Survivor (2000–…): Season 7, Episode 15 - Survivor: Pearl Islands - The Reunion - full transcript

The winner is revealed as the castaways reunite to discuss the season.

>> JEFF PROBST: Puerto Rico is
represented, and she won
decidedly.
It was a 6-1 vote, and she did
it without ever receiving a vote
at Tribal Council.
Not one vote was ever cast
against her.
( applause )
And what about Lill?
What an emotional roller coaster
for the Boy Scout leader.
She laughed, she cried,
she lied, she was voted out,
she was voted back in,
she almost won.
It was one of the most exciting
Survivor seasons ever.
There is a lot to talk about
tonight.
We're going to get to it all,
including this guy,
one of the most popular and
entertaining survivors ever.
>> Yes!
( laughing )
I am so happy.
>> JEFF: Plus, not since Richard
Hatch has there been a guy
we loved to hate as much as Jon.
And his lie about his
grandmother put him in
the Survivor Villain Hall
of Fame.
>> Uh, my grandmother's not here
for a reason.
She's...
she's not around.
My grandmother's sitting home,
watching, uh...
watching Jerry Springer right
now.
>> JEFF: And we'll find out the
story behind Osten's quit and
the resurrection of the
Outcasts-- the Reunion Show!
Captioning sponsored by
CBS PARAMOUNT NETWORK
TELEVISION
( applause and cheering,
band plays lively tune )
Welcome to the Survivor:
Pearl Islands Reunion Show.
All 16 survivors are here with
us tonight.
There's a lot to get to in this
hour.
We're going to move quickly,
starting with, I said it before,
without question, the lippiest
mom we've ever had on the show,
Sandra Diaz.
Congratulations.
>> Thank you.
So, that is you.
That take-no-prisoners,
say-what's-on-my-mind...
>> Tell it how it is.
That's always been my motto.
up-front, straight up...
>> JEFF: And was the way you
played to sort of just go with
the flow?
Did you think about that,
or did you just adapt as you got
out there?
>> Well, first of all, everyone
was strategizing, and I was,
like, "Why waste my time
strategizing?
"If they need an extra vote,
I'll just go with whatever
happens."
And everyone always had bigger
fish to fry.
Nobody worried about me, so, I
just kept on...
every three days, three days,
three more days, until I made
it to the end.
>> JEFF: As you were watching
this at home with your friends,
what was the reaction, week by
week, as you kept hanging in
there?
>> Oh, the challenges, of
course.
Every time, another water
challenge, I would be, like,
"Oh, look away.
Don't watch, 'cause I'm..."
( laughter )
"Cause I'm gonna do horrible."
And they're, like, laughing at
me.
"Don't you know how to swim?"
and I'm like, "Well, a swimming
pool is different than the
ocean, that's for sure, so..."
( mild laughter )
>> That's the truth.
>> JEFF: Yeah. Osten says,
"That's the truth."
( laughter )
We'll get to you.
>> Thank you.
>> JEFF: uh, one incident with
the fish...
Came back, Rupert was voted out.
Christa ends up taking the heat,
one of your good friends.
Christa, was there any fallout
from that afterwards?
>> No, she did what she had
to do.
I tried to put the blame on
everybody else, but she did it,
so, uh, it's cool now.
she's still my buddy.
>> JEFF: In general, jury,
why this vote?
Rupert, why did you vote for
Sandra?
>> I voted Sandra just because
she played the game so hard.
We were... we were friends.
We were together from the start.
But that girl played hard, you
know?
She didn't let anybody even
really see how she was playing,
and she was playing us all.
>> JEFF: How about you, T?
You were the... the one vote
for Lill.
What... what swayed you
that way?
>> It really came down, for me,
who answered my question
the best.
And Sandra even supported Lill
by saying, "Hey, you know, she's
put you all in to, you know,
losing the game."
And I thought that meant
strategy, that meant she did
play the game.
>> JEFF: Now, Lill, you were in
control of the game when it got
down to this-this... this choice
between Jon or Sandra.
