Borneo Contestant Profiles

8/14/2019 Borneo Contestant Profiles

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Sonja Christopher

Season: 1 BorneoFinish: 16th place / 1st boot / Day 3Booted: 4-3-1

DOB: 1/28/37Age during show: 63Age now: 70Marital Status: SingleOccupation: MusicianHometown: Walnut Creek, CaliforniaLuxury Item: UkuleleBiography:Sonja was born and raised in Olympia, Washington. Her studies at Whitman College in WallaWalla, Washington, the University of Oslo in Norway, the University of Washington in Seattleand the University of California, Berkeley, produced a Bachelor of Science degree inpsychology, along with a teaching credential.

Before retiring, Sonja worked as an investment counselor, tennis teacher and elementary schoolteacher. She currently works part-time as a music therapist, playing the banjo as she leads sing-alongs at Alzheimer's centers. She also enjoys performing in local community theater. Herfavorite sport is swimming, although it used to be tennis, which she played competitively for anumber of years. She also enjoys playing Bridge.

In December of 1997, Sonja was diagnosed with invasive breastcancer. She underwent pre-surgical chemotherapy, followed bylumpectomy and radiation and has resumed a full, healthy life.Sonja describes herself as courageous, open and fun-loving. Indescribing her perfect day, Sonja would wake up feeling good andcounting her blessings. She would enjoy a cup of coffee while

reading the paper before heading out to exercise (walk, bike,swimming or yoga). Afterwards, she would connect with a friendby phone or over lunch before or after performing at a nursinghome. At some point in her day, she would discover a new interest,"be there" for someone in need, have a new idea or fix somethingaround the house and find that all the desk work which requires agood deal of her time would miraculously get done by itself.

Capping off her perfect day would be an evening at the theatre or movies with a dear friend, afterwhich she would crawl into bed with a good book.Sonja currently resides in Walnut Creek, California, about 45 minutes from her son, Dan. She ison the Board of Directors at her the Unitarian Universalist Church and was instrumental as afundraiser in the building of the Regional Center for the Arts. She is also is a member of the

Diable Light Opera Company and Contra Costa Musical Theatre, and also participates in localvideo and computer clubs. Her birth date is Jan. 28, 1937.


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Final Words

Episode:Well, I think this has been an awesome experience. Being the first tobe voted out is a little humiliating, On the other hand, the team didthe right thing. Theyre a terrific group of people, theyre very strongphysically, and I think in their shoes, Id probably do the same thing.

CBS Site:I think being a Survivor has been an awesome experience. Beingfirst to be voted out is a little humiliating. On the other hand, I thinkthe team did the right thing. They are a terrific group of people, verystrong physically, and I think in their shoes, I would have probablydone the same thing - vote out the weakest member.Last night at the competition, I certainly felt like I made the teamlose. But I am going away with the feeling that I really bonded withthese people in a genuine way and I know that's the rules of the

game.And maybe tonight I will get a shower, and a meal!

Trivia

Challenge Record: 0% (0/1)Sonja has the worst challenge record of her season, and competed in fewer challenges thananyone else on her season.Voting Record: 0% (0/1)Sonja was the first player to be booted 4-3-1.Confessional Average: 2

Sonja was the first player to ever be voted out of Survivor.Sonjas luxury item, a ukulele, was the first to ever be featured on the show.

Quotes

"I think this will be one of the greatest adventures of my life. I

can imagine that every skill I've ever learned -- as well as onesI'll have to develop on the island -- will be called into play. Ican hardly wait!"

Ill fight to the finish. I have my blisters and whatnot, but Im

doing okay.

Go get em, you guys.


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Interviews

http://www.seniorwomen.com/articles/cullison/articlesCullisonSonja.htmlShe'd always wanted to do it. Since childhood Sonja Christopher has wondered if she couldsurvive on a desert island. As a child the stories ofRobinson Crusoe and Swiss Family Robinsonfascinated her. Did she have the right stuff to endure such an adventure? Once, as a teenager,she set out in a boat alone on the bay near her family home* in Olympia, Washington to test hersurvival skills. As an adult she journeyed to a remote island in Tahiti. But always the answer toher question eluded her.

