"I actually had the same plan as Rob and Amber. Only in my plan I had it set up to take out Amber if I had to."
-An Interview with David McDaniel

Mario: Hey everyone, and welcome to the latest segment of "The Okinawa Interview." Today I'm sitting down for the last interview we have planned, and I've definitely saved one of the best for last. Today I'm here with one of the most mysterious, misunderstood and intelligent members of the cast. I'll be talking with Sato's own master strategist, David McDaniel!

You may remember David as the leader and figurehead of the early Sato alliance. Actually on second thought you probably don't remember him. Because unfortunately (for both David and me) out of all the players in Okinawa David was probably the one who made the least impact upon the readers. He only lasted four episodes, he was the first victim of the Kamiya alliance, and he didn't have a whole lot of memorable moments aside from an early relationship (and planned betrayal) of Sato sweetheart Amy Twieg. Unfortunately David really wasn't around long enough to become much of a character.

But with this interview hopefully we'll look past that image of "David who?" and you'll get to meet (in my opinion) one of the most fascinating players in the game. You see, David was a player who very easily could have won Okinawa. He was this close to being the guy who ran the entire game behind the scenes. He was smart, he was cunning, he was ruthless and I still maintain that he was the only player never to make a fatal mistake in the game.

So without further adieu, please welcome a guy who very well could have been "the best player in Okinawa" had the twist not derailed his game on day seven. Please welcome mister David McDaniel! Welcome David.

David: Hey there, thanks for the interview.

Mario: I know that out of just about everybody, you were probably the least familiar with Survivor-Central and my stories. So how on Earth did you come across the application for Okinawa?

David: My father actually sent me an e-mail with a link to Okinawa, telling me I should apply to play. And he said to hurry, because it was the last day to apply.

Mario: Yeah, as expected we did have quite a flurry of applications sent in at the last minute. And I remember yours coming in along with your dad's. You two were applying to be a package deal.

David: Well, I certainly positioned it as such. I never saw my Dad's application. We both wanted to play with each other. The funny thing is I said (and still believe) that it would have been more difficult if we had both played because people would have assumed us to be allied from the start.

Mario: Which is exactly why I couldn't have cast you both.

David: Playing with my dad would have also been difficult because I would go against him. People would assume we were together but I'd have to manage my image to others, so I would have had to take him out. I mean, a son that votes his Dad out?

Mario: That would have been great drama but I didn't think it ever would have gotten that far. I thought you two would have been toast from the very start.

David: It's hard to say. After all being in Survivor is always different than talking about Survivor, so who knows? Regardless, I would love to have played with him in the game. I think it would have been a lot of fun.

Mario: So who's a bigger Survivor fan, you or your dad?

David: My father, without a doubt. I am a big fan but you're talking about a man that has seen all the Survivor style shows from other countries. He even watches the ones where he doesn't know the language, he just sits there and tries to piece together what is happening. So yes we both enjoy and appreciate the show but he's a much bigger fan in real life.

Mario: Do you think he was upset that you were cast over him? Especially since he more or less pointed you to Okinawa in the first place?

David: No, he wasn't upset. There's that whole parent wanting their children to be happy thing. That and he saw what it was like later on and I think to some extent was glad that he hadn't been cast. I discussed it with him quite a bit so he understood how incredibly stressful and time consuming it really is when you play.

Mario: Do you think you would have applied had you run across the application on your own? Were you even interested in Survivor at all beforehand?

David: Well I have always been a fan of Survivor, plus my father has always said I should play. But I had never heard of online Survivor before. It was new to me, but it sounded interesting. So I gave it a go.

Mario: Were you surprised when we picked you for the final cast?

David: Yes and no. I rarely fail at what I strive for so it wasn't a big surprise at the time. I was stoked though.

Mario: So who would you have cast if you had been me? Would you have picked you over your dad? Or do you think I made the wrong choice?

David: Oh, I think you made the right choice as a casting person. If you think I'm boring, you should meet my Dad :P And he's not an Alpha male which I guess I am. Now, from the perspective of a person running the game I'm sure he would have been a better choice than me. He'd have given you far less headaches.

Mario: Ha ha. No comment.

David: In terms of longevity I bet my dad would have made it further than me, simply because he can go under the radar. Me, I suck at that. I seem to crap all over the radar at times.

