Hey everyone – thanks for the questions. I'm happy to be here answering them, and even happier to be around fellow Survivor freaks! Hope to see some of you on the show someday. In the meantime, I promise I'll answer all of your questions, but it may take me a few days to do so. I will answer all of them, though, so send away. So since Survivor ended, I've been living in New York working as a director of SAT prep courses. It keeps me busy, but it's fun. I ran into Alicia from Survivor: Australia one day, and I went all Survivor-geek on her, and she looked at me like I had four heads, so that was cool. I usually watch Survivor each week with Eliza from Vanuatu, since we're both NYC-based, and we trade Survivor gossip stories. It's like high school, only with more fame whores!

April 6, 2007

Brian's week on Ask a Survivor may be up, but check out his page on the wiki. He'll be stopping by to post occasionally, so if you have any further questions or comments for him, you can add them there. Many thanks for Brian for his participation.

April 5, 2007

Last set for now… hopefully I got to everyone!


Mr. Sir5or (cute name, by the way… took me a second) – My audition tape was the same format all three times: me, in my home in Connecticut, sitting on a couch, talking directly to the camera. I did nothing flashy or crazy; I just talked to the camera about myself, my life, and my reasons for wanting to be on Survivor. But because I knew the producers were looking for a hook, I acted like the cockiest, most self-assured Ivy League kid out there. It worked all three times I applied, and each time I got a call maybe two or three weeks after the application deadline calling me in for semi-finals. At semis, I was asked really personal, probing questions but I just kept up the snotty elitist character I was building up, and tried to never deviate from it. It was actually one of my favorite parts of the process.


Legend41 – The toughest part about the game, for me, was everyone's whining and complaining. I mean, yeah, conditions were pretty awful in Guatemala (114-degree heat, 100% humidity, only corn to eat, constant mosquitoes, scorpions, spiders, termites, and crocodiles), but it was still a game that we were all really fortunate to be playing, so it annoyed me whenever people would moan about camp life. As for a new form of tribe separation, what's left? Religion? Sexual Orientation? I guess Region would be interesting, if they can find enough "stereotypical" people from different parts of the country.


TomBrady120 – Being on Survivor was a dream come true for me, and I loved every agonizing minute of it. The only people I didn't get along with while in the game were Blake and Amy, but both were cases of "Ugh, they annoy me," more than of "I CAN GET LOUD, TOO!!!!" Sandra-style fighting. And I get along very well with both of them now (Amy and I email regularly), so it's all water under the bridge.


Spyne – My fellow CT'er! It wasn't "hard" at all when I found out about the Double Tribal because I totally saw it coming. It had happened in Vanuatu and it had happened in Palau, so I knew it would happen in Guatemala. I figured it would happen around when it did, so it was no big shock. Being voted off was a shocker to me, though, because I thought I had convinced Amy and Gary to follow an
(admittedly) elaborate (but not impossible!) plan to vote off Bobby Jon in a 3-2-1 split vote. No such luck, obviously.


Rinuki – Nice question! First of all, yes, cameras are on us 24-7, and yes, they catch just about everything. Those cameramen are amazing at their jobs, and I have nothing but the highest respect for them. But let's see… what was the most embarrassing thing they caught me doing that never made it to air? I guess I'd have to say my first experience with finding a "bathroom spot" during Night 2 – the first night at camp – in the pitch dark. It was truly a mortifying experience and I must have looked so terrified and so bewildered. It was not a good moment for me.


Jumpin4joy99 – Haha, I was so "different" on the show because I was insanely over-excited about being given the chance to live a dream. That's why I always spoke quickly, gestured like a madman, and got so intense: I was a kid in a candy store. It's not at all how I usually am; I'm usually pretty stoic and sarcastic.


Pining – I think the temperature is far too hot for a flu or cold, but make no mistake, Survivors pass out and get dizzy all the time. It just doesn't get shown on TV too much, because there's only so much footage you can see of Blake puking or of Brianna resting before it gets uninteresting. Jamie, Blake, Jim, Judd, Brianna, Bobby Jon, and Stephenie were all crazy sick for some part of the first six days in Guatemala, but not all of that made it to TV!


Stimpy 150 – Glad I could help out, and thanks so much for the recap! Hope I helped clarify why Morgan went so early!


Snizz81 and Dbchupp – Your questions take a lot more thought, and I want to do them justice, so I can't get to them now. I'll do my best to get to them soon, but I don't know how much more time I'm being given. If I don't get to them now, keep on posting them, and I'll reference them in the blog!

