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Survivor: The Yak’s Interview with Survivor Winner Denise Stapley

Live Reuinion ShowHey Survivor Fans. The Yak was able to participate in an interview yesterday with Denise from Survivor Philippines!

As you may know Denise Stapley the physically and mentally tough sex therapist from Cedar Rapids, Iowa received a much deserved win of a million dollars on Sunday nights finale!

Denise has said that she is the one who “outed” Lisa to Penner, which is the information he so conveniently used at the finale tribal council. She has made peace with Abi even though she acknowledges it was definitely difficult to live with her. Denise was quite shocked that Abi voted for her as sole Survivor! Apparently the only person that still seems bitter towards her is Russell, a Kalabaw tribe mate who left early in the game. Ultimately Denise thinks that what clenched the win for her was that she had attended every tribal council and persevered. She also did not want to apologize for how she played the game being proud of herself in her camp life, social game and her proficiency in challenges. She said that there was a part of her leaving final tribal council that thought “I think I just did it!” She was not overly confident however and didn’t want to jinx it so she would never truly consider winning during the five month period they had to wait for the results. As much as she wanted to hope she never let herself believe it until the votes were announced.

Denise says that her family needs to decompress. She takes her stewardship of the prize money seriously and she and her husband first and foremost want to insure the future of their nine year old daughter and other family members.

The Yak: What surprised you the most watching back the season?

Live Reuinion ShowDenise: Far and above how early on Malcolm was thinking about cutting me out! Re watching it is so funny like God, that little stinker was thinking about it weeks ahead. That’s definitely it!

The Yak: Who did you enjoying hanging out with the most?

Denise: Without a doubt definitely Michael Skupin and Lisa. I think there was a difference between the friendship of Malcolm and Michael Skupin and Lisa and I, just partly because of age and life experiences . We would be able to have conversations about our kids and different things. That just doesn’t translate. So just being able to spend time within the game where it wasn’t always about strategy and it wasn’t always about the game. It was great!

The Yak: Did you ever find out what bit you in the neck?

Live Reuinion ShowDenise: You know we don’t know! We assume it was likely a centipede. They had asked one of the crew members who was a local there and from the symptoms they assumed it was a centipede. Luckily by the end of the day the pain subsided, it was incredibly painful. Dumb us you know we were sleeping on the ground and it was raining, just nasty nasty!

Before leaving home Denise wrote out a two page strategy on how she wanted to play the game and she reports it was almost by the book.

Thanks Denise for speaking with us and Congratulations on your much deserved win as Sole Survivor!

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Survivor: The Yak Chats with Carter Williams

Carter Williams the 24 year old track coach from Kansas, was eliminated on the last Survivor episode. Carter’s friendly social game and physical ability went a long way in his tribe mates decision to view him as a solid threat in the final three. We talked to Carter today to get his take on the game.

Q: Looking back now how do you view the voting?

Carter: I think it’s fairly clear we’re not playing old school Survivor. This is the game where you’re real threats. Early in the game you’re trying to keep your tribe strong and keep people you like around but the end is so close. Everyone can see it. I barely lost the last 2 immunity challenges and I’d like to think if I got a third shot that I could take it home, but who knows. That being said I think people woke up and said why would we take this guy to the end with us when he can beat us in immunity challenges? I put money on myself even though as tough as Denise is and as clutch as Malcolm was. Abi pulled some magic out and they had an alliance of four that they were going to stick with.

Q: When Abi revealed that she had another idol, what did you think?

Carter: I thought it was bogus. I mean she was acting so dang strange about it. (laughs) She was reading that note super strange and talking about it in a really strange way. No one believed her I hope that’s not why I went home. Those people are smarter than that. But, she was definitely flaunting around an imaginary idol.

Q: How did you understand Abi as compared to the others, did you get to know her?

Carter: I actually did get to know Abi. That’s kind of the thing that a lot of people don’t get to see. If I have a friendship with someone or a beef with someone you’re not going to see the friendship, they’re going to show the beef. It sucks that they kept her over me and that she pulled out some magic. I had no problems with Abi. She was bossy and she was nasty at times, but none of it was ever directed at me. Abi is an interesting girl, I can’t imagine what it’s like to hear all this stuff being said. It’s got to be tough to know your friends and family are watching but hey she’s 33 years old so she’s a big girl.

Yak: Has there been anything that has surprised you watching the Season so far?

Carter: When we left the game Penner told me; hey you need to remember as much as you can about what happened out here because when it gets shown it’s going to be completely different. They are going to show 3 days worth in 45 minutes. A lot of things went on that weren’t shown like I would climb coconut trees every day and get coconuts. That was a big part of my experience out there and no one got to see that. I had friendships with those guys. I became friends with them. You didn’t get to see how much fun we had. It was so hard, it was difficult but we would laugh, we would talk about things and play goofy games.

Yak: Aside from you not winning was the experience what you hoped it would be?

