by Gina Scarpa

 

It was tough to tell what Steve Wright wanted out of his Survivor: Redemption Island experience. One minute he seemed ready to quit the game and the next, he'd be fighting to crack the Ometepe alliance of six and keep himself alive. Last night, he lost the four way duel on Redemption Island and was sent to the jury. Today, we talked to the former football player about his Zapatera alliance, his fight with Phillip, and his thoughts on being on the jury.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What made you want to try out for and do Survivor?
A. Steve: I've watched a little bit of the show here and there. Some of my friends were trying out and I said, "Why not?" I put together a video and sent it in. Nothing really in depth. I just gave it a shot to see if there was an opportunity.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Was there any part of you that was excited to see Boston Rob and Russell in the game or were you immediately turned off to the idea of playing with them?
A. Steve: Just from watching the years past, Rob seemed pretty cool. It was just Russell. I was like, "Oh my god..."

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What were your thoughts on your Zapatera alliance?
A. Steve: I just felt really fortunate, watching seasons past. We had a really strong bond between Julie, Ralph, Mike, and me. I could walk down the beach and take a nap and they had your back covered. I always felt good about the other three. Those were really solid friends.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Do you think that throwing the challenge to get rid of Russell hurt Zapatera's momentum?
A. Steve: No, I don't. Russell didn't bring anything to the party. I'm being really serious. He was a boat anchor. He brought bad energy to the camp. He was really distracting and immediately from the time we started, he was pulling me aside, wanting to get rid of Mike. It was relentless. He was a troll that was trying to infiltrate anybody. We won the next challenge after we dumped Russell. We could've won more if we could've gotten rid of Grant.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What was going through your mind after the merge?
A. Steve: We talked about our faith quite a bit - Julie, Mike, and I. You go through some pretty dire times out there. You only eat once every 24 hours and you're trying to stay dry after storms. You try to dry off in the sun during the day and flies are landing all over you. You go through some pretty dark times. You're thinking, "What did I get myself into?" I was ready to quit one night. I was just beside myself. I was in my darkest time and Mike was sitting by the fire. I was about to tell him I was ready to throw in the towel and he said, "Steve, I have a plan," and suddenly, I was 100% back in it. Everybody goes through dealing with that.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What has been the reaction of your friends and family to Phillip's remarks that you are racist?
A. Steve: They don't talk to me anymore! No, I'm kidding. I've gotten at least a dozen phone calls and emails from black teammates saying, "That Phillip is an ass. What an idiot." They all know me. There are no color lines. They know who I am and think he's an idiot. Who knows what he's been through? He's obviously unbalanced. He's got a big chip on his shoulder. That's why when I wrote his name down, I said, "I hope you find some peace."

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Were you sad to be leaving the game after losing the duel on Redemption Island or slightly relieved?
A. Steve: When I was walking down that hill, I was thinking, "I'm gonna be cleaned up and eat something." I was looking at my dirty friends still in the game and I was like: Damn! It felt good to be sitting over there [on the jury].

 

Survivor: Redemption Island airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on CBS.

 

(Image courtesy of CBS)

 

Follow Gina @ginascarpa