by Michael Lamp and Gina Scarpa

 

On Sunday's Survivor: Redemption Island finale, Rob Mariano finally took home the grand prize, after playing the game 4 times over a period of 10 years. He defeated special agent Phillip Sheppard and good girl Natalie Tenerelli. On the red carpet in New York City, RealityWanted's Michael Lamp caught up with the final three right after the live reunion show to get their thoughts on this season of Survivor.

 

Q. Michael, RealityWanted: Congratulations! Did you have any doubts about how the vote was going to go? Everyone in the house tonight seemed pretty sure it was you.
A. Rob: I felt pretty confident when I left Nicaragua, but it's one of those situations. With Survivor, you never feel 100% confident. Until the votes were read, I wasn't 100%.

 

Q. Michael, RealityWanted: You're a bit of a Survivor expert by now. Aside from yourself, who do you think played the best game this time?
A. Rob: It was a different season. I think Mike had the opportunity to go really far. Ashley played a strategically smart game and turned it on at the end. Luckily, she didn't win that last tribal council. For the most part, I feel like I dominated the competition this time.

 

Q. Michael, RealityWanted: Anything you can tell us about your new show that you have coming out?
A. Rob: It's called Around the World in 80 Ways. It's being produced by Original Productions. The premise of the show is me and my co-host traveling around; can't take the same mode of transportation more than once. So if you fly on a commercial airline, you have to take a fighter jet, a blimp, a hot air balloon. And you have to be innovative in how to travel around the world. We start shooting tomorrow. [It will be on the] History Channel.

 

 

Q. Michael, RealityWanted: What was your highest high and lowest low this season?
A. Phillip: My personal highest high was when I was up on the edge of the volcano. I'm on the precipus of the volcano. To me, that was like an incredible moment. As far as a low moment, it started on day two. I realized that Boston Rob had a cult-like grip on these girls - and Grant. It was unshakable. That was a low. I had to figure out a way to survive in that game. It wasn't pretty. As long as I kept attention on me - that kept the attention off Rob. And Rob came to me and said, "If you do that, I'll take you all the way to the end of the game." He understood the value of what I did.

 

Q. Michael, RealityWanted: What do you think America's opinion of you is?
A. Phillip: I get tremendous amounts of email. My Twitter is called @TheClosers. I get tremendous response from people telling me, "You're an amazing entertainer." I'm hoping that will translate into a relationship I just started with the Dian Fossey Gorilla International Fund. I'm going to do a private campaign to raise millions of dollars for Dian Fossey's campaign to help save gorillas in Rwanda and the Congo. It's a huge thing.

 

 

Q. Michael, RealityWanted: Any regrets about sticking with Rob the entire time?
A. Natalie: I totally and completely stand by my decision. I think he definitely deserves to win, but I also think I did have a good case at the end. I'm so young, and I had probably two of the strongest alliances in the game.

 

Q. Michael, RealityWanted: Any advice for the next crop of Survivors?
A. Natalie: Just having confidence and getting in there and building up relationships. It sounds so simple, but just trying your best and having a plan and sticking to it.

 

 

Stay tuned to RealityWanted this week for more interviews with the final 8 contestants from Surivor: Redemption Island!

(Image courtesy of CBS)

 

Follow Michael @mjlamp and Gina @ginascarpa