Carter: It was pretty dang close. I really wanted to go on an immunity run. I was really excited about having my back up against the wall and saying like “take this” and winning out by taking immunity. It would be so cool, I was really pumped to go for it. Most of my favorite players have done that. I liked when Fabio and Ozzie did that. It was such a cool experience I feel super lucky to have played this game. I know so many people that wished they could play this game, even the people that work on the show. They say they wish they could play but they can’t because they’ve worked on it. Wow I feel very lucky to be a part of this 30 million dollar production. I’m very appreciative.

Yak: As far as the celebrities in the game; Jeff Kent and Lisa, did you have any idea who they were?

Carter: I had no clue. I told Jeff Kent when the game was over I totally thought you were just some Texas hick and he responded. Oh yeah, cuz that’s who I am. You got to know me you just didn’t know I played baseball. I thought it was really cool to get to know them apart from that. My Mom was telling me, how funny would it have been when she walked into that challenge if she would have said. “Hey it’s Blair from the Facts of Life!” That would have been so funny if some random loved one had said Hey that’s Blair! My Dad would have totally called her out. (laughs) Jeff Kent told me at Ponderosa that after this game was over I would hear some stuff about him. I couldn’t figure it out and he wouldn’t tell me so I said can I google you? He smiled and said, yeah you can google me. I didn’t think it was something that big. I thought maybe he was really rich or something but I was a Jeff Kent fan before I knew he was a baseball player.

Q: You were aligned with Penner often times but it seems that you weren’t really loyal to him in the end. What was it about returning players and how much influence did Jeff Kent have on you with that?

Carter: Looking back on that I really wish we could have been a tight 3. I really, really got to know and like Penner. It was kind of this thing that I was aligned with Jeff day 1 on the beach it was kind of like let’s figure out what we need to do. My main ally I desperately wanted to be working with Penner too. Anyone who’s seen Boston Rob or Coach walk his way to the finals, it does leave a bitter taste in your mouth and when you’re watching at home it’s like oh man I would so get them out. They’re too good, they’re too smart, they’ve played before. But then you get to know them and I ended up loving Penner and wishing things had gone differently. I wish when we merged we had all agreed to do something differently. It gets confusing out there. I was listening and working with Jeff and wanting to work with Penner and it gets crazy. Jeff obviously had a big target on Penner’s back which led to him being voted out.

Speaking with Carter it’s apparent that he cherished his time in the game and made many friendships. He actually says he likes and respects all cast members. He said that he, Pete and Malcolm became close partly due to them being the same age. Taking into consideration his genuine caring for his tribe mates and their reciprocating his feelings it was probably a wise move to vote him out.

Thanks Carter for speaking with us at the Yak!!

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Survivor: The Yak’s Interview with Jonathan Penner

Jonathan Penner the 50 year old, actor, producer and writer from Los Angeles, California became the 5th member of the jury on Survivor Philippines this week. Penner is a three time veteran on Survivor. On previous seasons he was the 6th jury member on Survivor Cook Islands and was medically evacuated from Survivor Micronesia due to a knee infection.

Jonathan’s ability to tell a story, his emotional intelligence, wit and ability to read people make him a Survivor fan favorite. We had the pleasure of interviewing Jonathan to get his thoughts on his experience in the Philippines.

Q: Going into the food auction do you think everyone dropped their guard with Abi? How do you see it now?

Penner: I guess we did, obviously we did. I thought I was in a better position than I was and everyone else knew they were in the position they were in because we had all agreed to vote out Abi. Quite honestly I didn’t think about there being some kind of specific advantage that Abi might afford herself. The last food auction I’d been in, there was a disadvantage that you could buy. So drop our guard, yeah I guess we did, we all assumed she’d be going home which is a dangerous thing to do.

Q: What is your take on the bias that other Survivors have with returning players?

Penner: I think it’s a little simplistic and I think that people are going to the game with an assumption which can be very dangerous. Certainly you can go very far with hitching your wagon to a returning player. We know a lot. We have a lot of experience and can go far and because there are targets on our backs we need to have strong allies. Going into a final four, five or six situation with a returning player and then trying to cut them loose can really catapult you into a final situation. Cutting us off just because we are returning players is a lot of energy that could be spent in a positive way instead of a negative way and certainly led to Jeff Kent’s demise.

Yak: Did you think that Jeff Kent’s obsession with getting you out is the reason he left so quickly?

Penner: No. I think it’s an easy story to tell, I don’t doubt that it’s true. That he walked into the ‘not being the idiot that let a returning player last longer than him’. I think that we were in a terrible position going into the merge. The Kalabaw players, Denise was more tightly aligned with Malcolm and his idol than she was with us and mine. He found himself in a very very tough spot and that’s why he went home.

Yak: From what we saw you and Skupin were the only ones that knew Lisa’s secret and who she was. Did you ever consider using that or giving her away in an attempt to save yourself?

