Survivor (2000–…): Season 25, Episode 15 - Reunion - full transcript
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I'm trying to tell myself to suck it up.
Denise is a machine.
If you do vote me out tonight,you will give
a million dollars to one of these people.
They cannot beat denise.
Congratulations denise.
Anything that will get me to
the end of the game,will be me.
Denise wins individual immunity.
I am one stubborn,determined woman.
Survivor
Season 25 Episode 15
We are live in cbs television
city,los angeles,where denise,
with tears in your eyes,just
won a million dollars.
- Congratulations.
- Thank you
so i know from hearing from people
on the street during the season
that a lot of fans
saw you as an underdog.
Did you truly believe
you were an underdog?
Absolutely. Yes. 100%.
Just going from tribe to tribe.
I just que knew i had to keep fighting and fighting
and fighting and reconfiguring what i was going to do.
- Absolutely -- going
to every tribal council.
Every tribal council.
Was there a moment when you
thought,truly thought it's over?
Oh,the final four.
That's when i-- that's when i
really thought i am in hot water.
So your biggest move had
to be cutting malcolm.
Yeah,100%.
I had to cut him.
Malcolm,you had a chance.
You had the opportunity.
If nothing else,why
not just lie to denise?
Yeah,i took a page out of penner's
ways to get voted out playbook.
But i thought i had a
lock with skupin and lisa.
They-- i thought that they had
stuck to their word with me before,
and i thought if i got them to shake at
it,i was good and at the last tribal council
when she said what she
said i knew i was toast.
If malcolm goes to the end,even
with denise,does he win?
If you're in the jury and you
give him your vote,raise your hand.
Two?
Really?
So if malcolm is in the final
with denise,does denise still win?
All right.
Well,pretty convincing.
So either way,denise,it looks
like you were in pretty good shape.
So you're a sex therapist
in your normal life.
Yes.
So what do your clients think
about this when you're out there
and you know you're so vulnerable
and you're wearing a bikini.
This has been one of the unexpected gifts
of playing this game is i've had clients
that have just been fantastic about it,
and we've had all of these really
authentic conversations about religion
and body image and just trying
to do something different
and digging deep and
getting up off their couch.
I ask because you were concerned how
you would be perceived with the clen
teleyou worked so closely with?
Fleet complooetly.
They see me in one light in my office
and you're completely exposed out of here
and it's completely out of your control.
A big issue in the game
of "survivor" is trust,ald.
In the last few days--
lisa,you betrayed malcolm,too.
He takes you to the reward while
you're conceiving how to blindside him.
Well,it was also very streamic
of him to take me to the reward.
I don't think that was just totally
out of the goodness of his heart.
It was a smart move to
take me to the reward.
Penner,you had a chance at this.
Hutwo big chances.
One with jeff kent,which
we'll talk about.
You have an offer fair final four.
What was happening in your head?
Because a lot of this
stuff i don't know,
so as i'm watching it back,you're
over there so smug going,"i don't know.
I'll get back to you.
" with the,i didn't feel smug at all.
What i felt was i had played
a very specific running,
scrambling game up to that point staying
alive and the reason lisa trusted me
was i had never lied to her and didn't
realize now was the time to start.
I mean i knew at some point i
i was going to have to do that
but i certainly didn't realize
theind game was upon me.
I had played an open game with
her and didn't start lying.
What was the deal
with you and jeff kent?
Because when you guys ended up together,i
thought if these two get together,
this could be fan fantastic.
Ask jeff.
I totally agree.
When i shook his hand,twice
with five fingers,
i thought that we had a gentleman's
agreement to go to the five.
And i was
shocked--
i mean,not disappointed,but surprised--
that he was gunning for me from the get-go.
So,jeff,it did seem as though more than
anything,you want the penner out before you.
But i never wrote your
name down one time,buddy.
And the thing is i was trying to deflect all the
attention off of me and put it on somebody else,
and i was dumping it all on penner.
I approached penner many times
and said,"we can do this,"
and i gave him the idea they were
gunning for him so he needed to
use his idol but denise was the problem.
We couldn't get denise to go
and i couldn't side with penner
and cartir was my other boy
and i had to go with carter.
So you were shocked when penner voted
the way he did that night at tribal.
We still don't know why
he vote the way he did.
We kind of had a run-in afterwards
why whatdid you sploa that vote for?
Because if not,we would still
be on the island together.
Skupin,surprised you
didn't get more vote?
I think you go into the final three,knowing
your game and knowing how hard you fought
and you expect to get all of them.
You know what you personally did.
I'm not saying what she
did in her confessionals.
I'm not saying what she did.
I know what i did.
I claude and fought the whole game.
As you're sitting there
at the last tribal council
and here tonight you fully
expect that you deserve to win.
I think you're going can the
minded set,you're confident,
you play hard,and i thought i
played harder than anybody else.
Ho how about you,lisa?
Did you at final tribal
council think you deserved it?
I'm pretty realistic
about the game i played.
And,you know,the truth is,as much as i would
have loved to have won the million dollars,
or even
600,000--
i really did grow and learn so much.
It was painful,but it was worth every moment
of it,and,you know,silly thing,corny as it is,
"the facts of life "theme song,you take the
good,you take the bad,you take them both,
and learning how to accept both side
of me has been worth a million dollars.
Jeff,lisa references your $600,000
comment,which-- it will be less now.
You didn't catch that.He said
it's going to be even less now.
So your exit speech is probably
the best there's ever been.
Can you compare-- you
know,you basically said,look,
i made 60-some million dollars in baseball
and i want to win this stupid game.
What is it about this
game thawptd to win?
In this game,it draws you back in.
When you get kicked off,you know you're getting
kicked off,and you're watching it back there.
It draws you back in.
Your competitive nature
gets kicked up another notch.
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- What is it?
You could do a lot of
things.Upper in the world series.
The anticipation-- baseball
is a game of anticipation.
And i think that's
what this game is about.
You sit at tribal council,not
knowing if you're going home
and that anticipation increases
your adrenaline drive true the roof
and that draws you in to compete.
I have to say about you,all the guys
on your crew learned a lesson from you
and it's an ironic one.