Why did you ultimately pick
Sandra?
>> I picked Sandra because I
used my heart more than my head.
Sandra was a mom like me, a,
uh, uh... a wife like me.
She had plans for her kids,
and, no offense, but Jon...
Jon's lifestyle was totally
different, and, uh... from mine.
( laughter )
Uh, you know, he's into the
drinking and the carousing
and-and what have you, and, I
just, uh... I couldn't accept
that, and I didn't feel like I
was going to be voted for
because I was an Outcast.
And it just got down to, who
did I think deserved the money
more.
Um, and I-I prayed about it,
I thought about it.
>> JEFF: Okay.
> And it... it was Sandra.
>> JEFF: So, now let's reverse
the scenario just to see what
would happen.
You pick Jon instead.
Sandra, you're now in the jury.
Jon, you're not in the jury.
Show of hands from our new jury,
existing people including Sandra
and not Jon...
>> I don't think I want to look.
>> JEFF: If-If she had taken
Jon, who would have voted for
Lill?
>> In a minute.
>> In a minute.
( laughter )
>> JEFF: There's four votes,
Lill.
That's a $900,000...
>> It's all right.
Um, I put my trust in it, and I
went the way my heart was, and
that's just...
That's just Lill.
That's not inside the game,
that's not the game.
( applause and cheering )
I can...
I can live with that.
>> JEFF: you took a... you took
beating out there, emotionally.
There were some days where I
wasn't so sure you were going
to make it through,
psychologically.
( mild laughter )
>> Yeah. Uh, you're right.
It was hard on me.
It was very hard on my body.
And, um, I know when I came off
the, uh, plane, I know my
daughter cried, and-and I was...
I was beaten.
I was hurting.
>> JEFF: You know,
interestingly, or-or maybe not,
but in-in the seven seasons,
in five of the seven seasons,
the person who won the final
immunity challenge lost the
game.
Don't know what there is in
that, but, Ryno, uh, regarding
Lill, you gave her a hard
time about lying and wearing the
Scout uniform and this
juxtaposition.
Yeah, I just felt, you know,
if she was gonna be in the
uniform, you know, go through
with it, you know, Scout's
honor, the whole...
you know, the whole nine yards.
But, Lill lied, and, you know,
she got me and Andrew out,
and she di... She...
Strategically, she played a
great game, but, as far as that
goes, she was, you know...
I mean, she lied, but the...
with this...
>> JEFF: But you lied.
( laughter )
>> Oh, yeah.
I-I lie all the time, but, but,
but...
( laughter )
Sorry, Lill.
JEFF: No, wait, I don't
think... I don't think you
should be apologizing to Lill.
Savage, what... why... it's a
game.
Why because she's a scoutmaster
in real life and...
and Ryno's an electrician
is it okay for him to lie
and it's not for her?
Jeff, here's my philosophy
on Survivor.
Is that... extreme slice of
life, but when you're in that...
that element, your true inner
being comes out.
So, my sense, she's a Boy Scout
troop master.
So, my sense is, you know, the
true Lill in the game should be,
you know, upholding the Scouts'
honor.
And Ryno, who's an electrician,
he didn't have a Scout uniform
on, so he can lie as much as he
wants.
>> JEFF: Really?
>> Really, yeah.
>> JEFF: Anybody here support
the fact that you can separate
being a scoutmaster or a parent
from- from being an electrician
and not the lying?
Trish.
>> Yeah, I think you can totally
separate it.
I think that Lill played a great
game and I think that, you know,
the bottom line is you have
to lie, cheat and steal.
And, um, when... I think that
she tried to be as nice as she
could until she couldn't be
any... she couldn't be nice
anymore.
And I don't think it's really
fair to say that she was wearing
a Scoutmaster uniform, so
therefore, she should have
let herself get kicked out,
you know, and not tried to lie,
cheat and steal the way
everybody else did.