Penner: Hmmm. We weren’t the only ones that knew. Denise also knew. In fact Denise told me. I didn’t know. I certainly let Lisa believe that I did know. By the time I met her I did know but when we first got to the beach I didn’t recognize her. I had never seen an episode of the Facts of Life. Just like I didn’t know Jeff Kent was a baseball player. No, I honestly didn’t consider using that against her, nor did I consider betraying some of the other stuff she told me in confidence. You know it’s one of those funny things, well, I guess if I thought that I needed to do that, (pauses) um… I’m not allowed to talk about what happens further on in the game, such a look. (referring to the look he got from the CBS publicity person who is monitoring the interview.) That’s all I’ll say about that.

Yak: What has surprised you the most watching so far this season?

Penner: Yeah, It surprised me that Jeff Kent had poisoned the well against me so early and so effectively. I could not figure out why I was getting no traction with any of the Kalabaw players, to align with me. He and I got along very, very well. Unfortunately that is not shown. I do believe that we would have gone far. Before I won that immunity challenge and thought I was going home that night, I told him that I thought he would go all the way and I certainly believed he had a great shot at winning and that I would probably vote for him, you know? So that was surprising. I can’t say disappointing, just surprising. Surprising that last night Skupin was so clearly ready to vote me off. I never quite figured out why they were so determined to vote for me instead of Carter. Immediately when Abi did not lose, they determined that I was too big a threat or something. Or too big an asshole, (laughs) I don’t know. They wanted to get me out of there. I was very, very angry about that. I knew the family visit was coming up you know and asked them “My wife is on a plane right now to the Philippines, boy I’ll be pissed if I don’t get to see her and she’s gonna be pissed too.” Maybe they were afraid that she’d kick all their asses, which she probably could have done!

Yak: I want to thank you for not hugging Abi when you left.

Penner: (Laughs) yeah, that would have been just too much!

Q: Referring to the conversation with Lisa about crafting her own story. How much of that conversation from your standpoint was genuine? Was that a game play move, or was it just Lisa connecting with someone because she basically couldn’t seem to connect with anyone else out there?

Penner: It was all those things. Survivor is complicated, life is complicated. Just like I’m talking to you honestly and openly. She and I really had a wonderful connection, have a wonderful connection and we’re talking openly and honestly and I needed to sway her. We talked about a lot of things. I was actually surprised very pleasantly surprised that they left that in. That’s what reality TV is about . Taking three days of life and editing it into a story. I was just hoping that she could understand and I know that she did, she’s a very smart woman. If she made this flip the audience was gonna be cheering and if she didn’t the audience was going to be disappointed. Was that manipulative? Of course. Was it true? Of course.

Q: How did this exit from the game compare to your previous exit at having been medically evacuated?

Penner: (Laughs) Being medically evacuated was much tougher and unbelievably frustrating. It was excruciatingly painful I must say and actually rather frightening. It lead to a whole adventure in and of itself of surgery in Palau and rehab and lots of back channel bullshit we don’t have to go into. It was quite mortifying and a terrible way to leave the game. This was much less mortifying. I basically played the game I wanted to play. Clearly I made a mistake in not lying to Lisa when she needed me to shake her hand and say I would make a commitment to her. Should have done that, could have done that. How it would have shaken out differently I’m not sure. Clearly Malcolm and Denise saw me as a big threat and were prepared to take me out. I think Skupin did too really.

Q: You mentioned in your day after interview that you’ve played Survivor for 80 days and that the show has squeezed everything it can out of you. Now having some time past, do you feel the same way, or would you play again if asked?

Penner: I would certainly consider it if I was available and physically able. I would never say never at this point. Survivor is an extraordinary thing. It’s a peak experience you might call it. It’s a highly adrenalized almost addictive kind of thing like vacation or sex or reading good books, whatever turns you on. You get to do something that really puts you in a heightened state takes you out of your day to day life and is a whole experience of it from soup to nuts. From training to doing it to watching it with my friends and family even to now getting to talk to you is kind of fascinating and fabulous.

So, if they made that call again; I can barely conceive of getting a fourth chance to play the game. I would of course consider it very very seriously.

Thanks Jonathan Penner for taking the time to talk to us at the Yak!

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Were you unhappy to see Penner leave? What do you think of what he had to say? Let us know below!

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Survivor One World: The Yak’s Interview with Jay Byars

Jay Byars the 25-year old model from South Carolina with the ever so sexy drawl just couldn’t resist those chicken wings and beer during his final immunity challenge. Tempted by Jeff Probst to throw in the towel for immunity, he bit. He bit right into those chicken wings because he mistakenly thought he would be safe at tribal council. Never underestimate the power of the all girl alliance.

Jay enjoyed his time on Survivor, made lasting friendships and would give his left arm to do it again.

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The Yak: Jay, how did you come to be on Survivor? Were you a fan of the show?

Jay: Yes, I am a fan however I actually applied to be on the Amazing Race first! I got a call and they asked me if I would consider applying for Survivor, so here I am.

The Yak: Jay as a model I’m sure you are used to seeing pictures of yourself everywhere but how did you feel about being in People magazine labeled a “hottie?”