It's about sportsmanship,you came in with
this big baggage from the major leagues,
and every time we had a challenge that jeff
kent lost,i expected to hear complaining,
and every time he said,"hey,they got
us,we'll try to get them next time.
" i did learn that from you.
Skupin,michael,roll the b roll of what some
people called sort of mr.Magoing to out there.
- **
- That was you!
It was me,okay,i admit it.
Take a look at this skupin,because
all of a sudden,the--
you falling in the fire back in
"survivor: australia yet qts even though
it was incredibly trag and i can
scary made a little more sense.
You just weren't out there long
enough to have more accidents.
Look at this stuff.
So is
that-- ***
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i mean,'cause bee played this
game for it's probably your face.
I didn't even know that it
happened during that time.
Small little injuries,little
nicks here and there.
The adrenaline kicks in,as bad as your
foot hurts limping to the challenge,
once you get there,it's game
on,and you don't feel it.
You mentioned the mask.
What happened in one challenge is
we gave michael skupin this mask.
I asked the guys in the art department
to keep it for me after we were done.
It literal literally blew out.
Everything blew out and shattered.
Take a look at that.
That's what's left of it,is just
little shards of hard plastic or glass.
Anyway,skupin,i want to give this to you
as a reminder of your time on this show.
all right,we have a lot more
survivors to check in with.
We're going to talk with lisa,we're
going to talk with malcolm.
We're gog talk with abi.
First,it is hard to believe this is our 25th
season,and after so many years on the air,
"survivor "is still going
strong,and there is one reason why.
It is you,our audience.
And we'd like to take a moment to say
thank you for 12 years and 25 seasons,
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you have invited
"survivor" into your homes.
You followed us across 40 continents,18 countries
and invested in over 350 tribal councils.
You're the most loyal and amazing
fans a show could ever hope for,
and thanks to you,"survivor" is still
the most watched show wednesdays at 8:00.
we thank you.
**
I play the character of blai
warn or "the facts of life.
" trying to learn to open up and
this is not the place to experiment
with that my whole life has
been based on public perception.
You know,i've lived my life on the
same since i was seven years old.
I don't think i've ever needed
any person more in my life.
Lisa not giving pup.
I do believe i'm taking control of my
own destiny and the rest of my life.
Welcome back to the
"survivor: philippines"
live reunion show where denise
has won a million dollars.
We're talking with lisa welchle now.
We just saw there,"the facts of
life" people grew up with you on tv.
You grew up on tv.
And you come to this game in which
you will be stripped bare,very visual,
nowhere to hide,nobody
even necessarily likes you.
Were you concerned about this
image you had to the public?
You know,i really
didn't think about that.
I was so excited to be a part of the game
and in the game and i'm really not like blair.
I actually prefer not wearing
makeup and not being in high heels.
So that felt very
comfortable and very me.
And so it just really-- i wasn't
aware,self conscious about my experience.
It was much more about my opening up what was
inside and the conflict that was going on in there.
So the christianity
which was such a big part,
is that a concern then that you're going
to let people in to see what you believe
and how you believe and how
you pray and what you draw on?
Yeah. Absolutely.
Because i watched the show
so many times i know that--
i planned in my heart,i'm
not going to pray out there
because people are just
going to roll their eyes.
It's because it doesn't translate well.
Even praying because it sounds like
you think god cares who wins "survivor.
" i don't think god
cares who wins "survivor,"
has a favorite football team,
has a favorite country,a
favorite religion.
I think he cares about
us each individually,
and that he cares that denise
within won a million dollars?
Yes.
But that's because
he cared about denise.
Does he care i didn't win?
Yes,because he cares about me.
And that's hard to translate
and so i didn't even want to try.
So then,the dilemma for you that we
watched at home was,was this game,
this devilish game,which is pitted
against your christianity,really.
Yeah,and that was my journey was having
spent a lifetime,for different reasons--
as a child wanting to be good
to win my parents approval.
And being a christian and wanting
god to be glad that he came for me.
And then being on the show
wanting to reflect god's love.
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But at the same time,nothing about "survivor" is
the kind of thing that reflects the character of god.
And so it was a total internal
conflict until i realized,wait a minute.
You know what?
I'm all of those things.
And it's okay to be human and it's
okay to be sometime sometimessed
an good and times bad even in the context of
the game,even not in the context of the game.
That's actually what christianity
is all about,is acceptance.
so with all of this going on inside your
head,what was the appeal of "survivor"
in the first place because we
didn't come looking for you.
You nownd us.
The first appeal was just
this love of this game.
And then i had read a book
called "the barbarian way"
and it was about living from
your gut,not just from your head.
So i just thought this was awesome.
I contacted the author,irwin mcmahonus,i
said i want to pick your brain.
I had lunch.
I said how can i do it?
I don't know how to get out of my head.
I want to live for my sinner.
He said put yourself in situations
where you're not in control and,
man,no more word were truer.
I got out of control,but i also
gout on the of my head,into my gut,
and was able to see all that's
inside there is acceptable to god,
it's acceptable to me,and itt doesn't
matter if it's acceptable to anybody else
well,one of the most emotional moments of
the season came during the loved one visit
when lisa's brother,justice,showed up.
Let's take a look.
Lisa,here's your brother justice.
Sister!
Sister!
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Gotta say,lisa.
I've seen some pretty powerful
moments involving loved ones.
This might be at the top.
so even i got teary,and i'm pretty
good at holding back the tears
during a loved ones visit.
You were so vulnerable
is what it was for me.
You really fell into his arms.
What did he whisper or
say to you on the island.
Because you were very different
after your brother left.
He said to me as soon as we hit the
challenge,he said,"trust your gut.
And remember it's a game.
" and i said what if those two
things are diametrically opposed?
And-- because
i couldn't--
convince him that my heart loved these
people and didn't want to hurt them.
My head wanted to knock them
out and win this million dollars!
Michael,put up the split screen.
I thought this was fascinating.
We have a shot-- okay,the shot on the left is
lisa about six hours before justice got there.
And the shot on the right is
lisa six hours after he left.
pretty powerful.
I gotta talk about the rain.
It rained for 21 straight days.
And russell,when you played the first time,in
samoa,it rained for about the same amount of days.
Can you describe what that is like every
single day to be cold and wet and miserable?
