The Yak’s Interview with Nina Acosta, Survivor: One World Cast Off

Today we had the pleasure to interview Nina Acosta, the 51 year old retired LAPD officer from Clovis California. Nina considers herself tenacious, competitive and confident but unfortunately her time on Survivor was cut too short when she was voted out on Wednesday’s second episode of Survivor One World.

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The Yak: How stupid was your tribe to get rid of you Nina?

Nina: (Laughs) well in my opinion very stupid of course! Yeah, I wasn’t totally surprised obviously but I thought it was a bad move.

The Yak: Why do you think they kept Cat in the game?

Nina: That’s a good question and I think a few of them struggled with that but ultimately it came down to that they were afraid to back off their alliance because they felt comfortable with it and I think also possibly that she wasn’t much of a threat, obviously mentally or physical.

The Yak: How tough was it to play the game when it wasn’t about being the strongest or the smartest?

Nina: You know that was very tough for me I admit. I went into the game thinking that was going to be more of a physical challenge and a battle of the wits. Um, so I think once the tribes were aligned men vs. women that kind of went out the window and then it turned into a social game. Being the oldest by far in a tribe of young women it clearly put a target on my back.

The Yak: What is your take on Colton?

Nina: Colton, I have no idea what his strategy is. He was a complete distraction for the Salani tribe, as if we didn’t have enough distraction already. I think he has a little bit of a mean streak in him too. I guess we’ll see what happens with him.

The Yak: How frustrating was it that your tribe formed an alliance of 5 on the way to camp and you didn’t have much of a chance?

Nina: Well you know I was very surprised how quickly that alliance came together in a blink of an eye. Because, there was no rhyme or reason to it other than I think a group of girls got together and said “I like the way you look” or “your laugh is cute.” I don’t know what the criteria was but it was frustrating because it would have been important to take a step back and have some conversations with everybody before making that decision. It’s easy to say from my end because I was on the outside looking in.

The Yak: What did you think about the challenge?

Nina: I spoke up because I couldn’t hold it in any longer. That challenge was so embarrassing. At that moment I was so embarrassed to be a woman, we just couldn’t get it together. that challenge was about trust not about balance. We didn’t have the trust and the men did. Cat was the reason we lost that challenge, I’m convinced of it. So, I felt she was a liability to the tribe and I had to speak out, I felt I had nothing to lose.

The Yak: Nina, I was sorry to see you go last night.

Nina: Thank you, I’ve been hearing that a lot and it’s really nice to hear!

The Yak: We realize that we only see a small portion of tribal council but during tribal council when Jeff asked Chelsea and Sabrina if they would have formed different alliances if they knew then what they know now, and with no hesitation they both replied “Yes”; At that point did you feel you had a shot a staying?

Nina: Yeah, that was a big surprise to me to hear that! I had hope, because I thought it was a done deal going into tribal council and when I heard that I thought, hmm, I may actually be staying for a while, so yeah ultimately it didn’t happen but it was great to hear that. I think there just wasn’t enough time to work that angle and if I had had another couple of hours I could have worked on Sabrina a little more and maybe had Cat sent home.

The Yak: With you and Monica and Christina being the only ones left who were out of the five, how active were you three in trying to get one more member over to your side?

Nina: Well we talked about that certainly because it seemed really bleak but to be honest with you with Christina I wasn’t really confident in her allegiance to Monica and I. She felt that she had a target on her back because of Alicia’s complete dislike of her. I think she was scrambling to stay in the game and save herself and I don’t blame her for that. We really couldn’t collectively think of anybody. I was more interested in trying to stay alive as a team and get to know each other a little better. My alliance was with Monica and I wasn’t going to compromise that for anyone else in the game. I can say that without hesitation.

The Yak: Were you bothered by the fact that Monica voted for Christina instead of Cat?

Nina: No, Monica realized that I was going home. She didn’t vote for me which I respect and give her credit for, I appreciate that. I think she felt that if she voted for Cat it would anger the 5 and I think she was still trying to work an angle to get in with them. I think it was a smart move on her part.

The Yak: What was your fondest memory of camp in your 5 days out there?

Nina: (Laughing) hesitation, (more laughing)

The Yak: Or was their one? (laughing)

Nina: Let me see… fondest memory??? I’m going to have to really dig deep for that!
Really It was my friendship with Monica. I never, when I first met her, I never would have guessed that she and I would have formed a friendship or a bond but I have a lot of respect for her. She’s a mom like me, she loves her family. Just kind of getting to know somebody from the other side of the country it was nice. That was my fondest memory honestly. But the rest of it was a nightmare!

The Yak: Was Alicia as wicked/evil as she comes off?

Nina: Oh yes she is! I think there’s a difference between what i would call a villain. I think a villain has some strategy and has some redeeming qualities. Alicia is not that. From what I can tell she has no redeeming qualities. To say that if Christina was drowning she wouldn’t save her, I think that’s just mean and goes way beyond Survivor. I think it was horrible.

The Yak: How divided were the two tribes and are there any people on the men’s tribe that you got to know pretty well?

Nina: I didn’t get to know the men very well but a few of them stand out. Troy I think has a chance to go far in the game. He’s very interesting to talk to and he’s fit so I think he will do well. Jay’s a nice guy. I know he’s a big pretty boy but he’s very nice, down to earth. Suprisingly he’s almost too good looking, but a nice guy. Matt, very nice, super intelligent. I know he kind of gets a bad rap but he’s a good guy. Tarzan seemed kind of weird to me, but I would have liked to get to know them all more.

The Yak: How did you come to be on Survivor?

Nina: It was something I always wanted to do. When the show came out 12 years ago I was a new mom and I had 3 very young stepchildren so it really wasn’t in the cards. There was too much going on here and there was no way I could get that time away, nor did I want to. I wanted to focus on my family. So it seemed like the time was right. I keep myself in pretty good shape and just went through the process and kept moving forward through it. I kept getting calls back. I was as surprised as anybody. I thought wow, all these people that applied for Survivor and “Im going!”

The Yak: Would you do it again Nina?

Nina: You know, I would do it again. I would NOT do it again if it was men vs. women!

The Yak: That’s what Kourtney said!

Nina: If they said do you want to do Survivor again, men vs. women, I’d say No thank you! It’s just, maybe if it was 9 women 40 years or older I’d say let’s go for it! (laughs), but yes in a normal Survivor setting I’d do it again Heck yeah!!

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So what do you think? Disappointed that Nina was voted off the Island? Leave us a comment below!

The Amazing Race: Misa and Maiya Share Their Experience

Known for their now infamous elimination in the first leg of the Amazing Race, Misa & Maiya Tanaka have a lot to share about their short lived adventure on the Race. The Yak had the privilege of chatting with Misa & Maiya Tanaka this morning and to describe them as full of life is not descriptive enough! Read on to see what they had to say!

