“Yes, the Accent’s Real!” – RealityNewsOnline’s Exclusive Interview with Survivor: Gabon’s Ace

Ace survived through a number of votes that many people thought would take him down. But then, just before the merge, Sugar stabbed him in the back. Did he see it coming? What does he think of the story Ken fed her? Ace answers all my questions in the direct manner that we grew to expect from him. And with the double-elimination, my usual Survivor interview was also doubled up, with both of them in the room together. So don’t be surprised when you see a quick comment from Dan as well.

RealityNewsOnline: Hello, Ace, and thanks for taking the time to talk to RealityNewsOnline! Starting at the beginning, what was your strategy coming into the game?

Ace: I didn’t really have a strategy – it was more fluid relating to what was going to happen, so I kind of kept it in check.

RNO: Did you know going in that you’d be a polarizing personality, and how did you plan to overcome that?

Ace: What do you mean by “polarizing”?

RNO: That some people would like you and some really wouldn’t.

Ace: That’s life. I’m a strong character either way. I don’t think I’m going to be loved by everyone but I don’t know anybody that truly is.

RNO: Did you realize that even though it seemed you were part of the core alliance on your original Kota tribe, you were actually on the outs from the onion alliance?

Ace: What a name. Could [they] go with more of a Shrek idea – “I have layers.” Just steal Mike Myers. I realized there was a core alliance. I had alliances in other respects. I wasn’t quite as worried as they implied.

RNO: OK, I have to ask –

Ace: Yes, the accent’s real! Before you start.

Dan: (Laughing) Is that where you were going?

Ace: I could hear it in his voice.

RNO: Yes, that is where I was going. (Laughing with Dan.)

Ace: I shut you up, didn’t I?

RNO: Did you ever, in a million years, think that Sugar would backstab you like that?

Ace: Honestly, yes. I realized it’s a game, for God’s sake. People take it personally, obviously I took it personally. We were all out there using each other. My faith was that it wouldn’t be strategically logical for her to do it then because I was still protecting her.

I’m not going to be mean. I had a little more faith in her ability to judge what was going on in the game than was realistic. That was the most politic way to say it. I thought she would still realize it was helpful to have me there. When you get later in the game, alliances are transient. I just didn’t think she’d do it that early.

RNO: Now that you’ve seen the story Ken fed Sugar, do you better understand why she did it?

Ace: Um… yes, I guess. I definitely think there was more to it than just that. But I’ll bite on that line.

RNO: Were you suspicious when she refused to give you the idol?

Ace: It would have been bad TV to show the interview I did before Tribal Council. I said in that interview that I thought there was something fishy going on. If you look at the final Tribal Council, I actually stand up before they read the last vote. So I had a very significant feeling that they were attempting to axe me.

(Interviewer’s Note: I went back and checked Tribal Council. From what we see, it looks like Ace waits to hear the final vote, nods his head, and then stands up, saying, “Thanks, Sugar.” But since the camera isn’t on both Probst and Ace at the same time, we can’t actually tell the timing.)

RNO: If you'd stayed in the game, what were your future plans for the merge?

Ace: That’s like saying if you had 20/20 hindsight, what would you do? I would have played the game and merged with my cohorts and a few other people and started taking out the old Kota and going back and forth taking out some Fang until there was a negligible amount of individuals left.

RNO: Did you want to strangle Crystal after she dropped the rice?

Ace: No, not particularly. Honestly, I thought it was the best thing she could do for me because it alienated her from the group. We were starving. I lost 35 pounds. That’s not a joke. Thirty-five pounds is a lot. I was very hungry. It was not a pleasant experience, food-wise.

RNO: What was the most eye-opening thing you saw on TV that you didn’t know about while you were there?

Ace: I was quite knowledgeable about what was going on in relation to the tribe I was on. I knew about he “onion alliance” and who was doing what in my tribes. It was interesting seeing what was going on in the other tribe because I wasn’t there, but I didn’t have any illuminating moments in relation to TV.

RNO: Do you think you underestimated Ken as a player?

Ace: No. I think Ken got lucky. Good for him. I don’t have any aggression towards him, but I guess I’m a very forgiving person in some respects. He thinks he’s a much more adept player than he really is.

He’s a sweet kid. But he isn’t Moriarty, more Moreiforgotyou. Good for him. I don’t take it as a personal affront that they were scared of me. I wouldn’t have wanted to sit next me to in the finals either. I give good closing argument – sorry for stealing your legal terms, Dan. So that’s that.

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

Ace: No.

RNO: Thanks again, Ace!

Be sure to click over to my interview with Dan now, where you’ll find a few more comments from Ace as well!

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out these other recent Survivor: Gabon articles here on RealityNewsOnline:

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

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