Oh,it's just miserable.
I mean,you can't--
there's no inside.
There is no dry.
I mean,everything is just wet.
And so you're just
sitting there shaking,wet.
You're thinking at some point,a towel is
just going to coined of magically appear.
You're going to get dry.
- You're going to feel
better and -- clear it up.
There's never any relief from us.
No,there's nothing.
You're just out there.
There is nod in.
You're just cold,wet,and miserable.
And dana,one of the most tender moments
and tough moments of any season,honestly,
was you,being evacuated because
everybody knew you didn't want to leave,
and everybody knew you couldn't stay.
Do you-- can you
remember any of that?
Or were you foggy?
Pretty foggy.
I was a little delusional at the time.
And i mean i remember
you coming out there.
I don't remember it being a choice.
I remember saying i needed
help and then you showed up.
That was awesome.
- Thank you.
- You're welcome.
So what's the takeaway then.
You were in this game,and
suddenly you're gone?
I mean,we can't all win
the million dollars,un.
It's the hard knocks.
Maybe i'll get to play again.
I mean,i never went to tribal council.
I never had a vote against me.
Who's to say how well i would have done.
There's a case to be made
for a return from dana.
Maybe.
Still to come,we're going to talk
with tw of our most memorable players,
a hero and dare i say,a villain.
Malcolm and abi.
And then sprint is going to
give away a $100,000 pride.
But first,one of the things that
makes "survivor" unlike any other show
on television is the opportunity for
truly once-in-a-lifetime experiences,
like swimming in the
woagz a whale shark.
Take a look.
You're actually going to put me in the
water with the world's biggest fish?
My hands start shaking.
It's so big,it never ends.
You think at any second
it could just eat you.
To see something that
huge was awe-inspiring.
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Malcolm is on a tear!
I feel like i got my swag back.
Malcolm wins immunity.
Malcolm wins reward.
Malcolm wins immunity.
It really made me reconsider
what i have been doing
with my life the past year and it
was a life-shaping experience for me.
Welcome back "survivor: philippines,"
and every reunion show
in los angeles,malcolm,
you've broken a lot of
heart by not winning.
There were a lot of
little girls,especially,
and i'm sure may be a couple of
older ones really rooting for you.
When we came to that last challenge,it was
sort of like ozzie a couple of seasons ago.
It seemed like if you could win it,you
could dictate what happened in the end.
Did you have a sense when you walked up and
saw what it was when you were in trouble?
I knew i was toast.
I'm a huge fan of the show,and that's the final
challenge from micronesia,and parvitiy won it.
And i have the least
steady hand on the planet.
I don't know what it is.
I walked up and looked at it
and i think i told my mom before
if that was ever a challenge
when i was on "survivor" i'm done.
I had sad,clown tear moments
when i walked up,i'm toast.
Really?And even with the
second chance it was over.
Give me 100 chances.
So what is the reaction been?
Because it's-- you're clearly one of
the more popular people to ever play.
And what's unique about a show like
"survivor," you're not playing a character.
This isn't "c.S.I.."
this is malcolm.
It's really you.
So when people come up and they like
you or don't like you,it's very personal.
So what's it like to suddenly
get all this adoration.
It's nice.
It's been really overwhelming.
When you go out on a show and the way
you think you're going to play the game
you don't know how
you will be perceived.
How people will react to you,what
you're going to end up looking like.
It's cool to know that's me.
Everything i said was 100% sincere,and
people are accepting it and like me.
Where does it come from,this
ability-- once again,like ozzy--
to just climb trees
and swim and catch fish?
Where is that?
Most people hoco who come
on "survivor" can't do that?
I worked overseas before but i don't have
a whole lot of experience with this stuff.
It's confidence and a little swal
swagger,"oh,i'm going to do that today.
" believe i'm going to go out for a
swim in the ocean and pet a whale shark.
I was told not to touch
it-- it didn't happen.
Swagger or self-confidence is really
the coolest trade trait anybody can have.
Give me the moment next the whale shark.
We never had anything like that.
It's a massive moment.
It's about 10 time longer than us,and right
before i touch it,skupin gets hud-butted.
Of course.
I'm lawchg out of my snorkel as
i'm diving next to this thing.
And they said don't touch it.
And,notice,and i reached out.
And it really was like,all the
strategy aside,alm the relationship--
i'm not going to say that but
it was absolutely the one moment
i'll talk about forever from this show.
So the take-away on
this show,frustration?
There's definitely that.
I mean,there's other stuff
you take away from it.
But i'm a competitive
guy,a lot like jeff is.
We talked about,i want to win.
The only reason im
there is i want to win.
I get voted out on day
38,i was pissed off.
Sincerely,and this day
i'm still mad about it.
I want to win.
- You-- would
you play again?
I would consider playing again,yeah.
Last question,when
you leave here tonight,
and you're on the streets,are
you single or available?
- Single.
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I don't know if you can
call "survivor" a great seen
if you don't have at
least one great villain.
Fortunately,this season,we had abi.
I came here not to be
feeling bad for other people.
I came here to wayne million dollars.
I don't want to talk to you.
I have nothing to talk to you.
She's like this brazilian
bomb that is about to ploa up.
What are you doing!
And you me you're dead.
It's really hard not to laugh
at some of the things she said.
I'm sorry if i was a bit
too honest with some of you.
Abi has all the social
grace of a mack trouble.
Play like a man.Don't play like a bitch.
Wow,i never thought i
was an unlikable person.
Stupid.
Abi,you said in that piece i
never knew or ever been told
i'm not likable so this really
was the absolute first time
anybody has ever said
things like that to you.
Yeah.
And when you watch the show now,do you
take anything away from it different?
Oh,a hiewrnlg learning experience.
I have a lot of growing to do,yeah.
How so?
Did you watch the show?
Yes.
And i was one of the people who kept
throwing out it might be cultural,
and every time i said,that somebody
would say to me,"are you nuts?
" what i did you learn?
What did you see in yourself
that you want to change?
Very abrasive,very passive aggressive,and
i wear my emotion on my sleeve.
I need to change that,calm
down a little bit.
Take a chill pill.
I have to show,i have to indulge with one
little clip of you and skupin at tribal council.
