.

Although Richter said she enjoyed the physical aspects of the show, she said she was not prepared for some of the mental ones.

"Getting voted off was kind of a blessing in disguise," Richter said. "I couldn't really take the game anymore · I was kind of glad to get out of that constant anxiety attack."

Richter also said she wasn't prepared for the show's editing process, during which footage from several days is cut down to create a single hour-long show.

"I don't like to blame anything on editing," she said. "I did what I did; I said what I said; I take credit for my actions, but you have to keep in mind they're only showing a tiny, tiny bit of what goes on out there."

Richter acknowledged she was probably "more emotional than anyone out there," but said the show tended to focus on her negative emotions.

"I wasn't malicious; I wasn't mean; I didn't back-stab anyone, and yet, they chose to showcase me as this crybaby who was on an emotional roller-coaster," she said with a laugh.

"I would probably cry for about two minutes, and they make it look like I cried all day," she said.

Richter and the rest of the "Survivor: Africa" cast members returned to the United States on Aug. 20 and remain in touch.

Richter, currently on a press tour, said she hopes to have the opportunity to speak at UA in the near future.