April 5, 2007

BillyCam – Thanks for the compliment. I'll answer your questions in the same manner you posted them, because who doesn't love alpha-numeric listing?

1) My favorite Guatemala player during the game was by FAR Lydia. I mean, no contest. Once I was voted off, I became closest with Margaret, Brooke, and Amy, and have stayed so ever since.

2) Hell yeah I was disappointed to not make jury! I was disappointed I didn't win! I was not ready to go when I went out, and I had a lot more energy and gameplay in me.

3) (I'm going to exclude Guat and its cast from these questions) (a) Favorite Season: either Borneo or Pearl Islands; (b) Castaway: Rob Cesternino, Rob Mariano; (c) Winner: Sandra Diaz-Twine; (d) Survivor Moment: Lisi faceplanting it into the dirt (kidding, kidding… I'd say watching Leann get the boot in Vanuatu… that was an amazing episode).

4) I don't know who'll make the Final 3, but I'm assuming Yau-Man and Earl will be there, since that seems like where we're heading. And maybe Michelle?

5) Nothing changed in my life after Guatemala, except the new scars I have on my feet. Oh, and I eat guacamole now! And my friends tease me about saying stupid things like "platinum"! Big changes!

6) There are always, always, always rumors among the cast of another All-Stars. Who knows, really. If they ever do a "Second-Chance" season, though, count me in!

Downsizin – glad you like the blog! Sorry I haven't posted yet this week. I'll get to it before tonight's episode. As for Sequesterville (or Loser Lodge, as we fondly call it… actually Jim called it "Camp AKO," for "Asses Kicked Out"), I'm not positive about how jurors are treated, since I wasn't there for that (non-jurors go off on an amazing all-expenses-paid vacation!), but I know they're not supposed to influence each others' votes. It's hard to keep control of, though.

Julgpw – Haha, what a way to open the question. I appreciate your candor, I guess. You're right about when filming takes place: odd-numbered seasons film in summer, even-numbered season film in late fall. Next season (15) should film this summer. As for Rob and Amber, I've never met either one, but I liked Rob during Marquesas, and I thought he dominated All-Stars both physically and socially, so I have no problem with them. I mean, if you're were given about 17 bajillion chances to make a million dollars, wouldn't you take them? And, as far as I know, only Seasons 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, and 10 are available on DVD for now. No word on a Guatemala release, but I hope it's not too far off in the future (though I wouldn't mind relieving Africa and Marquesas, either. Thailand I could do without).

SurvivorBuff – Haha, I was really ticked by the double boot, too, but I knew it was coming and I had been warning my tribe about it for days. I thought maybe there would be a twist in which we'd vote someone off each others' tribes, but no go. It was just a plain old double boot as usual. Anyway, about applying, I had to apply three times before making it, and I know Cindy applied many more times than that (six, maybe?). The Survivor Yearbook is riddled with contestants who didn't make it through the first two, three, four, or more times. But what they have in common is persistence: if you want it, you keep pushing for it. Tweak that video, catch the casting directors' eyes, make an impression. But don't go overboard with craziness and stunts. My video was just of me sitting down, talking to the camera for three minutes, trying to create an impression, an easily pigeonholed character. Show, don't tell. Lead the producers to make their own impressions of you; rather than saying "I'm so smart!" use big words and speak well. Rather than saying "I'm so sexy" dress sexily and be flirty. Rather than saying "I'm so cunning!" outline a gameplan or tell stories about your manipulative ways. You get the idea!

Hockeyson – Hey, thanks! I especially enjoyed my Bait Blake game, too. Some days I play it even though he's not around. Try it out at work! It's a golden ticket to a good time! As for the false information and the prankster posters, what can you do, really? I guess part of creating an open forum is that you're always going to have those annoying people who want attention, and you can't really do anything about it because once you start to censor, where does the line end, and Free Speech, and all that fun stuff. My rule, and I never stray from this, is to not pay an ounce of attention to them. No replying, no acknowledging, no nothing. It pisses them off like you wouldn't believe. Trust me. It's the only way to deal with blatant attention hogs.