It happened late in the season.
Michael,you can roll that.
- You know,jeff,it's so many things
because-- because you're an idiot.
That's why you're going
to lose a million dollars.
- Anyway,jeff--
you're a moron.
What is is the reaction.
You are a moron.
- Unfortunately -- hold on,abi called
you an idiot once and a moron twice.
Cultural.
In her culture that's a compliment.
R.C.,you and abeerk thanks
to pete,doing a devious plan,
really ended up adversaries in this,in
some ways was abi your downfall?
Oh,100%.
She wouldn't listen to
any reason whatsoever.
And we're just two different
people and we were playing a game,
and quite sho honestly,she should
have faked it and she didn't
and that's why we're both losers sitting on this
side instead of potentially sitting over there.
Pete,i have to say,i think abi
might have been your downfall,
as long as i loved the
chaos you were stirring.
I mean,it was funny,watching
them go at it and have no idea--
i'm glad pete has long arms
to pat himself on the back
because it was the
worst move imaginable.
He said the only one
congratulating himself on this one.
Some people are still a little bitter.
And with that,we'll take a break!
Up next,one of these players right here is
going to win $100,000 courtesy of sprint.
And taking us to the break our "survivor"
composer,david vannaed cor,and rus landau.
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Since wednesday viewers have been texting and
voting on line for the sprint player of the season.
It was the close oast we've ever had.
At one point it was within 200
actual votes,and at the very end,
the difference that separated the
winner from the runner up was .
7%.So less than a percent.
It was down to malcolm and lisa.
Conveniently sitting side by side.
Malcolm was ahead for a long time,then lisa
pulled ahead,and then lisa stayed ahead.
Lisa is the sprint
player of the game,winner of
$100,000,courtesy of sprint.
Congratulations.
And once again malcolm
is just this close.
All right,let's check in
with some other people.
Angie,up in the back row,one of
the youngest players this season.
You really came out there with your
heart and you took a little bit of grief
for some of your comment,but
did you have a good time?
I had a great time,the
best experience of my life.
- Really?
- Yes.
Fantastic.
Zane,you,i think,wanted to quit and
engineered your way out of the game.
- True or false.
- False.
You just made a bad move.
Yes,very bad,very,very bad.
It's like when you car runs out of gas and you
think i can make it to the gas station and bam!
You're sitting on the side of
the road.That's what happened.
Roxy tell me about your time.
All i remember about you is this
incredible smile,but you were so upset.
Yeah,i was really upset,but,you
know,i had an amazing experience,
and to be able to just let
loose and really show who i am,
it beats something exwg they
could do behind a pulpit.
So i was really proud of that.
And my little moment on the
beach praying,speaking in tongues,
i guess it can never
really be forgotten.
Katie,are you mad at me?
It seemed like i was always
saying katie in the rear.
Katie behind.
Every single time.
I got it after the sixth time.
It's all good.I forgive you.
So being at the end of
all of those challenges,
is that your memory of
the game or are you okay?
Oh,i'm totally fine.
I had a blast with
everyone on this back row.
We had a great time.
But i mean,absolutely,denise,you rock.
I'm so glad that for the short period of time we
got to spend some time together so congratulations.
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- Thank you.
All right,right in the middle,artis.
I don't know you were you angry during
the game or was that just my perception?
That was entirely your perception.
Everybody realizes in my opening
interview when they revealed the cast,
i said if i am not smiling i look
like i'm about to take your head off,
but there is nothing wrong with me.
But you chose to make that an issue.
I even watched every single clip.
I was started to think i
was the angry black man.
And,carter,okay,what happened?
Because here's the thing.
When we put you on the show,you were
this bubbly,talkative,really funny guy.
Did the wear and tear just hit
you faster than other people?
Definitely.
It-- the first part of the game
was ridiculously hard for me.
It was raining.
We were hungry.
Things started going
downhill.We lost diewns.
Second part of the game it
was night and day difference.
It feels like two
different parts the game.
You're on the island with coconuts
and new people and sunshine.
So,yeah.
I was hungry as well.
And dawson,i have to say,no
one has ever-- oh,my god.
All right!
She got it in.
Fortunately,
fortunately,she doesn't kiss
anywhere near as good as my wife.
Okay,where-- where is
"survivor" going next?
And more important lie,who will
be playing in our 26th season?
Find out when we
return,we'll be right back.
**
***
*****
How can it be our 26th season
is just around the corner?
Take a look!
For years,survivors had some of the most
dedicated fans in television history.
I'm a huge fan of "survivor.
" i'm so excited.
I love "survivor.
" never missed a show.
Tuning in every week to see
their favorite players compete.
Now 10 ultimate "survivor" fans
get a chance to prove they have
what it takes when they square off against
10 of their favorite players from the past.
They'll be dropped in the carmowian
islands a paradise beautiful
and treachuous,filled with formidable
wildlife with mother nature's
true fury only one storm away.
Will their previous experience on
"survivor" make them an unstoppable force
or will the fans' enthusiasm and deep
knowledge of the game give them the edge?
It's the return of one of
"survivor's" greatest pairings.
Survivor car as
moan,fans versus favorite.
All right,now miebt most important
part as we close out our 26th season
with the check giveaway to
denise,the check presentation.
There is your check.
Make sure it's made
out to the right person.
It has the right amount of comas.
- Looks good.
- Looks good?
So what is that-- that
is a $1 million check--
despite what kent says,it's
still a lot of dough.
It's life changing.
- Absolutely life change glg
- how so?
In iowa,you can do a lot with this baby.
Denise,congratulations
on a great season.
Thanks to all you guys for a
really fabulous season of "survivor.
" all right,so if you're
a fan of "survivor,"
and you want to own a piece,you
can bid on props from this season.
The web site is on the screen now.
This year,all the proceeds from the auction
will be shared among several deserving charities.
Bidding starts
immediately after the show.
And if you're sitting at home thinking,"man,i
could do that," it's time to put up or shut up.
You put together a little tape.
Tell us who you are.
I look forward to snuffingly your torch.
We appreciate all of your loyal support.
We will see you back
for the next "survivor,"
"fans versus favorites." good night.