>> JEFF: I-I thought Lill said
it best, just at the very end of
Tribal Council when she said,
"You either play the game or you
get voted out."
And I... the whole time we were
out there, I thought it was
interesting that you guys
hammered her time after time
after time because she chose to
wear a Scout uniform, and, uh,
lie.
But, you know, that's just me.
I'm not in the game.
Up next, who will ever forget
that growl, that laugh,
( imitating Rupert ): that
voice?
We will talk to one of the most
popular and entertaining
Survivors we've ever had.
Rupert is next!
( applause and cheering )
( applause )
( applause and cheering )
( applause )
>> JEFF: That's the scene
tonight in Rupert's hometown
of Indianapolis.
They are cheering him on
at Comedy Club.
Welcome back to the Survivor:
Pearl Islands Reunion Show.
Damn, Rupert, you have some
fans.
What can you say about a guy
like Rupert?
Five minutes into the game,
he's stealing shoes.
He wore skirts that revealed
more than any of us wanted to
see, and he caught more fish
than his tribe could eat, and he
did it all with a gusto that
made him one of the most
electrifying Survivors ever.
I'm a thrilled pirate.
I am Blackbeard.
Happy, happy, happy.
( laughs )
The other team, Morgan, came up,
set their stuff down next to us,
and all left.
Everything that I could find
in theirs, I took.
I'm coming out here to be the
caretaker and I think I'm
doing it.
I portray a very strong
and independent person.
But, in my head, I'm that
fat, little terrified kid that
was picked on in school all
his life.
I never give up.
I never surrender.
I never admit defeat.
>> JEFF: Rupert wins immunity
for Drake.
>> Yeah!
( laughing )
( applause )
>> ( yells ): Yeah!
( applause grows )
>> ( yells ): Yeah!
>> ( yells ): Drake!
>> JEFF: Rupert...
Rupert, where does that
enthusiasm for all aspects
of life come from?
Have... because, on this one
hand, you're this little fat kid
that gets picked on, and yet
you're... you're living so
large.
>> I, uh...
I could not tell you.
I just... I am so happy for
everything that I got and
everything that I can do and now
all of this.
>> JEFF: But in life, in
general, this was... when we met
you for the show, you had that,
just, approach to life that was
full of gusto.
>> With nothing... even having
nothing and living, you know,
the way we live, I was... I've
been appreciative of everything
I've ever had, everything I've
ever gotten.
And you just got to... you got
to take it, you got to take it.
You got to appreciate everything
you got and be happy.
And I love it.
>> JEFF: Did you have...
Did you have any idea at any
point in the 39 days that you
were gonna be this popular
when people saw the show?
>> My God, I... no, not at all,
not at all.
I was afraid that people
would see some crazy-ass...
( laughter )
I was afraid...
>> What was that?
>> ...people would see some
crazy little guy out there
running around, thinking he was
playing.
>> JEFF: By the way, where did
you learn to do all this, living
in Indianapolis?
How'd you learn to fish
and use a Hawaiian sling?
>> I have been playing in the
water, catching fish, catching
snakes, catching little goodies
since I was three years old.
I brought my first snake home,
grabbing ahold of my hand when
I was three, and my mom let me
keep it.
I've always played that.
>> JEFF: What was the reaction
back home?
Week by week, your popularity
started to grow and snowball.
>> I couldn't believe how people
were taking me.
You know, I never thought
it would be such a...
a wonderful experience.
Never.
I knew I wanted to come
play Survivor and be on it
ever since I saw Richard Hatch
out there playing around.
I knew I could beat him!
But...
( laughter and applause )
>> JEFF: Poor Richard Hatch.
He gets... he gets knocked
around more than anybody.
Well, I know this group
well enough to know...
I just... the reason you guys
are on the show...
as you guys hear the...
the live audience here loving
Rupert, I know there's people
going... ( muttering ).
And Shawn, I-I've read a few
interviews.
You've talked a little bit
about your thoughts about how
Rupert was portrayed on the
show.
