"It's easy to say what you should do, but it's hard to say what you'll actually do under the stress"
-An Interview With Matt Carter






Amy: Welcome back for another off-the-cuff interview, just for you. Just like all the others, this little sitdown session was done live, so there are no rehearsed answers here! Without further ado, I'll introduce today's guest.

Beginning his time in the game on Sato, Matt Carter quickly found himself in a majority alliance, only to have it pulled apart after two tribal councils. The twist, in which one of his own alliance members was a player in control, landed Matt and his trademark hockey mask on the other tribe and in plenty of danger. Although he survivied the twist and made it to the merge, he saw his game end when one of his original tribemates cast the vote that sent him home.

Welcome Matt! There's a lot to cover, so I hope you're ready.



Matt: Ready as I'll ever be, which doesn't tend to be enough. Let's roll. (smiles)



Amy: I hear your application was one of the first to be accepted. What was your reaction to that whole process?



Matt: Well, it was funny when that first happened. I saw the application on S-C, mentioned something about it to Marcy and he told me to avoid it as much as possible. So, being the good friend that I was, I signed up for it.



Amy: (laughs)



Matt: I took it as something of a speed race for some odd reason, writing up an app in about twenty minutes after I saw the application online, including the now infamous Shaft karaoke, and, here I am. I was surprised to be one of the first.



Amy: Why, if you were one of the first applications in?



Matt: Honestly, I didn't know it was going to happen. My application was random and scattershot, and I looked like something of a psycho.



Amy: Which is what ended up getting you cast!



Matt: Yeah, I didn't intend to come off as the psycho at the time, but it certainly helped.



Amy: I'd say so.



Matt: As would I! I just really lucked out on the fact that Mario was a big F13 film fan, he saw the hockey mask, loved it and contacted me almost immediately.



Amy: So was your experience in the game itself what you expected it would be?



Matt: Long story short, hell no. I was expecting to go into this thing with just another Survivor game, and I'd been in a few before, so I kind of had an idea of what to expect. What I did not see coming was how involved this game would be. I lost sleep and skipped meals just so I could see what was happening next. As a psychological experiment, I couldn't have asked for anything better. This showed me the lengths that some people would go to in the name of competition, and was honestly surprised with all that went down. To that extent, it was a growing experience.



Amy: Give a couple of examples of things that went down that surprised you.



Matt: Pretty much everything at Kamiya surprised me at the time. And still does to an extent. You see, I'm an optimist in most ways, and I tend to believe that there is good in everyone, and indeed among the Kamiyans there is good. Finding it was the hard thing. As individuals they're all fun folk, but the group dynamic that they had astounded me. As a group they were the closest thing to evil I had encountered in my life.



Amy: So you'd say that the good vs. evil tribe selection was accurate for Kamiya, then?



Matt: Not entirely, but it was pretty close. As always, there are some people placed on the wrong tribes (Danielle and Henry acting as prime examples), and the sheer definition of good and evil is rather loose. As people we all possess the abilities to be good and evil. Sato seemed to be filled with those who could not choose between the two for the most part, while Kamiya seemed to have a conscious effort of which side they'd be.



Amy: That's an interesting take on it. So not really good vs. evil, but evil vs. less evil?



Matt: I think so. With some exceptions (Lance and Beth) I think any of us could have been evil if we really wanted to at the time.



Amy: That's an accurate assessment. I think most of us had our moments!



Matt: We did, and even if we didn't, the potential was definitely there.



Amy: Like you pushing Beth into the spotlight in episode 7, but we'll get to that later.



Matt: Yeah, like that. (smiles)



Amy: So there was plenty that occurred that surprised you, but did anything happen just as you'd predicted it would?



Matt: Well, I knew it'd be the hardest game yet, since each season tries to outdo the last, and I knew that come rain or shine I'd have a blast. To me that was always the most important thing.



Amy: And did you?



Matt: I had a blast. Even in my worst times I was having fun, odd as that sounds. It's always been a philosophy of mine that all is not lost so long as you're having a good time, and I always found ways of doing that. Even in getting voted out I had a ball, which made that one heck of a lot easier.



Amy: Some can say that it's not easy to have fun while you're being betrayed and lied to. How'd you manage?