Survivor
Season 25 Episode 15
2**
3**
4**
I'm trying to tell myself to suck it up.
Denise is a machine.
If you do vote me out tonight,you will give
a million dollars to one of these people.
They cannot beat denise.
Congratulations denise.
Anything that will get me to
the end of the game,will be me.
Denise wins individual immunity.
I am one stubborn,determined woman.
Survivor
Season 25 Episode 15
We are live in cbs television
city,los angeles,where denise,
with tears in your eyes,just
won a million dollars.
- Congratulations.
- Thank you
so i know from hearing from people
on the street during the season
that a lot of fans
saw you as an underdog.
Did you truly believe
you were an underdog?
Absolutely. Yes. 100%.
Just going from tribe to tribe.
I just que knew i had to keep fighting and fighting
and fighting and reconfiguring what i was going to do.
- Absolutely -- going
to every tribal council.
Every tribal council.
Was there a moment when you
thought,truly thought it's over?
Oh,the final four.
That's when i-- that's when i
really thought i am in hot water.
So your biggest move had
to be cutting malcolm.
Yeah,100%.
I had to cut him.
Malcolm,you had a chance.
You had the opportunity.
If nothing else,why
not just lie to denise?
Yeah,i took a page out of penner's
ways to get voted out playbook.
But i thought i had a
lock with skupin and lisa.
They-- i thought that they had
stuck to their word with me before,
and i thought if i got them to shake at
it,i was good and at the last tribal council
when she said what she
said i knew i was toast.
If malcolm goes to the end,even
with denise,does he win?
If you're in the jury and you
give him your vote,raise your hand.
Two?
Really?
So if malcolm is in the final
with denise,does denise still win?
All right.
Well,pretty convincing.
So either way,denise,it looks
like you were in pretty good shape.
So you're a sex therapist
in your normal life.
Yes.
So what do your clients think
about this when you're out there
and you know you're so vulnerable
and you're wearing a bikini.
This has been one of the unexpected gifts
of playing this game is i've had clients
that have just been fantastic about it,
and we've had all of these really
authentic conversations about religion
and body image and just trying
to do something different
and digging deep and
getting up off their couch.
I ask because you were concerned how
you would be perceived with the clen
teleyou worked so closely with?
Fleet complooetly.
They see me in one light in my office
and you're completely exposed out of here
and it's completely out of your control.
A big issue in the game
of "survivor" is trust,ald.
In the last few days--
lisa,you betrayed malcolm,too.
He takes you to the reward while
you're conceiving how to blindside him.
Well,it was also very streamic
of him to take me to the reward.
I don't think that was just totally
out of the goodness of his heart.
It was a smart move to
take me to the reward.
Penner,you had a chance at this.
Hutwo big chances.
One with jeff kent,which
we'll talk about.
You have an offer fair final four.
What was happening in your head?
Because a lot of this
stuff i don't know,
so as i'm watching it back,you're
over there so smug going,"i don't know.
I'll get back to you.
" with the,i didn't feel smug at all.
What i felt was i had played
a very specific running,
scrambling game up to that point staying
alive and the reason lisa trusted me
was i had never lied to her and didn't
realize now was the time to start.
I mean i knew at some point i
i was going to have to do that
but i certainly didn't realize
theind game was upon me.
I had played an open game with
her and didn't start lying.
What was the deal
with you and jeff kent?
Because when you guys ended up together,i
thought if these two get together,
this could be fan fantastic.
Ask jeff.
I totally agree.
When i shook his hand,twice
with five fingers,
i thought that we had a gentleman's
agreement to go to the five.
And i was
shocked--
i mean,not disappointed,but surprised--
that he was gunning for me from the get-go.
So,jeff,it did seem as though more than
anything,you want the penner out before you.
But i never wrote your
name down one time,buddy.
And the thing is i was trying to deflect all the
attention off of me and put it on somebody else,
and i was dumping it all on penner.
I approached penner many times
and said,"we can do this,"
and i gave him the idea they were
gunning for him so he needed to
use his idol but denise was the problem.
We couldn't get denise to go
and i couldn't side with penner
and cartir was my other boy
and i had to go with carter.
So you were shocked when penner voted
the way he did that night at tribal.
We still don't know why
he vote the way he did.
We kind of had a run-in afterwards
why whatdid you sploa that vote for?
Because if not,we would still
be on the island together.
Skupin,surprised you
didn't get more vote?
I think you go into the final three,knowing
your game and knowing how hard you fought
and you expect to get all of them.
You know what you personally did.
I'm not saying what she
did in her confessionals.
I'm not saying what she did.
I know what i did.
I claude and fought the whole game.
As you're sitting there
at the last tribal council
and here tonight you fully
expect that you deserve to win.
I think you're going can the
minded set,you're confident,
you play hard,and i thought i
played harder than anybody else.
Ho how about you,lisa?
Did you at final tribal
council think you deserved it?
I'm pretty realistic
about the game i played.
And,you know,the truth is,as much as i would
have loved to have won the million dollars,
or even
600,000--
i really did grow and learn so much.
It was painful,but it was worth every moment
of it,and,you know,silly thing,corny as it is,
"the facts of life "theme song,you take the
good,you take the bad,you take them both,
and learning how to accept both side
of me has been worth a million dollars.
Jeff,lisa references your $600,000
comment,which-- it will be less now.
You didn't catch that.He said
it's going to be even less now.
So your exit speech is probably
the best there's ever been.
Can you compare-- you
know,you basically said,look,
i made 60-some million dollars in baseball
and i want to win this stupid game.
What is it about this
game thawptd to win?
In this game,it draws you back in.
When you get kicked off,you know you're getting
kicked off,and you're watching it back there.
It draws you back in.
Your competitive nature
gets kicked up another notch.
- **
- What is it?
You could do a lot of
things.Upper in the world series.
The anticipation-- baseball
is a game of anticipation.
And i think that's
what this game is about.
You sit at tribal council,not
knowing if you're going home
and that anticipation increases
your adrenaline drive true the roof
and that draws you in to compete.
I have to say about you,all the guys
on your crew learned a lesson from you
and it's an ironic one.
It's about sportsmanship,you came in with
this big baggage from the major leagues,
and every time we had a challenge that jeff
kent lost,i expected to hear complaining,
and every time he said,"hey,they got
us,we'll try to get them next time.
