Survivor Cook Island. Candice Woodcock makes a dramatic exit off the island.
After she survived 30 days on the Cook Islands, the tribe spoke and kicked Fayetteville’s Candice Woodcock off “Survivor” Thursday night.

But she didn’t leave the Tribal Council area quietly. She passionately kissed Adam, a fellow castaway, before host Jeff Probst snuffed out her torch.

“Still smiling, guys,” she said. “Have fun. Love ya.”

Candice, a graduate of Terry Sanford High School and UNC-Chapel Hill, became the 13th person eliminated from the CBS reality show.

She endured four trips to Exile Island, the most of anyone in the game, and proved to be a tough physical competitor. But she didn’t have the votes to keep her on the island, which would have given her a shot at winning $1 million.

Until Thursday’s show, she had received only one vote in the entire season.

On Thursday’s episode, Candice said her repeat trips to Exile Island had taken a toll on her.

“I think I’m next on the chopping block,” she told the cameras through tears.

She also caused a commotion when the tribe excluded her and two other members from dinner. In one final move to save herself, she tried to get the rest of the tribe to vote off Jonathan, who continued to irritate people with his brash personality.

“We’ve tried everything,” she told Probst. “But they’re going to vote how they’re going to vote.”

Candice received five votes while Jonathan received three.

“We’re very proud of her,” said her father, Dr. Michael Woodcock, after the show. “As ‘Survivor’ fans, in my opinion, she’s the most competitive female contestant in 13 seasons if you put together her mental and physical toughness.”

Indeed, throughout the season, Candice was seen as a serious player. In challenges, the Morehead Scholar’s athleticism came to the fore.

“She’s pretty lethal,” fellow castaway Nate Gonzales recently said on the show. “The girl came to play.”

She even had two love connections, though one was inadvertent. One player, Billy, declared himself smitten with Woodcock. And there was Adam.

But three weeks ago, she made a strategic move that led to her demise. She declared mutiny and switched tribes, leaving behind four players with whom she had a seemingly strong alliance.

Jonathan defected with her. Instead of siding with Woodcock, he returned to the alliance he had just abandoned. That move put Candice in the minority, and she was voted off.

In her parting words at the end of the show, Candice said she was happy with how she played.

“What can I say?” she asked. “What a fabulous time I’ve had out here playing this game. I think I can look myself in the mirror and be comfortable with the way I played this game.”

The popular reality show, now in its 13th season, attracted buzz and scrutiny from the beginning. The 20 castaways were divided by race and ethnicity for the first time, a move that seemed to generate more controversy in the media than it did on the show.

Today, Candice will have a day filled with publicity appearances, including a visit to “The Early Show” and “Late Night with David Letterman.”

Seven players remain in the game. The live season finale is scheduled for Dec. 17.

And that kiss?

“It was sincere,” Candice said.

Survivor Cook Island