>> Um, yeah, well, I... you
know, I think everyone, all of
us are really great people here.
Um, I have no animosities
really towards anyone.
I just thought, when I was
watching the show, that, in
terms of Rupert's portrayal,
um, and I'll just use mine as an
example-- I feel that they
showed a lot of Rupert's greater
moments and a lot more of my
lesser moments.
( laughter )
So, let's just put it that way.
>> JEFF: Not that there were
more...
>> No!
>> JEFF: ...greater moments of
Rupert's and lesser moments of
yours to choose from?
>> No, it's just funny how the
portrayal happened, but, I mean,
he's a great guy.
He's an amazing guy.
I had nothing against him, it
was just, you know, it's funny
what they choose to show and
what not to.
> JEFF: So, do you think he was
unfairly represented?
>> No, it wasn't my point he was
unfairly represented.
>> JEFF: That you just weren't
portrayed?
>> I just felt like they just
kept all the great moments
in and didn't show any of the
lesser, which we all have out
there, and I think they focused
on more of our lessers and, uh,
a little more of his greatest.
>> JEFF: Savage... you were,
>> Yeah.
...from this group, you were
definitely a strategist.
You had a pretty even keel
about assessing people.
What's your take on Rupert,
overall, in terms of how he
played the game.
>> Yeah... I love Rupert, you
know, big old modern-day pirate.
I think, uh, he played a great
physical game, but I...
Honestly, I think his mental
game was a little weak.
And the reason I say that
is because he chose to trust
Jonny Fairplay rather than me
and Ryno.
And six days after me, Jonny
Fairplay cut him loose.
And I...
You know, that's tragic.
So, that's...
>> JEFF: You're nodding your
head, Rupert.
>> Yeah, I, uh... I chose to go
back to Drake Tribe, where I
couldn't really trust everyone,
and I should have stayed with
the Morgans...
>> Should've kept my deal.
( applause )
>> ...that treated me like...
>> Should have kept my deal.
Should have stayed.
>> Should have kept my deal.
>> I should have stayed.
I should have stayed.
>> JEFF: I think one of the
things that... about Rupert that
appealed to a lot of people is
that you were sort of an every-
every guy, you know?
It wasn't like you were
a Hollywood leading man type
or any of those things,
but you-you went out there,
and you did the daily grind,
and you had this-this attitude.
And then, we find out, as the
show goes on, that your self-
esteem is not all that it
appears to be.
And there were... there's the
times when Burton and Shawn are
picking on you, and they're
looking at your butt, and
they're laughing about the
skirt.
Does this... does this reaction
do anything? Does it...
Has there been any change
in your feelings about that?
>> When I... looking at my
skirt...
( laughter )
>> When I, uh... when I was done
with my little, uh, stint in 27
days, and I had 12 days on the
jury, I realized, you know,
I didn't need to be that scared
little kid anymore.
I realized I didn't need to go
back to people that, uh, didn't
appreciate me as much.
And my safety zone was opening
up a little wider.
I could accept more from...
I could accept people taking me
as okay.
It... this was a great journey
for me.
>> JEFF: And let's... by the
way, do we... can we get a shot
of Rupert's wife?
Because life has blessed you
in a lot of ways, my friend.
( Rupert laughing )
I don't know how you ended up
with Laura, but good on you.
>> Yeah, she's a good one.
She saw through all this
...surface.
I've always been that scary guy
to keep people away from me.
She saw through it.
>> JEFF: Hmm. Are you that same
scary guy now, or are you... are
you more open in that way, too?
>> I am a lot more open now.
I can smile a lot more, I look
people in the eye more instead
of looking down-- I'm a lot
better.
I'm a lot better inside and out.
( applause )
>> JEFF: Well, it was very nice
having you on the show.
On the other side of the coin,
Jonny Fairplay was one of the
greatest villains.
Go ahead, let it out.
( crowd boos )
He's one of the greatest
villains we've ever seen.
He was caustic, he was abrasive,
and, like Rupert, he could look
you in the eye, but he could lie
with ease.