Guided by a father who admired the philosophy of Henry David Thoreau, Sonja's family lived asmuch as possible on the fruits, vegetables, livestock, and poultry raised on their ten-acre farm.From an early age, Sonja learned to make use of the resources around her, to live simply andindependently. She began collecting quotations that inspired her to "go for it", to challengeherself and to live life to the fullest.By the time she reached the age of 63, Sonja had faced a number of life's serious challenges suchas divorce, single motherhood, a benign brain tumor, breast cancer, and a recent relationship thatended in painful estrangement. When she learned that CBS was seeking applicants to participatein a simulated television reality series calledSurvivorduring which sixteen people would be leftto fend for themselves on a remote South China Sea island, she hoped that her youthful fantasymight at last come true.Sonja submitted a video that friends at Rossmoor, a retirement community in Walnut Creek,

California where she lives, helped her make. In the video Sonja pitched her qualifications bysinging and playing the ukulele, entertainment she performs regularly for Alzheimer patients inconvalescent homes. "I wouldn't be doing it only for me...but also for the millions of otherseniors out there looking for new images of aging," she explained.After she was chosen from more than 6,000 applicants, friends and family members beganvoicing concern about her health and safety. Her son objected to her involvement in anexperiment designed to force contestants to vie against one another in order to stay on theisland. Sonja began to realize that she might not like being away from her active life at homefor two months or giving up her privacy by appearing onnational television. She worried that she might not be ableto hold up physically. But when she went to the telephone to

cancel, she felt an overwhelming sadness. "That toldme I should go for it," she said, and so she did.She dove into the first challenge of getting ready. She practiced tying knots, read survival manuals, and worked witha personal trainer who was told only that Sonja was going on atropical expedition. After she joined the otherSurvivorcandidates, CBS gave them one an d a half days oftraining that included boat and helicopter rescue procedures. They learned about edible plantsand how to make shelters out of palm fronds. Secrecy prevailed during this time, and only when
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the contestants were on the boat and headed for their island were they allowed to talk with eachother. After they arrived on the island, the sixteen adventurers were divided into two tribes ofeight.Sonja spent three days on the island. "The experience was absolutely real, like very ruggedcamping." They had no fire and little food but plenty of bugs, rats, and snakes. She quicklylearned that the wet sand got as hard as cement when she tried to sleep on it. Sonja thinks thatthe games contrived by CBS to deselect the participants intruded on the real experience of tryingto survive on the island. When a tribe lost a competition, they had to vote one of their own offthe island, hardly a way to build team spirit and cooperation. Sonja's tribe lost the first game,and she was the first person to leave the island.She had worn sturdy leather sandals with socks on the day of that first beachside competition,while everyone else wore sneakers laced securely to their bare feet. The sandals and sockscreated a drag while she was swimming and caused her to stumble once her feet could touchbottom in the water. She was unable to regain her footing as she and her team struggled to bringa raft to shore, and they lost the race.Feeling responsible for the loss, she apologized to herSurvivorteammates. The psychologist,who counseled the candidates as they left the island, explained that her apology gave the team

permission to eliminate her. "I knew they were going to vote me off, and I was prepared in mymind for it," she said.No one wants to be the first to be sent out of the game. Weall must have childhood memories of that fear coming true.As a championship tennis player and a successful actress inregional theater, Sonja knows well the ups and downs ofcompetition. This knowledge surely came to her aid the nextnight when her team's first tribal council was called.Together they hiked for an hour and a half through the rainydark jungle and were stopped twice by six-foot longpoisonous snakes in their path. "You could feel the tension,"she said, for not only was that first vote about to be cast, butthey all knew that the scene would be broadcast on nationaltelevision.Sonja's grace and composure as she accepted the vote againsther has been widely acclaimed by the media and justifiablyso. She stood up, smiled warmly at her teammates, and said,"Go get 'em, you guys." Later she would explain, "It was all,after all, just a game."Sonja says that if she had it to do over she'd dump the heavysandals and socks and bring lighter shoes that were broken inwell. She also wouldn't hold back as much of herself as she'ddone. In her efforts to accommodate and adapt, she feels that

her teammates didn't get to know enough about those survivalstrengths she'd been honing since childhood. They didn'thave time to weigh the true value of her "never give up" attitude. "I didn't have any illusionsabout going the whole way," she admits. Although she didn't want to be the first to go, it's turnedout to have some advantages.As the first Survivoridentified by name, Sonja has traveled from coast to coast and givencountless interviews. She also won the booby prize, as she calls it, a cash award of $2,500,which she has donated to her church to be used to start a fund that will build a new fellowship