Matt: Well, for the most part ignorance was bliss, at least in regards to Kamiya, since at the time Beth and I honestly did not know how much of it was a lie. But, at the time, betrayal wasn't that big of an issue. It was kind of a given. I didn't trust any of the Kamiyans entirely for one moment in the game, which made it a whole lot easier. Couple that with the fact that because of Mike's presence on the tribe I was always under the belief that I would be the next to go, and it made me want to live every day like it was my last so I could leave my mark no matter when I left.



Amy: And you did, including a particular outburst at a tribal council that left everyone from original Sato fearing that you'd be the one voted out.



Matt: Ha! You're referring to the Ryan Tribal Council?



Amy: Absolutely.



Matt: Can I talk about that one?



Amy: I'm hoping you will!



Matt: Well, here's how it went in my mind. Amy, I adore you, but I knew at the time that you were going to go. Mind you, we didn't have the wheel at that time, so it was all but a certainty.



Amy: We all knew it. (laughs)



Matt: Now, Isabella wanted my loyalty, but she wouldn't do what it took to get it (keep you around), so I saw no real reason to have to repay her, since I didn't owe her anything. So, the outburst was sort of a planned attack. I figured by airing out everything that Isabella had told me, I could get an in with Mike, Ryan and the other Kamiyans since my only true ally was now gone (that ally being you). I could use them to get out Emma, since she was such a non-challenge threat in our minds. Then side with them to hopefully take out Lance and Hogan, then Joni with some luck, and bada bing, bada boom I'm in the final 4. Things changed just a tad bit, of course.



Amy: So you'd have turned on original Sato after I left?



Matt: Yes. I had no loyalty to Hogan or Lance without you there and I had some tenuous friendships with Mike and Ryan. I mean, I never talked with Lance or Hogan in my time on Sato let alone on Miyagi... it was just incredibly difficult to do for me. They're both great guys, just hard for me to talk to.



Amy: I saw that one firsthand. Talk about frustrating to witness from the outside!



Matt: (laughs) Sorry about that, they were all you had to work with. I keep forgetting that.



Amy: Yeah, you, Lance, and Hogan didn't really give me much in the way of leverage once we made it to Miyagi. You were supposed to work together! It's hard to be the glue that sticks three hardheaded guys together. Well, two, really. Lance would've done it.



Matt: Hey, I was willing to work with them on Miyagi. I really didn't think anyone would be willing to give up the numbers we had. I mean, you may not like a person, but that doesn't mean you can't align with them if you have little in terms of other options.



Amy: I didn't think anyone would give up the numbers either. And that's another thing we'll touch on later. (smiles)



Matt: Ha, yeah, we'll discuss that one later.



Amy: So let's go back a little in the game timeline. The Outcast twist. Who would you have chosen from Kamiya had you been the outcast?



Matt: With the knowledge I had at the time? I would have picked Ryan, Mike... and probably Joni.



Amy: Any particular reasons?



Matt: Ryan, because he seemed in charge and would have been a good person to take out (dear god I didn't know how true that one would be), Mike, because from all I knew he looked like a big happy-go-lucky guy from what I saw with his sense of humor with the gnome. I didn't know the gnome was a serious thing at the time. And Joni, because like all teenage boys I tend to enjoy the company of females within my own age bracket. So sue me, it's poor reasoning.



Amy: (grins) Figures.



Matt: Michelle just seemed frightening at the time, Emma seemed like a Keith/Ethan in regards to challenges, and I really didn't know anything about Chris. Or Roth.



Amy: Well, you know enough about all of them now. So if you could create your own tribe of 8, who'd be on it?



Matt: You of course, Beth, Ryan, Elisabeth, Emmabella, Lance and Mike.



Amy: That tribe scares me. (laughs) Why those people?



Matt: Well, for one Mike and Emma wouldn't have stood a chance by the rest of us, and Elisabeth and Lance would have. And the rest is based around some people who would be fun just to have around.



Amy: Okay, I can see the logic there. Going through the episodes, who was your best ally? Is it who you thought it was at the time?