And we loved to hate him.
Jonny Fairplay is next.
( applause and cheering )
>> No, don't even tell me to get
out of your face.
You know what your problem is,
Jon?
You're a little baby...
>> You threaten me with physical
violence one more time, man...
I want you to, dude!
'Cause I want to see you
... walk away!
( applause )
JEFF: Jon, let me ask you a
question.
What is this about?
>> This is... this...
That's Jonny Fairplay, right
there.
That's the "F," that's the "Y,"
I'm all in between.
Jonny Fairplay.
I play fair.
No-no cheating.
( applause )
( boos mixed with applause )
>> JEFF: It's like two opposite
ends of the spectrum with Rupert
and Jon.
Was that a plan from the
beginning if you got on the show
to be obnoxious and be a
villain?
>> I wanted to be the...
( chuckles )
Well, if it wasn't, I sure did
screw up.
No... uh, I wanted to be the
most hated Survivor of all time.
And, uh, I think I did a pretty
good job of it.
( boos mixed with applause )
>> JEFF: Now, okay, Jon, we've
established that.
But when I say "was it a plan,"
is that you?
If I see you on the street are
you kind of that kind of a
jackass or...
( laughter )
...are you, in fact, putting
this on?
Did you think this was a good
strategy?
>> Um, I'm kind of nice, but I'm
a... I'm an A-hole pretty-pretty
much.
( mild laughter )
>> JEFF: Well, what...
Who is Jonny Fairplay?
Was that created for Survivor?
Is that something that lives
outside?
>> Uh, Jonny Fairplay was, uh...
I used to do wrestling stuff
before Survivor and, uh,
I was a...
( laughter )
>> JEFF: Yeah, forgive us for
>> Right. And, uh...
I was, I was always a bad guy.
And I went by Jonny Fairplay
because, you know, it was a
misnomer.
And, like, I come out there
and I was like, "You know, it's
'Fairplay.' I don't cheat."
And then, when you cheat, they
go, "I thought your name was
'Fairplay'!"
It's like, "Well, I lied,"
you know, so...
>> JEFF: So, what-what's been
the reaction on the streets,
because the last several weeks
it got... people had a pretty
strong reaction to you.
>> I've had, uh, I've had people
just tell me flat out
they want to kill me.
And-and I give them the finger
and then they cheer and I
don't... it's weird.
( laughter )
>> JEFF: That kind of, that kind
of screws up the whole villain
thing when they get...
when they're happy when
I mean, your-your idea is to...
>> Yeah, well, I mean...
I actually, just want the guys
to hate me.
The girls, I, you know...
I could...
I'd like to be the most popular
Survivor there.
>> Yeah.
( booing )
>> JEFF: That's going to take
a whole other show and a lot
of work.
If he wasn't bad enough, then
comes this dead grandmother lie,
a move so low and so evil, it
definitely guaranteed Jon a spot
in the Survivor Villain Hall of
Fame.
Take a look.
>> It was either going to be my
buddy or my grandmother coming.
And, uh, my grandmother's not
here for a reason.
She's...
she's not around.
My grandmother's sitting home,
watching, uh... watching Jerry
Springer right now.
Swear on my grandmother.
I swear, I swear, I swear.
I swear on...
I-I swear on my grandmother
and that-that's a big freaking
deal, and I wouldn't break that.
Christa made me swear on my
grandmother's grave.
And I was like, "One of her
last wishes was that I win."
( laughs )
( boos mixed with applause )
>> JEFF: She's most definitely
still alive.
This is, uh, Jon's grandmother,
Jean.
So, did you know anything about
the...
First of all, let me say
what everybody's thinking.
We're imagining, when we hear
this dead grandmother...
we're imagining a frail, maybe
85, 90-year-old grandmother.
We're not imagining this young,
beautiful woman.
But this is your grandmother,
right, Jon?
>> Oh, that's my grandma.
( laughs )
>> JEFF: Okay. Were you in
on this?
