Early Show Transcript
May 26, 2004
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COMMENT: Congratulations, Mike! I was cheering you on from the beginning, along with a few others.

MIKE: Thanks! That means a lot to me!






QUESTION: First, Mario has said that you and David should have been switched. If that were the case, and you were on Sato at the start, how different would your strategy have been? Also, who would you have tried to get into an alliance with?

MIKE: Good question. I would have toned down the "Gnome Strategy" depending on how things went. Besides, with Matt around, they really didn't need another psychopath. I still would have become the leader, since I tend to like controlling things and, like in Kamiya, I would have seen things could have been run better so the tribe wouldn't starve. So actually, my strategy would have been the same.

As far as who I would have allied with, probably Amy, Beth, and Lance since I would have been drawn to the older members, and I think I would have been able to trust them all. Beth and I did have a strong bond in the game until our fallout, and I always felt a connection to Lance and Amy. But the big surprise is that I think I would have been tight with Henry. We got along great as outcasts, and I think we might have worked together. But then again, I only spent a few days with him.






QUESTION: Did you, Isabella, or any of the Jury members know the winner before the final episode was posted? I know Mario knew, because he said so. Was it like the real thing where you don't find out until months later?

MIKE: Yes, Mario did tell us the winner and showed us the votes. And one note--I never told ANYONE--not even my partner Joe. I told people that they would have to see for themselves!






COMMENT: Mario the gnome rules!

MIKE: Mario does rule! And I really think he is a Leprechaun because of all the great luck he brought me! Now he is back with his other 22 gnome buddies in my garden.






QUESTION: From day one, did you know you were going to win? Or did you just take the game day by day?

MIKE: Actually, before the game started, I was concerned I was in over my head, and that I would be the first person voted off. After I wasn't, I gradually built up my confidence, and step by step made it to the jury, and then the Final 4. But mid-game, I knew I had a strong chance to win so I hoarded all my energy and will for an end run. I don't lose at games in general, so I had a strong feeling I would take this one too.






QUESTION: If it had not been an emotional jury, do you think would you have pulled it off?

MIKE: First off, I disagree that it was an emotional jury--and I am assuming you are referring to them voting for me to spite Isabella because she played before. I truly believe the Jury voted for who they thought should win for the right reasons. The viewers saw different things than the players did. While Isabella was edited to be the heroine of Okinawa, to the players she was a back-stabbing coattail rider. And I was edited to be a lucky oaf, but in the players' opinion I was mostly a nice guy, a leader who played the game hard, and got to know them on a personal level. So I don't think they voted emotionally at all--they logically awarded their votes to the most deserving in their mind. Michelle and Ryan voted because I was a strong player throughout the game. Lance voted for me because I got to know him, and that was his main criteria. Hogan voted for me because I proved to him in my jury speech why I was the better player, and Amy rewarded me with the win for all of the above reasons in addition to Isabella throwing it in our face that she was THE ISABELLA. Matt and Joni saw Bella's strategy as better, and not mine. So bottom line, I defend the Jury for their logical decision.





QUESTION: What was the gnome strategy and how did it work? And how come it didn't really show up in the story?

MIKE: First of all, the "Gnome Strategy" was all throughout the story. I guess I was just bad at explaining things in my confessionals. (Something the producers have told me is that made it hard for them to accurately portray me.) The "Gnome Strategy" was actually very similar to Matt's Hockey Mask Strategy. Both were designed to draw attention to us, yet deflect who we really were. How could you take me seriously when I carried a Gnome with me all the time? Originally, it was meant to cause trouble, and only when I hid it did I manage to do that--and of course, when Michelle attacked the little fellow. Otherwise, he was comic relief, and a way for the tribe to bond over him. (Many of the "Dares" in Truth or Dare games around the campfire somehow involved the Gnome.)

But the big factor of the "Gnome Strategy" didn't involve the Gnome at all. It just meant that I was going to play such a variety of characters that no one could figure me out. I was sensitive, I was cruel, I was strong, I was weak, naive, cunning, honorable, a liar, a suck-up, hypocritical, emotional, vulnerable, crazy, transparent, guarded, loyal, a leader, and a pawn. I honestly believe this helped me in the game, because no one could be sure of who I was. But in all honesty, I was me--I am all of those things.






QUESTION: What was your perspective on the "Hogan turns on Sato" vote? Were you even aware that Joni was working on him to flip too?

MIKE: I knew Joni was working on him, and I knew Joni had pull over him. I did believe that when I went to him to warn him he was going, that I got him to flip, and that Joni sealed the deal. That was not portrayed in the story. It was all Joni's doing in the episode.