Heiko101 – Great question! If I were to cast ASS2, I'd probably want to see Judd back in there, because he's such a great character. I don't really know if I'd throw back anyone else, though, given the competition from other seasons: Eliza, Ami, Twila, Tom, Coby, Cirie, Terry, Parvati, Ozzy, Yul, Candice, Jonathan… But here's what I suggest: we've already seen the whole All-Stars thing, and we know the people who made it to the end get targeted first. I say let's do a Second-Chance season with people you didn't get to see too much off, or of people who went out not because they were bad players, but because the cards didn't stack in their favor. Guatemala's Amy and Brandon, Exile's Misty and Bobby, Vanuatu's Brady and Brook, Palau's Angie, Wanda, and Jonathan. I mean, think about it: some of these people might as well be "new players" since you don't know them well, and they would be BLOOD-THIRSTY for a win. And count me in, too. I'd be there in a heartbeat.

Hey Caitlin – saw your question about the Final Four. I'll tell you who I don't want in the Final Four, and that's Lisi and Stacy. I still haven't gotten over their heinous behavior from a few episodes ago, and Alex and Edgardo are guilty by association (and it certainly doesn't help that those two guys somehow found a reason to keep Rocky over Anthony, but whatever.) Also, I seriously could not care less about Boo, unless he's falling out of a hammock, and, if I'm going to be totally honest with you, I'm kind of over Yau-Man (not unlike the way I'm over Sanjaya, but that's another story). Yeah, he's funny, and yeah, he's quirky, but… I'm just not caught up in that wave. And Mookie just hasn't impressed me in any way, so who does that leave? Michelle, Cassandra, Dre, and Earl. They're the only three I have remotely positive feelings for, and if I were to rank them, it would be in that order, favorite first. Am I the only one totally unimpressed with the cast as a whole? Where are the Ozzys? Where are the Parvatis? Where are the Ciries, the Jerris, the Toms of yore?

Imphotog – you asked how the game changed me. That's one of the standard questions everyone gets asked during the "Day After" video, and I was always kind of annoyed by people who were like "Omigosh, I realized I love my family sooooooo much! And I'm such a strong person! And I can do anything! Blah blah blah, life-epiphany, blah blah blah." I was always like, "Um… didn't you know all that before the game started? Did it really take being stranded and starved for you to realize the value of food? Didn't… didn't the 24-hour newsreels about, say, Darfur, maybe clue you in to your good fortune?" So, to be totally honest with you, I didn't learn anything about myself while in the game. I kept my head straight, so emotions didn't overcome me (okay, that's a lie, because excitement and giddiness completely overcame me), and I definitely didn't "learn" that I love my family or "realize" how great food is. I certainly knew those things on Day 1, and I always knew I'd be able to handle the game's tough conditions, so that wasn't a shocker either. I hope that's answer's not too disappointing…

Genbenmax – NO WAY was I recruited. I was a die-hard Survivor fan from Season 1, but I was only 17 when it aired. I had to wait an excrutiating 4 years before I could apply. (I know there are some of you out there in a similar situation. I feel your pain, my brethren.) So the deadline for applying for Vanuatu was TWO FREAKING WEEKS before I turned 21, but, naturally, that wasn't going to stop me. I applied, made it to semis, but couldn't get to finals. Palau rolled around, I applied again, got to semis again, and failed to make finals again. But I just kept up hope and reapplied for Guatemala. You know the rest. As for recruiting ruining the show, I don't know. I have liked a ton of recruited players, and as long as they're interesting, entertaining, and willing to play hard, I don't care how they get to the show. But I do agree that it's very frustrating to die-hard fans who keep getting turned away. Keep trying though, and tinker with that video until you have an angle they can't forget. Lastly for now,

Ravuman – nothing on Survivor will ever, ever top the 11-mile hike. What was shown on TV was a joke; that hike was INSANE. It took us a full 24-hours, and we got lost so many times. You have no idea. And seriously, production does NOTHING to help you (which is how it should be, of course, but it just sucks for us). When it got pitch black, we had no clue where we were, no idea where we could sleep, and no hope for rescue. We basically just plopped on the ground, rolled up into balls, and rocked ourselves to sleep. It was crazy. By the time we reached that old trail (where Yaxha caught up with Nakum and Cindy made the "Seabiscuit" comment), my legs and arms felt like they were made of jelly after carrying alternately either a 30-lb bag of corn or the giant, awkward tribe flag. The worst part was, since it was the beginning of the game, you couldn't show any weakness, show you just had to keep pushing, pushing, pushing. There were raft portions, rope bridges, thickets, thorns, streams, mud holes, mosquitoes, howler monkeys, spiders, scorpions… the whole shebang. It was an experience I'll never have again, and it was crazy awesome in the most surreal way. I will say, though, no one on Yaxha got nearly as sick as the men of Nakum. I don't know what happened to them, but there are rumors of Judd accidentally mislabeling the boiled/unboiled water… True? Myth? Revisionist History? You decide. Seriously all, I will answer every last one of these questions if it kills me (and given that my wake-the-dead cough is only mostly gone, it very well may…)

April 4, 2007

Hey – sorry for the late follow up. I spent my Monday hacking up lungs and coughing like it was going out of style. It was real sexy-like.

