“I Think It's an Honor to Be VAL's #1 Fan” – RealityNewsOnline's Exclusive Interview with Solitary 3.0's Runner Up, RobRob (#4)

RobRob (#4) loved Solitary so much he built his own pod at home and recreated the tests and treatments. He made it all the way to the finals. In this interview, he gives his thought about the show, his experiences, and how it made a difference in his life.

RealityNewsOnline: Welcome, RobRob, and thank you for this interview. I have to ask, why do you love the show so much?

RobRob: I’ve always tested my limits my entire life as long as I can remember. When I was over at my friend’s house one night and saw the show for my first time, I was hooked. I love that there are no alliances, vote outs, or backstabbing. It just me against myself.

RNO: You trained for this for months, undergoing the treatments and tests. Of all of them, what was the most painful?

RobRob: I tried many of the treatments from the first two seasons and it’s hard to decide which one was the most painful as they all hurt you in different ways. In terms of pain, I would say it’s a four-way tie between the foot-bed of nails, bed of nails, ball-gag, and the hot pepper treatment. But since I’ve been home, I tried the four-inch octagon seat a couple times since I won freedom from that treatment, and that one takes the cake.

RNO: You seemed to have a grudge match against #7. He won most of the tests and beat in you in the finals. Any thoughts about him?

RobRob: Actually, #7 and I each won two tests and the first one we won it together. And out of all of the tests, treatments, and activities that #7 and I won throughout the season, we each won nine of them. I thought he was an awesome competitor who pushed me as hard as I could go.

RNO: Is there any test or treatment where you think you should have done better?

RobRob: I really thought I should have done better in the Weight Guessing test. Under normal conditions I am usually good at tests like that, but I was so tired after the Rocky Road test and wasting all of my energy on rollerblading. We hadn’t slept for almost two days before that and it was so hot in there, I thought I was going to pass out. I couldn’t even focus after a while.

RNO: Outside of the tests and treatments, what was the hardest part of Solitary?

RobRob: I think the hardest part was being alone with your thoughts for long periods of time. In day-to-day life it is so easy to distract yourself with friends, TV, internet and not think about your life and what’s important to you.

RNO: What part of Solitary did you enjoy the most?

RobRob: It’s impossible to pick just one part. It was an incredible experience from auditioning, to getting selected, to participating, to talking with you right now. I loved my conversations with Val. Without her I don’t think I would have ever made it as far as I did.

RNO: You tried to recreate Solitary in your own home. Do you think you recreated it accurately?

RobRob: I created the pod accurately, but it’s impossible to recreate the long term isolation without a bathroom in my pod or a third party to assist. Plus I never expected it to be soooo hot. I thought this season would be cold again like the first season, so I wore two shirts and jeans. That was a mistake.

RNO: Do you have advice for somebody brave enough to do Solitary 4.0?

RobRob: I would tell them that it’s going to be a million times harder than you ever expect. It’s difficult to train for Solitary because Val thinks of crazy new limits to test every season. Who would have ever thought of practicing sitting on a four-inch octagon, or crawling on your knees, or sticking your face on a pane of glass while standing on one foot? But I wish them well and I can’t wait to see how they perform next season.

RNO: VAL told you shouldn't be ashamed of your time in Solitary, and I agree. What do you think of being VAL's #1 fan?

RobRob: I think it is an honor to be VAL’s #1 fan and to hear her refer to me as RobRob when I left my pod. I think that was the first time VAL has addressed a contestant by their name.

RNO: Is there anything else you would like to say about your experience in Solitary?

RobRob: I would like to thank all the fans of Solitary for their kind words and support throughout the past couple months (especially after the finale). It was an incredible life-changing experience that I will never forget. I had spent the last 10 years of my life trapped in a cycle of major work-a-holism. I had missed out on so many events with my family and friends by letting my career come first. However, after I left Solitary, I no longer wanted to be a work-a-holic trying to do things like breaking my record of working 129 hours in one week. Actually, I no longer wanted to work at all. So I decided to take the next four months off and spend it with my family and friends and make up for lost time. Right away I went camping with my brother and his family. I used to hate roughing it in the wilderness and not showering, but after being in Solitary, it was nothing. I had so much fun.

Then I went up to Duluth and spent a couple weeks with my parents. Then I drove across country with my father and we stayed with relatives and went to plays and symphonies. Val also taught me patience while in Solitary. I used to be so impatient and I always wanted to accomplish everything right now. I always had to think I knew where my life was heading at all times. Now I can just enjoy each day as it comes and take it one day at a time without stressing about the future. The entire experience was very therapeutic. I think everyone should be locked in a pod for a couple weeks at least once in their life. To be locked away from computers, phones, emails, text-messaging, internet, clocks, calendars, and everything else that we use to distract ourselves from thinking about our lives and what is really important to us.

RNO: Thanks again for the interview, RobRob!

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out these other recent Solitary articles:

Jeffrey Clinard has recapped Solitary since its premiere season. His patronus takes the form of a sadistic penguin and he can often be found watching Las Vegas Wrangler hockey games for the fights. He can be reached at realityfeedback@bookslv.com.

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