All-Star Survivor: Hawaii Alicia Calaway post-game interview

Alicia Calaway was quite a force in All-Star Hawaii. From her feuding with Gretchen, to her final two "blackmail" deal with John, to her controversial decision to sell out Gretchen and Colleen at the final six and go with the Ahis, Alicia had a hand in just about every important event of the season. Like her or not, she was easily one of the most memorable players in All-Star Survivor. But what does Alicia think of her performance? Why does she think she lost the game? Matt Carter sat down with the Keko powerhouse, and asked her her thoughts on the season.

MC: Hello Alicia, and thanks for taking the time to answer these questions!

AC: No problem. Thank you for being interested in me.

MC: For starters, what was your strategy going into All-Stars? And how did it differ from your approach the first time around?

AC: Basically my strategy was to do the opposite of what I did the first time. I tried to hold back in the challenges so that I wouldn't be perceived as such a physical threat. I also tried not to be too confrontational (that was hardest of all!)

MC: Did you feel you were full able to make use of that strategy? Or did you have to modify it as the game went along?

AC: It's hard to know exactly what is going to work until you get out there. But I think I used my strategy as much as I could. Of course, it didn't work out for me so well during the last couple of days, but I did make it much further than I did in Australia. So obviously I did something better this time.

MC: Speaking of that, what exactly went wrong for you at the end of the game? Why do you think you lost All-Stars?

AC: In truth, I probably lost All-Stars when we went into the merge down 6-4. Once that happened, there wasn't a whole lot I could do. The Ahis could have picked us off any way they felt like it. I was just fortunate to make it as far as I did.

MC: At what point did you start playing for yourself, and not playing for Keko? Because it was obvious towards the end that you had no allegiance to Gretchen or Kathy.

AC: Well I always had allegiance to Kathy. We were very tight for almost the entire duration of the game.

MC: Would you have ever turned on her?

AC: Absolutely not. I have always said that I will never turn on my alliances, and Kathy and I had a pact that we would always work together. If I had made it to the final two and lost against her, I would have been fine with it.

MC: Then what was so different about working with Gretchen? Why did the two of you have so much friction towards the end?

AC: The situation with Gretchen was strange because we were never all that close during the game. We were both sort of connected through Kathy. So when it wound up as just the two of us together, we had problems because there was no inherent bond between us. I love Gretchen, and I think she loved me, but together we were a horrible pairing. We were just never on the same page about anything.

MC: Did you know Gretchen before All-Stars?

AC: Oh absolutely. She was one of my favorite players from the first season. When I interviewed for Australia, I even said that she was the player I compared myself the most to.

MC: Had you ever met her before All-Stars?

AC: No. I just knew her by name and reputation. She has never really been a part of many Survivor events. I had never met her before.

MC: After playing with Gretchen, would you still compare yourself to her?

AC: (laughs) I don't know. That's kind of a tricky question.

MC: Well let me put it this way, do you think you would be a good alliance partner for yourself?

AC: I'd love to say yes, but unfortunately probably not. I think I would probably get on my nerves. Hey, maybe Gretchen and I really are a lot alike. I never really thought of that before.

MC: Do you the two of you get along now?

AC: Of course. We got along during the game too. You just have to remember, Survivor is a very stressful situation under very stressful circumstances. Once you get down towards the end of the game, you're snapping at everyone. I don't think I fought with Gretchen more than I fought with anyone.

MC: So you think that was mostly editing?

AC: Well editing or not, it did happen. I won't use that excuse. But I mean, I fought with Vecepia too. I fought with Colleen. They just show what they want to show. You just never saw any of that other stuff.

MC: And you call that being less confrontation this time around?

AC: (laughs) Hey I didn't say I was successful at everything!

MC: Why do you think your feud with Gretchen was featured so prominently during All-Stars? Was it because of that final six showdown, where she wanted you to align with Colleen?

AC: Oh yeah. That was a big moment in the game. That episode was sort of the culmination of everything.