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The Yak: Well let’s just start with this… If you were offered the opportunity to do it again would you?

Misa & Maiya: Yes in a heartbeat we would. We wouldn’t even need to think twice about it. We obviously need redemption. We made history for being goof-balls not seeing Phil so definitely we need redemption we need to prove ourselves… one of the biggest mistakes in TAR history and Phil kind of let us know that when we got to the mat…
Maiya: He made me cry.
Misa: ..And I was just standing there angry.

The Yak: I cannot imagine how frustrating it is to know you were so close and that they saw you.

Misa: Oh yeah, it was completely frustrating just the fact that they were right there & Maiya and I were running through all the mazes and ran thru another vineyard before finally getting to Phil and then realizing that we were in the right place to begin with was just beyond frustrating.

The Yak: One of our twitter followers, @mralmondbread wanted to know if you would have left your bags instead of picking them up if that would have helped you?

Maiya: I don’t think that it would have helped us much but we definitely considered that, that was our point in not bringing our bags in the first place is that they did kind of weighed us down. That is why we didn’t bring our bags in the first place and so we were in last place we fully intended to leave our bags if it was that close and we had to sprint to the finish line.
Misa: We knew we had some time since we made great strides during the empanada making challenge & knew Danny & Joey were kind of struggling a little bit so we knew we had a few minutes enough to go grab our bags and come back out.

The Yak: Are you guys Big Brother fans?

Misa: I’ve seen Big Brother, saw a couple of episodes, but never saw Brendon and Rachel on so I had no idea who they were.
Maiya: We knew the concept and we definitely think it is one of the coolest shows. But we had no idea, it looked familiar to me and I think I did see her on it but the fact that they were on it was kind of a little surprise.

The Yak: Yes, a good surprise for Big Brother fans! How about Survivor, are either of you Survivor fans?

M&M: Yeah!
Maiya: I love Survivor. I would struggle with having to eat fish or catch my food and eat that for dinner but I definitely think Survivor is a great show.

The Yak: Any chance either of you will be applying for that?

M&M: [laugh]
Maiya: No, we’ll have to wait & see.
Misa: I don’t know how many goofs we could make of doing that… Survivor is a bit crazy. We have already learned it does take a lot and it is physically exhausting being on this race and the reason why we didn’t see Phil is we were so dehydrated and so frantic that we had tunnel vision.
Maiya: You know the one advantage we would have is not looking for Phil on a mat so I mean maybe we would be a little more successful!

The Yak: On your preshow interview you had both expressed interest in going to Japan. Is that an adventure you will take on your own?

Misa: Yes, definitely! I want to travel with Maiya again so going to Japan is something we are going to do hopefully sometime in the near future. We need to make it happen that is one our dreams to go there.
Maiya: Our family is from there. We were born in US, our dad at least, we are the 4th generation here so the fact is that it is kind of like a lost culture for us. Our grandparents can speak Japanese a little bit and our mom can a little bit. We definitely want to learn a little bit more about the culture and where we come from so we really, really wanted to go there.

The Yak: What was your favorite part of the leg you participated in?

Misa: My favorite part had to be skydiving. I’ve always wanted to skydive before… I just needed an extra push where I just had to do it, had to jump out of a perfectly good airplane, but it was such an incredible experience to be able to see the view from up above and fly over Argentina. It was just incredible and you know what, my landing, I’m always going to remember that special moment my feet planted into home base.

The Yak: Any chance you will be dragging your sister up into a plane now?

Maiya: NO!
Misa: No, I don’t think she would do it. I would love for her to do it but she is afraid of heights.
Maiya: I am terrified of heights, there is no way I would have done that! We lucked out… that was the only lucky part we got! At least we did choose right in the fact that I was going to be the navigator and she was going to be the crazy one jumping out of a plane!

The Yak: Out of all the teams, are there any you would want to remain friends with?

M&M: [both agree] Yes we love all the teams!
Maiya: We socialized and talked to pretty much everyone on a regular basis and it’s such an experience that only a select few get to go through so we can all kind of relate to just being in that situation. We were all there at one point and it is just an amazing feeling to get to share with these people and we are really happy that we are friends with everyone.
Misa: Yes we are going to keep in touch with these people forever, they are like our extended family so just to be able to relate to that experience… no one ever knows what you exactly go through unless you are actually on the show, so we definitely formed a fast bond with the contestants and I look forward to getting to see them again. We’re going to keep in touch. We are looking forward to watching them and seeing what they go through now that we can call them up and give them a hard time too!

The Yak: How was it to watch the one another on the segment where you’re driving and then you’re skydiving… how was it to see your sisters’ take while you weren’t there?

Misa: For me watching Maiya getting stuck in the sand was so heartbreaking and I felt so sad for her. You know it’s funny, it’s one thing when you know what has happened based on what Maiya has explained to me but then watching it and what she went through, I could just picture myself and how sad she was and the amount of stress she went through being in that position (getting stuck in that sand) so I actually started tearing up watching her.
Maiya: For me it was easy to watch her jump out of a plane because that has been something she always wanted to do. I was really happy for her and almost elated to see her! I kind of got an adrenaline high getting to see her do something she always wanted to do and her little comment at the end of “Yeah we did it” was really cool! I was liking that part not so much when I was stuck in the sand.

The Yak: Maiya were your rescuers’ just local Argentineans’ that were there or was it someone sent from production to assist you?

Maiya: Once Phil says go you are on your own so it was definitely not anyone from production or the race. Basically I had to flag down people from Argentina and it was a huge team effort. The first guy I saw was a guy on a motorcycle who happened to have some rope but he spoke zero English, but he was able to understand me and my begging. I was like “por favor”… used a little bit of the Spanish I learned in high school and he understood me enough and I kind of knew what he was saying. He helped me flag down another car which ended up being too small to pull me out and snapped the rope in half, then we had to call in another car that happened to have steel wire with him… then eventually we flagged down a truck who was able to have enough horsepower to pull with the rope/steel wire combination to pull me out of the sand. So it was a team Argentina group effort there and I was just really… it was a blessing in disguise basically. Even though it was very unlucky I got stuck, I got to interact with the locals; I got to see the kindness of strangers and everyone was so willing to help me… even though you saw at the end that the guy was pulling my car out we ended up hitting his car with my car a little bit in the corner. It scratched his bumper and everything and kind of dented it in, but he didn’t really mind… and he knew we were in a hurry to get to the next check point I guess.

The Yak: We don’t see all that so we didn’t realize how traumatic an ordeal it was for you.

Maiya:
Yeah it was a pretty lengthy ordeal but I wasn’t about to give up. They didn’t show the part where I was literally on my hands and knees placing rocks and whatever I could under the tire digging it out! I hadn’t had much experience in the desert sand besides the sand traps on the golf course you know. If I had my sand wedge I feel that I would have done a lot better getting out of it but I was out of my element for sure.