Mario: So when you were cast, how did you see yourself fitting into the game? Did you see yourself as a good guy? A bad guy? A bad ass? And I ask that only before you were one of the players we weren't really sure what to do with. We could have gone several different ways with how you were going to fit in to the cast.

David: I was never really considering the "camera" factor of the story at all. My main drive was to show I had a love of the game, which obviously is something I have. And in retrospect I'm sort of surprised you cast me because I've been told that I'm a boring character.

Mario: Well you certainly weren't the flashiest one of the bunch, that's for sure. My main goal for you was to be the mature, stable alpha male of the Satos. Kind of like Tom from Palau.

David: That's funny. I just don't see myself as that, but in looking at it, I was. Maybe because that's how other people saw me. I don't mind, I can use it while stabbing people in the back :P

Mario: So do you think you are a boring character?

David: I guess compared to my peers in the game, I am. Thank God.

Mario: Once the game started, was Okinawa anything like what you were expecting?

David: It was far more than I expected. The level of stress and tension involved is just phenomenal given that it's only through chat and e-mail. But then again I think a big part of that was my complete desire to play.

Mario: Yeah, you definitely immersed yourself into Okinawa as fast as or faster than anybody else on your tribe. It was clear you were there to play from the moment we started the game.

David: I got into it so much because the whole experience was everything I expected and a whole lot more. And that's even taking into account that I went out early!

Mario: Obviously since this was Survivor, you couldn't predict everything that was going to happen. But did any events in Sato happen exactly as you thought they would?

David: Honestly I didn't know what to expect, because I went in with no preconceived notions. So ultimately, no.

Mario: Well then what events surprised you the most, if any? Was anything in Sato completely unexpected?

David: Survivor is a game of the unexpected. If you're talking game-wise, there was nothing really I didn't expect, since anything can happen and usually does. So in that sense nothing really surprised me.

Mario: Come on, not even the slightest little thing surprised you? Nothing at all?

David: Okay, I will say that I was surprised at the strategies of some people. I didn't understand what they were trying to do, the strategies made no sense to me, but then again at the same time I've seen that on Survivor before. Some people come up with the most bizarre ways of playing this game.

Mario: Specifically, whose strategy surprised you?

David: More like who's didn't. Let's see, perhaps Henry's strategy of getting rid of the people that would keep him around and keeping around his biggest enemy? Or was it Ryan's strategy of being just plain evil? Or Beth's agreeable strategy? Or Lances good guy strategy? Chris' high school rumor-mill strategy? Michelle's screw-your-friend strategy? Lots of them. Not that I did better so perhaps I shouldn't talk. But much of what I saw happening was not necessarily "strategic". It was more inspired moments of backstabbing. No, wait, that was my strategy.

Mario: So you were surprised by your own strategy as well?

David: Yes, one thing I definitely didn't expect was the way I ended up playing the game. I played Okinawa completely different than I thought I would. I thought I would be more mellow. More diabolical.

Mario: Personally I agree. I thought you overplayed a lot at times during Okinawa and it surprised me. For someone so mellow you really liked to plot and scheme when you didn't really need to. And though it was never really a fatal mistake, I saw that it could have been potentially fatal somewhere down the road.

David: Well in retrospect it's not surprising that I played like that. I ended up wanting to be a manipulator more than I wanted to win. I ended up being seduced by the idea of being a master strategist.

Mario: Heh, you and I have something in common. I fell into the exact same trap in Tonga.

David: Of course another unexpected event for me was the whole Amy thing. My relationship with her was unexpected at the time, but looking back in retrospect, it was also quite predictable.

Mario: Well like I said in my notes, I did expect you two to hook up. You were cast as the stable mother and father Sato figures for a reason, you know.

David: Uhm. Thanks.

Mario: Well since we're on the subject you know I have to ask this. And I know you're going to hate me for bringing it up but what was the deal between you and Amy in Okinawa?

David: You know, that's a broad question for a big subject. And without going into a lot of detail (because it's truly not anyone's business)... Yes, we became romantically involved. And no, it was not while I was in the game.

Mario: I could see a relationship blossoming while you two were on Sato but I'm glad you cleared up the timeline. You are correct in that nothing ever happened inside the game. I mean... the seeds for romance were obvious but you guys were pretty competitive with one another too. More than anything at the time... I think you just wanted to beat Amy at Survivor.

