All-Star Survivor: Hawaii Vecepia Towery post-game interview

Last week, Vecepia Towery became the first player in the history of the game to win Survivor for a second time. Her controversial victory in All-Star Survivor: Hawaii has been hotly debated on Survivor and other reality TV message boards ever since. Did she deserve to win? Vecepia recently sat down with Survivor-Central's Murtz Jaffer to talk about how she was able to pull it off, and how she won a game that no former winner was ever supposed to be able to win the second time around.

MJ: Hi Vecepia!

VT: Hello again (smile). Seems like I just talked to you.

MJ: First off, I have to tell you I am a big fan of yours. I think that was one of the most impressive wins we have seen so far on Survivor.

VT: Thank you! I was particularly proud of how I pulled it off as well. To me, it was personally a lot more satisfying to win All-Stars than Marquesas.

MJ: A lot more satisfying?

VT: Well, winning Survivor the first time around was the dream of a lifetime. Don't get me wrong (smile). I had been trying so hard just to get there, so that was obviously very meaningful to me. But the second time around, when nobody expected I would ever have a chance? To pull that win off, I thought it was really special. I actually doubted I would be able to do it for most of the game.

MJ: At what point did you know you had won? Did you know going into the final vote?

VT: Actually, no. I knew I had a chance to win, but I also knew that John was a lot more popular than me. He had more enemies on that jury, but he also had more friends. Going into the final vote, I knew it would be close.

MJ: Did you know you were going to beat Neleh?

VT: Not one hundred percent, but I felt much more confident going into that vote than I did about this one. Against John, I knew I had my work cut out for me. He was a much more likable player than she was.

MJ: Neleh wasn't likable?

VT: She was likable, but more in a "girl next door" way. People liked her a lot, but they just didn't want her to win. They didn't feel like she been playing for long enough. That was the reason I always wanted to go with her to the final two. Neleh was a sweet girl, but I knew I had played a better game than her.

MJ: And John was different than that?

VT: Oh absolutely. John had been playing hard to win since day one. Everybody knew he was a player. When I ended up against him at the end, I knew it would be a challenge. He had been playing all game.

MJ: Why do you think you ended up beating him? Do you think it was because of Alicia?

VT: Alicia was definitely a factor. She was never going to vote for him in a million years.

MJ: Do you think John would have won if he had handled her differently?

VT: (smiles) I like to think I would have won either way.

MJ: Do you think you could have beaten Gretchen in a final vote?

VT: NO!!!!!

MJ: Do you think anybody could have beaten Gretchen in a final vote?

VT: I don't think anyone could have. I would like to think that I had the best chance out of anyone, but even with that, I don't think it would have been close. She was definitely a favorite out there. I remember cringing every time she got a little bit closer to the end of the game.

MJ: What about Tina? Do you think you could have beaten her in a final vote?

VT: Tina and I have talked about this and the consensus is that she probably would have beaten me, but it would have been closer than people gave me credit for. I think I could have probably gotten three votes against her, and maybe even four. But there's no way to know for sure. I do know that two winners in the final two would have certainly been interesting.

MJ: During the game, you told Tina several times that a winner needed to face a winner in the final two. That was one thing you always seemed to repeat to her.

VT: Absolutely.

MJ: Did you ever actually intend to take her to the final two?

VT: At first, I did. But as the game went along, I became more and more convinced that John was a much better choice. Tina was a former winner, but she was also more stable. You know what to expect from her.

MJ: So you went with John because you knew he would have enemies?

VT: That was my thinking. I knew that he was going to have issues with a couple of players along the way, so I saw an opening. I knew that by the end of the game, he would have at least one or two jurors angry with him. So that's why I chose him. With Tina, I didn't think I would have that luxury.

MJ: How much did Sean's visit to the island help you win John's loyalty?

VT: (laughs) Sean's visit was a blast! That was easily one of my favorite days in Hawaii.

MJ: But you saw what he did when he was there. Do you think Sean basically threatening John made any difference in why John took you to the end?

VT: Sean may be a lot of things, but he's no Godfather (smile). He was having fun out there, but John would have taken me to the end either way. He had to. He is a smart player, and I was a former winner. He isn't an idiot.

MJ: Do you think John had any other options other than taking you to the final two?