Jay: (Laughs) Um, I mean if that’s what people think of me then more power to them. I was pretty stoked to see a full page of me in People magazine for sure.

The Yak: Looking back how come you trusted Kat so much after the girls voted out Mike?

Jay: It wasn’t that I trusted her so much it was that I didn’t trust her and I wanted to keep her close. Sabrina, Kim and Chelsea I trusted more.

The Yak: Colton told us that from Day one you and he had a strong alliance is that true?

Jay: That was true. You know walking away from the truck he was really paranoid on day one and afraid he’d be the first guy voted off. I told him, “Look man I’ve got your back, I’ll protect you.” Once I saw him working those girls I let him put my name in the mix and he made me look good. I was looking forward to that merge and him being there and us having a shoe-in with the girls.

The Yak: How do you think things would have turned out for you if Colton were still in the game?

Jay: That was something that I obviously wished would have been different. My thing with Colton was, I wish he had been there. Early on I didn’t interact much with the girls because I knew Colton was. He was kind of putting my name in the mix. I was going to let him be the one to bring the girls and us together.

The Yak: How do you think you should have played things with Kim and Chelsea?

Jay: Um, my biggest, dumbest move was stepping down because I thought I was safe. I knew the girls were going to come after me but I didn’t think it was that night, I thought it was going to be the next time. I just should have stayed focused on that vote and won my immunity.

The Yak: Why did you step off for the food when you discussed with Troy that you both would not step down for food temptations?

Jay: When I saw that Troy didn’t win and I figured he’d be the first to go. I truly figured it would be 2 or 3 days from then. I figured I would be less of a target if I stepped down. I was being played and I was wrong.

The Yak: Were the chicken wings at least good?

Jay: (laughs) They were good man, you know I had a side of ranch dressing to dip them in, the beer was ice cold and I had a nice full stomach for my exit.

The Yak: Do you think it was you telling Kim that Troy had the immunity idol that switched the vote to you or do you think it was you all along?

Jay: I think once the news of Troy’s idol got thrown around more at tribal I think that’s when the votes got swung back to me. Had I known about his idol earlier, maybe there could have been some work with me, him, Tarzan and Christine to get on the same page but it was just too little, too late at that time.

The Yak: In the beginning of the episode you were really paranoid about the girl’s alliance. Why did you go from being so paranoid to being so confident?

Jay: I was looking for someone to pair up and trust so I stayed with my Salani group. I thought, I might be paranoid but this is the game plan. I’m going to stick with this group and see what happens.

The Yak: Any thought to go with Troy’s plan to throw some votes Kim’s way?

Jay: Looking back I wish we had talked earlier. Had I known that he had the idol earlier, it was revealed last second. Getting everyone on the same page, there wasn’t time, especially when you have Tarzan in the mix, obviously he voted for me. I think it was too little, too late.

The Yak: What were your thoughts on Chelsea in the game:

Jay: In the game I thought she was a super cool chick, laid back, quiet and kind of reserved. I thought she had a good head on her shoulders and knew she’d be very competitive. I was looking forward to working with her longer you know. Once we found out we were from the same state and area we kind of had a little bond there and I think that’s why it did reflect in her confessionals that she did hate to see me go. She did the right thing though.

The Yak: We hear a lot of goofy things coming out of Kat’s mouth. Was she like that truly or are they just amping up the amount of craziness that comes out of Kat’s mouth?

Jay: Um…… I would say that it’s pretty accurate (laughs). I had her stereotyped as the ditzy blonde and she’s super fun and fun to be around. She’s a smart girl but she definitely has her blonde moments.

The Yak: Are you looking forward to the reunion?

Jay: Oh yeah I am super excited to be back together with everyone again. You know you come off of there and you get back to reality, you still keep up with these people and see how it’s going to be in the real world.

The Yak:  Do you think there’s any friendships that you will continue on with the rest of your life?

Jay: Oh yeah for sure. There are about 3 people that I’m in contact with all the time and about 5 or 6 that I try my best to keep up with. Definitely some strong bonds were made.

The Yak: What’s next for you?

Jay: I’m headed back to NY for the finale and staying there for a bit for work with Major Models. In June I’m headed back to LA for work. I’m going to try and enjoy my summer a little bit and then I’m off to Europe in the fall for work. Back to the normal grind for me.

Well Jay, thank you for talking with us here at the Yak and good luck with that normal grind, sounds grueling!

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Don’t forget to come on in and join us in the FORUM for more Survivor!

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Survivor: One World ~ The Yak Chats with Polarizing Colton Cumbie

Yesterday, we spoke with Colton Cumbie the 21-year-old college student from Monroeville, Alabama. Colton exited Survivor One World this week with a medical issue. Although many viewers and readers may want this interview to be a Coltonoscopy, whether revered or reviled, we at the Yak appreciate all contestants who take the time to interview with us and answer even the toughest questions. We don’t spin it. We ask; they answer. It’s up to you to discern if these answers are candid and sincere, or calculated.