David: In learning about each other and discussing strategies with one another we both developed a great deal of respect for the other person's game play. We both believed that the other one was the person to beat.

Mario: Which among the Satos, was clearly the case.

David: We wanted to beat the best, because she and I are both very competitive by nature. But to be fair, Amy's idea was to see who was best by being voted so by a jury of our peers. She wanted to best me in the final two. Me, I'm not so strict about tallying my victories. To me if I orchestrated her removal that was good enough for me. Better in fact, because it would be a more personal victory that way.

Mario: So you wanted to knock her out of the game, whereas she just wanted to beat you in front of a jury.

David: Yes, and I felt that way mainly because it's easier to get to the final two if you are allied with good players. So when I got to the end I didn't want people to claim I got there because of someone else. I wanted them to know it was because of me. Besides, to me Amy was a huge threat and I felt I should act before it became more difficult. I could see how easily she befriended and manipulated people; better than I did. I respected and feared that.

Mario: As well you should have. She was really good at the social aspect of this game, one of the best I've ever seen. So do you ultimately think your "out of game" relationship with Amy had any affect on the storyline at all?

David: No, it all happened afterwards. It had no bearing on the game and that's why the details aren't important. Hence how it happened, what happened, and how it ended is and will stay between Amy and myself.

Mario: That's fair enough. Sorry but I had to ask. :)

David: By the way, speaking of Amy, I've recently seen Isabella's Early Show and watched her try to puzzle out how Amy knew her true identity. Isabella postulated that I possibly told Amy because she and I were romantically involved at the time.

Mario: Yes she did.

David: To that all I can say is that my love of the game is too great. I wasn't going to affect the outcome of the game. And I didn't tell Amy a thing, she figured it out on her own from many details and clues. Amy really is *that* freaking smart.

Mario: I think it's probably a given that Isabella and Amy won't be speaking much after Isabella's Early Show.

David: You know, if Isabella wants to flame anyone for people knowing who she was, she should flame the person that leaked it and not the people that heard it. Besides, she didn't lose the game because people found out before the final Tribal Council, she lost because people found out her true identity at all. She lost because they were pissed and she should have known they would be. Isabella lost because she didn't count on that, so she lost the game fair and square.

Mario: It was a shame all that "she played before!" stuff came up at the end, because I thought it was irrelevant (and distracting) from the final outcome. I still maintain Mike would have won the vote anyway.

David: Mike was good but Amy was the best. In my personal opinion, once again in Okinawa the best post-merge player left the game at F3.

Mario: Okay I'd love to continue this but there's plenty of stuff we need to talk about, from earlier in the game. Because you were coasting along fairly well in Sato, weren't you? You had that tribe in the palm of your hand for the first six days of the game.

David: I think I was in a great position. In fact, I was in the exact spot I had determined I wanted to be in before the game even started. I was in the majority alliance calling the shots, but I wasn't directly calling the shots so I had cover. People outside the alliance didn't even know I was in on it.

Mario: That's true. Lance, Hogan and Elisabeth all thought you were on their side at various times in episode one. They had no idea you were the heart of the Sato alliance!

David: Even better, I had set the pecking order inside the alliance and managed a plan to ensure that no further pecking order would be discussed for quite a while. I made sure that everyone was too paranoid to discuss the matter so that way nothing would ever change.

Mario: How did you manage to do that?

David: After cementing my final three I wanted to make sure nothing would change, so I had us raise a stink about people talking about it. I made sure everybody knew that we had to be solid for now, and we could worry about boot order later.

Mario: And because you were respected, the Satos listened to you. No one really had any idea you were actually manipulating them.

David: I don't think so, because everybody readily agreed that there would be no further discussion about it. That was great for me because it limited others' abilities to make side deals. The rest of the Satos had no idea who they could approach because they couldn't be certain if they would be ratted out and potentially kicked out of the alliance.

Mario: So clearly your position with the Sato alliance was rock solid, which is more or less how I presented it in the story.

David: Yes, and even more valuable was that I had enough of a rapport outside the alliance to give me some wiggle room. If things somehow fell apart, I was set no matter what happened. I could easily do fine no matter what went on inside the tribe.

Mario: So what was it like on the early days of Sato? How would you best describe the tribe?