QUESTION: Were you ever suspicious that "Emma" might be a fake? How did you feel when you realized who you were up against?

MIKE: Actually, that was one of my naive moments. I never suspected that she was anything but a simple, unstrategic coffeehouse worker until the Ryan vote.

When she revealed herself, honestly, I felt cheated. I felt like the game was a sham, and that my possible win would be a sham. I wasn't threatened, nor did I think that being Isabella would help her. I expected the Jury to vote on merit, and from what I knew then, she had no visible strategy. The hardest part was, the friend I had made turned out to be a sham. I didn't know Isabella--only Emma--and Emma wasn't a real person. So I had no idea how much of our friendship was even real. To this day, I'm not sure. We've E-mailed and talked briefly, but it still kinda hurts.







QUESTION: Why is it that your character was so undefined in the story? Was that on purpose?

MIKE: I guess I was bad at conveying what I was trying to do. I was trying to be mysterious and random. And sometimes I wasn't even sure what I was trying to do! *Laughs*







QUESTION: How important was the tea ceremony twist to the outcome of this game?

MIKE: Looking back, I think that was crucial to my game. I was the one person who held the fates of all the others players, and I made the most of it. I deduced the Sato alliance and ripped it apart, and in the process, tore apart the other alliance that was an even bigger (but unknown) threat to me. It also put me in a position that I could play double agent and get in good with both factions. For me it was the turning point in my game.







QUESTION: What was your initial reaction to Henry?

MIKE: Well, get ready for this one, I liked him! *Gasp!* Actually Henry and I got along well and I didn't see the Henry everyone else saw. We talked about writing, and he seemed interested in my past projects--and he even claimed he had met me at a sci-fi writers' convention years ago. And, as bad as he looked in the story, he really was loyal to Sato, so I had a hard time getting information out of him.







QUESTION: Who were you most concerned about on Kamiya? Who did you feel was your biggest threat?

MIKE: As I told her many times in the game, I thought Michelle was the biggest threat, and if she hadn't saved me, I believe she would have won. She had ties to everyone, and had her hand in everything. After Danigate, I was wary of her, but when we were on Miyagi, I trusted her with my game life. And in the most dramatic transformation in the game--she showed her true colors when she forced that tie. Her ending to me was in some ways better than winning.







QUESTION: Was there anybody in the game you genuinely bonded with? Or how much was just strategy?

MIKE: I think I actually bonded with almost everyone--except maybe Joni. And honestly, it was more than just strategy. Yes, I was accused of sucking up to the jury by being everyone's friend, but I don't think a complete phony person would have received any votes to win. They saw that I was real, and our relationships were real. I did feel I bonded with Michelle, Ryan, and Emma, but the closest bond I had was with Beth. Up until our fight, she and I were very close even if we were on opposite sides.






QUESTION: The Fallen Comrades Garden: real or bullshit? How much of that was sincere and did you really miss those people?

MIKE: It was real, and it was a blatant suck-up for votes. Almost everything I did in the game was both. I genuinely wanted to honor the fallen, and I truly did miss/like those people, but I also couldn't pass up the opportunity to do something nice AND get votes.






QUESTION: Did you really pass out at the F4 tiebreaker?

MIKE: Yes--and it was kinda scary. My heart was beating so fast, and then I ran up the stairs. Combined with blood-sugar issues, I fainted. It was weird. Just shows how real and intense this game got for all of us.






QUESTION: Do you feel overshadowed by the Isabella/Emma stuff? Like the fans aren't really giving you proper credit?

MIKE: Very much so! I think she was the focus for many, and was portrayed as the mastermind who shouldn't lose. But you know what? My strategy was better! I not only made it to the final 2, but I did it in such a way that the Jurors respected my gameplay more! I took a very original, over the top, bizarre strategy and turned it into a win. She took a reused, under-the-radar, unoriginal strategy and turned it into another runner-up position. I earned it--and I am proud that I won. Go back and read my closing statement for the jury. That says it all.






QUESTION: What did you think of the Danielle situation? What about the Beth/David/Matt situation? Were they avoidable?

MIKE: For the Danielle situation, I don't think I could have done anything differently, and I feel awful about that. I was fed 6 stories of bad Danielle from my tribe, and only had her word against that. As it was, I almost pushed too hard to give her a chance and almost made a target out of myself.

