by Gina Scarpa

Things were looking good for the members of Savaii going into the merge on Survivor: South Pacific. They had strong physical players in Ozzy, Jim, and Keith and the rest were rounded out with trustworthy players that would help take out Upolu... or so they thought. One of their own, Cochran, flipped alliances the first chance her got and helped send Jim and Keith packing. Today, we caught up with the pair in an exclusive interview to get their thoughts on Ozzy, Cochran, and their Survivor experience.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Survivor fans know that even though Ozzy's social game needs work, he's a beast in challenges.
A. Jim: In individual challenges...

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Right. What was your honest reaction to seeing him, and Coach, when you first arrived?
A. Jim: I loved it! I loved the idea of getting Ozzy on our tribe. It gives us a big advantage during the pre-merge challenges and all of a sudden, he's a bigger target post-merge. I wanted a strong, physical presence on our tribe.
A. Keith: I definitely completely agree with that. Honestly, everyone was hoping to get Ozzy on their tribe. I thought he could be like a best friend and Ozzy said at one point I was like a brother. I thought I could get very close with him very quick.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What was the vibe like on Savaii? You had Cochran portraying it like he and Dawn were outcasts and others who say you all got along just fine. What's your take on it?
A. Jim: Obviously, there's different stages of the game. It's crazy how much one person leaving changes everything. I think at different points, there were different rifts and different alliances that were definitely moving. I don't think that, as we got to that final six, there was anybody on the outs.
A. Keith: My answer to that question is that I thought we were having a great time out there. We were loving life, we were eating fish... there was one time that we all had a chicken fight. We were having a really, really good time. Little by little the tribe whittles down but with less people, the closer we got.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What are you feelings now towards Cochran, given that he flipped on your tribe and helped send you all to Redemption Island.
A. Jim: When I look back on it, the times I had the most fun and laughed the hardest were with Cochran. He was easily my closest friend on the island. I felt pretty betrayed with what he did. I didn't take it personally as much as I thought it was stupid. He went in with no other alliance other than a couple people saying, "We'll take you to final four." Every one of us on Savaii had him in our final three scenario. He's a fan, he knows that nobody who has flipped at the merge has ever gone on to win. They're untrustworthy and get voted out. Maybe he thought he'd go on an immunity run! [laughs]
A. Keith: I didn't really take it personal. I can't wrap my mind around it. Cochran is so analytical, I thought he'd be smarter. The fact that he told them we were giving the idol to Whitney was one of the dumbest moves all season long. He would've been in the final six with us and he could've potentially flipped at another point.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: When you look at the members of Upolu when you left the game, who is the most dangerous or underrated player?
A. Jim: As we look at it right now... we didn't get a chance to know everybody all that well but I think Coach is the most dangerous player. He's the one that is pulling the strings and the one that got Cochran to flip.
A. Keith: Probably the most underrated is Sophie. She's done really well in challenges and she definitely is a physical force. She's a pretty smart girl. She's a threat and the most underrated. As for the most dangerous, I would definitely say Coach. He's extremely dangerous because he knows what it takes to get to the end.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: It's great that the two of you made it to the jury because you'll get to see the experience through all the way to the end and have a hand in who wins. What's the biggest thing you've gotten out of doing Survivor?
A. Jim: I've said this before. It gave me a new definition of 100% and how far I can push myself and what I have in me. I was proud of how I played the game. Going back and watching, I'm disappointed I couldn't make it further but like I said, it's given me a new definition of how far I can go.
A. Keith: The biggest thing is pure enjoyment. It's so much fun to be on a show where you get to leave all of your worries, anything that you have, behind and play this wonderful game in one of the most beautiful places I've been in my entire life. To watch it every week and have my friends and family calling and cheering for me is one of the best feelings. When you win, it's the highest of highs and when you lose, it's the lowest of lows. It's a crazy rollercoaster that you could never imagine unless you're out there.

Survivor: South Pacific airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on CBS.

(Image courtesy of CBS)

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