Colton told us some great behind the scenes information that you may not have seen in the edited show. His greatest alliance was with Jay. He was going to vote out Alicia next, not Christina. He confirmed that the altercation between Tarzan and Leif was staged for Bill’s benefit so that Bill would agree to go to tribal. Colton thought their acting deserved an Emmy.

Colton was removed from the game and flown to a nearby hospital. What they thought was appendicitis was not. Colton had a severe bacterial infection in his intestines. He was treated with strong antibiotics. When Colton returned to the States he still had the infection and had to again be treated. He’s well and says he’s “fat” again.
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The Yak:: How have you dealt with peoples’ reaction to you on the show?

Colton: Um…Obviously watching it, some of the certain parts, specifically episode 4, I was uncomfortable watching that. Obviously I don’t want to be seen as someone who treats people that way. As far as my personal life there haven’t been any people who have attacked me. People recognize me all the time, if they don’t recognize me by looking, as soon as I open my mouth people say “I know that voice.” (laughs) People that are admittedly not fans can tell me that they thought I was the most deplorable person on the planet earth but then we get to talking and I pose for pictures with their kids and they say “You’re not at all how you seemed on TV.” I say “Of course, because it’s just that, television.” I mean we’re totally different people in the real world than you see on television, in some cases.

The Yak:: Do you have any statements or actions that you specifically regret?

Colton: Yeah, I mean I regret the way I handled the Bill situation. The only issue I had was Bill was that he was a little obnoxious and loud and I didn’t think his jokes were funny, but I’m not here to belittle him anymore than I already have. I just had a problem with the fact that I felt he was going to get to the end and use his financial status as a means of saying “I deserve to win because I need this money.” If I was on the jury and you’ve got Tarzan who’s a plastic surgeon, you have Troy who’s a world-renowned photographer and then you’ve got Bill sitting there saying “I really need this money”, well obviously you’re going to give it to him because that’s just human nature. So that’s what I kind of had a problem with. I took it to a level it should never have gone to. I regret my remarks to him and Christina but at the end of the day I’m kind of glad I said it because I got to see myself through other peoples eyes and I get to grow as a person. Otherwise had it not been on Survivor I probably would have gone though life thinking oh all of this is okay.

The Yak:: How did your housekeeper react to the comments you made at tribal council?

Colton: OMG (laughs). She is absolutely fine. This is a woman who literally changed my diapers since birth. She’s like a second grandmother to me, she’s like a member of our family, you know. She knows me and my personality. She’s used to my snarky comments and she thinks I’m funny. She actually stood up in her church and told everyone at her church that I was a nice person (laughs).

The Yak:: We saw a lot of hateful controversial things directed at Christina. In a social game where those types of things determine who wins, how can you win a million bucks.

Colton: Well first of all the Christina thing; I had already apologized. When I got sick that night and you saw me laying my head in her lap I had apologized to her,. I said I’m really sorry that I was mean to you and she was like “you’re fine, sweetheart.” I was genuinely sorry for the way I treated her. Then when I got sicker I really did consider giving her the idol and I thought, this poor child she won’t know what to do with this, she’ll think it’s a necklace so I refrained from giving it to her.

The Yak:: How has this experience changed you?

Colton: I’m from a town of 3000 people. I’ve had the same friends since I was 4 years old. You know, I’ve grown up in this bubble. I think it’s hard for people who haven’t been in my shoes to envision how that’s possible like how do you not interact with people that are not like you? It’s not been by choice but I haven’t, that’s just the cards I’ve been dealt. I’ve realized that it’s okay if people are different from people. Survivor opened my eyes to people that have lived different lives than I’ve led. You know that’s okay, it takes all kinds to make the world go round and that’s what I’ve learned from the experience.

The Yak:: Do you consider yourself the season’s villain and do you like being cast as the season’s villain?

Colton: I don’t know who else could be considered the season’s villain. (ed note: Alicia). You might as well embrace it, it is what it is. I’ll own my title, I’ll wear my crown with pride.

The Yak:: Did you plan on being the villain or did you want to have a persona to be remembered in the game or did you really want to win the million dollars?

Colton: I wanted to win. I’m not the type of person who’s going to sign up for something. It’s actually funny because right before we went into the game Jeff Probst asked me if I thought I could win. I said Jeff if I didn’t think I could win, I wouldn’t be here. I don’t sign up for anything I don’t think I can win whether it be a board game or a potato sack race, I hate to lose and so honestly, I went in thinking I probably would be a villain because I kind of knew how I wanted to play but I didn’t care about being THE villain. The things I said to the camera really had underlying humor. There were some cruel things that I wish I could take back or change or whatever but for the most part the Republican comment, the Helen Keller comment, the knock him back to OZ comment, that was all supposed to be funny.

The Yak:: Alicia is coming off as mean and cruel. Did you see her that way?