As for the Beth/David/Matt situation--avoidable, yes. But I will defend my actions partially (I will admit it went too far)... When they came over they assumed I was the outcast, so I prompted my team to treat me as such so I could get in good with them to gather information. I also did it to make the story interesting, and because it was fun. When all the serious fighting began, it ceased being fun, but I felt we had to keep playing to keep my cover. I still don't recall what the Beth fight was all about--all I remembered was being pissed at her after hearing she was trying get me out. The Matt fights were uncalled for on my part, except to keep up the drama for the story. I tended to do things to keep Okinawa interesting. And Matt wanted to know if I enjoyed terrorizing teenagers--so as I told Michelle, "What could I do? Type him to death?"







QUESTION: Do you think Kamiya ever went too far in their actions?

MIKE: Yes, I think we all did. We were caught up in the drama of the game.






QUESTION: What do you make of the accusation that Sato had it easier because Kamiya had all the "hard-core" players. Do you agree with that at all?

MIKE: I agree to a certain extent. Kamiya had all the hard-core players, so Sato should have had it easier. We had to work harder, adapt quicker and watch our backs more. But this is Survivor, and everyone plays to win, even the "less hardcore" players. Sometimes Kamiya was much easier to figure out because they were "hardcore." Just assume a betrayal of trust and you would be ok. And dealing with a less strategic player, like Lance or the Emma character, can be frustrating.







QUESTION: If you couldn't win, who did you want it to be?

MIKE: Michelle. She stuck by me in the end when it counted. And she played a great game.







QUESTION: How much different was the Mike in the story from the Mike you see in the mirror? Did it seem like a fairly good representation?

MIKE: The Mike in the story was me--the good and the bad, smart and naive, and a competitive winner. And by looking at the way I played, I learned so much about myself. That is the big thing I will take away from all of this. Okinawa has changed me. And I realized I am a hard one to figure out. I'm like an onion--I have many different layers.







QUESTION: At any point, did you ever feel like you had the game all wrapped up?

MIKE: At various times throughout the game, I thought I did, then some new twist would cause me to think I was dead. But probably when there was 6-7 people left I guessed I would win.







QUESTION: Do you get along with most of the cast? What about you and Isabella?

MIKE: Joni was the only one I seemed to have an issue with, but I didn't even know it at the time. When she blasted me from the jury, that was the first time I realized there was a problem. I never thought of her as less of a player, nor did I talk down to her. Both Murtz and I were accused of that, and both of us agree she was just hard for us to talk with or get to know. I did try, but we never clicked. Since the game we've talked about it and worked things out. She's a great person!

As I said earlier about Isabella, we got along great in the game, but I felt almost as if "Emma" had died. Isabella and I have E-mailed each other a little, but we still need to sit down and chat. I need to get to know her as Isabella.







QUESTION: Did you specifically hide your sexual orientation from the rest of the players? Was this a big issue?

MIKE: I don't think it was a huge issue, except for the fact that I didn't come out soon enough. Chris found out only AFTER I was exiled, so we never had a chance to talk about it. We both think it would have been a bond that could have changed the game. Chris and the girls saw me as this gruff, sexist homophobe, and that was one reason I was an Angel target. Had they known, I might have been an Angel myself.

Funny stories on how I came out to the others: Murtz has the most amazing Gaydar. He figured it out because I had a Gnome and so did Marcellas from Big Brother. Not exactly Sherlock Holmes reasoning, but it worked. The rest found out when we were filling out the midterms, and one question was Homecoming Queen. They thought it would be funny and throw off Sato to put me down for that, but it bothered me so I told them why. That is how I got changed to Least Honorable.







QUESTION: Do you still feel that Ryan got the credit for things you also had a hand in?

MIKE: Yes, somewhat. Ryan definitely had a devious mind, but we tended to bounce a lot of ideas off each other. I think we both had a strong hand in things. It was my idea to play the double agent game, for example. But Ryan did have many ideas on his own to cause trouble.







QUESTION: Had you been on the jury, would you have voted for Isabella when she came out? Or would you just have been pissed off at her?

MIKE: Voted for her? NO. Pissed off, YES. Even without the emotions involved, I had the same impressions of her gameplay as the others. Michelle would have had my vote, Amy would have had my vote. And I think all the jurors, with the possible exception of Joni, would have had my vote over Isabella.







QUESTION: What sort of questions did you expect from the jury (if any) and did you try to prepare for them at all?

MIKE: In all honesty, I had no idea what they were going to ask, and I don't think I was at all prepared for the viciousness of their attacks. The only way I pulled it out for myself was when I figured out that they wanted honesty, and they wanted proof of my strategy. So I used what I said in my confessional from earlier in the day, almost word for word, and I think that worked.