" i did learn that from you.
Skupin,michael,roll the b roll of what some
people called sort of mr.Magoing to out there.
- **
- That was you!
It was me,okay,i admit it.
Take a look at this skupin,because
all of a sudden,the--
you falling in the fire back in
"survivor: australia yet qts even though
it was incredibly trag and i can
scary made a little more sense.
You just weren't out there long
enough to have more accidents.
Look at this stuff.
So is
that-- ***
***
**
*
*****
*******
i mean,'cause bee played this
game for it's probably your face.
I didn't even know that it
happened during that time.
Small little injuries,little
nicks here and there.
The adrenaline kicks in,as bad as your
foot hurts limping to the challenge,
once you get there,it's game
on,and you don't feel it.
You mentioned the mask.
What happened in one challenge is
we gave michael skupin this mask.
I asked the guys in the art department
to keep it for me after we were done.
It literal literally blew out.
Everything blew out and shattered.
Take a look at that.
That's what's left of it,is just
little shards of hard plastic or glass.
Anyway,skupin,i want to give this to you
as a reminder of your time on this show.
all right,we have a lot more
survivors to check in with.
We're going to talk with lisa,we're
going to talk with malcolm.
We're gog talk with abi.
First,it is hard to believe this is our 25th
season,and after so many years on the air,
"survivor "is still going
strong,and there is one reason why.
It is you,our audience.
And we'd like to take a moment to say
thank you for 12 years and 25 seasons,
**
you have invited
"survivor" into your homes.
You followed us across 40 continents,18 countries
and invested in over 350 tribal councils.
You're the most loyal and amazing
fans a show could ever hope for,
and thanks to you,"survivor" is still
the most watched show wednesdays at 8:00.
we thank you.
**
I play the character of blai
warn or "the facts of life.
" trying to learn to open up and
this is not the place to experiment
with that my whole life has
been based on public perception.
You know,i've lived my life on the
same since i was seven years old.
I don't think i've ever needed
any person more in my life.
Lisa not giving pup.
I do believe i'm taking control of my
own destiny and the rest of my life.
Welcome back to the
"survivor: philippines"
live reunion show where denise
has won a million dollars.
We're talking with lisa welchle now.
We just saw there,"the facts of
life" people grew up with you on tv.
You grew up on tv.
And you come to this game in which
you will be stripped bare,very visual,
nowhere to hide,nobody
even necessarily likes you.
Were you concerned about this
image you had to the public?
You know,i really
didn't think about that.
I was so excited to be a part of the game
and in the game and i'm really not like blair.
I actually prefer not wearing
makeup and not being in high heels.
So that felt very
comfortable and very me.
And so it just really-- i wasn't
aware,self conscious about my experience.
It was much more about my opening up what was
inside and the conflict that was going on in there.
So the christianity
which was such a big part,
is that a concern then that you're going
to let people in to see what you believe
and how you believe and how
you pray and what you draw on?
Yeah. Absolutely.
Because i watched the show
so many times i know that--
i planned in my heart,i'm
not going to pray out there
because people are just
going to roll their eyes.
It's because it doesn't translate well.
Even praying because it sounds like
you think god cares who wins "survivor.
" i don't think god
cares who wins "survivor,"
has a favorite football team,
has a favorite country,a
favorite religion.
I think he cares about
us each individually,
and that he cares that denise
within won a million dollars?
Yes.
But that's because
he cared about denise.
Does he care i didn't win?
Yes,because he cares about me.
And that's hard to translate
and so i didn't even want to try.
So then,the dilemma for you that we
watched at home was,was this game,
this devilish game,which is pitted
against your christianity,really.
Yeah,and that was my journey was having
spent a lifetime,for different reasons--
as a child wanting to be good
to win my parents approval.
And being a christian and wanting
god to be glad that he came for me.
And then being on the show
wanting to reflect god's love.
**
But at the same time,nothing about "survivor" is
the kind of thing that reflects the character of god.
And so it was a total internal
conflict until i realized,wait a minute.
You know what?
I'm all of those things.
And it's okay to be human and it's
okay to be sometime sometimessed
an good and times bad even in the context of
the game,even not in the context of the game.
That's actually what christianity
is all about,is acceptance.
so with all of this going on inside your
head,what was the appeal of "survivor"
in the first place because we
didn't come looking for you.
You nownd us.
The first appeal was just
this love of this game.
And then i had read a book
called "the barbarian way"
and it was about living from
your gut,not just from your head.
So i just thought this was awesome.
I contacted the author,irwin mcmahonus,i
said i want to pick your brain.
I had lunch.
I said how can i do it?
I don't know how to get out of my head.
I want to live for my sinner.
He said put yourself in situations
where you're not in control and,
man,no more word were truer.
I got out of control,but i also
gout on the of my head,into my gut,
and was able to see all that's
inside there is acceptable to god,
it's acceptable to me,and itt doesn't
matter if it's acceptable to anybody else
well,one of the most emotional moments of
the season came during the loved one visit
when lisa's brother,justice,showed up.
Let's take a look.
Lisa,here's your brother justice.
Sister!
Sister!
***
Gotta say,lisa.
I've seen some pretty powerful
moments involving loved ones.
This might be at the top.
so even i got teary,and i'm pretty
good at holding back the tears
during a loved ones visit.
You were so vulnerable
is what it was for me.
You really fell into his arms.
What did he whisper or
say to you on the island.
Because you were very different
after your brother left.
He said to me as soon as we hit the
challenge,he said,"trust your gut.
And remember it's a game.
" and i said what if those two
things are diametrically opposed?
And-- because
i couldn't--
convince him that my heart loved these
people and didn't want to hurt them.
My head wanted to knock them
out and win this million dollars!
Michael,put up the split screen.
I thought this was fascinating.
We have a shot-- okay,the shot on the left is
lisa about six hours before justice got there.
And the shot on the right is
lisa six hours after he left.
pretty powerful.
I gotta talk about the rain.
It rained for 21 straight days.
And russell,when you played the first time,in
samoa,it rained for about the same amount of days.
Can you describe what that is like every
single day to be cold and wet and miserable?
