Spoiling, Not Ruining: An Interview with ChillOne

ChillOne, the well-known spoiler from Survivor: The Amazon, wrote a book, The Spoiler, about the entire endeavor. (You can click here to read our earlier review.) Now Paris Cosby had a long chat with the Spoiler himself:

RealityNewsOnline: Thanks, ChillOne, for taking the time to talk to us here at RealityNewsOnline! I'll get right to it... Who exactly are you?

ChillOne: I’m Mark Burnett’s worst nightmare, Paris… nah, I’m really just an average guy. A big fan of Survivor, an avid adventure traveler, and someone who just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

RNO: For those of us not tuned-in to the spoiling community, can you explain a little bit about what it is and what lures you to spoil (not ruin) Survivor?

ChillOne: When I met Jenna Morasca in Omaha this past June, she and I had a friendly, running joke about how I apparently “ruined” Survivor 6. She would say “You ruined it ChillOne!” My reply (with a smile), “I didn’t ruin it Jenna, I spoiled it!” You see, to me, there’s a big difference between the two words. Let me quote the epigraph to my book. “Spoiling is not ruining. To ruin a show is to force people to read and review information of what was going to occur in some forum or environment populated by those who clearly do not want to know. Spoiling, on the other hand, is telling people what’s going to happen, based on whatever clues you believe you have deciphered, in a place where everyone does want to know the result and welcomes it.”

Probably the most misconceived motive of those that spoil is that these people are out to maliciously “damage” Survivor. The truth is quite the opposite. Spoilers are arguably the show’s biggest fans. These people are not satisfied with just watching the series week to week, season to season. These viewers are obsessed with it and its potential outcomes. They find spoiling a way to take that viewing to the next level … as a game against Mark Burnett. Generally speaking, spoilers try to outwit the minds behind the series by attempting to make accurate predictions of the show’s future events based on evidence unearthed in the show’s editing patterns, aired commercials, and from reading transcripts of cast interviews (just to name a few of the more common practices). The main lure to spoil is the fact that there is a worthy opponent in Mr. Burnett. Legend has it that he’s playing the game too; deliberately planting enigmatic clues in the show specifically crafted for the spoiling community … and I’m a believer!

RNO: I'll admit that I do visit the spoiler boards from time to time (okay, a few times a week), but I don't post. Were you active in the spoiling community before your trip to the Amazon?

ChillOne: Not at all. I was what’s called a “lurker.” I poked around many of the Survivor spoiler (and news) sites from time to time during the first five seasons, but never interacted. I just read.

RNO: Once you did post, were you aware of the amount of animosity that would flow from some of the other posters? I have to admit that's one of the main reasons I don't post there, the anger level is just way too high! Sometimes I start reading and give up because it's just far too annoying with all the negativity.

ChillOne: No (laughing). I knew my intel would spark many conversations, debates, and questions, but I never expected my contributions to instigate such a plethora of criticism, mocking, and sometimes even personal attacks. But none of it really bothered me as I’m a pretty even-tempered guy. I actually found the whole posting experience very entertaining … it was as if all the head games being played on the real Survivor took the form of a message board thread. There were plenty of online alliances being formed and lots backstabbing going on. You constantly had to assess the current situation and know where you stood – who your allies were, and who your foes were.

RNO: How did you come up with the name ChillOne? I've been wondering that!

ChillOne: One of my oldest and closest buddies has a habit of nicknaming his friends after hip-hop acts. Growing up, I was always Bushwick, B-Real, or just Chill. When attempting to create my alias on ezboard.com, those nicks were all taken. So, I tried mixing it up. After about seven or eight tries (and getting more and more frustrated), I plugged in ChillOne. It stuck. ChillOne, by the way, comes from the lyrics to Cypress Hill’s Hand on the Pump.

RNO: In your book, you name your friends via nicknames as well. Is that to hide their true identity, in turn hiding yours? Or, is it a guy thing that I'm not privy to?

ChillOne: LOL. Nicknames are definitely a guy thing, Paris … book, or no book. Anyway, since my story was going to include a main cast of characters that are identified only by aliases from the online posting world, it just made sense to keep that trend alive when referring to my boys Shep Dog, The O.D.D., K-Flex, Taff, and Puddin’ Head. It actually gives my nonfiction story some fictional flavor.

RNO: One of the people that is most memorable for me in your book is Enrique. Have you found out what's become of him?

ChillOne: I really don’t know. I would hope he’s still doing what he sincerely enjoyed … that is, working at the Ariau Amazon Towers Hotel and educating tourists about the diverse Amazon ecosystem.