Matt: All in all, Beth would have to be my best ally, and yes, I did know it at the time. Beth wore her emotions on her sleeve, which was great for me because I always knew where she stood. I knew that never under any circumstances would she vote out anyone she considered her friend, which was great for me.



Amy: On the flip side, who was your biggest nemesis?



Matt: In game, I thought it was Ryan because he was the one most obviously making my life a living hell. Though in reality it was probably Hogan. I didn't give him as much credit as I should have, and I didn't know that my lifestyle would actually influence how someone chose to vote.



Amy: Is there a particular challenge you consider your favorite?



Matt: Two challenges in particular I'd rank as my top, but for different reasons. The first was of course the eating challenge, because I knew that no one else wanted to do it and I knew I was going to own it, and I had a ball doing it for my own selfish purposes and for my tribe. In terms of self-preservation, the paddling/idol lifting challenge was my favorite, because I knew it was either win it or die. And when Beth and I pulled it off against Hogan and Christopher, it was a combination of pure relief and laughing like hell. A nerd and an 'old hag' beat two athletes in the prime of their life... that was truly a wonderful moment.



Amy: (sighs) That was the one Sato screwed up by letting Hogan paddle instead of lift.



Matt: YUP!



Amy: Okay, so which challenge sucked?



Matt: Of the challenges I participated in, the fire building one sucked (where David left) since I was simply out of my element at the time. Of the ones I didn't participate in, the one that Kamiya sat out Beth and myself in order to get her out. It's funny how edited down my profanity-laced tirades were in that episode. (smiles)



Amy: Edited down? Are you kidding me?



Matt: No, I'm not. Beth and I had several hour long chats that were, well, graphic to say the very least. In the name of good taste, I'll leave it at that.



Amy: Yes, let's keep this a family show. Watching the episodes air, was there anyone you wouldn't have cast if you were the one making the decisions?



Matt: Henry, hands down. I'd say more, but it's all really been said by pretty much everyone else who's ever met the guy.



Amy: You don't believe he should've been cast for conflict?



Matt: I believe in casting for coherency rather than conflict. Then again, that would also probably rule out Ryan, which would make my line of thinking faulty. I mean, he's a great guy and a good strategist, but his strategy in game was all over the place. Still, he's funnier than hell, so it evens out.



Amy: He is! He's one of your favorite cast members now, isn't he?



Matt: Yup. He's essentially my evil side. (grins) And the only one who can truly keep up with my screwed up sense of humor outside of the big man himself.



Amy: You, Ryan, and Mario do have the same warped sense of humor, that's true.



Matt: Yeah, which you don't get to see the half of in the episodes, but, you could seriously fill a series with our warped sense of humor alone. OK, maybe not a series, but a good solid episode blurb.



Amy: You guys would make an interesting filler episode... Looking back, did anyone surprise you in a positive way in their confessionals and gameplay?



Matt: That's a tough one, because someone has, but I'm still hesitant to commend them on it. It would have to be Isabella, if only because of the fact that she always did have a strategy when for the greater part of the game I thought she was just on autopilot. She did actually consider the chances to make big moves, but she never actually did them, which is why I cannot truly commend her for it. Still, it did surprise me.



Amy: Okay. What about on the other hand? Did anyone negatively surprise you?



Matt: Michelle, Joni and to a lesser extent Hogan. Michelle and Joni I lump together because they never really portrayed to me how much they genuinely disliked me, which I find a bit odd since it's usually quite easy for people to tell me if they don't like me. Hogan, for the most part I liked, but I gotta mention him here just for the sake of letting political views influence gameplay. I didn't agree with his politics necessarily, but I wasn't gonna let that get in my way. But, hey, to each his own, we all know how well that decision worked out.



Amy: You do what you have to to get by in Survivor. You can't close any doors due to prejudice.



Matt: Basically.



Amy: But yes, like you said, we all know how that turned out.



Matt: It's in the 'rules that Survivors should have learned' somewhere, I think it's Rule # 3 or something.



Amy: (grins) Someone needs to write a "Survivor For Dummies" book.



Matt: Yeah, though I doubt it would help. You could do all the research in the world on how the game should be played, but being inside is a whole lot different than anything a book could say.



Amy: Very, very true. The rules always change!