Colton: I saw a different side to Alicia than most people did. You say things you don’t necessarily mean when you’re in the confessionals, we throw the word hate around when I can count on one hand the amount of people I strongly dislike. I didn’t mean half of the crap I said on television. I’m sure Alicia did the same thing. I think she’s going through a hard time right now, even harder than I am. The backlash from being on the show is hurtful to her. I can handle people saying things about me but it hurts Alicia when people call her a bitch.

The Yak:: As a viewer from episode 1 until this weeks episode, I really saw a huge change. It appeared to many that you were actually having a mental breakdown at one point, before you got the idol. What really happened?

Colton: First, I never, ever would have quit the game. Secondly, in the beginning it was more so shock. Really, it’s men vs. women? During the casting process they ask you what is your biggest fear coming in? What would be the worst possible scenario, etc. I told everyone, my family, casting, if it was men vs. women, I’d have a heart attack. It was my worst fear come true. I immediately knew that I had to change my game plan. I thought I was going to have an immediate target but I did not just lie down and die like they portrayed me. I did go over to the women, but the men were totally fine with that because I was telling the guys that these women would trust me, I can play them. So the men said, ok, go do your thing. I was telling the girls, the boys are being really mean to me, so I was playing both sides very early on. Actually what you don’t know is that when I went over kind of crying and begging to live with the girls I didn’t have the idol at that point and I was trying to manipulate Sabrina into giving me that idol. I had an alliance with Jay from day one. He came up to me immediately and said “I’ll take care of you” and then Matt came up to me and said “I’ll take care of you.” Troy came up and said “I’ve got you” and then Tarzan said “I think you’re really smart”, so I was thinking well, this is not terrible but I’m not going to let the girls know that.

The Yak:: You’ve been criticized for things you’ve said and one is that you said you were Republican and didn’t believe in any handouts yet you accepted the immunity idol from Sabrina.

Colton: Yes, I’m glad you asked about that. First of all I can totally see where people can make the connection between that comment and me receiving the immunity idol from Sabrina. Here’s the thing, I really had to work for that idol in a roundabout way. I had to put on an Emmy worthy performance at the first immunity challenge. What you don’t see is I’m supposed to throw the first immunity challenge. The girls agreed that if I threw it, they would give me the idol. Well Kourtney broke her arm and if you notice, when the guys are discussing whether or not they’re going to keep immunity I didn’t go anywhere near that huddle and then they told me, you tell Jeff, so I told Jeff. I started boohooing “we didn’t earn this”, and the girls started saying well bless his heart he really did try, so Sabrina gave me the idol. I think the difference was I tried to do something to benefit them and they came in our camp and said we want fire and they didn’t want to give us anything in return. They had to give that idol to someone, why not make that person me?

The Yak:: It appears that everyone had resigned themselves to the fact that you were running the game. How did you get away with that?

Colton: This is going to sound very pompous and arrogant but I don’t know how else to put it. I can honestly tell you that I can be a very charming person. You might see me on television and want to stab me in the face but I really can charm people. I know how to get people on my side. You saw me do it with these people and I just know how to do it. I don’t know. It’s a gift. God did not bless me with a high IQ, he blessed me with charisma.

The Yak:: What was your plan if you made it to the merge?

Colton: Oh I had it all planned out. I had a producer tell me on day 3 that I was the first player in the history of the show that when everyone was on day 3 I was on day 33. I had a plan. I knew who I had to get rid of and I knew when I had to get rid of them. I was actually getting rid of Alicia next, I was about to send her home. I knew about her relationship with the women she just didn’t think I did. I wanted to get rid of Monica because I thought Monica was a threat and I honestly thought that Monica and Michael were close. That’s why I got rid of Monica. The reason I was going to get rid of Alicia next is because Christina didn’t have that relationship with the girls and I figured Christina would have no choice but to go with the guys. I think she honestly would have.

Going into the merge I was planning on getting rid of Chelsea immediately. I knew about her and Kim’s relationship. I knew they were close and I wanted to cutoff Kim’s right arm. I wanted Kim to come with me and kind of go along with what I wanted. My ideal final 4 was going to be Jay, Troy, Kim and me. I knew there was no way in hell I was going to win the final immunity challenge. If Kim won it I was going to get rid of Troy. If Jay or Troy won it I was going to get rid of Kim. Sitting in the final 3 I was going to make the argument, “Look I was the most underestimated player in this entire game. I literally had to claw, scratch and bite my way to the end. None of you thought I would get here.” So I thought I had a valid case but (laughs) we’ll never know.

The Yak:: Would you have preferred to be blindsided then going out the way you did?

Colton: OMG YES! Had I been blindsided, that’s the thing, I feel like I don’t have closure. Had they all grown brains and said “Let’s get rid of Colton and the idol, let’s blindside him” I would say props to them, but they didn’t get me. I got taken out by something that was out of my control, their control and everyone’s control. That’s what was disheartening about the way I went out. I didn’t get blindsided. I kind of feel like I was in the middle of writing my Survivor story and I ran out of ink and kind of left there to dangle in the wind.