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hall. And she did show to her fellow seniors a new way of looking at life, that "we have theopportunity to choose to start anew every day, to change our thinking, to heal ourselves, and toenhance and inspire our inner spirits."Thank you, Sonja!

http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=201671n?source=search_videoJulie: You watched the show last night. Howd you feel watching it?Sonja: Well, it recalled some poignant memories, I must say.Julie: Do you think the producers cut it in a way where the viewers kind of knew you were goingto get voted off?Sonja: I dont know. Youll have to ask a viewer whos a more objective Julie: I guess its hard because you were a part of it all. Now why did you want to go on thisisland? Was it the money or was it the adventure?Sonja: Well, do you want me to sing a song I wrote about that?Julie: If it answers the questions, go for it. Wait, before you do this, you brought this ukulele.Now, each of the sixteen people on the island got to pick one luxury item and you chose yourukulele.

Sonja: Right. Because I dont know, I thought that it would entertain me, if no one else. Butexcept for that one clip you saw, I really didnt get to play it much.Julie: Oh, well, you get to play it now. Lets go.

Sonja: Oh, well, lets see. This was a little ditty I wrote to apply forthe show, so they said to be creative. This was my alright.Its not the islands fare that are calling to me,Its not the balmy air or the tropical sea,Its the chance to survive and come out alive on an island of PulauTiga.Its not the million bucks or the seven weeks of downtime,Not the chance to be on CBS primetime,

Its the chance to survive and come out alive on an island of PulauTiga.Julie: Very good, very good. Now I see why you made it to the

island. So I have to ask you I saw the condition on the island. Would a part of you believe youwere getting off that island and back to civilization, back to air conditioning?Sonja: Yes, well, not at the moment, but when I got back to civilization as you call it, I realized ithad been pretty grueling and I had some injuries that needed looking after. Well, my knee hadreally swollen up, so I had to have that drained and some medical attention there.Julie: Howd you cut it? We saw blood, howd you cut it?Sonja: Actually, the swollen knee was just from an old war injury. Im a tennis I used to be acompetitive tennis player, so it sort of re-injured something I had years ago.Julie: In the brief what was it? two days you spent there, did you learn anything about

yourself? Did you learn anything about human nature?Sonja: Yeah, well, one thing I think I learned that Im sort of nave.Julie: How so?Sonja: Well, I went there with certain ideas about how we might play this as a team andsportsmanship was important, having done sports in the past. And I learned that not everybodythinks that way, so that was Julie: I think that was apparent watching that last night. Your team had problems from the get-go.Sonja: I know. Wasnt that funny?
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B.B. Andersen

Season: 1 BorneoFinish: 15th place / 2nd boot / Day 6Booted: 6-2

DOB: 1/18/36Age during show: 64Age now: 71Marital Status: DivorcedOccupation: Retired ContractorHometown: Mission Hills, KansasLuxury Item: TowelBiography:Originally from South Dakota, B.B. studied Civil Engineering at Kansas State University inManhattan, Kansas, before becoming a general contractor and real estate developer. His talentseventually allowed him to own and operate a successful construction and development company.Also active in politics, Andersen was appointed by President Reagan to the

Advisory Board of the Defense Intelligence Agency where he then served for 11years. It was also known that he declined several ambassadorships that wereoffered him during the Bush administration.An adventure-seeker by nature, B.B. has toured through Mexico, the westernUnited States and the Great Lakes on his motorcycle. An avid sailor, he had a53' ketch built in La Rochelle, France and sailed it from the Bay of Biscay intothe Mediterranean Sea where he eventually moored it in Hyere, France. In 1993,he sailed from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida across the Atlantic to Lisbon, Portugal and the CanaryIslands. While skiing remains his favorite sport, he is also a certified scuba diver. Additionally,he has logged over 8,500 hours of flight time as a private pilot and holds multi-engine,commercial and instrument ratings.