Matt: That, and it's easy to say what you should do, but it's hard to say what you'll actually do under the stress.



Amy: (nods) Now we're up to the question that Chris has asked everyone so far, so I can't let you get away without answering...



Matt: Biggest crush? (makes a face)



Amy: Your crush on me in Okinawa was somewhat publicized, and you can talk about that in a minute if you want, but I want to know if there were others out there that the readers DIDN'T see.



Matt: Nope. You were it.



Amy: Not even Emma, with the shark-tooth necklaces you two traded? Or Elisabeth, the Sato sweetheart?



Matt: OK, lemme clear this up about the shark's tooth necklaces. I just did the whole necklace thing to appease Emmabella. At the time I thought how she approached me out of nowhere was kind of creepy, like having the strange girl who sits in the back of class always staring at you come up and start talking at you as if you were best friends. That, and strategically I thought it was one of the dumbest things around. That being said, I wasn't willing to look a gift horse in the mouth (well, at the time at least), and I was willing to do anything that would ensure me to get another three days. Odds were if she asked me to eat hot coals, I probably would have so long as it ensured her vote. As for Elisabeth, she was sweet, she is unbelievably wise beyond her years, but at the same time she didn't have the level of maturity that usually strikes my fancy. You just happened to be cute and smarter than me, which is usually the combination that works.



Amy: (laughs) Debatable, but thank you anyway.



Matt: Hey, some guys do happen to find intelligence attractive! We're rare, but we do exist in small patches.



Amy: Yeah, but it's kind of difficult to suss out intelligence after only a couple of days, isn't it?



Matt: Meh.



Amy: So as long as we're discussing it, tell the readers about the nickname you gave me, and your story behind it. There's been a couple of different explanations, so set the record straight.



Matt: Well, more than anything else it was meant as an endearing joke in the start with little meaning behind it. I kind of just used it since I believe everyone needs a nickname of some sorts, and you didn't have one. The crush that developed from it was entirely coincidental.



Amy: Okay, let's do my favorite part of the interview: word association! I'll give you a word or phrase, you tell me which castaway fits it the best. Ready?



Matt: Yes, yes I am.



Amy: Okay. Smartest?



Matt: Isabella



Amy: Sneakiest?



Matt: Michelle



Amy: Most fun?



Matt: Ryan



Amy: Out of touch with reality?



Matt: Henry



Amy: Annoying?



Matt: Isabella. Try hostage negotiation with a brick wall, it ain't fun.



Amy: (grins) Trustworthy?



Matt: Beth



Amy: Wildest?



Matt: Hmmm... Beth, she could be pretty wild when she wanted to.



Amy: Ha! She did lose control when provoked, didn't she?



Matt: Yeah, the episodes didn't do that side of her justice. Given, I helped instigate a good chunk of it, but she still had more going for her than it might seem.



Amy: A lot of people did things that would've helped round out their character had they been included, but it just didn't fit the story. I can understand it, but yeah, people didn't see all of Beth. Kindest?



Matt: Again, gotta say Beth.



Amy: Cutest?



Matt: You. (smiles)



Amy: Thank you. Toughest?



Matt: Michelle. There isn't a man on this planet with bigger balls than Michelle.



Amy: LOL! That's so true. She seems to be the cast consensus.



Matt: Yeah, we were lucky that this wasn't a real show, because I saw a few instances where if it was real she probably would've knocked Jeff to the floor and kept kicking him until unconscious.



Amy: It could've gotten ugly on more than one occasion. I'm glad we were safe behind our monitors! (grins)
Speaking of which... talk to me about your relationship with Mike. What was it like in the game, and what's it like now?



Matt: In the game it was weird. I liked him when we were on separate tribes because I had an entirely skewed view of who he could be. On the same tribe, he scared the hell out of me with his instability and vendetta against me FOR NO GOOD REASON!!! Then once we had our reckoning, things were ok and we were the friendly type. I started getting wary of him around the time I noticed he was pandering to others for their vote, but by the time it could have made a difference, I was voted out.



Amy: What about now, post-game?



Matt: Haven't seen him since the game was over. After the final TC he asked me if Bigfoot or Mr. T really would win, and I said I wasn't going to tell him and that he'd have to find out when the show aired.