So to fill you in on the Guatemala Episode 2 Morgan/Lydia boot: the ten minutes before Tribal Council were so hectic that producers scolded us the next morning for not keeping them apprised of what was going on. See, the planned boot heading into Tribal Council that night WAS Lydia, and Jamie and I were really upset by this for a few reasons. For one thing, we liked Lydia and wanted to see her do well in the game just to prove to herself that she could. For another, we thought the rest of the tribe was treating her unfairly by judging her by looks and stereotype and not by actual performance and workload. Lastly, we knew that if Lydia survived this round, we could be a tight three-person alliance (not a majority, but at least a safety blanket to try to work with down the road). Lydia didn't want to go home either, so we encouraged her to speak up for herself, to fight for her right to stay. We three were pushing hard for a Brianna boot instead, since Brianna had been sick for a couple of days and had not contributed to either challenge that episode. Morgan's name was NEVER even brought up because Jamie liked to cuddle with her, and she was very close with Rafe. Plus, she was athletic, likable, and fun. There was no reason to boot Morgan; Brianna was our only shot. Unfortunately, no one was biting. Jamie and I kind of felt resigned to a Lydia boot until a golden opportunity presented itself not fifteen minutes before Tribal. While Jamie and Morgan were lying alone in the shelter, she told Jamie something along the lines of "don't trust" the tribe-mates. Jamie told me, and I ran off to tell Gary that Morgan said not to trust him (whether or not that's what she meant, I don't know. I did know that turning the phrase that way would increase Lydia's chances of making it past that round). I also knew that Gary thought Morgan was lazy (no one else really thought this, to my knowledge), so I harped on that to really drive it home with him. Keep in mind I really liked Morgan, and I still do today, but I was far closer to Lydia and I figured Lydia was less likely to cast a vote against me than was Morgan, so I wanted to do anything I could to help Lydia's case. Like a snowball rolling down a hill, things grew so fast and before I knew it, Gary came back to me, did that finger-snap-gun-point thing that's usually reserved for used-car salesman and creepy dudes hitting on girls way our of their leagues, and simply said "Morgan!" I had no choice but to believe him, but I was really, really skeptical. That's why I was so stupid with excitement the next morning. It was INSANE that everything had happened that way. It was so fast, so unexpected, and so unlikely. For an enormous Survivor geek like myself, it was the ultimate in a Survivor experience coming true. That's why I seemed so drunk with power the next episode; I absolutely was like a kid who had OD'd on sugar.

Also notice (and please correct me if I'm wrong) that there are no post-Immunity Challenge confessionals that episode about booting Morgan. It's only mentioned in camp scenes. That's because there was no time for a confessional; it seriously all happened literally ten or fifteen minutes before we had to leave.

March 31, 2007

Ferrotrace – you asked me to describe each of my castmates in one word. That's a dangerous game, you know. Unless I write things like "awesome!" "fun!" or "sweet!" I'm bound to piss someone off. Ah well, here goes:

Jim: intrepid
Morgan: spunky
Brianna: sweet (well it's true)
Brooke: totallyawesome (yes, that's one word)
Blake: magnanimous (busting out the SAT vocab here, in case my students are reading)
Margaret: nurturing
Amy: entertaining
Brandon: innocent
Bobby Jon: genuine
Jamie: wild
Gary: paternal
Judd: fascinating
Cindy: introverted
Lydia: inspirational
Rafe: quirky
Steph: driven
Danni: classy

And Stimpy 150 – I absolutely read the 'regular people' posts, as you call them. I check those message boards probably daily. I also read the posts at Survivor Sucks and Television Without Pity from time to time. As a general rule: when I'm bored or trying to procrastinate, I'm looking at Survivor websites. No offense taken with the nickname. It's all in good fun, and I certainly deserve to take a few hits after my manic episodes. Watching the show on TV, I felt like I was watching a 7-year-old kid with ADD, doped up on chocolate and pop rocks. I'm really not that excitable, I swear. I was just so excited to be competing on Survivor. In my next post, I'll talk more about "taking too much credit" for saving Lydia, baiting Blake, and the events leading up to my final Tribal Council.

OK, gotta run now, but I'll be back soon. Send me some tough ones… get me thinkin'.