David: Sato was a joy, but that's of little surprise. We were just getting to know each other and there were friendly people there, so everybody seemed to get along. Plus when the alliance formed we were in a clear majority, so there was little stress. It was a very pleasant time for us in the game.

Mario: Within the alliance, who were your best allies at the time?

David: Amy, Beth, and Matt. Even Henry. In that order.

Mario: And out of all of them, who do you think would have counted you as their best ally? Amy? Henry?

David: I think Amy would have and did, which was good. It gave me control over her, even while she was Matt's best ally and Beth's best ally at the time. And as for Henry... I was definitely his best ally at the time but I'm not sure he knew it. I thought it was unmistakable, but I won't pretend I can predict how he thinks.

Mario: Did you find it hard to deal with a young tribe like Sato? Would you have preferred to be around an older group of players?

David: I don't think the age of the tribe made much of a difference. We were young on average but then again I've always gotten along with people of all ages. Mainly because I treat people like people. That's what they are.

Mario: Do you think being the eldest male on Sato was an advantage? Did it make you more valuable to the tribe as a whole?

David: I think my maturity gave me a better grasp on how to deal with people, but I don't think my age was of any value per se. I was just happy that I still managed to talk to people like Elizabeth. The younger players could have shunned me but they didn't. That was nice.

Mario: Well no matter what, you definitely were valuable. Like I've said many times before, you were pretty much the only person never to make a fatal mistake in Okinawa. You had this game in the palm of your hand during your time at Sato. And I know we discussed it earlier, but was it always your strategy to take the reins of an alliance so early?

David: I didn't plan to take the lead but I had a strategy going in for sure. Up until the merge I wanted to be all about the tribe while at the same time sitting in a major alliance.

Mario: Which was the alliance of you/Amy/Beth/Matt and Henry.

David: Yes and no. I wanted any alliance of five, the actual names weren't really all that important. But at the time I wanted it to be the alliance that had been set up from day one.

Mario: Which was the one involving Henry.

David: Yes, but the problem was that our original alliance was starting to tear itself apart because of the friction between Amy and Henry.

Mario: Those two were just never going to work together in Okinawa, were they?

David: No and that's another reason why I set everything up to get rid of her. I wanted a solid five going into the merge. I wanted to have a solid three within that five. And at first I thought that was going to be Amy, Beth and me.

Mario: I think Matt might have had issues with that plan :)

David: Well no matter who was involved, one the merge hit I wanted to take two outsiders from the other tribe and create a final three with them. Then when the time was right, pull the switch. I would turn my first alliance against itself and move in with the two that now owed me for saving them. Then I would have an alliance of five with both pairs solidly aligned with me. I would be the key.

Mario: You would be the hub of the wheel.

David: You know, looking at it I actually had the same plan as Rob and Amber. Only in my plan I had it set up to take out Amber if I had to. Silly me. Amy was much cuter than Henry.

Mario: So why did you decide so early to go to the end with Henry instead of Amy?

David: My eventual goal was to pick the sub-alliance with the most hated person, and take that person along with me to the final two. And of course you know who I am talking about.

Mario: Well it sounds like a pretty solid strategy in theory, but were you able to follow it to the letter? Or did you have to change gears at all while on Sato?

David: Yes, I changed my plans somewhat but it was probably for the wrong reasons. I should have changed my strategy to accomodate the game, it should have been more reactive. Instead I did it because I wanted to manipulate people. I wanted to be in control of the game more and I wanted to twist things around to impress the readers. I wanted people reading Okinawa to say "Wow! He played them again!" And that's where I sort of got into trouble. I had so much fun that I found myself playing people instead of really trying to play to win.

Mario: Do you think that "playing to impress the audience" would have cost you had the Sato alliance stayed together through the twist?

David: No. I think I would have been fine no matter what. I pretty much had everyone set up how I wanted them. The closest thing to it being out of my control was how much sway Amy had over everyone on the tribe other than Henry and myself.

Mario: But that only comes into play if Amy ever wants to get rid of you.

David: Right, which she didn't. I knew I was fairly safe no matter what kind of power Amy had over Sato, because I was in her good graces and I had some sway with her. So I wasn't too worried about it.

Mario: Here's a fun hypothetical question. If Sato had stayed together all the way to the end (no twist), how do you think the game would have played out? Do you think you would have won?