Amy: Yet another example of that warped sense of humor.



Matt: Yeah, and for the record no one can defeat Mr. T in an unscripted fight. 'Nuff said.



Amy: I'll let you handle the fan mail on that one.



Matt: Anyhow, I haven't talked with him for a while, and since the only stuff I get to know about Mike are through the episodes, well, it's kind of an odd way to know the guy, since through the episodes the guy looks like a frickin' psycho.



Amy: You're one to talk, Mask-boy!



Matt: Hey, I was crazy but I knew when to back off. (smiles) I knew what to take seriously and what not to take seriously. That's the thing about playing the psycho role, know when enough is enough.



Amy: Okay, so let's talk about your relationships with a couple of other castaways. We'll start with Isabella. What was it like to learn who she was and what she was offering you in the game?



Matt: Learning who she was was infuriating and hilarious with a span of three minutes, since at first I thought like the rest, that she had an unfair advantage in terms of the game. Though I then realized that I myself, as well as a few others, had played games before and that wasn't held against us, so I saw it as no advantage. What struck me as funny was the fact that I knew she was the better player but would stand no chance in hell of actually winning. Learning what she was actually offering me in game after the fact I find both infuriating and liberating at the same time. It's infuriating because I basically pissed my game away in that one instance. At the same time, I went out on my own terms. For all the game, everyone I knew and cared about was kicked out without having done anything to deserve it. On the other hand, my undoing was my undoing, and in the process I made life a living hell for a player who would have otherwise coasted easily to the end. Really, who could ask for anything more?



Amy: Good way to look at it. Would you make the same choices regarding an alliance with Isabella if you had to do it all over again?



Matt: Hell no! I'd do what it takes to make it to the end!



Amy: (laughs)



Matt: I may enjoy a good story, but I would have enjoyed the win even more.



Amy: So you'd have thrown me in front of the train the way you did Beth?



Matt: It's doubtful, but I would've let Isabella drop her guard and eliminate her as soon as I got the chance. (smiles) That, and I would have played the innocent victim doing what they can to make it by angle to the hilt when dealing with the Kamiyans in an effort to make her look worse than me. But, yeah, I wanted you in the F2 with me since pretty early in the game.



Amy: You sure that wasn't just your crush choosing your F2 partner?



Matt: Not really, since I respected your gameplay and the head that you had on your shoulders more than anything else. I didn't want someone undeserving of the spot to lose to me in the F2.



Amy: (laughs) Oh, I'm *so* not touching that one!



Matt: Good instinct. (smiles)



Amy: I would've been okay with losing to you, though... doubt it'd have ever happened. (winks) Actually, let me take that back. Since you had Kamiyan ties due to the switch, you very well could've won, had you made it to the F2.



Matt: Yup.



Amy: Let's touch on the Beth situation for a second, since we were just there. How do you classify what happened between you two toward the end of her game?



Matt: I saw the jury close ahead, and it was good. But still, I knew that there was a good chance that we might not merge and that Kamiya might lose the next IC, so I got greedy and did what I could to make sure I saw the game go to its end. I started adopting Sandra's motto of 'it's ok so long as it ain't me.' Though her reaction to Rupert's and Christa's respective departures seems to negate that theory.



Amy: Valid, and your reaction when Beth left was a similar one. You were edgy and moody when I saw you shortly after that vote.



Matt: But, yes, I got greedy and wasn't willing to let much of anything get in the way of me seeing this game out to the end. It basically felt like I had just escaped from a POW camp at the time. I was me, but I wasn't. I had seen far more than I should have by all rights, and it didn't do too much for my sanity.



Amy: You escaped the camp just to get shot by one of your original tribemates. Do you feel any differently about it now than you did at the time?



Matt: Nope. From the moment it happened to the moment I die I will always maintain that Hogan's move was sublimely stupid.



Amy: Yet you admit that you'd have turned on him in a moment if it weren't for my presence.



Matt: Basically, since I really was willing to stick by him at the time. I would have ridden Sato to the end if I knew it ensured my safety.



Amy: I guess Hogan thought he was safer elsewhere.



Matt: Yup... and as mentioned, look how well that turned out.



