by Gina Scarpa

 

When Cochran flipped on his tribe at the merge on Survivor: South Pacific, he basically sealed the fate of every member of his original tribe. One by one, they were voted out and sent to Redemption Island, where they faced Ozzy, lost, and became members of the jury. Dawn and Whitney are the latest victims of the Upolu/Cochran alliance and today, we talked to them in an exclusive interview about separating real life from the game, being called bullies, and what they're looking for in a million dollar winner.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What was your motivation for trying out for Survivor?
A. Whitney: My motivation was that I loved the game. Everybody looks at me and assumes I'm some high maintenance girl but I'm not that. I'm a little bit of a tomboy and I'm outdoorsy. I wanted to prove that I'm capable of being on Survivor and lasting, not complaining, and not brushing my hair or my teeth. I had so much fun proving that I could do it.
A. Dawn: I tried out for the show when it was season 2 and I was 30. I went far at that time in the process and Survivor has punctuated my life. For me, a lot like Whitney, it was a lot about participating in what I think is one of the greatest games - period. The other thing was to challenge myself and I believe Whitney and I both kind of have the components that it takes to win the game.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: There seems to be two different stories on what life was like at the Savaii camp. Cochran obviously felt like an outsider but that didn't come through on television and Whitney, I know you were upset about the bullying accusations. Looking back on it, what was it truly like at Savaii?
A. Whitney: I honestly felt like, pre-merge, our tribe felt like a family. We had so much fun out there! There was never bickering and there was just no tension. I felt like the day at the sliding rocks is one of the coolest memories I have in life. I was with a group of people that I genuinely liked. I walked away thinking we were a very tight group. The whole bullying, picking on Cochran thing... overall, we treated Cochran like a friend, I think.

A. Dawn: I would guess, if you talk to Cochran, that he'd say he had a close bond with Jim and with me. I think there are a lot of really good memories. They showed the chicken fight in the recap episode and that summed us up! In looking at Upolu in their pre-merge scenes, it's probably because I'm biased, but I watch and think, "That is so different than the vibe at our camp." There was kindness, good memories, great stories shared.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: So is it hard then to separate the game from your personal experience with these people, like when Cochran flipped to Upoolu at the merge?
A. Whitney: That's why I was so upset from the beginning. I was so shocked because I really didn't see it coming and I didn't see why anybody would want to flip at all. It didn't make sense to me in my mind. But everybody has different feelings and basically, Cochran bought what Coach was saying. That's a little more bullying than anything we every did.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: How was life at Redemption Island for the two of you? We didn't get to see much of it.
A. Whitney: It's like a break from the game. It's a little bit of a weight off your shoulders. You get a little more time to relax and think about the challenge that's coming up. I don't think it's a bad place. I liked it! There was more food, you didn't have to ration coconuts, and I was hanging out with Ozzy and Dawn. If I was Christine and had to be out there so long, my feelings might be different. I commend her on being so strong.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Ozzy has a reputation that precedes him for being dominant in individual challenges. Were you nervous to face him at Redemption?
A. Dawn: You know what? It sounds probably way too arrogant but I wasn't! As we walk into that duel and I see that it's an upper body strength challenge, I was thinking, "Thank you Survivor gods!" I wanted to let him know that I thought we could take him. In watching it last night, I realize he spent a significant amount of time in the placement of his dishes. I was more nervous that I couldn't move them.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Even though you didn't make it to the very end, is there satisfaction in making it to the jury?
A. Whitney: Sure, but I think the whole jury would say that they'd love to be there back in the game. It is nice to go to Ponderosa and it's freeing. You can look back at the game and take it all in. Obviously, none of us want to be in the jury, but it's kind of nice to have that.
A. Dawn: I think you need it to kind of decompress from the game. I don't know how you adapt back to everyday life without that transition.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What do you look for in someone to win the million and get your vote?
A. Dawn: What I'm looking for is someone who demonstrates the whole theme or motto of "Outplay, outwit, outlast" and I'm hoping when we get to the jury, we can see: How did you do this? How did you outplay, outwit, and outlast? What was your strategy? I don't know that we get to see that very often as we watch now. I want to see what's behind the curtain.
A. Whitney: I'll agree with that! I look at the overall of how you played the game. I think that's very important. Did you make moves? Did you perform at challenges? All of it

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Is there any bitterness that you're on the jury or are you happy with the experience?
A. Whitney: Yeah, amazing! Everything happened the way it's supposed to. I'm happy with the way I played the game.
A. Dawn: There are so many moving targets, so many variables, and the complexity of it is very exciting. I'm like Whitney. I woke up today thinking, "Thank goodness! That was incredible!"

 

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

 

(Image courtesy of CBS)

 

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