VT: Yes. He could have taken Alicia, but that would have opened a whole other can of worms. Then he would have been up against a Keko. He was very nervous about doing that.

MJ: In the end, do you think John played a good game?

VT: Yes, absolutely. He learned from a lot of his mistakes last time, and he adapted well. If he had won Hawaii, I would have been disappointed, but I would have felt he deserved it. If I had been in the jury, I probably would have even voted for him.

MJ: Did you feel bad when he lost?

VT: Well yes, of course. He really did want to win. He has always put his heart and soul into this game. I knew that if he lost, he was going to take it hard.

MJ: So then you felt Kathy's jury question was appropriate?

VT: Oh I think she had the best question out of anyone. She knew John and me better than anyone out there. She knew what the stakes meant for us. That's why I wasn't surprised that she voted for him.

MJ: Would you have ever given up during that final Tribal Council, just so John could win?

VT: Of course not (smile). I have always had one philosophy when I play this game. When you are on Survivor, you are not playing against friends. You have no friends out there. They are all your competitors. Even Sean. Even Tina. And even John.

MJ: Speaking of friends, what the heck was up with you and Colleen? Did you really not get along during the game?

VT: I have no idea. Her jury question at Tribal Council caught me completely off guard. I had no idea what she was talking about when she asked it. I always thought we got along fine during the game. I never had any problems with her.

MJ: Do you know why she was angry with you now?

VT: I've spoken to her several times since then and after the game, we have always gotten along great. I think she is an amazing person. After the game, she was one of my favorites.

MJ: But you never really understood her anger with you?

VT: I still don't really understand it.

MJ: Did you think you had her vote going into the final Tribal Council?

VT: Surprisingly, I thought I had a pretty good chance at it. She was very angry with John. It was even uglier than what you saw on TV. The editing left out a lot of what they went through on her last day.

MJ: On his way out of the game, Boston Rob said that if he couldn't win, he hoped that you would. He said you were probably the single biggest snake in the game. Your thoughts on that?

VT: (laughing) I love Boston Rob. He is so much fun.

MJ: What do you think about him calling you a snake?

VT: I think Rob has his own agenda sometimes.

MJ: Okay, okay. Vee, one last question before we go. Out of all the players in Hawaii, who do you think was the best? If this game had been played 99 more times, with the same cast, who do you think would have won the most often?

VT: (smile) Am I supposed to answer myself?

MJ: You really think you would have won the most often?

VT: I'd like to think so, but oh well, probably not. I would say Lex.

MJ: Lex?

VT: He was by far the most powerful player for most of the game. No one could have possibly stopped him. So I would say he would probably win All-Stars the most times out of anyone. At the start of the game, I just tried my best to stay on his good side. He was clearly our leader.

MJ: So if Lex was the best player, then why did you win?

VT: Hey you said only one more question!

MJ: Okay, I lied. This is the last one. What is the one reason you won All-Star Survivor?

VT: The reason I won is because I never gave up, because I never thought of my situation as hopeless, and because I never believed that God would have allowed me to play if I didn't have a chance. Above all else, I always tried to maintain a positive attitude. I always tried to look for an opening, even if I was told there was none.

MJ: And also because Gretchen voted for you at the end.

VT: (smile) Gretchen voted for me because she knew I played the best game. We have actually talked about this. She told me she would have voted for me all along.

MJ: After you won Marquesas, you said that the thing you were most proud of is the fact that you were the first African American to win Survivor. Is that still the most important thing to you? Or has it been replaced by the fact that you were the first person to win Survivor twice?

VT: (smile) I would say both. I think it's exciting to just be the "first" of anything. This year has been like a dream to me.

MJ: Any final words to the fans out there, or to other Survivor wannabes who might be reading this?

VT: Continue to watch the show. If you are selected to be on Survivor, remember to have fun and to not take the game personally. Be strategic-minded and make the game the most memorable opportunity of your life. Lastly... BE ORIGINAL, remember that what may have worked for one person may not work for you, so try something different.

MJ: Thanks so much for talking to me Vee. It's been great hearing your opinions on All-Star Survivor. Congratulations on a hard-fought victory and good luck with finally having some time off for a while!

VT: Thank you!

Back to the All-Star Survivor: Hawaii finale author notes page