The Yak:: Can you explain your decision to keep the immunity idol as a souvenir?

Colton: Yes, I was actually going to give it away had I been able to give it to who I wanted to. Jay was my closest ally in the game. We were super close, yet it was edited so that you saw no conversations between us. I wanted to give it to him but was told I had to give it to someone on Manono. Also, due to Jay and my relationship I didn’t want to do anything to potentially screw up his game. Although I appreciated what all the people on Manono had done for me as far as following me around, I didn’t want it to come back and hurt Jay’s game in the end. That’s why I opted to keep it, plus I’m a villain I have to do something selfish and be true to my nature (laughs).

The Yak:: If you were asked to go back I am assuming you would so you could finish your story?

Colton: Yes, Yes. I feel like Natasha Bedingfield “The rest is still unwritten” and I want to go write it.

The Yak:: Who do you see taking it all the way?

Colton: As much as it pains me to say this I think the boys are going to fall apart without me. You see Kim, you see Chelsea and they really seem to know what’s going on. They seem to have it all together. I’m rooting for Jay but I’m also rooting for Kim just on principle alone cuz I feel that in that game there are only 4 people who knew how to play this game. I feel like I knew how to play, Kim knew how to play, Troy was playing a pretty good game and I think Matt knew how to play and that’s why he went home first. Right now I would say that Kim probably has the best chance of bringing it home.

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‘Survivor One World:’ The Yak’s Chat With Castoff Bill Posley

This past week, we spoke with Bill Posley, the most recent castoff of Survivor One World. Bill is a 28 year old stand-up comic from Venice, Ca. He’s an Iraq war veteran, a college graduate and enjoys pushing his limits. Bill had quite a bit to say after the events that unfolded leading up to his fire being snuffed after his tribe actually won immuity. Read on below and see what Bill had to say regarding Colton, Tribal Council and more!
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The Yak: Bill were you a fan of Survivor prior to being cast?

Bill: Season 20 Heroes vs. Villains is the season that made me fall in love with the show. I mean Black Hawk helicopters? The first episode Sugar gets her top ripped off during the challenge and continues. It was amazing. Everyone was a character. It was the most fun I’ve had watching television. I applied after that season and luckily i got on and it was worth every minute.

The Yak: Jumping right in… our readers want to know did you agree to go to tribal council instead of the women because you believed Leif would be going home instead of you? Why were you willing to take that risk?

Bill: No, I was working to gain alliances and friends as well and I thought by being there I could convince my people to blindside Colton and get him sent home with the idol, but it just didn’t pan out. I thought I had guys like Jonas, Troy, Jay and Big Mike in my corner on this and they would back me when the chips were down and they didn’t. I was already on the chopping block. I was already in their sights. I thought it was a risk worth taking. Why not take a chance and try to blindside Colton? Had my plan worked to show them that Colton was bad for our tribe and needed to go, what turned out to be the dumbest move in Survivor history would have been the best move ever made. There’s a fine line between stupidity and genius and I just fell on the wrong side of that.

The Yak: What could you have done to get the other guys to flush out Colton’s idol and get him out of the game?

Bill: I don’t know what I could have done. I mean I exposed him as a very selfish, self-centered, self-seeking person who has no integrity and no loyalty and doesn’t care about anyone but himself and I thought by doing that when it came time for my alliance to back me at tribal council, they would and they didn’t.

The Yak: Considering everything that happened how did you keep your composure in the midst of Colton going off left and right about you?

Bill: (laughs) If Colton’s perception of a ghetto black person is me, then he’s in for a rude awakening when he ventures out into the real world. I actually was very grateful that he said it because him calling me ghetto trash or ghetto at all, gave me a lot of street cred in the black community! (laughs)
It wasn’t too hard and the reason it wasn’t too hard is, my whole life .. I was the fat kid in class. I was 250 pounds until I was 17 years old. I went into the army and lost all the weight so I’ve been picked on my whole life. I’ve dealt with racism before as an African American person and with my mom being half white and my dad being half black and me being in the military you get picked on by drill sargents all the time. Ya know I’ve been picked on my whole life so to sit in the face of that and keep my cool wasn’t that hard for me and I know that Colton comes from a place of ignorance and from a place of being spoiled and sheltered not from a place of hatred and racism, I don’t think.

The Yak: How did Colton go from begging to be over with the women to being in this position of power?

Bill: The one thing that you know I want to make clear is that because I wasn’t in that alliance and was on the outskirts, I didn’t know the amount of power he had. When Leif sits down and tells me that morning that Colton had the idol, that’s the first I hear of it. So I didn’t know and when I went to tribal council I thought I had friends. I didn’t know all this, I just got blindsided but I didn’t know the power he had and then I’m sitting here watching it and he’s commanding Mike to pull Leif over and I’m like what? That’s why I felt like I was the only person who’d say anything and stand up to him. When we were under that tent I said you just can’t talk to people like that or treat them like that you spoiled brat you know, am I the only one that feels these things need to be said?? I wasn’t aware of the idol and I wasn’t aware of the alliance that he had made so it was as shocking to you as it was to me, this arc that had happened.
They need to stop following orders and flush the idol. I don’t get it. I thought that, here we are in season 24, not letting history repeat itself. If anything, I would assume about an immunity idol is this; it cannot be used as a thing of power but would paint a target on someones back. It has to be flushed out. You always have to be playing with a level playing field, no loose ends. If they want to be successful, they need to get rid of that idol.