David: It's impossible to say because, as I learned, you can never be certain what other people will do. But looking at the power dynamics at the time, I think I would have had a very good chance to win the game. If there had been no twist I believe Sato would have gone into the merge either equal (if it was at 10) or in the majority.

Mario: The merge was always set at 9, so we'll assume that Sato goes into the merge up five to four.

David: The key factor is that Sato would have been completely allied, so I would have had firm control of the game no matter how the Amy thing played out. Plus it would have been easy for me to take "players" on Kamiya and offer them salvation. Their behavior and desperation would have ensured that the other Satos stuck together.

Mario: So who would have been the final two if Sato had controlled the game?

David: Ultimately I think I would have ended up going to final two along with a Sato. And it probably would have been either Henry or Amy... depending on how the whole "backstab Amy" thing ended up playing out.

Mario: Well alas, the Sato alliance wasn't to be because we all know what happened on day seven: The Twist. Mike ended up stealing you away from Sato along with Beth and Matt, and the three of you became prisoners of war over at Kamiya. So what did you think about the Tea Ceremony twist at the time?

David: Honestly, I felt silly that I didn't place more probability of it happening at the time. I should have seen it coming.

Mario: Well from my point of view (as host) it was much better that you didn't see it coming. But obviously for you it was a bad thing to get blindsided like that.

David: At Sato we had discussed the possibility that the scorecard might be a twist, but ultimately we decided to play it straight up instead. We thought it was important to roleplay realistically instead of trying to outguess a possible twist. After all, what fun is that?

Mario: I do have to say this is one reason why I appreciated Sato so much more than Kamiya during the game. You hit the nail right on the head. Sato always approached the game as if they were roleplaying. You guys played it much more like the real show.

David: I can't speak for others, but I certainly did because that's what Okinawa was for me: A role play of the actual show. Others may have known the online Suvivor "culture" a little more, so that's why they were playing "Online Survivor" while I was busy playing "Pretend It's Survivor."

Mario: You and Amy specifically mentioned that many times during the game, too. You both treated this very much like a role playing exercise.

David: Yes, mainly because Amy and I both have a role playing game background. Hence our calling you the DM.

Mario: (For the non Dungeons & Dragons players reading this: DM means Dungeon Master.)

David: Heck, the whole online Survivor thing is clearly about role-playing. Just look at the pre-game show. I mean, look at the fact that the episodes are written up at all! If it was just about winning why not just play it and post who the winner is? Why write the episodes at all?

Mario: That's an excellent point. I never thought to describe it that way before.

David: I've always felt very strongly about this.

Mario: In my mind, Kamiya may have been better "strategists" but they were way too hardcore for their own good. With Kamiya the general rule seemed to be "Well so long as Mario didn't tell us not to do something, we can do it." But with Sato, it was more "Let's play this like it was the real show." Sato was always my favorite tribe because of that, even if it cost you guys in the end.

David: That's because we were the good guys. We played fair.

Mario: And since we're on this subject... I think Sato's whole "realism" kick went a long way towards the belief that Sato didn't have any "real" players compared to Kamiya. Mainly because you guys on Sato wouldn't go above and beyond to try and outsmart the game. You guys all played it straight up and I don't think a lot of readers (or Kamiyans) respected that about the tribe. Sato didn't get a whole lot of love during the course of the story.

David: Well the readers can respect whatever they want. But at the end of the day I bet I had more fun and took it all less personally than just about anybody else. And if readers respect backstabbing and lying just for the sake of hurting people, well that's their call, isn't it? This game was about honor in many ways :)

Mario: Ha ha. And since I'm curious, what do you make of the accusation that Kamiya had all the real players, and Sato had all the pushovers? Since you saw both tribes at their peak, would you agree or disagree with that statement?

David: It's patent bullshit. You know, I have talked with every single player from Okinawa. I have played with some of them more than once. I sat in Loser Lodge with a lot of them. I know some of them outside the game. I read the episodes and was active behind the scenes. In other words... I know these people to some extent. And to say that all the "real" players were on Kamiya is being blind. Unless of course by "real" players we mean "mean" players.

Mario: As I've said before about online Survivor, everybody wants to be the badass.