Amy: Either some of the women in this game were powerful creatures, or some of the men had hormone issues. (smiles)



Matt: A little bit from column A, a little bit from column B. It's hard to blame Hogan for being horny. Wait, actually it's incredibly easy.



Amy: (laughs) Since we're on the subject of people you're not a big fan of, let's discuss Henry. Why exactly did you dislike him so much?



Matt: He was just so unbelievably frustrating to be around. He proclaimed himself an expert on all things Survivor, while at the same time played it like a small child who found their dad's gun. He talked down to us, yet yielded less power than even the most powerless. He could never, NEVER let things be. I mean, if something was all right, if he just kept quiet he could have made it further. But, no, he just liked to screw around with things that didn't even need be fixed. I mean, for the longest time I liked the guy, but he went on this long spiral of self-destruction that would have been pitiful had it not been deserved. It was like watching someone go through an addiction... at first you want to help them, but later on you just want to let them destroy themselves and get out of their way while they do it.



Amy: He was a big part of the fallout that occurred in Loser Lodge over your comment about Elizabeth during the final TC. Can you tell me what all that was about?



Matt: I made a poorly timed and in poor tasted remark during the final TC. It was a slip of the tongue, where I mentioned that Isabella and Mike got by on their backs, then corrected myself, saying our backs... and saying that the only one to get by on their back was Elisabeth.



Amy: Harsh thing to say about a 15 year old.



Matt: It was, and I have no way to defend it. I felt horrible about it after I found out the shockwaves it created, and made it my main goal to apologize. For nearly a week I waited online trying to find her, and once I did, I found out that things weren't nearly as bad as they seemed. I felt like this horrible guy who preyed upon people who couldn't defend themselves, when it turns out that Elisabeth took it as the joke it was. Henry was the only one who really made anything of it. Still, I'll admit that I shouldn't have said it in the first place.



Amy: You've set the record straight about quite a few things so far, but is there anything else you'd like to set straight that we haven't touched on yet?



Matt: Nope, I've said my peace on pretty much everything I've wanted to/needed to here and in my Early Show.



Amy: I think you've been the only one to decline that little soapbox. What was your favorite moment in Okinawa?



Matt: The BBQ, hands down.



Amy: The reward feast! It was great to see you and Beth again.



Matt: I had been living through hell for god only knows how long, and I got the chance, even if just for a brief period of time, to spend time with two of my favorite people in the world. It was a nice respite from the game.



Amy: And your worst moment?



Matt: Realizing what I had done to Beth after the fact.



Amy: But you two are fine now, right?



Matt: Yeah, we've made our peace on the matter... doesn't mean I have to feel good about doing it though.



Amy: Am I to take it that the Beth incident is your biggest regret, or is there something else?



Matt: Believe it or not, it isn't. My biggest regret is doing what I helped do to Elisabeth, since she never really had a fighting chance once we took it away from her. Time on Kamiya has given me a real feel for what a fighting chance really is. You miss it when it's gone. Lemme tell ya, a fighting chance is severely underrated.



Amy: I agree. I wasn't where you were, or where Elisabeth was, but I do understand the value of a decent shot at making it.



Matt: Yeah... a decent shot is a rare thing in Survivor, but it sure as hell feels good to have.



Amy: What, if anything, did you learn about yourself?



Matt: I learned... I learned that I'm an easier person to like and be friends with than I ever gave myself credit to before. I learned that I can be strong, that I can lead, and that I can kick ass if I ever really need to, and that people will appreciate me for it. I learned to be more assertive, and I even grew something of a spine... and I came out of this thing with some great experiences and even better friends. Honestly, how much better could this have gotten?



Amy: So this last question might be a no-brainer, based on that response, but... would you do it again?



Matt: Sure, why not.



Amy: Thanks for taking the time to hang out for a while, Matt.



Matt: But of course, Mrs. Robinson. (smiles)



Amy: (laughs)



And so ends the behind-the-scenes, or behind-the-mask, look from Matt Carter. Thanks for joining us, and stay tuned for an interview from the Okinawan God himself, Mario Lanza! It's sure to be filled with tidbits that none of the castaways would disclose.

Back to the Okinawa Transcript Page