QUESTION: Why didn't you take Amy to the F2 when you swore you wouldn't take Emma? I know what you said in your TC comments, but I have a feeling there is more than that.

MIKE: I said what I did because I was acting emotionally. I was so pissed off at Emma that there was no way I wanted to reward her with a spot in the finals. I liked Amy better, and I thought she was more deserving. But after I settled down, I remembered why I was in the game, and how hard I had worked to get to the top two. My competitive side beat out my vindictive side and logic won out. I couldn't beat Amy, and I knew the best revenge I could get on Emma was to kick her butt and take the million.







QUESTION: How do you feel the vote would have gone if Amy had been in the final vote against you?

MIKE: No contest. I would have had my butt kicked probably 5-2 (Michelle and Ryan) even though Amy constantly told me I had a strong chance against her.







QUESTION: When Isabella and Amy voted for you, did you believe Michelle would keep her word and NOT vote for you?

MIKE: Actually, I did think Michelle would keep her word to me. I had believed most of what Michelle had told me since the merge, and I felt she was the only one I could trust. I also told her after the game that if it had been her getting the votes, I would have forced the tie and chanced the dagger.






QUESTION: How do you separate kissing up to the jury and honestly wanting and trying to know them as people?

MIKE: I didn't try to separate them. I did both at the same time, and I was upfront about it. I knew it was a good strategic move, and I did want to be friends and get to know them as people. And I did a decent job kissing up because most of my interest was genuine. When I told Amy and Lance I wished I had started with them on the same team, was that true? Yes. Was it sucking up? Again, yes. So I think people saw the real part of me, and if you ask the cast, they will say I'm a great guy--a suck-up, but a great guy.







QUESTION: What makes you a good player?

MIKE: Balance, luck, and my ability to talk to people. I also think my competitive streak helped me win.






QUESTION: Did you pass out when you found out you won?

MIKE: Nah, I don't think I was as nervous. Besides I was too tired to do anything. That Tribal Council was like 6 hours long!






QUESTION: The jury was pretty angry with you. Were you surprised at HOW angry they were?

MIKE: I was amazed. I had no idea they would be that mean, and how much I had hurt them. I had no idea that the game had gotten so personal. I suppose I should be thankful I never had to experience what they had to go through.






QUESTION: What did you think of Michelle trying to make you mad on purpose? Did you really think she was mad at you?

MIKE: That had me kinda confused. I didn't think Michelle would be pissed at me, yet there she was baiting me and firing me up. I didn't like it at the time, but I now know what she was trying to do, and it worked. It got me out of my shell and made me come out fighting. Just goes to show what a great person Michelle can be. And my Mom thinks so too, now. She has seen all the episodes and hated Michelle for so long. Now after she stuck up for me, Michelle has won my Mom over.







QUESTION: Before the Final TC, which jury members did you think would vote for you?

MIKE: In all honesty, I thought I had a strong chance at getting everyone's vote. I was confident about Ryan, Michelle and Lance, and thought I had a strong chance of getting Amy's. Hogan, Joni, and Matt I thought would lean my way. I had no idea Joni disliked me that much, and I felt there was no way in the world Mr. T could survive a yeti attack!







QUESTION: After the jury's questions and statements and before the votes were read, which jury members did you think would vote for you?

MIKE: Same as before the vote except that I was sure I lost the Hogan and Joni votes... and who knows where Matt's head was at.







QUESTION: Do you think you played the best game?

MIKE: In many ways I do think my game was the best since I planned ahead and did win. But in many ways my game was flawed. I did not know everything that was going on around me and I was too trusting. And other people played amazing games as well, so let's just say I played one of the best games in Okinawa.







QUESTION: Can you sum up your game in one word?

MIKE: Chaotic.







QUESTION: You're the champ, you have final say. Anything you'd like to say about the story/editing/ending? Anything that needs to be cleared up?

MIKE: I am the champ--and no matter what people think, I earned it. I Outwitted, Outlasted, and Outplayed everyone, even Bella. Yes, her strategy got her to the final 2, but mine got me to the final spot. And I did plan for that from day one. It has been called sucking up to the jury, but strategically it was the right thing to do. And even if my win isn't that popular, the best consolation I have is that million dollar check!

And the final thing I want to say is that this was one of the most fun, most rewarding, most self-educational experiences I have ever done in my life. I have made great friends, and great memories, and I want to thank you all for being a part of it!

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