David: Perhaps it was because Sato had a majority alliance so we didn't need to run around telling lies to cover our tracks when we confided in the wrong person. Perhaps it was because we were nice enough people to be civil to one another rather than call people names like in grade school. Maybe we were just smart enough to realize that backstabbing would make people not trust you when it became their turn to go. Or perhaps it was because Sato didn't have to make crude sex jokes and insult people behind their backs to garner attention and make ourselves look better.

Mario: So you think a lot of it was done by Kamiya just to get screen time?

David: Look at it this way: It's more boring to develop bonds based on mutual respect than it is to base it on mutual dislike for others.

Mario: It reminds me of something a video game maker once told me. He said they don't make video games where armies shake hands and make peace with one another. Peace doesn't put quarters in the machine.

David: By the way, if you look at it the "real" players in Kamiya just equates to the fact that they were good liars. But none of their strategies really panned out, so how good could they have been? And yes that includes Isabella's strategy, which had the biggest flaw of them all. She lost Okinawa for the same reason a past winner couldn't have won All-Stars.

Mario: That's probably very true.

David: Like I said earlier, if you ask me the best player was Amy (A Sato!) because she had a strategy and managed to make it stick far longer than anyone else in the game. And she wasn't the only good player on our tribe. We had a number of good players on Sato and honestly, there weren't as many good players as advertised on Kamiya.

Mario: Yet Kamiya dominated the second half of the game, correct?

David: Well sure they had the majority in the end game, but you're forgetting to factor in why that happened in the first place. Kamiya dominated the second half because of Henry's poor play. Not their good play. Henry handed them the win on a silver platter.

Mario: So getting back to the twist... and Henry's role in your demise... what was your reaction when it all went down and you got stolen away to Kamiya?

David: I didn't understand Henry's reasoning at all. I was his strongest ally yet when he had the chance to pick one person to stay he picked the one person he knew would be against him. For some reason, he wanted to protect Amy.

Mario: Heh. Revenge is strong in that one. Not yet a Jedi is he.

David: But I knew that once I was picked to go to Kamiya the game could very well be over for me. On Sato we had talked about what to do in the case of a switch but we knew the possibility of facing a majority alliance was there. We knew we might not even have a chance, so there were really no plans against that other than to do what they did.

Mario: Just follow the Kamiya alliance and play along?

David: Yeah. Our only plan was to try to find a crack in the alliance and split it apart. Unfortunately we had no crack to exploit. Kamiya had the Amy/Henry thing thanks to Henry's mistake and unfortunately Matt, Beth and I had no such thing over on Kamiya. So if you want my reaction to the twist, it would be one of hitting my head against a wall. It hurt, it sucked, and I wanted it to stop.

Mario: But did you feel the twist, overall, was fair?

David: Yes, the twist itself was good. I just didn't like the outcome.

Mario: So it's clear that you feel Henry cost Sato the game at the Tea Ceremony. But what if you had been the Sato Outcast instead? How would you have played the whole thing differently?

David: Oh, I fully believe that Henry's choices in the beginning of the game impacted the whole thing. And I certainly would have played it differently. Like Henry, I would have gotten to know Mike but unlike Henry, I wouldn't have said anything concrete about my tribe at all. I would have played the Sgt. Schultz role from Hogan's Heroes.

Mario: I do think that Henry tried to remain quiet. But I also know he likes to feel "important." So it was only a matter of time until he had to show off how much he knew about Sato's inner workings. Because like they often said in Vanuatu, Henry can't not be Henry. And that's why he was chosen as the Outcast.

David: If I were the Outcast, I would have pleaded with Mike to help me survive later in the game because I was so helpless. I would have given nothing, but watched everything. Anything else would have been foolhardy.

Mario: As we saw.

David: And as for telling Mike who not to take? It's like the saying about what to do if you end up hanging from a cliff with man-eating tigers above and below. The answer is simple. You don't get in that situation in the first place.

Mario: Ha ha, that's good. So going by what you knew of the other tribe at the time, who would have been your three choices to steal away from Kamiya?

David: That's hard to say. First, I don't know what information, if any, I could have gotten off of Mike.

Mario: That's true. He was a hard one to get information from.

David: It's also hard for me to separate then from now given that I know the people now and I didn't really know them then. So the best I can guess is that I would have chosen Murtz, Ryan, and Michelle. But who really knows?

