The Amazon’s Runner-Up: An Interview with Matthew Von Ertfelda

RNO: After Jenna won immunity before the vote to take you to the final three and you had to change plans, why did you go along with Rob instead of keeping your ally Butch and voting out Rob instead – did you feel you had a better chance of beating Rob at the end instead of Butch?

Matthew: At the time, yes. I felt that I would have had a better shot against Rob over Butch. While Butch may not have won as many challenges, he was still regarded as an honest straight shooter who worked his butt off at camp. His resilience and stamina for a man his age was impressive and I thought this might have strengthened his case. Also, Jenna had immunity and was leaning toward a Butch boot anyway. Jenna and I had also established an alliance that was based on bringing Rob, not Butch, to the Final 3. To align myself with Butch would have required me to betray Jenna and force a tie with unexpected consequences.

RNO: Some of the jurors have said one reason they voted for Jenna to win was that they felt she was playing the game for the entire time while you were not. However, you were certainly providing food, working, winning challenges, and the like – why do you think these parts of the overall game of Survivor are not as respected as the strategic portion?

Matthew: I think that everyone has different criteria against which to judge and evaluate others. These criteria, based on an individual's values and experiences, change with the makeup of the Jury. Based on my experience, I would agree that these parts of the game were not considered as important in the evaluation process. Also, as alluded to in earlier interviews, I think there were other factors that drove their decisions.

RNO: What thing went wrong at the jury tribal council and if you had it to do over again, what would you do differently?

Matthew: I did not have a good reading of the Jury or their criteria for selecting the winner. In hindsight, I should have been more upfront re: my strategy and revealed, perhaps even touted, some of the acting / subtle deception that drove it. For instance, I should have admitted to throwing / manipulating challenges and talked to how this fit into my overall strategy. Still, I maintain that this strategy would have been a tough sell and would have had little impact on the outcome. At the time, I thought it might even alienate votes. Honestly, the only thing I would have done differently would have been to try and take Butch to the Final 2. Even then, it would have been tough to pull off a win.

RNO: Do you view people any differently now after having the Survivor experience?

Matthew: Yes, I feel that people have respect for what I went through and what I accomplished. That they can relate to some of the suffering, both physical and mental, that we all endured.

RNO: Who do you think most deserved to win, and why?

Matthew: If you listen to public opinion, most will say that I deserved to win. My strategy got me to Final 2 but I did not / could not sell it to the Jury. I failed on that front. In the context of the game, Jenna made it to Final 2 and won over the Jury. I give her tons of credit for winning the critical maze IC, persuading the Jury and pulling off the win.

RNO: Now that you've progressed in your knowledge of the game, would you be open to participating in the All-Star version and competing against previous players?

Matthew: Definitely. I would do it out of personal interest, as well as respect for the fans that stuck by my side throughout S6.

RNO: Thanks again!

Matthew: My pleasure!

David Bloomberg is the Editor of RealityNewsOnline and can be reached at rno@pobox.com.

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