>> No. No.
( laughter )
No.
> JEFF: No idea?
>> No idea. No.
>> JEFF: When did you find out?
>> When you found out.
( laughter )
>> JEFF: When we called?
>> Right.
>> JEFF: Yeah, what happened
was, after that challenge, we
were all devastated, so we
called back home to see if there
was anything we could do and you
answered the damn phone.
( laughter )
>> No.
>> JEFF: By the way, Thunder
D...
>> What's up?
>> JEFF: Yeah, you were in on
it.
>> Uh, a little bit.
Just a tad.
>> JEFF: A tad?
>> A little bit more.
>> JEFF: You came out and
you-you set up the lie.
>> Um, Jon set it up before we
left, but I played it out
for him.
>> JEFF: All right.
Are you okay with this?
Is this something you expect
from Jon?
>> Well, you outwit
and outsmart, so it was a game.
>> JEFF: And outlast. Yep.
>> It was a game.
>> JEFF: Jon, any remorse at all
thinking back on that, a little
bit?
>> No way.
Are you kidding me?
( laughter )
So... shoot, maybe All-Stars,
my grandpa will die.
I don't know.
( laughter mixed with groaning )
( audience booing )
>> JEFF: Can you take this
notion of lying too far?
Christa, when you, when you hear
something like this, what's your
take on it?
>> It's absolutely brilliant.
I wish I would have thought
of it myself.
> JEFF: Lill.
( groaning and booing )
>> Um, I keep telling everyone
when they approach me about
being in this uniform, uh, I
keep saying, "It's a game, it's
a game, it's a game."
Well, on a personal level,
a couple weeks ago, I buried
my mother.
And, um, you know, people come
to me and say, "How dare him
say this!"
But I say the same thing.
I want the same understanding
for myself as I do for him.
It's a game.
And, Jon, you did it.
You did it, boy.
But, uh, I congratulate him
on it.
>> JEFF: And we all fell for it.
I mean, I fell for it.
I'm sitting at the challenge
going, "Wow, tough break, you
know, for this poor guy,"
and, uh...
Shawn, there's no love lost.
You were on the other end
with a lot of people.
You guys almost came to blows,
as close as I've seen two
people almost come to blows.
You're joking about it now,
Jon, but there was a time
when you guys were really
at each other's throats.
Why did... what kept you from...
from hitting him or going
after him?
>> Probably, 'cause I got voted
off the island.
No, um, you know...
( laughter )
I thought I was going to come
back and have another chance,
but, no, I didn't have that.
No, I mean, you know, when
you're out there and you're
going through all those tense
moments and you got someone like
Jon on you every five seconds, I
think, uh, I speak for a couple
other people when I say I
probably wasn't the only one
that wanted to, uh...
( chuckles ): to, uh, probably
Um, I heard it during a couple
of exchanges, during a lot
of different challenges.
You know, when you got someone
as brash as that out there,
when you're going through
all those things, you know,
sometimes a joke just goes too
far at times.
>> JEFF: And, Jon, are you
pulling for that?
Are you hoping he throws a
punch?
'Cause, there's only really
two rules on Survivor:
you cannot hit somebody,
and you can't conspire to share
the money.
>> That's, uh... that's
exactly... well, actually, I was
hoping, uh, when I wrote
Rupert's name down the first
time... I was hoping he was
going to punch me.
I was going to be like, "God,
well, finally!"
( laughs )
>> JEFF: Savage, what is it
about Fairplay that makes him a
good player?
Because he was a good player
in this game.
A lot of things happened around
him.
Yeah, you know, I'm not in the
habit of giving Jonny any
compliments, but I think
he absolutely deserved to be
in the final three.
He, from my opinion... he seemed
to have a great read on people,
studies body language and, you
know, he has that rare talent
to tell you a horrible lie
straight to your face and you
believe it, hook, line and
sinker.
>> JEFF: Speaking of, uh, being
a ladies' man-- not to let stuff
out of the bag-- but tell me
just if this is true or not.