Oh,it's just miserable.
I mean,you can't--
there's no inside.
There is no dry.
I mean,everything is just wet.
And so you're just
sitting there shaking,wet.
You're thinking at some point,a towel is
just going to coined of magically appear.
You're going to get dry.
- You're going to feel
better and -- clear it up.
There's never any relief from us.
No,there's nothing.
You're just out there.
There is nod in.
You're just cold,wet,and miserable.
And dana,one of the most tender moments
and tough moments of any season,honestly,
was you,being evacuated because
everybody knew you didn't want to leave,
and everybody knew you couldn't stay.
Do you-- can you
remember any of that?
Or were you foggy?
Pretty foggy.
I was a little delusional at the time.
And i mean i remember
you coming out there.
I don't remember it being a choice.
I remember saying i needed
help and then you showed up.
That was awesome.
- Thank you.
- You're welcome.
So what's the takeaway then.
You were in this game,and
suddenly you're gone?
I mean,we can't all win
the million dollars,un.
It's the hard knocks.
Maybe i'll get to play again.
I mean,i never went to tribal council.
I never had a vote against me.
Who's to say how well i would have done.
There's a case to be made
for a return from dana.
Maybe.
Still to come,we're going to talk
with tw of our most memorable players,
a hero and dare i say,a villain.
Malcolm and abi.
And then sprint is going to
give away a $100,000 pride.
But first,one of the things that
makes "survivor" unlike any other show
on television is the opportunity for
truly once-in-a-lifetime experiences,
like swimming in the
woagz a whale shark.
Take a look.
You're actually going to put me in the
water with the world's biggest fish?
My hands start shaking.
It's so big,it never ends.
You think at any second
it could just eat you.
To see something that
huge was awe-inspiring.
*
**
***
****
Malcolm is on a tear!
I feel like i got my swag back.
Malcolm wins immunity.
Malcolm wins reward.
Malcolm wins immunity.
It really made me reconsider
what i have been doing
with my life the past year and it
was a life-shaping experience for me.
Welcome back "survivor: philippines,"
and every reunion show
in los angeles,malcolm,
you've broken a lot of
heart by not winning.
There were a lot of
little girls,especially,
and i'm sure may be a couple of
older ones really rooting for you.
When we came to that last challenge,it was
sort of like ozzie a couple of seasons ago.
It seemed like if you could win it,you
could dictate what happened in the end.
Did you have a sense when you walked up and
saw what it was when you were in trouble?
I knew i was toast.
I'm a huge fan of the show,and that's the final
challenge from micronesia,and parvitiy won it.
And i have the least
steady hand on the planet.
I don't know what it is.
I walked up and looked at it
and i think i told my mom before
if that was ever a challenge
when i was on "survivor" i'm done.
I had sad,clown tear moments
when i walked up,i'm toast.
Really?And even with the
second chance it was over.
Give me 100 chances.
So what is the reaction been?
Because it's-- you're clearly one of
the more popular people to ever play.
And what's unique about a show like
"survivor," you're not playing a character.
This isn't "c.S.I.."
this is malcolm.
It's really you.
So when people come up and they like
you or don't like you,it's very personal.
So what's it like to suddenly
get all this adoration.
It's nice.
It's been really overwhelming.
When you go out on a show and the way
you think you're going to play the game
you don't know how
you will be perceived.
How people will react to you,what
you're going to end up looking like.
It's cool to know that's me.
Everything i said was 100% sincere,and
people are accepting it and like me.
Where does it come from,this
ability-- once again,like ozzy--
to just climb trees
and swim and catch fish?
Where is that?
Most people hoco who come
on "survivor" can't do that?
I worked overseas before but i don't have
a whole lot of experience with this stuff.
It's confidence and a little swal
swagger,"oh,i'm going to do that today.
" believe i'm going to go out for a
swim in the ocean and pet a whale shark.
I was told not to touch
it-- it didn't happen.
Swagger or self-confidence is really
the coolest trade trait anybody can have.
Give me the moment next the whale shark.
We never had anything like that.
It's a massive moment.
It's about 10 time longer than us,and right
before i touch it,skupin gets hud-butted.
Of course.
I'm lawchg out of my snorkel as
i'm diving next to this thing.
And they said don't touch it.
And,notice,and i reached out.
And it really was like,all the
strategy aside,alm the relationship--
i'm not going to say that but
it was absolutely the one moment
i'll talk about forever from this show.
So the take-away on
this show,frustration?
There's definitely that.
I mean,there's other stuff
you take away from it.
But i'm a competitive
guy,a lot like jeff is.
We talked about,i want to win.
The only reason im
there is i want to win.
I get voted out on day
38,i was pissed off.
Sincerely,and this day
i'm still mad about it.
I want to win.
- You-- would
you play again?
I would consider playing again,yeah.
Last question,when
you leave here tonight,
and you're on the streets,are
you single or available?
- Single.
- ***
I don't know if you can
call "survivor" a great seen
if you don't have at
least one great villain.
Fortunately,this season,we had abi.
I came here not to be
feeling bad for other people.
I came here to wayne million dollars.
I don't want to talk to you.
I have nothing to talk to you.
She's like this brazilian
bomb that is about to ploa up.
What are you doing!
And you me you're dead.
It's really hard not to laugh
at some of the things she said.
I'm sorry if i was a bit
too honest with some of you.
Abi has all the social
grace of a mack trouble.
Play like a man.Don't play like a bitch.
Wow,i never thought i
was an unlikable person.
Stupid.
Abi,you said in that piece i
never knew or ever been told
i'm not likable so this really
was the absolute first time
anybody has ever said
things like that to you.
Yeah.
And when you watch the show now,do you
take anything away from it different?
Oh,a hiewrnlg learning experience.
I have a lot of growing to do,yeah.
How so?
Did you watch the show?
Yes.
And i was one of the people who kept
throwing out it might be cultural,
and every time i said,that somebody
would say to me,"are you nuts?
" what i did you learn?
What did you see in yourself
that you want to change?
Very abrasive,very passive aggressive,and
i wear my emotion on my sleeve.
I need to change that,calm
down a little bit.
Take a chill pill.
I have to show,i have to indulge with one
little clip of you and skupin at tribal council.