The Yak: You had an amazing come back from that! I am just so sorry you two were eliminated!

M&M: Thank you. We made up a lot of ground but it wasn’t meant to be in the end.

The Yak: Thank you so much for spending time with me today and good luck on all your future endeavors!

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So what do you think? Unhappy that they were eliminated first? Who are you rooting on to win? Let us know below!

‘SYTYCD’ Petition to Appeal Cancellation of Results Shows

Well, YakkityYaks is kicking off 2012 by taking a stand. We recently published an Open Letter to the network executives of Fox regarding the cancellation of the Results Shows for upcoming Season 9 of So You Think You Can Dance. In our efforts to spread the word and garner support from SYTYCD fans around America, we have come up with a few simple ways to have our voices heard. If you support our movement, please pass on the word to your friends and family.

1. Talk about the show with others – at school, at work, online, or wherever. As auditions kick off January 5 in Atlanta, we can work to create a buzz. We understand the upcoming season does not premiere until the end of May 2012, but demonstrating strong investment in the show cannot hurt.

2. Sign the petition below and encourage others to do so as well.

3. Write to the network. Please be respectful and logical in your arguments. Threats will not strengthen your argument, but rather weaken it. Explain to the network how much you enjoy the Results Shows portion of SYTYCD and how it enhances your experience when watching the show on Fox. You can mention that you’ve signed the petition, and that you want to see the Results Shows make a return to the show’s format. Visit Fox.com and contact the network through their online rom or you can write via “snail-mail” to: Mr. Kevin Reilly, President of Entertainment, FOX, P.O. Box 900, Beverly Hills, CA 90213-0900, RE: So You Think You Can Dance

4. Take note of the products that have been advertised in season’s past. You can write the advertisers and tell them that you notice their products during telecasts of SYTYCD and that you appreciate their sponsorship of the performance and results shows.

If anyone has any other ideas, please feel free to post them below. Together our voices can be heard. Thanks in advance to our supporters!

‘SYTYCD’: An Open Letter to Network Executives

An Open Letter to Executives of the Fox Television Network

Not long after the world celebrated the onset of 2012, So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) Executive Producer and Judge, Nigel Lythgoe, posted a message on his @dizzyfeet Twitter account regarding upcoming Season 9 of SYTYCD. “#FOX have cancelled the results show so I will have to change the format of #SYTYCD. At least we have another season at the end of MAY.”

In a world where social media is prevalent, the news was not taken lightly by fans of the Emmy nominated reality series. Rumors have already started spreading as to possible changes the show will have to undergo without a results show. Worries that the title “America’s Favorite Dancer” would have to be tweaked have begun to spread like wildfire.

In a world where reality or alternative programming to scripted television is prevalent and enjoyed by fans across the country, cancelling the Results Show portion of a program is, putting it bluntly, a terrible and miscalculated mistake. SYTYCD has become a summer staple program in many houses across America. In a world where wholesome family programming is hard to find, SYTYCD offered such an option for families to get together and enjoy true talent showcased on television for 3 hours a week (with a 2 hour performance show and a one hour results telecast). During the latter telecast where America’s votes are revealed, some of the best SYTYCD dances – including some of the Emmy award nominated pieces – were performed as the contestants joined forces in powerful and moving group numbers.

Many Results telecasts of similar programs have been touted by fans and critics to be filled with “filler.” While shows like The Voice and The Sing-Off have televised seasons without Results Shows, SYTYCD Results Shows offer something extra for fans. From group numbers choreographed and performed with such passion and fluid movement to some breathtaking “Dance For Your Life” moments, SYTYCD Results Shows are not filled with overblown recaps and guest performance after guest performance like some other shows. While that format may suffice other reality programs, the format that Lythgoe and SYTYCD producers have adopted for SYTYCD has been all about showcasing the talent. After all, isn’t the talent what it’s all about? Isn’t showcasing the art of choreography and dance without gimmicks what the show is about?

In 2007, SYTYCD was critically recognized when it took home it’s first 2 Emmy Awards for Outstanding Choreography. In 2008, SYTYCD was nominated three times – for three different choreographers – and took home another Emmy for Outstanding Choreography. The streak continued with 23 more nominations by the industry for Outstanding Choreography from 2009 to the present day. Of those 23 nominations, the show took home 10 more Emmys. We can’t forget the nominations of 2011 when host Cat Deeley was nominated for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program – a long overdue recognition. SYTYCD also touted a nomination in this little award category of Outstanding Reality-Competition Program. Not to mention, countless of entertainment sites around the web have named SYTYCD in their “Best Of 2011” features, including YakkityYaks.

While we understand this move by the Network does not guarantee that Season 9 is indeed the show’s final season, we fans know and understand that such a move unfortunately does not bode well for this under-rated and under-appreciated network gem.

To all SYTYCD fans, if you agree with the thoughts noted above, please do your part in sharing this open letter and let the network executives of Fox know that we do not appreciate this move and we hope that they reconsider – even if it means a 30 minute Results telecast versus the usual hour. We here at the Yak do not support this decision by the powers that be with Fox.

This writer can say that the Fox network will be boycotted during the hour originally intended for the SYTYCD Results telecast for any non-SYTYCD related programming.

Thank you for reading.

Kasey Olmstead and JD Montgomery
YakkityYaks.com

The Yak’s Interview with Survivor Cast-Off’s Dawn and Whitney

The Yak had the opportunity to interview our last two Survivor castoffs this week. Both declare that they are huge fans of Survivor prior to being cast.

[singlepic id=689 w=200 h=150 float=left]Dawn Meehan is a 41-year-old mother of six adopted children from South Jordan, Utah.
She is an English professor at Brigham Young University. Her hobbies include swimming with her children, writing/blogging and baking bread. Another passion of Dawns for the last 11 years was to become a contestant on Survivor! Dawn was actually cast for the Nicaragua season but was cut just prior to filming. She is ecstatic that she was able to meet Jeff Probst and relishes her “Survivor experience”. Dawn admits that she was out of her element on day one. “I was overwhelmed! The sky is falling!” She laughs when thinking about how that first day went. She’s rightfully proud in her ability to shake that off and become an extremely strong competitor and Survivor!

[singlepic id=690 w=200 h=150 float=left]Whitney Duncan is a 27-year-old Country Western singer from Nashville, Tennessee. Her inspirations are Jesus and Elvis. “Jesus saved me and Elvis is the reason I started singing and performing.” Whitney was also set to star in the Nicaragua season ironically, however at the time she was under contract to Warner Brothers and it didn’t work out.