Did you and Nicole spend any
time together at all after
this show?
( laughter )
>> You little liar.
( laughter )
>> JEFF: Nicole, true or not?
>> No. Absolutely not.
Come on.
( laughter )
>> JEFF: Burton, any time at all
with any of the Survivors here?
Have you spent any time at all
with any of these 16?
>> We're not allowed to do that.
( laughter )
>> JEFF: Burton.
>> Good answer.
>> That'd be against the rules,
Jeff.
>> JEFF: Anybody up here on this
back row, before I ask them
directly, that you want to beat
to the punch?
Michelle.
( laughter )
I'm just hearing little rumors
about some of the love
connections between Jon and...
>> He's like my big brother.
>> JEFF: Yeah?
>> Yeah.
>> JEFF: Darrah, is Jonny
Fairplay any more appealing
sitting this close to him than
he was out in the island?
'Cause, he was, he was hitting
on you quite a bit out there.
>> No, he's... ( laughs )
He's not appealing at all.
( laughter and applause )
>> JEFF: Speaking of which,
what's going on with your, uh...
I know that one aspiration you
really have is to be a model.
Anything going on with that?
>> Um, not right now, but
hopefully, after the show's done
and over with, hopefully,
I'll get something.
If not, then I'll continue
what I'm doing now.
>> JEFF: Working with dead
people.
>> Yeah.
( laughter )
>> JEFF: Well, I mean, that's
what you do.
>> Well, actually, I'm-I'm back
in school and I'm going into
dental hygiene right now, so...
>> JEFF: Oh, cool. All right.
Okay, well, up next, one quit,
while six others were fighting
to get back in the game.
Osten and the Outcasts are next.
Before we go, take a look at
what's happening tonight in
Cincinnati, Lill's hometown.
This is Newport on the Levy.
Some of her biggest fans are
there, including your scout
troop, Lill.
( cheering )
( playing lively Irish tune )
( applause )
>> JEFF: Well, in a season that
had a lot of firsts, one of them
involved our challenges.
For the first time ever, we
had a challenge that was
designed by a fan.
Take a look at the challenge.
You'll remember this one.
Little word scramble in which
I forgot how to spell "liaison."
And, uh, it was created by 14-
year-old Kylie Cusick, who is
here with us.
Let me just set up this story.
The idea was, you met our
challenge producer, John
Kirhoffer.
He was over at your house and
you said, "You're the guy that
comes up with the challenges?
Doesn't seem that hard."
You went in your bedroom and-and
came up with a challenge.
>> Right.
> JEFF: Next thing you know,
what? It's on TV?
>> Uh-huh, and it was really
cool 'cause I'm a big fan
of the show, so it was kind of
fun to see my idea up there.
>> JEFF: And then, you were...
I know the news came out.
You were on... you were
on Entertainment Weekly.
And it's, by far, the cheapest
challenge we've ever had on
the show.
( laughter )
All right, well, keep sending
your ideas in.
>> Okay.
>> JEFF: All right.
Well, in, uh, seven seasons
there have been 112 Survivors.
Never, ever, have we had
somebody so physically and
emotionally exhausted
that they had to quit.
But that happened this season
when Osten threw in the towel.
>> Anybody that knows me knows
when I come to play at anything,
it's 110%.
And if I can't give that,
I'm out.
I'm gonna get sick and I
could potentially get pneumonia.
I've gotten it before.
I'm just not gonna...
I just don't feel that, that,
that I need that.
Vote me right off, 'cause I
don't deserve to win, okay?
You guys stuck it out.
Your body can last longer
than mine.
Mine couldn't.
Vote me off, and it's been a
pleasure.
It's been a pleasure with all
you guys.
I just don't have it in the tank
anymore.
>> JEFF: Osten, per your
wishes... go home.
( cheering mixed with booing )
Looking back on that-- obvious
question-- any regrets?
>> None at all.
>> JEFF: Really?
Satisfied with my decision,
absolutely.