B.B. currently divides his time between Mission Hills, Kansas,and Vail, Colorado, with his wife and their daughter. He has fouradditional children who live and work around the country. Stillactive in real estate development, he is currently a member ofWorld Presidents Organization, Kansas City PresidentsOrganization and the Vail Valley Foundation. His birth date is Jan.18, 1936.


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Final Words

CBS Site:The vote doesn't surprise me. I solicited it. I toldthe group that I felt that my job was done and Ilearned what I wanted to know about myself.I enjoyed being with all of these people very muchand all but one of them respected my wishes. I amhappy to be voted out and I think they needed forme to be gone, because of the age difference.

Trivia

Challenge Record: 66.67% (2/3)Due to his short stay in the game, B.B. has the besttribal reward challenge, tribal challenge, rewardchallenge, and overall challenge records of his

season. He would maintain this record until Africa.Voting Record: 0% (0/1)B.B. was the first player to be booted 6-2.B.B. had the largest percentage of possible votes cast against him in his season.B.B. had the smallest number of votes cast with him in his season.Confessional Average: 5.5

B.B. was the first player to ever ask to be voted out.B.B. was the first player to ever consider throwing an Immunity Challenge.

Quotes

"Fantastic, what a challenge!"

If we dont keep some humor, well go mad.

You cant have lazy people.


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Interviews


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Stacey Stillman

Season: 1 BorneoFinish: 14th place / 3rd boot / Day 9Booted: 5-2

DOB: 8/11/72Age during show: 27Age now: 35Marital Status: SingleOccupation: AttorneyHometown: San Francisco, CaliforniaLuxury Item: Camera and filmBiography:Stacey lives in San Francisco and practices corporate law at a law firm that specializes inrepresenting technology companies. She earned her JD degree from New York University Schoolof Law in 1998 and completed her undergraduate degree at the State University of New York at

Binghamton in 1994, with a combined BA degree in both Physics and

the Politics & Philosophy of Law.Although she now resides on the West Coast, Stacey spent themajority of her life on the East Coast, growing up on Long Island andattending school in upstate New York and Manhattan.The three adjectives Stacey uses to describe herself are intuitive,direct and sarcastic. She is most proud of remaining optimistic aboutlife and people despite experiencing some emotionally difficult times,including overcoming thyroid cancer. Her perfect day would be takinga long hike along the coastal bluff and redwoods, followed by a footrub and nap, and, finally, enjoying a gourmet dinner with good wineand great friends.

She has just been approved as a volunteer for the Big Brothers andBig Sisters of San Francisco program, and is awaiting assignment to alittle girl. Stacey is currently single and enjoying her own "reality"living situation with four roommates and one dog. Her birth date isAug. 11, 1972.


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Final Words

CBS Site:I hear that those guys had to hike back in the thunder, lightning and thetorrential rain, which I'm pretty happy about, because I'm really pissedoff that they voted me off. They kicked off their bug-eating heroinstead of their food stealing, stumbling, ornery old Navy Seal. I don'tknow how I feel about that.I think Rudy pulled a brilliant political move with his little ageismspeech. I think he got a couple of guilt votes that way. Sean probablywould have been the swing vote. I think Rudy pulled Sue over to hisside. She's an interesting character. Before the first vote too, Kelly andI spoke about who we were going to vote off. She was really stronglyagainst Rudy, because we wanted to keep Sonja around. We thought wecould keep a woman majority and probably keep a balance of power

that way. Sue told me one thing then did another and she did the exact same thing on the lastvote. She told me she was going to vote Rudy off and she voted against me when the vote came

out. I turned to her and said," You changed your vote again Sue. "Then I walked away. It will beinteresting to see how Sue's dynamic plays out for the rest of the show.I think largely the reason I was voted off was because the group feels physical strength is themost important quality to win the immunity challenges, which I completely disagree with. Thefact is they don't know how strong I really am, because they are all so busy proving their ownstrength. I don't think they really value mental strength in that camp yet. I think the contributionsI made for the camp are more quiet contributions. I think I probably came off as shy, which israre for me. I've never been in such a magnanimous group before.