Another passion of Whitney’s is a tragic event that has happened to her family. In April of 2011 her beautiful, blonde 20-year-old cousin Hollie Bobo was abducted from her home in Tennessee and hasn’t been seen since. Whitney wants to bring this to light and wears a pink “Bring Hollie home” bracelet in honor of her missing cousin. Under scrutiny right now, Whitney says that she wants to keep her private life private however she was forthcoming with the information that prior to Survivor she was in an unhappy and unhealthy relationship. She definitely fell in love with Keith on Survivor and they are now a couple. “Who would have thought I would fall in love on Survivor?” she exclaimed. “We have a lot in common, we come from similar families and we have similar values. He’s just a great guy!”

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The Yak: What did you think about Cochran flipping on your Savaii tribe and being voted off?

Whitney: Cochran said it best. If the debt is not repaid it goes down as one of the most idiotic moves in Survivor history. Well, that’s how I saw it. I saw that it was not a smart move and he even admitted that he was humiliated. I really hate that Cochran was that gullible to believe Coach’s line of B.S honestly. We knew he was going 7th. I wasn’t shocked when his torch was snuffed.

The Yak: What was your strategy if the merge had resulted in Savaii taking out Upolu instead?

Whitney: Well the great thing, I think the whole tribe would agree that Ozzy would have gone sixth. For sure we would have had to get him out because of individual immunity and all that. You need to take out the biggest threats. In my mind it would have been Ozzy, Jim. Cochran was actually the perfect person. In my mind I had him going to final 3 with me. Of course because of individual immunity I didn’t think he would beat me. I had a great alliance with Dawn and with Keith and I felt very secure in that.

Dawn: Jim and Cochran would have been my final 3. I know since the show has aired Jim has laughingly said “I’m not going to take the Mormon mother of 6 adopted children to the end with me, but Jim and Cochran were definitely my final 3. The 3 of us trusted each other a great deal since day 11.

The Yak: Dawn, after Papa Bear was voted out who were you closest to?

Dawn: Oh, P Bear, you know for me I’m really close to Whitney throughout the whole game. I guess that’s not something we see a lot of (on the episodes). It doesn’t show that we have tension either. Again, I was really close to Whitney in the game, Jim, Cochran, and Keith. We all had a good relationship. I think “Sliding Rocks” typifies for me what the game was like for us. We all had a lot of mutual respect for each other. We all wanted to play the game hard. We were all in it for ourselves but we wanted to work with each other as much as we could for as long as we could.

The Yak: What is your honest opinion of Coach?

Dawn: You know I’ve had a hard time knowing how to explain what I think. You know I am impressed based on his day one reception from Upolu to see how he has been able to turn around his position in his tribe from day one, it’s remarkable. I mean his strategy, his ability to outwit when I’m around him, it seems so transparent. When we were in the game at the merge, I’m surprised that everyone is listening and following it. He’s so convincing and persuasive. I don’t think that anyone on Savaii would have been influenced by him outside of Cochran; he’s just so transparent. I think that’s why Christine and Mikayla left is because they weren’t buying it. I do think he’s doing a great job of playing the game though.

The Yak: Did you try to find any chink in the armor at Upolu prior to being voted out?

Dawn: Had we had Sophie we would have at the very least gotten rid of Edna. We had Cochran, we had Albert. The goal was Coach. To me that was the goal. Whitney and I tried to make the argument to Albert and Cochran that Coach is going to win this. A jury is going to vote for him.

Whitney: These people are smart people; I don’t understand how they don’t see this coming. It’s shocking! They were not bold enough to make that move.

The Yak: Dawn any regrets on not outing Cochran to your tribe?

Dawn: I did approach Ozzy and told him I thought Cochran might waffle. Ozzy talked to him for about 15 minutes and said he thought we were ok, that I was worrying too much. It didn’t make any sense for him to flip. I did have a good handle on how Cochran was thinking though.

The Yak: Dawn we did see you considering switching sides with Cochran, what changed your mind?

Dawn: One, I won immunity. By having immunity I didn’t have to draw a rock that night. There were better odds staying loyal to our tribe. The second reason though, I was approached with a final 3 or 4 scenario by Coach. I never felt like it was a genuine or legitimate offer. I felt like it was just what it was; a way to advance their game. It was frustrating for me to see Cochran believe Coach and I spent a lot of time trying to tell him, “There is no way! They are just using you.” But Cochran really believed Coach, so that was hard and frustrating for me.

The Yak: You’re both so tiny, were you surprised at your strength?

Dawn: Yeah!

Whitney: Dawn’s amazing. She pulled off that weight challenge. I wouldn’t have been able to do it. I’m really proud of what we accomplished. I think we both played an impressive physical game.

Dawn: No question. This game makes you push beyond your limits. After a while you start thinking. Hey, why not me?

The Yak: Are you both looking forward to the reunion?

Whitney: Of course!
Dawn: Absolutely, it’s like family and we’re also excited to see the outcome!

The Yak: Do you consider yourselves bitter jury members? What will you base your vote on?

Whitney: Definitely not bitter. It’s who outwitted, outplayed in 39 days.
I took that job of giving someone a million dollars very seriously. I would never vote off emotion. It’s not about one aspect; it’s the overall best player.

Dawn: Personally for me it’s not bitter. For me it’s who outwitted, outplayed and outlasted in 39 days. I took that literally. Who best met the definition of sole Survivor.

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Join us in the Forum HERE for all things Survivor!

The Sing Off’s AfroBlue: “We really love to be cerebral about music”

This week on NBC’s The Sing-Off, judges Sara Bareilles, Shawn Stockman, and Ben Folds made a tough decision and eliminated one of the last remaining collegiate groups, AfroBlue. After a dueling sing-off between the crew from Howard University and the Dartmouth Aires, the show lived up to it’s name with a decision coming down to one final battle. After delivering memorable performances week after week, such as “American Girl” and “Need You Now,” AfroBlue knew they had to follow through with critiques and focus on their arrangements. Unfortunately, found themselves eliminated and exited the Top 4. Earlier today, YakkityYaks had the pleasure to participate in an exclusive call with Danielle Withers from AfroBlue to get some insight on the group’s inspiration, challenges and what they think about the top 3 groups in the competition. Read on to find out these and much more!

For details on how to vote for the Top 3, click HERE. The Sing-Off bows with its finale next Monday, November 28 at 8/7c on NBC!

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The Yak: Hey there, how are you today?

Danielle, AfroBlue: I’m good, thanks!

The Yak: So, what made you guys do The Sing-Off?

Danielle: A few of us kept up with the show from season 1 and we were definitely into the show. We thought it would be cool to be on, but never really thought to audition or send in a tape. In the past, we were afforded the privilege to perform with legendary jazz singers, such as Take 6. Our director reconnected with Cedric from Take 6 and he remembered who we were and put in our name with casting at The Sing-Off. They saw our videos and asked us to audition. The rest is history.

The Yak: You guys had the privilege of knowing each other for some time before doing the show. How do you think that helped you week after week?