>> JEFF: What's been the
reaction for you on the streets?
People give you a bad time?
>> Oh, you get a bad time.
You know, some people show
support.
Some people show disgust.
But, at the end of the day,
you know, it's a game.
And, uh, my health was more
important to me.
>> JEFF: And I think that's the
question everybody had, though,
is your... you seemed so
concerned about blood in the
lungs and catching pneumonia...
( laughter )
I mean, and you didn't like
pelicans, you didn't like bugs.
Did you... was there a point
where you said, "What the hell
am I doing out here?
I never should have
signed up for this!"
>> I'm not going to lie to you.
I'm not an outdoors person
in the least bit.
You know, the whole appetite
for me to come here was to win
a million dollars. That's it.
I mean, I knew I was going
to deal with some adversity
with the bugs, you know, a
pelican, snakes, what have you,
crabs biting my ass, I mean...
( laughter )
I knew there was elements there
that I wasn't going to agree
with, but, you know, hey,
try and do it, so I can win a
million dollars.
I mean, it was going to be with
some adversity, but, uh, none to
the extent that I actually dealt
with when I was on the island.
>> JEFF: Yeah.
So, uh, you're feeling all right
about everything, though?
>> Yeah, I'm feeling all right
about it.
You know... in life, you're
gonna make decisions.
Some are gonna be popular,
some not gonna be popular.
You got to be man enough to
stand up and say, "Hey, this is
the decision I'm gonna make."
Is there gonna be backlash?
Yeah, there's gonna be backlash.
But, the end of the day, take
the backlash, be a man and walk
on, that's what I've done.
>> JEFF: Can't argue with that.
>> No.
>> You're sticking up with
what-what you decided for.
>> Absolutely.
>> JEFF: Now, on, on the other
side, there was a decision that
was not liked by a lot of people
and that was the Outcasts.
Six people who'd been voted out
were given a chance to come back
into the game.
Shawn's already shaking his
head.
It was, it was really clear, if
you were an Outcast, then you
loved it, and if you weren't,
then you hated it.
But we could debate whether
it was fair or not all night.
The thing I thought was
interesting, one, one thing was
the way the two tribes welcomed
the people back.
Andrew, you went after Lill.
You know, "You don't...
She doesn't deserve to be
in this game. She shouldn't..."
Rupert went right to Burton, put
his arm around Burton and said,
"Let's settle the score."
Two very different approaches.
Strategically, do you wish you'd
handled it differently?
>> Oh, absolutely.
You know, I didn't like the, the
jaw-dropping twist, but I think
there's a lot to learn from it.
I-I saw it, you know, how it
happened on TV, and I think it's
a, uh, a heightened sensitivity.
Instead of casually thinking or
wondering what your tribe mates
are thinking or what they're
feeling, you should take it
to the next level.
Step into their shoes, go for
a good long walk and figure out
how they're feeling and what...
how they're reacting to things.
>> JEFF: With a little
reflection, Skinny Ryan, any
advice you would give to
somebody coming into this game?
'Cause, you were out early and
then had a chance to sort of
watch everybody play.
Anything you learned from that?
>> Uh, yeah, it's two parts.
I mean, uh, you really got to go
in there really, really quick
and try and, uh, feel out people
and try to make friends
really quick.
But, uh, at the same time,
everybody else in the tribe
did that.
I mean, they just cliqued up
really quick and, uh, I was...
I was outcasted from that.
I wasn't part of that, uh, that
group that they had made.
>> JEFF: How about you, Trish.
Any one point you learned
that if you did it over again
you'd do differently?
>> No.
( chuckles ): No.
I mean, I think I played, um,
the best game I could.
And, you know, I thought that,
um, my one probably
disappointment was that I was
the last one voted out, um, to
the... and into the Outcast
tribe.
So, I thought I had a slim to
none chance being voted back
into the game, because they had
all been with each other for
so long.
So, that was, that was probably
the biggest disappointment,
yeah.
Good night, everybody.
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