MC: A lot of viewers were mad that you didn't take Gretchen's deal. Some said that by doing that, you essentially handed John and Vecepia the win. What do you say to that?

AC: Well I was going to hand the win to somebody, wasn't I? I mean, it's not like I had much of a chance to win at that point. I was just doing my best to get by.

MC: You don't think you could have beaten Colleen in a jury vote?

AC: No way. Absolutely one hundred percent no. Nobody could have beaten her. She had friends in that game all over the place.

MC: How is that possible? It didn't appear that anyone respected her.

AC: Well there are two things you have to think about when you're looking at a final two opponent. Respect is just one of them. No, nobody particularly respected Colleen as a player. But it didn't matter. Because by the end of the game, I knew she would have far less enemies than anyone else. The problem is that yeah, she makes enemies, but it doesn't matter because it is impossible to stay mad at her.

MC: Why is it impossible?

AC: Because she's Colleen. Everyone loves her. She has a cute little smile. I didn't want any part of that.

MC: So you would have never gone up against Colleen in a final two?

AC: I don't think anyone would have. Even Boston Rob was planning to dump her to go to the end against Vecepia. I wasn't the only one who saw that about her. I knew it was suicide.

MC: Do you honestly think that Gretchen would have quit the game at the final three just so you could go to the end against Colleen? How much of that do you think was just strategy talk?

AC: That's a good question. I have no idea. In my gut, at the time, I didn't think she would do it. It just didn't seem very Gretchen-like to me.

MC: Did that uncertainty play any part of your decision to sell Gretchen and Colleen out, and go with the Ahis?

AC: No. I knew I wanted to take my chances against John and Vecepia all along. After all, those were the two who I knew would make the most enemies. I mean, if you can go to the end against Colleen, or Vecepia, who do you pick?

MC: So when did the plan to align with John come along? Was he always your first choice?

AC: I would have preferred to go to the end against Vee. She was the one that I (and everyone else) thought was the easiest opponent. But the problem was that it was hard to strategize with Vee because she was always off by herself. So I took the info to John, since I had a bond with him, and that's how we ended up together.

MC: Do you think that was the correct choice?

AC: Well Vecepia ended up winning the jury vote. So maybe she was a little harder to beat than I thought. (smiles)

MC: Yeah but a lot of that was because of your doing. After all, it was your vote that cost John the game. She won 4-3. You were the one who handed her the win.

AC: I like to think that was just as much John's fault as it was mine. After all, he was the one who decided to turn on me. If he didn't get my vote, it's because he didn't deserve to get my vote.

MC: A lot of people have said that your deal with John was tantamount to "blackmail." How do you respond to that?

AC: Well I take offense to the word, but in truth yes, that's exactly what it was. I saved John once, and I expected him to return the favor and save me when I needed it down the line. That was the price that he owed me.

MC: And do you think that was fair?

AC: It's exactly as fair as it is to go into a merge down 6-4. In other words, no, it was horribly unfair. But that's what makes this game interesting. Nothing is ever fair. You play the hand you are dealt.

MC: Was John mad at you after the game?

AC: No, not really. I think he knew that the politics had spun out of his control the last seven or eight days of the game. Once the game got down to a couple of people, he knew that it was only a matter of time until he had to start cutting allies and voting them off. In many ways, I think he knew he was doomed.

MC: Did you really expect him to take you to the final two?

AC: Of course not. I knew not to trust John Carroll. I just wanted him to know there would be consequences if he voted me out. That was the only weapon I had left in my arsenal at that point in the game. When persuasion doesn't work, sometimes you have to be threatening. John is the type of player who responds best to threatening.

MC: Did you have any other deals we didn't see?

AC: Of course. I tried to plant seeds with Tina and Vecepia as often as I could. I told Tina my concerns about John and Vee almost daily once we got to the merge. But the problem is that they were never that interested in me. I did my best, but you can't stir up an empty pot!

MC: How did John wind up with so much power towards the end of the game?