It happened late in the season.
Michael,you can roll that.
- You know,jeff,it's so many things
because-- because you're an idiot.
That's why you're going
to lose a million dollars.
- Anyway,jeff--
you're a moron.
What is is the reaction.
You are a moron.
- Unfortunately -- hold on,abi called
you an idiot once and a moron twice.
Cultural.
In her culture that's a compliment.
R.C.,you and abeerk thanks
to pete,doing a devious plan,
really ended up adversaries in this,in
some ways was abi your downfall?
Oh,100%.
She wouldn't listen to
any reason whatsoever.
And we're just two different
people and we were playing a game,
and quite sho honestly,she should
have faked it and she didn't
and that's why we're both losers sitting on this
side instead of potentially sitting over there.
Pete,i have to say,i think abi
might have been your downfall,
as long as i loved the
chaos you were stirring.
I mean,it was funny,watching
them go at it and have no idea--
i'm glad pete has long arms
to pat himself on the back
because it was the
worst move imaginable.
He said the only one
congratulating himself on this one.
Some people are still a little bitter.
And with that,we'll take a break!
Up next,one of these players right here is
going to win $100,000 courtesy of sprint.
And taking us to the break our "survivor"
composer,david vannaed cor,and rus landau.
**
Since wednesday viewers have been texting and
voting on line for the sprint player of the season.
It was the close oast we've ever had.
At one point it was within 200
actual votes,and at the very end,
the difference that separated the
winner from the runner up was .
7%.So less than a percent.
It was down to malcolm and lisa.
Conveniently sitting side by side.
Malcolm was ahead for a long time,then lisa
pulled ahead,and then lisa stayed ahead.
Lisa is the sprint
player of the game,winner of
$100,000,courtesy of sprint.
Congratulations.
And once again malcolm
is just this close.
All right,let's check in
with some other people.
Angie,up in the back row,one of
the youngest players this season.
You really came out there with your
heart and you took a little bit of grief
for some of your comment,but
did you have a good time?
I had a great time,the
best experience of my life.
- Really?
- Yes.
Fantastic.
Zane,you,i think,wanted to quit and
engineered your way out of the game.
- True or false.
- False.
You just made a bad move.
Yes,very bad,very,very bad.
It's like when you car runs out of gas and you
think i can make it to the gas station and bam!
You're sitting on the side of
the road.That's what happened.
Roxy tell me about your time.
All i remember about you is this
incredible smile,but you were so upset.
Yeah,i was really upset,but,you
know,i had an amazing experience,
and to be able to just let
loose and really show who i am,
it beats something exwg they
could do behind a pulpit.
So i was really proud of that.
And my little moment on the
beach praying,speaking in tongues,
i guess it can never
really be forgotten.
Katie,are you mad at me?
It seemed like i was always
saying katie in the rear.
Katie behind.
Every single time.
I got it after the sixth time.
It's all good.I forgive you.
So being at the end of
all of those challenges,
is that your memory of
the game or are you okay?
Oh,i'm totally fine.
I had a blast with
everyone on this back row.
We had a great time.
But i mean,absolutely,denise,you rock.
I'm so glad that for the short period of time we
got to spend some time together so congratulations.
- ***
- Thank you.
All right,right in the middle,artis.
I don't know you were you angry during
the game or was that just my perception?
That was entirely your perception.
Everybody realizes in my opening
interview when they revealed the cast,
i said if i am not smiling i look
like i'm about to take your head off,
but there is nothing wrong with me.
But you chose to make that an issue.
I even watched every single clip.
I was started to think i
was the angry black man.
And,carter,okay,what happened?
Because here's the thing.
When we put you on the show,you were
this bubbly,talkative,really funny guy.
Did the wear and tear just hit
you faster than other people?
Definitely.
It-- the first part of the game
was ridiculously hard for me.
It was raining.
We were hungry.
Things started going
downhill.We lost diewns.
Second part of the game it
was night and day difference.
It feels like two
different parts the game.
You're on the island with coconuts
and new people and sunshine.
So,yeah.
I was hungry as well.
And dawson,i have to say,no
one has ever-- oh,my god.
All right!
She got it in.
Fortunately,
fortunately,she doesn't kiss
anywhere near as good as my wife.
Okay,where-- where is
"survivor" going next?
And more important lie,who will
be playing in our 26th season?
Find out when we
return,we'll be right back.
**
***
*****
How can it be our 26th season
is just around the corner?
Take a look!
For years,survivors had some of the most
dedicated fans in television history.
I'm a huge fan of "survivor.
" i'm so excited.
I love "survivor.
" never missed a show.
Tuning in every week to see
their favorite players compete.
Now 10 ultimate "survivor" fans
get a chance to prove they have
what it takes when they square off against
10 of their favorite players from the past.
They'll be dropped in the carmowian
islands a paradise beautiful
and treachuous,filled with formidable
wildlife with mother nature's
true fury only one storm away.
Will their previous experience on
"survivor" make them an unstoppable force
or will the fans' enthusiasm and deep
knowledge of the game give them the edge?
It's the return of one of
"survivor's" greatest pairings.
Survivor car as
moan,fans versus favorite.
All right,now miebt most important
part as we close out our 26th season
with the check giveaway to
denise,the check presentation.
There is your check.
Make sure it's made
out to the right person.
It has the right amount of comas.
- Looks good.
- Looks good?
So what is that-- that
is a $1 million check--
despite what kent says,it's
still a lot of dough.
It's life changing.
- Absolutely life change glg
- how so?
In iowa,you can do a lot with this baby.
Denise,congratulations
on a great season.
Thanks to all you guys for a
really fabulous season of "survivor.
" all right,so if you're
a fan of "survivor,"
and you want to own a piece,you
can bid on props from this season.
The web site is on the screen now.
This year,all the proceeds from the auction
will be shared among several deserving charities.
Bidding starts
immediately after the show.
And if you're sitting at home thinking,"man,i
could do that," it's time to put up or shut up.
You put together a little tape.
Tell us who you are.
I look forward to snuffingly your torch.
We appreciate all of your loyal support.
We will see you back
for the next "survivor,"
"fans versus favorites." good night.
Survivor
Season 25 Episode 15