by Gina Scarpa

 

Some people enter the Survivor game and others explode, and Brad Culpepper definitely was the latter this season.  He formed a quick alliance with the men, then turned on them, beginning with John.  When he made a play for Caleb, the underestimated player struck first and sent Brad to Redemption Island.  Last week, up against John and Laura, he came up short and was eliminated from the game.  We chatted with Brad about his villain status, his battle with Candice, and how he feels his wife is playing.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: How were you feeling coming into the game of Survivor this season with your wife?
A. Brad: I was very excited to play with Monica. The first time she went, she was gone for a long time and we had no contact. When she came back, I said, "You're never leaving me again!" For this to come along for us to play together... I wanted to play with her but unfortunately, after day zero, we were on separate tribes.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What kinds of preparation did you do to play this season?
A. Brad: Monica and I are very active. I'm an Eagle scout and scout master, I'm comfortable living with very little. I don't think anything could prepare us for the emotional draw of having to play against my loved one.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You played a big game very early, but did it surprise you to get the "villain" label?
A. Brad: The people that deemed me as the villain were not the majority. The only ones that really did... and not even John... were Candice and Marissa. They were loud, but the people that knew me were the people on my tribe. We laughed and we had a great time. Whether or not they embrace Monica will reflect whether or not they did did like me.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Candice was very hard on you throughout her time on Redemption Island and Monica took it very hard. Was that tough for you?
A. Brad: I spent zero time with her. It was worse than what was aired on tv. There was a lot of personal stuff that was unnecessary. It was a game, she made it personal, and Marissa's young. She seems to have anger issues. Her vote off was 100%, it wasn't like it was a close vote. It was the whole tribe.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: As a fan, Caleb's move to blindside you was great to watch. You are also a fan of the show so if you take your personal feelings out of it, was that a good move on his part or not?
A. Brad: Here's the potential problem Caleb may run into. He was playing a smart, under the radar game at that point. We all took him for granted, my mistake. I was not planning on voting him out and I told him that. I should've pulled him aside before tribal and said, "We're all good, I'm with you, we're voting out someone else." That move was very shrewd and it put him on the radar. To win, you have to make big moves. He definitely put himself on the map. On Redemption Island, I made it clear, "The guy with the funny boots? He is a player!" Obviously, the people in my tribe know he's a player. Not only did he get rid of a shield, he propelled himself out to the forefront.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: When you arrived at Redemption Island, what was that like?
A. Brad: It was awkward, obviously, at first. I'm the father of teenagers so I've had to deal with awkward conversations. I tried to diffuse the situation the best I could and John and I picked it back up pretty quickly. I don't think he was ever not my friend, I think he was hurt. I would've never voted him out if I was playing regular Survivor. I was trying not to injure Monica. Candice was a little frosty but the next day, we made up a bit. She was angry... it's one thing when you get voted out but when your loved one gets voted out, you tend to take it more personal. We're all good now. I never slept on the bamboo or the wood in that shelter. I slept in the sand the whole time. I've had surgeries on my back and knee. Every night, I slept in the dirt. There was no spooning with me!

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: How do you feel Monica is faring in the game?
A. Brad: I think she's doing awesome! I'm really proud of her. She never really got a chance the first time. She's the only returnee who got voted out prior to jury. She's clearly playing the game. She seems to have some good alliances. My number one goal is happening. My number two goal would be to have met her at the merge but she's still there. Reserve your opinions on whether she played a good game or not.

 

Survivor: Blood Vs. Water airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on CBS.

 

(Image courtesy of CBS)

 

Follow Gina @ginascarpa