Danielle: Well, actually the group on the show was formed from members of the current class and some former members of AfroBlue. So, this was the first time we performed as a group together. Myself, Charity and Elijah have sang together in the past, but our director put us all together and we realized how well we sang as a group and brought it to the stage week after week.

The Yak: You’ve mentioned your director a couple of times. Were you able to work with her during the competition or were you not able to?

Danielle: No, we didn’t really work with her during the show. It was just us out there. As you saw on the show, there was no jazz night, so we had to arrange things freshly week after week. We were bravin’ it on our own. Our repertoire didn’t have any songs that coincided with the themes.

The Yak: Speaking of the themed nights, was one week particularly challenging for you as a group?

Danielle: Hmm, definitely rock/country week. We were familiar with “Need You Now” as a group. Even though we’re a jazz group, we listen to all kinds of music, but we don’t sing all kinds together as AfroBlue. The challenge was to be authentic and find yourselves in each piece we performed, no matter what. I was also not familiar with “American Girl,” so that was a challenge in and of itself. We took the advice of the judges from previous weeks and thought delicately about the arrangements.

The Yak: Well, I loved both of those arrangements, so well done. Have you guys heard from any of the artists you’ve covered this season?

Danielle: Oh, ya actually. We saw a tweet from Estelle the following morning praising our performance of “American Boy,” so that was really cool. We hope others saw our covers and think that we did them justice. I’d love to hear from more of them.

The Yak: You guys were one of the few groups who changed soloists almost weekly. Other than finding the right voice for the song, was there anything else that led you guys to choose a particular vocalist to perform that week?

Danielle: Basically you hit the nail on the head. It all depends on whose voice does the song most justice. We want the personality of the song shine through the voice and sometimes one person’s tone does that better than another.

The Yak: Did you have a favorite performance from the season? If so, why?

Danielle: My favorite was “Killing Me Softly.” I felt as though it were pleasing to the ear. I loved our arrangement. It really was an indicator of who we are as a group. It showed that we can be crazy and have a good time. We really love to be cerebral about music and that song did it for me. I love intricate arrangements like that.

The Yak: Sorry to have seen you guys eliminated last night, but was there any particular feedback from the judges after the show that gave you a little bit more insight into their decision?

Danielle: Nothing extra. What you saw was what they essentially said. They based their decision off the consistency of the season. We were in the bottom 2 more than Dartmouth Aires, so that made sense to us. They are an amazing and dynamic group. Michael’s vocals are amazing.

The Yak: Ya, that note during their sing-off performance blew me away.

Danielle: Haha, exactly my point! We root for each other, that’s the tricky part of this competition.

The Yak: Going into the finale next week, anyone in particular you guys are rooting for?

Danielle: Oh man, all the groups are good for different reasons. Like I said, the Aires are amazing and dynamic. I’m a huge theatre fan and I have told them that everytime I see them perform I feel like I’m watching a Broadway show. As for Urban Method, they have really cool arrangements. I can see things they do on a record. The intricacies you can hear in the background are so unique. And then Pentatonix. You know how some of the best musicians/singers are ahead of their time? That’s who they represent for me. They have the longevity in an artist that will keep them around for a while. Their attitudes are great – tongue in cheek in a really cool way. All the groups have been great.

The Yak: So you can’t commit, huh?

Danielle: Haha, nope, sorry!

The Yak: That’s OK – Before I let you go, are you allowed to give us a sneak peek into next week’s finale?

Danielle: Nope, sorry, you’ll have to tune in and see!

The Yak: Well thanks for your time. It was great talking to you. Have a great Thanksgiving.

Danielle: Thanks, same to you!

The Yak’s Interview with CBS Survivor Jim Rice and Keith Tollefson

Today the Yak was double lucky to interview both Jim Rice and Keith Tolleson. In Wednesday’s episode they became Jurors #1 and #2 after being bested by Ozzy in the Redemption Island Challenge. Both Jim and Keiths evictions were basically at the hands of their former tribemate Cochran who flipped to Upolu tribe after the merge, leaving only devastation for Savaii tribe. There bios are listed below:

[singlepic id=682 w=280 h=200 float=left]Name (Age): Jim Rice (35)
Tribe Designation: Savaii
Current Residence: Denver
Occupation: Medical Marijuana Dispenser
Personal Claim to Fame: I’ve worked on Wall Street, won over 40 poker tournaments, started several successful businesses and earned my MBA at a top five school from the University of Michigan.
Inspiration in Life: My dad. The guy rocks and is responsible for who I am.
Hobbies: Playing guitar, playing poker and anything outdoors.
Pet Peeves: Close-mindedness and disingenuous people.
3 Words to Describe You: Ambitious, magnanimous and competitive.

[singlepic id=683 w=280 h=200 float=left]Name (Age): Keith Tollefson (26)
Tribe designation: Savaii
Current residence: Edina, Minn.
Occupation: Water Treatment Tech
Personal claim to fame: I graduated college and moved to Hawaii for two years because that was my dream.
Inspiration in Life: My mom. She raised me and my sister with little help and eventually bought a house for us after saving for years. She taught me how to be a gentleman even while I was causing trouble when I was young. She instilled great morals, values and love for all those around me.
Hobbies: Surfing, swimming and long-boarding.

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The Yak: Hi guys, thanks for speaking with us today. This question is for both of you. Looking back Jim do you think that you created a monster by saving Cochran and soliciting Keith and Whitney’s vote to blindside Elyse? Do you regret your decision?

Jim: The move to get rid of Elyse was a sound decision. Ozzy and Elyse were tight. Ozzy could have recruited Cochran and had the numbers, that’s why I chose to get rid of her. On Survivor all you know is what you know at the time, we thought of self preservation moving forward.

Keith: I tried to talk to Elyse about game and strategy. There was nothing there. Whitney also tried to talk to Elyse about the game and she got nothing back. That led us to believe that Elyse was talking game with only one person and that was Ozzy. You could even see it in one of her interviews. She stated that she and Ozzy’s strategy was the same. She basically had no concept of the game so we felt that it was our best bet.

The Yak: This is anti-bullying week and we at Yakkity Yaks want to know if you have any stories, quotes, or thoughts about bullying?

Jim: I find it interesting that it’s anti-bullying week. Yes I do have something to say about that. The theme of bullying comes up a lot in the context of Survivor. Upolu looked at Cochran and assumed that he’d been bullied by our Savaii tribe without even knowing. It bothers me that any one of us could be considered a bully. You saw how upset Whitney was at tribal council when she said we had been “villainized.” This upsets me.

Keith: Coach’s propoganda made us out to be bullies. This was a smart play by Coach. I considered Cochran a friend, well not anymore, lol. They showed no bullying on the show because there was never any bullying!. Cochrane himself said he flipped for self-preservation not because of any supposed bullying.

