“It Is Uncomfortable Knowing You Are Being Judged on Your Gender”: An Interview with Survivor’s Chad

For a brief moment, it looked like Chad might be able to stick around if Scout’s coup could be pulled off. Alas, it was not to be. In this interview, Chad tells RealityNewsOnline about his plans, his leg, his thoughts on Ami, and more!

RealityNewsOnline: Starting from before you arrived, what was your plan coming into the game?

Chad: I was hoping to emerge as a leader – yet not a dictatorial type. I knew I’d work hard and make friends with virtually anyone. By the time I made the jury, maybe I’d be able to go on a string of wins to the final.

RNO: Did you think your leg would cause any problems either in the game or with other players?

Chad:I really was confident that it wouldn’t.

RNO: Did anybody even ever mention it to you after you revealed it, or was it pretty much a non-issue with everybody (except, as we saw, with John K.)?

Chad:It was really a non-issue other than JK… Amazingly, he was able to reach back to his preconceived notions and judgments and before he knew – and let those assumptions paint his opinions.

RNO: Other than the all-guy alliance you became a part of the first day, did you work out any backup plans?

Chad:I did not. There is an obvious danger in doing so. If anyone finds out there are conflicts of interest, you are toast. I was gonna wait until I was the last of the guys before making any more plans – and that’s what Chris and I did.

RNO: What made Ami so charismatic that she was able to keep holding the women together – or is there a different reason for their votes after the merge as you see it?

Chad: Good question. She may have appeared to their sense of loyalty – I didn’t see her methods. I’ll be watching her answer with you!

RNO: Was Ami's apparent hostility towards the men as bad in person as it seemed on the show?

Chad:Yes, yes, and yes. I think her quote from a few weeks ago about it “not mattering who goes next as long as it’s a guy” sums it up perfectly. It is an uncomfortable feeling knowing you are being judged on your gender and not the content of your character (to partially quote MLK).

RNO: What were some of the 25 or 30 plans that you said you and Chris had worked on to try to stick around?

Chad: Oh – there seemed to be countless ways to rearrange the women to fit in with our alliance of two. Telling of false alliances to plant seeds of doubt, etc. However, the simplest thing happened – Scout wanted to form an alliance with us and it was beautiful until Godzilla (Ami) came and stomped on it.

RNO: Why do you think the women chose to vote you out instead of Chris?

Chad: As you saw with that Sarge vote thing, Chris gained favor with the women. However, they said it was because I was more of a physical threat. Go figure.

RNO: Is there anything else you'd like to say to all of your fans about yourself, the show, or any other subject?

Chad: I hope you have a newfound appreciation for what those with prostheses and disabilities in general are capable of. If you ever know anyone who is facing the prospect of amputation (lots of motorcycle accident victims) or is a new amputee, have them watch the show or get a hold of me (my info hopefully will be available as time goes on).

RNO: One more question – did you get a six-pack of kava to go?

Chad: HAEEEL NO!

RNO: Thanks again, Chad!

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out these other Survivor: Vanuatu Episode 11 articles and recent interviews:

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

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