Mario: What was it like during your first few days at Kamiya? Was it as dire and unpleasant as it came off in the story?

David: I hated it. I hated the situation I was cast in. I hated the fact that I got put there when it seemed clear I shouldn't be. I hated the treatment I received. Plus I just didn't like the people.

Mario: So how did you adapt to being in a position like that?

David: Well as much as I hated it, I was also dedicated to finding a way out of it. Going UTR just didn't suit me, so I tried to make waves and see if anything would develop.

Mario: If nothing else, you seemed to enjoy your time on Kamiya a lot more than Beth or Matt. For someone who hated it, you really seemed to be having a lot of fun.

David: Well I enjoyed stirring the pot, so yes at least I had some fun trying to cause trouble.

Mario: Do you think you ever had a chance on Kamiya? Do you think any of you ever had a chance?

David: Sure, there's always a chance. If I had gone UTR I could have possibly garnered more information to put some wedges in place and maybe crack things open. And if I hadn't been voted out first I might actually have considered it.

Mario: Did you ever consider sacrificing Beth or Matt just so you could advance?

David: Yes. Several times I considered pushing Matt in front of the vote instead of me, but that's not how I wanted to play.

Mario: Out of respect for Matt, or out of personal pride?

David: Oh I had much respect for Matt, but I still would have shoved him into a vote. After all, I would have had to at some point. It's just part of the game.

Mario: True.

David: I played aggressively in Kamiya because I was looking down the road and I knew how I wanted to win. I didn't want to go into the merge with Kamiya in the majority. I knew that was a death sentence after having met them. So I preferred to go into the merge with my alliance and hook back up with Amy and show how she and I had dominated this game from the start. And if I couldn't go into the merge in a position of dominance, then I really didn't want to go at all.

Mario: So it was a pride thing. You only wanted to win the "right" way.

David: Yes, unfortunately I have to admit it was a matter of personal pride. It was a camera thing. But in a sense it was also a survival thing, because I was certain that after Henry was voted out it would be a long, slow death to go out any other way. Once Sato voted out Henry there was no chance Kamiya could have lost this game.

Mario: So since we're on an anti-Kamiya kick at the moment, I might as well follow up with this one. What did you think of the way Kamiya targeted you just because you brought a flag as your luxury item?

David: Stupid. Lame. It just goes to show the mindset, cliquishness and pettiness of the type of people that hang around online Survivor games. "I will take you out because you are patriotic." What??!

Mario: I was surprised to hear that Mark Burnett expected the same thing to happen to Colby in Australia with his Texas Flag. I guess people just don't like flags in this game.

David: Well if you're voting people out based on their luxury item, perhaps you should go with the Alphabet Strategy too. It makes about as much sense. Hell, more sense. And this is an example of what I mean about not understanding other people's strategies sometimes.

Mario: Even though the Kamiyans were united against you guys, was there one Kamiyan who was your main nemesis in this game? Who would you say was your arch-rival during your brief but memorable time in Okinawa?

David: Ryan.

Mario: I figured it would be him or Michelle. Or even Henry too, I suppose.

David: But you also have to mention Mike. He may actually have been my biggest nemesis, although I didn't realize it right up until the very end.

Mario: So of course I've said before that you were the only player in Okinawa never to make a fatal mistake. And after seeing how solid you were in with Sato, I still firmly believe you were the only player really screwed by the Tea Ceremony twist. But in your opinion what really cost you the game? Can you identify one factor, above all others, that did you in on day twelve?

David: I lost because of my unwillingness to go under the radar and let go of direct control of my destiny. Which was foolish because control in Survivor is an illusion anyway. It never actually exists.

Mario: Especially when you're a prisoner of war at "Camp Hell."

David: Exactly.

Mario: Okay David... this has been a great interview but unfortunately I've just about reached the end of my questions. But before I let you go, there's one more thing I wanted to ask you off the top of my head...

David: Sure.

Mario: I've said before that you were kind of one-dimensional as a character because you never seemed to have any ups or downs. You seemed very emotionless to me during the game.

David: That was on purpose, what you saw was my poker face. Once Okinawa started I was "game on". But trust me, I'm emotional. Just ask Amy. Ha! But when I'm playing Survivor it's all business, and that's why you never saw another side of me.