The Yak: Jim since you’re a fan of the show how do you feel about slamming Cochran by calling him a coward?

Jim: I actually despise name calling, it’s so immature you stupid idiot.. lol.
I meant it when I called him a coward. I think he made his decision based out of fear and to me that’s a coward. I think he deserved it.

The Yak: What’s Ozzy really like?

Keith: Ozzy is just a really nice guy. Very down to earth, a beast in challenges. We became very close friends. He’s a very regular guy. We had a pretty good time on Redemption Island together, we fished every day, had coconuts and fresh fruit.

Jim: He was a real nice regular guy. I was only at Redemption Island for one night.

The Yak: How did you view Coach?

Keith: From my basic knowledge he was running the show. He was making his presence known as the leader. He was saying if you don’t listen to me or do what I say there will be consequences. I was completely creeped out by Coach. The honor, integrity and the shoulder rubbing just creeped me out.

The Yak: Why do you think Cochran flipped at the merge?

Jim: As a team we should have made a bigger effort to solidify our team. We should have stressed that we were all sticking together. We had the advantage. We had two immunities AND an immunity idol. It makes no sense whatsoever that Cochran would want to flip. Cochran basically had the best spot in our tribe. He had a final 3 deal with every person on our tribe. As a fan Cochran should know that you can piss off one person and still get jury votes in the end. By flipping and screwing over 5 people it’s 100% lose. I just don’t see how you can flip if you’re playing for the end game. it’s amazing to see someone so smart, going to Harvard, do something so stupid.

*(ed note: Don’t think Cochran will get Keith or Jim’s vote. lol)

The Yak: Keith what did you think when you found out Jim’s true profession? (Medical marijuana dispenser)

Keith: (laughing) I was shocked that he lied about it! It actually made me like him more! It doesn’t really matter, Jim was a real hard worker. I thought “why didn’t you tell us???”

The Yak: Keith can you tell us about your relationship with Whitney?

Keith: We became very close. I can’t answer anymore questions because she’s still playing the game. Hopefully at the finale we can talk about more things and give everyone answers they want to know.

The Yak: Any thoughts about the final challenge against Ozzy?

Keith: Well we thought it was one person going home so to find out it was two, that caught me off guard. During an endurance challenge like that one mental lapse and you’re done!

Jim: As a fan of the show I knew many of the challenges that I hoped to compete in and many that I was hoping not to compete in. As soon as I saw it I realized it was one of the ones I was hoping against.

The Yak: If Jeff Probst called you and asked you to play Survivor again, would you?

Keith: I don’t know (laughing)

Jim: Anyone would love to play again. Who would say no? You get to take off and forget everything, go to a beautiful place and compete for a million dollars!!

To see more Keith and Jim go to CBS.com and view their time on the “Ponderosa”!
The Yak: Thanks so much guys. It was great talking to you, see you on finale night!!

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Can you tell you they will be voting for by their interviews? Let us know what you think below, then come on into the forum HERE where we are discussing all our favorite reality shows!

The Sing Off’s Delilah: “… sharing a special message through music”

This week on NBC’s The Sing-Off, judges Sara Bareilles, Shawn Stockman, and Ben Folds made a tough decision and eliminated all-female group, Delilah, from the competition. After making it past Round 1 with their memorable performance of Bruno Mars’s “Grenade,” Delilah knew they had to work hard to build upon the judge’s critiques and come back a new group in future rounds! While nearly escaping elimination, Delilah knew they had to prove themselves week after week. Unfortunately, in a crop of six highly talented groups, Delilah found themselves eliminated. Earlier this week, YakkityYaks had the pleasure to participate in a media call with Hannah Juliano from Delilah. Read on to find out the story behind the group, plans for the future, and more!

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Talking About Their Hardest Challenge As a Group
Hannah, Delilah: Well, a lot of the groups on the show primarily do a genre and they are really strong in a genre, you know, say like hip hop or in jazz or in electronic type of music. And the basis of our whole group was that we not only were, you know, adapting to all these genres, all these challenges every week, but we also were just all female. It was commented on a lot obviously because it was our biggest challenge. We don’t have a natural low end like the groups that have guys do because our – physically our voices aren’t as low. So it was a huge challenge for us every week to not only reinvent these songs and represent them in a way that was true to us and, you know, as musicians and as women, but to really get around the struggle of not having that natural low end. I think that we really rose to the challenge every week. We dug deep every single week to try and beat that.

On The Judges’ Best Advice
Hannah, Delilah: Gosh, they said a lot of things. The shows are pre-filmed so a lot of the commentary was given to us. They would really talk to us a lot in the live shows so some of it didn’t really make the cut in the shows, but I do specifically remember when Ben Folds told us that when we’re making ourselves happy, we’re making everybody else happy. That was one week that it clicked for us that we were trying so hard to please ourselves and the judges and what we thought the audience was going to want and we weren’t really listening to ourselves. When we started to sing from our hearts, that’s really when everything clicked. Sara said the same thing the next week. She said that, you know, just when we tap into that true very emotional, feminine spirit that we all have and are very true to that then we were the most successful.

Thoughts On The Comments From Rock/Country Night
Hannah, Delilah: I was actually really scared about how they were going to turn out because we thought they were so awesome and so strong, we felt so connected to them both, and then they were both judged kind of harshly, so I didn’t really know what everybody else had heard. I didn’t know if it was different from what we had heard or what we had thought about it. But I am so, so happy about how they both turned out. We really were just singing from our hearts on both of the songs. Both of them were a struggle. You know, we really, really had to dig deep that week, especially on the country song. We had to rearrange that song about ten times and our last version of it was finally done. Even that day of filming we were still working on it and changing it. So listening back on it and watching the performances, I think they’re really both beautiful and, like I said, we were just singing our hearts out. And as far as pitch issues or energy issues in the first song go, I don’t know. It’s different when you’re in the group. I feel like I have a bias because I feel so strongly connected to them in the first place, but I can see what they were talking about as far as the energy issues in “Dream On” where we peaked early. And the pitch issues in “If I Die Young,” I don’t think they were as dramatic as the judges had made it seem. But when it comes down to it it’s the top six in the competition and any kind of mistake is a big deal because everybody is so talented and so perfect. So…it definitely was a blow to us though.

On What The Future Holds For Delilah
Hannah, Delilah: We are so excited and so motivated. We really just liked being on the show and it turned into something much bigger and much more special than we would have ever imagined and all of us continue to talk every single day. We unfortunately are all split up across the country right now. You know, we’re all from different places, so none of us are together save maybe two people at a time in different cities, but we are planning on continuing. Of course we want to kind of see if some offers roll in and we’re kind of waiting for all of that, but really want to do an album, tour and stay together and really continue to share this special thing that is Delilah that we found.