AC: The one thing everyone seemed to have learned from playing the game the first time around is that flying under the radar is the safest way to get far. So when someone steps up and decides to take the reigns and start playing dirty in All-Stars, everyone else just wants to hide behind them. It happened with Boston Rob right after the merge, and then it happened with John towards the end. Nobody wants to stand up to them because it's safer to just shut your mouth and do what they say.

MC: So of course you wisely decided to start blackmailing him.

AC: And then I didn't win! Vecepia did win. So who's the one who figured out the strategy here? Apparently not me.

MC: What would you say was your biggest mistake in the game? Do you regret anything?

AC: No. I think I did the best I could with the terrible hand I was dealt. I have no regrets. The only thing I could have done differently would have been to go under the radar and suck up to John the way that everyone else did. I would rather be voted out than do that.

MC: Who did you dislike more during the game? John, Gretchen, or Vecepia, and why?

AC: (laughs) I didn't dislike any of them.

MC: Liar.

AC: (laughs) Truthfully, Boston Rob probably got on my nerves more than anyone. But luckily we only spent a few days together so it wasn't that bad.

MC: Did you enjoy seeing the episode when he used you as his "spy." What was it like seeing that on TV?

AC: Please. Rob could kiss my ass. I knew what he was doing. He isn't as smart or as clever as he thinks he is.

MC: Didn't he call you an idiot in that episode?

AC: Yeah, and guess which idiot made it to the final four, while he didn't. (smiles).

MC: In the end, what advantages do you think Ahi had that allowed them to go into the merge 6-4? Do you think they were just a better tribe than Keko? On paper, it looked like you guys would be better.

AC: Ahi's advantage, I think, is that they were just more game-driven than the Kekos were. From watching the episodes, it is evident that they had their heads in strategy mode pretty much since day one. On Keko it wasn't like that. On Keko we were more like a family. The Ahis may have fought and bickered more than we did, but they were also there for a purpose. They were there to win. In challenges they were always strong, and they never panicked. They worked together when they had to.

MC: Do you think that if Teresa hadn't gotten hurt, Keko would have been the better tribe?

AC: It's hard to say, but I do think she would have made a big difference. We really missed her when she was gone. So who knows?

MC: Well Alicia, that just about brings us to the end of the interview. But before you go, I have one last question for you.

AC: Sure. Shoot.

MC: Which Alicia out there was the "real" Alicia? The fun, happy go lucky one we saw for the first half of the season? Or the angry, vengeful Alicia we saw at the end? And how much of that was just editing?

AC: (laughs) Well, you know. Those are both me. I am always looking for a good time. I am a fun, happy person all the time. But there's a side of me that gets very serious and very intense when I have to be. So no, none of that was editing. I can be both of those ways, depending on the circumstances.

MC: Did you try to be more fun and cheerful in All-Stars, compared to the first time?

AC: Absolutely. I thought I needed to show the more fun side of my personality, so I went out of my way to be smiling and joking as much as I could. I didn't want people to take me so seriously this time, I figured that would make me seem less threatening.

MC: Do you think it worked?

AC: It seemed to work as long as I didn't get too competitive. Once I get competitive, all bets are off. Because that's when my other side comes out. I don't know, I guess it depends on what people expect for me.

MC: When you get competitive, I guess that's when you wave the finger in someone's face.

AC: (laughs) Yeah, but luckily I didn't have to do that this time. (laughs) This time around, I kept that finger in my pocket.

MC: You could have always given someone a different finger.

AC: (laughs) Yeah, see, who says I played too hard? I kept that other finger in my pocket as well! I was a good girl this time.

MC: Well I think that just about wraps it up. Thanks for answering my questions, Alicia. Is there anything else you'd like to add?

AC: Well even though I didn't win, it feels like I did. I may not have won a million dollars, but I had a great time. Thank you for bringing me back!

MC: Bye Alicia. Thanks for the interview.

AC: See ya!








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