Trivia

Challenge Record: 40% (2/5)Voting Record: 0% (0/2)Stacey was the first player to be booted 5-2.Stacey was the first player to vote for the wrong person at twoconsecutive Tribal Councils.Stacey, along with Richard, was the first player to vote for the same personat two consecutive Tribal Councils.Confessional Average: 3

Stacey is the only player to ever allege that producers manipulated thevotes against them.

Quotes

"I'm excited and anxious to get to the island and meet the others. I'm

waiting to explore the pristine tropical habitat and see how or even if Ican handle the challenge."


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Interviews

http://www.realitynewsonline.com/cgi-bin/ae.pl?mode=1&article=article1108.art&page=1We begin with Stacey, who says she had two separate experiences on Survivor the one sheactually lived through on the island and the one she watched on television. She says a product

was sold to the public as pure reality, but thats not what wasactually going on. Furthermore, she later found out from Dirk thatMark Burnett had supposedly suggested that he vote for Staceyinstead of Rudy Boesch. This revelation was first revealed inLances The Stingray and formed the basis for her later lawsuit.Stacey contradicts this in what appears to be a brand new piece ofinformation. She says she saw Burnett manipulating people whenhe spoke to the jury before the final vote ofSurvivor I. She claimshe dropped in statements like Rich played the game better at leastthree times but then said he was not telling people how to vote. Sheclaims she stood up and said he had done just that.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2000/06/21/DD99988.DTLShe ate three yellow, wiggling bug larvae for the sake of her group. She endured the enmity andcontempt of a man old enough to be her grandfather. And in the end -- on national television,before an audience of 23 million -- Stacey Stillman was rejected by people she considered herfriends.For three weeks, Stillman's ups and downs were captured on the hit CBS reality series``Survivor,'' until last week, when the San Francisco lawyer was shown being voted off PulauTiga, an island in the South China Sea off the coast of Borneo. Gone was Stillman's chance towin $1 million. In its place: a $4,500 consolation prize from CBS and an opportunity to explainwhat went wrong on a program that has 10 episodes left.

`Ì was OK with being voted off,'' Stillman says in an interview at a San Francisco coffeehouse.``That's the game. . . . And getting a free trip to Borneo and to have the experience -- it's worthgoing through all this on TV.''By her own admission, Stillman often came across on ``Survivor'' as uptight and spoiled. CBSproducers focused on her trying moments, editing out scenes where she laughed and joked withmembers of her ``Tiga Tribe.''Stillman, 27, accepts being stereotyped, even though it means she is getting hateful e-mailmessages from viewers. One person said she was ``worse than Hitler.''`Ì'm perfectly OK with the way they're representing me as the sort of Heather Locklear-`MelrosePlace' bitch,'' Stillman says. ``What did I expect? I knew they cast me as the lawyer. So they weretotally playing in to the stereotype.''The highest volume of e-mails, she says, has come from friends of Rudy Boesch, the retired 72-

year-old Navy SEAL from Virginia with whom Stillman clashed on the island.``They're calling me a brat and saying, `How dare I say things about their buddy, the SEAL,' ''she says. `Ì'm just, `Grow up. He signed up for this show and that's the way it is. And he saidworse things about me than I said about him.' ''On the second show, a tired and hungry Stillman told the CBS cameras that Boesch was a``liability to us. We've all seen him eating extra food. He's opening goods without askinganybody.'' On that same show, Boesch said, ``Me and her wouldn't get along if we were friends
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on the outside. She's too prim.'' The next week, Boesch led the majority of Tagi Tribe memberswho forced Stillman off the island.Susan Hawk, the 38-year-old truck driver from Wisconsin who became the ``matriarch'' of theTagi Tribe, also voted Stillman off the island -- a betrayal that still seems to rankle Stillman. Atone point during the series, which was filmed from March 13 through April 20, Hawk toldStillman that she wouldn't vote against her. On the second episode, Stillman even won an`ìmmunity challenge'' for her tribe by eating beetle larvae faster than a member of the rival``Pagong Tribe'' -- a feat that she thought would earn her greater respect and allegiance fromHawk and others.``There's an element of purposeful deception'' with Hawk, Stillman says. ``But I also think Suereally believes she is not doing anything untoward toward anybody. She changes her mind a lot.''Stillman won't say what happens next in the series, which has a Web site that profiles all thecontestants and details each episode after it airs.Each of the 16 contestants signed a $5 million gag order, which means that they have to pay thenetwork $5 million if they prematurely reveal who gets kicked off the island or who wins the bigprize. Stillman's close friends have tried to coax information out of her, even plying her withbooze.