On Delilah’s Favorite Performance
Hannah, Delilah: Oh my gosh. Probably – oh gosh, I don’t know. Probably “Grenade” and Alicia Keys. They both were ones that just clicked and so it wasn’t as much of a struggle to perfect the song as it was or it wasn’t much of a struggle to really beat the song and try and outsmart it to really give a great performance as it was just perfecting something that kind of was great from the start. You know, a lot of our songs sprouted from us having to deconstruct it and find how to make it work for us and both of those songs just kind of naturally worked for us. And they were both just a joy.

On Which Judge Delilah Connected Most With
Hannah, Delilah: I’m going to say probably Shawn. I feel like he got our platform most of the time. We have a pretty special relationship and very different with each of the judges. With Sara being the only girl, we always felt like she was rooting for us. All of them were always rooting for us really. But there was something special about Shawn. Every time he commented on us, we always felt a special kinship with him and you can’t see it on a lot on the TV. They don’t show it, but he was always pointing to us and saying, “I’m so proud of you.” He was always encouraging us especially when we were struggling in the Guilty Pleasure week. After we had been saved the second time, he looked at us and said, “Come on, I know you can do it, ladies.” Like, I don’t know, we just – I specifically felt something with Shawn. I’m sure each of the girls have different opinions, but that’s just my standpoint. We loved all the judges so much. They were always so great to us.

On Staying Positive As A Group
Hannah, Delilah: Well, the group is really special. And we didn’t really know how special it was until we were in it, you know, because we formed for the show. So it was all very quick and we were finding our identity in real-time on the show, so that’s what I think is really interesting about the group. It kind of changes from what we thought we were going to be on the show to what we actually ended up being and what we felt a connection with. I think being in the bottom two the first time was a big shock to us because we had come out of the gate so strong in our first two songs. So after that we thought, well I don’t know. There was always a very, very positive energy about us and we were all so so close, truly a sisterhood, so we were always constantly lifting each other up. I guess our strategy was just letting it all go and remembering what it’s all about and that’s about the music and connecting to it and sharing a message with the audience. So whenever we would just kind of breath and relax and try and forget about the judges then the challenges and the competition, it really seemed to click for us. You know, we would get back to that special place of just sharing a special message through music.

On Keeping Up With Delilah
Hannah, Delilah: Oh gosh, fans can find us everywhere. We are constantly online. We love checking up on the YouTube videos and answering fans there. We’re all on Twitter. We all have individual Twitters and then the actual group’s Twitter is @singdelilah. We’ve got a Facebook fan page. We’re working on getting a Web site and all that kind of fun stuff to make it kind of centralized outside of Facebook and Twitter. But we are all over the Internet. We are constantly answering fans and saying hello and thank you and spreading the love because just can’t get enough. We love them all so much.

On Who They’d Like To See Win It All
Hannah, Delilah: Afro-Blue. We have a really, really strong connection with them. They became some of our best friends. Both Afro-Blue and Pentatonix, I would say. Those two groups, we got especially close with. They’re just so talented and I love everything they do. So those are my people I’m rooting for. But, you know, obviously they’re all our best friends and we love them all.

It was so hard being in the bottom with Afro-Blue. We just – we couldn’t believe. You can see it when we all just rushed to each other and hugged each other. I don’t know if the fans really get how non-competition-like it is for the groups. We don’t even understand that it’s a competition. It’s weird to us that there’s a winner because we get so close and we truly, truly support each other in every single performance. So to be pitted against some of your newly found best friends is just heart wrenching and we – you can’t understand it, it’s so strange. So that was really hard. All of us are going, gosh, that was even worse watching it than it was being there.

The Mystery Behind Big Brother’s Fortune Teller

Just who is Madame Broella?

It has been nearly a month and a half since Rachel Reilly took away the grand prize of $500,000 as the winner of Big Brother 13, but many fans are still discussing, investigating, and debating the identity behind the house’s iconic figure, the fortune teller? Ever since the Fortune Teller surfaced on Twitter shortly before the start of Big Brother 13, rumors have been swirling as to the identity of @BBFortuneTeller.

Before we delve any further, I’d like to point out that the theories and opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those of the writer or staff at YakkityYaks. We have done our best to compile various opinions as we scour the internet and are bound to miss a few. This piece is meant to be for fun and in no way definitive about the identity of the Big Brother Fortune Teller. We’d also like to thank our exclusive Twitter sleuth, @pj_williamson, a self-proclaimed Big Brother and TV fanatic, for many of the investigative findings below.

A few key and popular theories exist about who the FT really is. Fans all over social networking sites and fan message boards (such as YY) have speculated that Madame Broella is indeed a member of production who has taken to social media sites like Twitter to give Big Brother fans just one more thing to obsess about in addition to the game. Other fans believe that a previous houseguest (popular or unpopular) from Big Brother’s past came up with a sick joke to mess with Big Brother fans. Even further, some fans believe that multiple houseguests are on a “rotation” in using the now infamous Twitter handle. The latter seems to be the most dominant and popular theory at this time.

Supporting the producer/insider theory, avid (and maybe even obsessed) “Fortunate Followers” will remember that the @BBFortuneTeller handle was able to tweet some information regarding the house and houseguests before news was made public. However, that doesn’t completely defend that theory because it is possible that previous houseguests may be privy to such information. So basically we’re back at square one.

As the season went on, it appeared that not only did the FT seem to have some inside scoop, but she (or he?) was willing to sporadically send out clues regarding it’s identity. The clue giving has continued on to this day, as fans continue to investigate this mystery. First up, the FT’s twitter description previously included “#TeamAlumni = #TeamBox.” As we mentioned, it has been believed for some time that the person behind the FT was a previous housguest, hence team alumni (or previous houseguest) = team box (or person inside the box, aka person in control of the FT). However, is there more to this clue that what we see on the surface? In the past week, the FT has released not one but TWO anagrams with the first being “OctoberThirtyFirst.” After much deliberation, the jury is still out on how to decipher this. The names Robert and Eric can be pulled out in two different deciphers (but then not much can be done with the other letters). Robert Roman appeared on BB4, but there’s not much more to go from there. However, Eric Stein was America’s Player on BB8, so … The second anagram was “Never Doubt Broella” and the FT let us know “Ellen” was the first world. Since “Ellen8million” was a trending topic that day, we are led to believe this does not signal any clue as to the identity of the FT. So, let us move on. We want to know if you’ve come up with any other ways to decipher these anagrams.

As we begin yet another week, the Fortune Teller ominously teased her Fortunate Followers regarding a #ManicMonday. Just what is Manic Monday and what does it have to with this Big Brother mystery? It’s clear now that #ManicMonday dealt with a new “Treasure Hunt” in collaboration with @MichelleBB10. As to what the hunt entails and what its reward will be, well, that’s anybody’s guess.

Additionally, the FT uses the term “EyE” rather than “I” with its random capitalization. It is more than likely that the “EyE” may simply refer to a.) The BB eye, b.) The CBS eye or c.) A fortuneteller’s all-seeing eye or even d) all of the above.