The Yak: Tell us a little more about Jeff’s reaction at tribal council.

Bill: I think Jeffs job is to be as neutral as possible and be the audiences’ orator. He has to remain objective and make sure that everyone is being heard and fairly treated and has an opportunity to speak their mind. I think Jeff did a great job of allowing us to speak our minds and be heard out there. I’m sure it was hard for Jeff to sit there and not try to jump on everything everyone was saying. I think he just has to be the audiences’ voice in that moment and help drive the conversation to a place where everyone gets their opinion out.

The Yak: Are you worried that in 24 seasons this is the first time a tribe has chosen to go to tribal? Is it bothersome that this is going to stick with you?

Bill: No, no. I know this sounds weird but I would rather make history and try and risk making a big move than have just have gone off quietly and have no effect on this game. I want a stamp on this game. There’s only been 400 people or so that have played it. I want to be one of the memorable ones and going to tribal council, here’s the truth. If they were willing to give up immunity to get rid of me than they would have been willing to throw the next challenge too. The way I felt was, trying to line up people, I felt like I had a strong alliance and could get my team mates to blindside Colton. Now had I waited and Colton and I don’t go to tribal council, I don’t get to speak my mind and the things that I say don’t get heard. I would have rather had what happened at tribal happen and me being seen with the eyes of integrity and class, be shown and maybe have Colton learn that what he says affects people.

The Yak: Tarzan comes off as loud and all over the place, is that what he was really like?

Bill: Tarzan is what you call a smart dumb person. (laughs) He’s literally like one of the most intelligent people you will ever meet. We all know that if you’re a plastic surgeon your probably really intelligent, you have to be however, I don’t think the guy could find his way out of a paper bag if he had to, just the street smarts aren’t there! Whenever he said something it comes from a place…. like last night at tribal council he starts going on about this post racist America and I don’t even think that the conversation was even going near either one of those two things which is why I didn’t respond cuz I don’t know where that came from; it came out of left field and he’s kind of aloof, doesn’t really know what’s going on and is maybe too smart for I think….himself. (laughs)

The Yak: Is there anyone that you want to stay in contact with?

Bill: Of course, we shared a special bond. This is something we will always take with us. I keep friendships and bonds close to my chest in fact some of my army buddies called me last night to tell me they were proud of me.

The Yak: Do you have any regrets?

Bill: I don’t have regrets. Me exiting the way I exited makes me proud of the way I played the game. If I had gone quietly I would have been upset. I’m happy that I went being true to myself and for standing up for myself and doing something no one else would do which was stand up to Colton.
I’ve had so many touching things written to me. It has been so positive. People have thanked me for reminding them why they follow their dreams and for having integrity. Being a good guy you may not win survivor but you have a better life.

The Yak: What was difficult about being on Survivor?

Bill: None of it, it was incredible! There wasn’t one thing. I had so much fun that I can’t even say that one thing was hard. Being on a remote island, no car payments, phones, or responsibilities, that’s incredible! To get to play the most amazing game in the world and be a part of that history is phenomenal.

The Yak: So you’re saying you would do it again?

Bill: (laughing) Of course! 100 percent I would, every year, I think you should do it every year!

The Yak: There has been some hate comments regarding Colton on the internet and social networking sites. What is your reaction to that?

Bill: I would say that if I was capable of keeping my cool and I was the subject of Colton’s malicious intent then I ask everyone to do the same. Know that this is a part of him learning and a part of him growing and this lesson is something that a guy like him needs in order for him to really change.

Thanks for talking to us here at the Yak Bill. You are a class act!

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And The Best Of 2011 Are …

Other sites have been making lists based on their preference, telling you who they believe was the best of 2011. We here at the Yak like to do it another way … put you in command. You nominated, you voted, and now it’s time to reveal who YOU chose as the Best of 2011. As 2011 comes to a close in just a few days, we figured it’s time to take you down memory lane as we reminisce about what made these people, TV shows, songs, albums, and celebrities the best (or in some cases the worst) of 2011. There were some EXTREMELY tight races this year, but fans came out in full force to make sure their favorites got to the top. No more yakking, let’s just get right to it. Click on a pic below to see what they won – or just click on the first pic and scroll through to see who and what made YOUR list of favorites in television, music, movies and more in 2011.

 

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Song of the Year:

Favorite Live Performance of the Year:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLLMzr3PFgk

Most Viral Video of the Year:

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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!

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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!

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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!