“I Don’t Like to Candy Coat Things”: An Interview with Survivor: Cook Islands’ Brad

RNO: What kind of scheming and plotting was going on at Raro?

Brad: A lot was going on behind my back! I wasn’t really scheming or plotting for myself. I’m not much of a schemer. Like I said, I tried to play an honest game, I thought that’s what I did and it got me in trouble.

RNO: What did you know about the alliance situation on your tribe?

Brad: I had thought I was close with the guys on my tribe, so that kind of threw me for a loop when Nate was talking crap about me yesterday.

RNO: Other than that, what alliances had formed?

Brad: It was mainly Nate, myself, Adam, and Parvati.

RNO: In your final words, you said Survivor was “the best worst experience” of your life. Can you explain that?

Brad: It was the most humbling experience of my life. The reason I did it was to challenge myself mentally and physically and to see how far I could take my body. It was the worst experience of my life because you’re dealing with crazy elements. You’re $#!tting in a hole you dug and wiping your @$$ with a hibiscus leaf. How’s that for humbling? I didn’t really watch the show before and thought they would give us sandwiches [or something]. No, they give you a machete and say have a nice day.

RNO: How much had you watched of the show?

Brad: I had only watched like season one and a couple episodes of other seasons.

RNO: What did you think when Jeff Probst informed you that you were the first member of the jury?

Brad: I was totally stoked! That was one of the goals. To be honest with you, I didn’t think I’d make it this far. It was one of my goals going in. I wanted to be part of the finale and how the game was played at the finale.

RNO: Nate mentioned that anybody who showed leadership was voted out – how did things get done in the Raro tribe?

Brad: That’s a good question – that’s what Jeff [Probst] asked [at Tribal Council]. Things got done by everyone taking ownership of what needed to get done. If we needed food, I was always out there fishing three or four hours a day, busting my @$$ for the tribe to bring back food. The girls would normally start the fire. We would just take the initiative and get it done. We didn’t have anything set in stone.

RNO: What did Nate tell your tribe about Aitu when he returned from being kidnapped?

Brad: He told us Yul and Becky were really tight and that we would need to look out for them. And one of the last scenes was Nate saying I would have merged back with my Puka tribe and I was a threat in that regard.

RNO: If you could go back in time, what would you do differently?

Brad: I would have swam in that one challenge. And I would have stepped off the mat during the mutiny.

RNO: Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about your time on Survivor?

Brad: It was a fantastic horrible experience. It was something that I would never in a million years do again. It was good, but I’m glad it’s over and it’s time to move on to the next chapter.

RNO: (Laughing) Most people say they would do it again in a heartbeat, so that was refreshingly honest.

Brad: No, I would never do it again!

RNO: Thanks, Brad!

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