Even so, the story behind the Fortune Teller isn’t all fun and games. There was a point in time where fans seemed to get frustrated with Madame Broella and speculation grew that the identity of the tweeter was nothing more than a fan messing around and having fun with obsessed Big Brother fanatics. It was also even speculated that a major Big Brother blog and message board might be behind this social experiment. Some angry tweets were thrown her way, but it’s pretty obvious that the FT can handle angry tweets. She did live in the house with some interesting folk, after all. Plus, she’s probably still flattered with Shelly’s compliments from inside the house. These such theories didn’t hold much weight anyways and weren’t focused on as much by many Big Brother fans, but they did exist and we feel as if they should be pointed out as a reminder.

If there’s one thing EyE know, it’s that this Twitter handle, whether real or experimental, has made waves in social networking with one of the summer’s biggest reality shows. EyE think this could and will open doors for Big Brother next summer … the question is, my personal Fortunate Followers, just who is Madame Crystal Broella?

To follow along the speculation, join in our FORUMS and be sure to follow the Yak on Twitter and Facebook. Of course, don’t forget that you can follow Madame Broella on Twitter as well, so you’re not left in the dark on this mysterious yet enjoyable mystery. EyE know U won’t regRET it!

The Yak’s Interview with Survivor’s Christine Shields

Today the Yak had the opportunity to interview Christine Shields Markoski, the 39 year old teacher and Mom from Merrick, NY. Christine valued her 19 days on Survivor although she spent the majority of it alone on Redemption Island. Christine’s fans have dubbed her a “warrior” due to her ability to win 5 straight duels before being ousted by Ozzy prior to the tribal merge. Christine was the first person to be voted out of her Upolu tribe.

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The Yak: Christine, congratulations on winning so many duels. You spent so much time on Redemption Island can you tell us how you handled that?

Christine: I tried to keep busy. I had a hard time for a while. I started thinking about my family; my husband, my children, so that was difficult. I sewed my clothes with fishing line. I fished and hunted for food. I journaled and wrote “Redemption Island Sucks!” out of seashells on the beach. (laughs). i picked fresh flowers every day to spruce things up.

The Yak: When Ozzy came to Redemption Island did you buy his story about Cochran and the idol?

Christine: Well yes, it was totally plausible. This is Survivor and being blindsided is nothing new to Ozzy. Who would be asked to be voted off to come to Redemption Island? From what the previous castaways had told me it didn’t surprise me about Cochran?

The Yak: After seeing what Cochran did, if you had beaten Ozzy in the duel would you have stayed with Upolu and would you have taken the chance of picking rocks at Tribal Council?

Christine: I think I would have stayed with Upolu for a little bit and then maybe switched. I wouldn’t be comfortable picking a rock to decide my fate after all that time I spent on Redemption Island.

The Yak: Did you have the opportunity to look for the idol when you knew you were a target in your tribe?

Christine: I did look for the idol as you could see it was unsuccessful, but yes, I did look for it.

The Yak: Do you think you made yourself an early target with Coach by calling him a temporary player:

Christine: I think he took that comment and ran with it. I was calling him out on all his baloney. He said, “she’s calling me lazy and I’m doing a disappearing act, etc.” Stacey and I didn’t listen to his stories. We were not enthralled by his stories.

The Yak: Christine if you hadn’t been voted off your tribe how would you have reacted to Coach’s mandatory prayers and being told to get on your knees.

Christine: It would not have been good. If Coach had grabbed my arm and told me to get on my knees and pray it would not have been a pretty sight! I find it extremely offensive! You do not ever tell anyone that they should pray or not pray!! No, that wouldn’t have happened. That would have been a problem!

The Yak: All of the castaways that we’ve interviewed have stated that they wanted you to win after spending time with you on Redemption Island. Do you have any favorites?

Christine: Oh that’s so nice. I learned something valuable with every single person. I respected and cared for everyone that came through Redemption Island. Of course, I have to say I had so much fun with Stacey. I told her I’m going to write a book called “Staceyisms”. We just laughed so much and drank our coconut milk. It was like having a slumber party. I love the stuff she comes up with like calling Coach “ChuckytheCheese!”

The Yak: Since you were so highly regarded by the others do you think that you would have had a shot at winning if you returned to the game?

Christine: I absolutely would have had a shot at winning. Each person that came through gave me snippets of information that was happening in their tribes so I really felt like I knew what was going on in both tribes.

The Yak: Would you ever see yourself being friends with Coach?

Christine: No, he was my biggest rival. If I had returned to the game he would still be my biggest rival. Everyone else there I respected as a human being. I found Coach arrogant and omnipotent. He acts like he’s King Farouk, like everyone should bow down to him. I don’t see us being BFF’s anytime soon.

The Yak: In one episode during a Redemption Island Duel it looked like you flipped the bird to an Upolu tribe member, Rick specifically. Did you?

Christine: (laughing) I did give someone the finger but it wasn’t Rick.

The Yak: Who did you flip off?

Christine: Jeff! (laughs) This is what happened. I had been on Redemption Island for some time so I missed my manicure appointment lol. My fingernails were really dirty. Jeff Probst made a comment that my fingernails were filthy so I put my middle finger up and said, “Which finger Jeff, this one?” So i basically flipped him off! When my kids watched it they said “Mom, you can’t do that!”. I said, “No, YOU can’t do that!”

The Yak: Jeff Probst said that you were becoming a legitimate force to be reckoned with at some point. You responded that you’ve always been a force to be reckoned with. Tell us about that.

Christine: I’ve always been a very strong personality. I don’t back down from challenges. I say what I think. My mother said she never had to worry about me being bullied or standing up for myself. I’ve always had self-confidence.

The Yak: Would you consider doing Survivor again?

Christine: Absolutely, I’d like to play the Social game this time.

The Yak: Are you going to call Coach “Coach” at the finale, or are you going to call him Benjamin?

Christine: (laughing) I think I’m going to call him “Benjie!”

The Yak: Why Benjie?

Christine: Because he will absolutely despise that name even worse than Benjamin! (laughing)

The Yak: Who do you want to win? Not Coach I imagine.

Christine: Actually if Coach won it would validate me. It would mean that he should have been a temporary player and one of us could have been sitting there.

I think Dawn, she’s strong and she’s a mom, we have that in common.
Or Cochran, he’s been hanging in there and going through a lot.

The Yak: Thank you Christine! You are definitely a force to be reckoned with and we look forward to seeing you again on Survivor! Many Survivor fans are pushing CBS for a season of castaways that got voted off before the merge.

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So what did you think of what Christine had to say? What do you think about the way this season’s Survivor is going all together? Let us know below, then come on in and join us is the forum HERE for all the chat about your favorite shows!