Mario: But did you actually have fun during Okinawa? It was nearly impossible for me to tell. Were there any moments you just really enjoyed at the time?

David: Sure. I loved talking with Amy. I loved pissing Michelle off.

Mario: Heh, and you did it better than anybody too. Google-gate managed to make her mad at both you and me. Somehow you roped me into your little mindgames. Thanks a lot!

David: Another one of my favorite moments was playing mental games back and forth with Ryan on Kamiya. We had a lot of fun verbally sparring with one another. Well, I did anyway. I think he did too.

Mario: I have no doubt that he did. He really seemed to admire you at times, especially once you were on your way out.

David: Sure, it's easy to admire the fallen. But I admired him as well. Even though I didn't agree with how he handled things, he did handle them, and I respected that.

Mario: So on the flip side... what were your least favorite moments during the game?

David: The absolute worst moment was finding out that Henry had screwed me. That he turned me over to Kamiya for no particular reason.

Mario: I can imagine. Though to be fair that was probably more based on "Mike is smart" than "Henry isn't smart." I think Mike just duped him.

David: Another terrible moment was realizing moments before I was voted out that I had screwed up. That was when it sunk in that Isabella was the one I should have tried to turn. I realized far too late that it was her, not Mike, that had any potential of being turned against the Kamiyans.

Mario: So when all is said and done, would you ever do a Survivor game like this again?

David: I have. Twice. The problem is that one never finished "airing" and one never finished "filming".

Mario: That sucks. Welcome to the curse of Tonga. Do you think you'd try again if the opportunity ever came up?

David: No, I wouldn't do it again the way the games are currently set up. I've learned through experience that there is too much cheating. People cheat constantly and it's too bad, because that sort of thing could be prevented.

Mario: Unfortunately I agree with you for the most part. Okinawa was pretty good in terms of people playing it fair, but in no way was it flawless. There's just no way you can control your players 100% of the time. And believe me, I tried (including some highly unethical methods that I'll never admit to!)

David: I've actually considered running a game with my friend Jayemel using a custom interface that would prevent cheating, but I haven't done it yet.

Mario: How could you possibly prevent cheating altogether?

David: The only foolproof way is by controlling the environment in which the players meet. You log all the conversations. You take AIM and e-mail completely out of the mix by using a custom chat client that logs data to the server. You truly control everything and can see everything.

Mario: Hmm. Interesting. Though there's no way to prevent people from using email behind your back.

David: Actually, once you think about it a bit you uncover a whole host of possiblities enabling you to simulate Survivor better. For instance, you could make it so that people know when two people go off alone and could be talking. Things like that.

Mario: It does sound interesting. If you ever get it up and running let me know. I'd love to see the new interface in action.

David: Oh I'd love to but I seriously doubt I'll ever do it. The idea is tempting, but I've had my fill of the online Survivor clique. Thanks but no thanks.

Mario: So thus ends the online Survivor career for David McDaniel.

David: Pretty much. There are certainly no plans to play at the moment. After all, things about all three of the games have left a sour taste in my mouth, and that's why I'm trying to take a hiatus.

Mario: So before we go, can you tell us what you've been up to since Okinawa? Anything going on in real life? Other projects?

David: I've just been living life. You know... work, kids, the American dream. I actually do own an American flag you know.

Mario: I should hope so. You'd hate to say that you got voted out for nothing.

David: Oh, and I've been into the World of Warcraft. Plus I've been rockin'. Other than that, I've just been staying away from online Survivor. Out of the whole crew surrounding those games the only one I really still talk to is Jayemel.

Mario: Well David, I think we're just about done with the interview here. I just want to thank you for sitting down with me and especially want to thank you for your hard work in the game and on the website. You did a lot of work behind the scenes and for that I will always be grateful. Anything else you'd like to add before we call it a day?

David: Yeah. I'm boring, Jay. Suck it down, bitch.

Mario: Thanks David!

And that’s the end of the Okinawa interviews. I hope you had a good time finally getting a chance to meet David McDaniel, as well as enjoying the personal insights shared by all of our Okinawa interviewees. The interviews were a lot of fun to do, a lot of fun to read, and I want to thank Christopher Collins and Amy Twieg for doing so many of them back when Okinawa was winding down. Thanks again and thanks to all who read the interviews. They were one of the highlights of the project for me!

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