Beyond Peanuts and Popcorn: An Interview with Paradise Hotel's Dave Kerpen

RNO: Are you in love with Charla?

Dave: I am not nor ever have been in love with Charla, although I will admit that I had a crush on her.

RNO: Do you continue to talk to anyone on the show?

Dave: I cannot say yet who I am in touch with still until after the finale airs.

RNO: So what is the grand prize? Is it the hotel?

Dave: No, the Hotel is worth forty-million dollars. It is not the hotel

RNO: A time share in the hotel?

Dave: No, I cannot say what the prize is. I can't tell anyone what they gave away, not even my family.

RNO: Can you confirm that it is a jury vote?

Dave: Yes, it is a jury vote. I wish I would have thought that it could have possibly been a jury vote. I thought that Big Brother and Survivor have jury votes and this probably wouldn't have one.

RNO: Why did Keith think you betrayed him? Why could he not see that this was part of the game?

Dave: He did see it as part of the game. Keith never thought I would betray him, he knew I wanted Charla to get the power. I did not want to power because at that point I had already voted so many people off. But I wanted Charla to have the power and Keith outsmarted me. He managed to be the one to get that power. He played the game well. But he never once thought I would really betray him. I did not have to say anything to Holly and Scott. They probably would have voted for me had I kept my mouth shut, so that was part was my fault. But Keith knew I would never have betrayed him.

RNO: So it sounds like Keith chose you to go with him to the final four.

Dave: No, I cannot say that. I can't tell you who is in the final four.

RNO: Are you aware that because Fox edited you the way they did, that it actually helped the way the public sees you?

Dave: Yes I am very aware that I was edited poorly in the beginning and then when the originals came back I was edited better and then last week I was edited poorly again, so go figure.

RNO: By bearing the brunt of the originals’ wrath, you have become the underdog.

Dave: Yes and it was the hardest thing to live through at the time but it actually turned out OK because of the outpouring of support I have been receiving since the show aired.

RNO: How has Paradise changed you?

Dave: I have a lot more confidence now. The feedback I have gotten is incredible. One of my friends the other day said I even look taller now. That is what it did to me. I have always had confidence in some things, but never in anything that involved the opposite sex, but now that has changed.

RNO: You know, you were characterized as the guy who "did not look like a model," to put it nicely. A lot of people just thought you were this goofy guy, but it's different now. You have a beautiful personality and I hope a lot of people come away with the lasting impression that they should not judge someone based solely on looks.

Dave: Thanks for saying that.

RNO: How did you lose the 69 pounds?

Dave: Exercise and portion control.

RNO: How do you feel about the show in general? About what the show was meant to be and the way some groups have protested and gotten sponsors to pull their advertising for it?

Dave: I wish Fox would have marketed it differently and the producers would have focused on other things. I wish Fox had not promoted it as a sex fest because it turned out not to be a sex fest. And I wish the groups that boycotted it would have looked closer at it and taken a second look. Fox and the producers promoted it as a sex fest, the protesters boycotted it as a sex fest, but it was not a sex fest. I think it was a fascinating study into human behavior and what happens and what choices one makes when you are isolated

RNO: Like Amy making the choice that Zack is a suitable mate. Amy is really not that stupid is she?

Dave: I think Amy and Zack are a perfect match

RNO: I hope they don't have any kids.

Dave will speak with us again after the show's finale to tell us what he cannot tell us now, and we can find out more about his new book and fan club!

Peggy Keller is Mother and Behavior Therapist to her two autistic sons and teenage daughter. Click here to e-mail her.

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