``We tried to get her liquored up and tell us,'' says Zack Bodner, a friend of Stillman's whowatched the first show with her.While Stillman admits that `Ì was a little more candid about my fellowcastaways in their presence than I have been in the media,'' she hasn't brokenthe gag order. Even her mother didn't know that Stillman was going to bevoted off at the climax of last Wednesday's airing. ``The whole show hingeson what happens next,'' Stillman says. ``The (gag order) is totallyunderstandable.''After leaving Pulau Tiga, Stillman stayed in that part of the world for fiveweeks, committed to keeping her early exit a secret from her colleagues atwork. (Stillman's firm, Brobeck, Phleger and Harrison, gave her a seven-week leave to participate in the show.)Stillman traveled around Borneo and Thailand -- mostly by herself -- and gother diving certificate on Sipadan island in Malaysia, at a resort that madeinternational headlines two weeks later because of a terrorist attack. Muslimrebels kidnapped 21 people at the resort, including diving instructors Stillmanknew. `Ì feel terrible about it,'' she says.Stillman has been back at work for almost two months. She says her appearance on ``Survivor''has helped her law career, giving her a higher profile at her firm, where she works in the businessand technology division helping companies incorporate, merge and acquire other companies.``People know who I am now,'' Stillman says. `Ìn a large firm, it's really who you know andwhat connections you make. And word gets passed down informally.''She adds that people at work have been `ìn total support of me and think this is great.''

Media attention has also cascaded on Stillman in the past week, which has included appearanceson CBS' ``Late Show With David Letterman'' and ``The Late, Late Show With Craig Kilborn,''where she met her childhood idol, actor Rick Schroder (``he knew who I was!'').She also has been recognized on the streets of San Francisco. During a break in the interview,when Stillman put quarters in a parking meter, several people pointed at her. ``They said, `That'sthe chick from ``Survivor,'' ' '' Stillman says. `Ì just turned around and said, `Hi.' ''Other castaways can't talk frankly about their experiences until their fates are resolved on the air.


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``I'm lucky,'' Stillman says. ``I know a lot of them are frustrated because they can't talk yet. . . .There will come a time when Sue and Rudy have their say about me, which is why I'm trying totemper my remarks about them. I really don't have anything personal against them.''

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The first two weeks of the million-dollar Survivor adventure series saw two ofthe older competitors voted off the island. But Wednesday night, it was one ofthe younger castaways who fell victim to the tribal council, reports EarlyShow Co-Anchor Jane Clayson.In the real world, Stacey Stillman, 27, is an attorney from San Francisco."I knew before the council I was the one going to go," she said. "I had apersonal conflict with some of the people and I felt that I was physically theweakest one on our tribe, and they were concerned about the physical abilityof our team for the challenges."People perceived her as a bit of a whiner."Well, I mean, I did get cranky," says Stillman. "We hadn't eaten in nine days.People have seen 45 minutes of each 72-hour period. There were happy times,too."This week's Early Show Survivor round table discussion, moderated byAnchor Bryant Gumbel, featured comedian Robert Klein, anthropologistHelen Fisher of Rutgers University, and Andy Borowitz, a columnist for The

New Yorker magazine and author of a new book, The Trillionaire Next Door.

All were eager to discuss Wednesday night's installment in terms both intellectual and whimsical,although Borowitz was sorry that Rudy the former Navy SEAL was not eliminated instead ofStillman."He kept on telling everybody what rope to use. I don't need that. I'm having enough timesurviving everything else without Rudy saying, 'Use this rope,'" he said.But Klein observed, "A guy who knows what rope to use is more handy than a lawyer in almostany situation."Stillman said the tribal council meetings felt like junior high school. And that's a feeling withsome scientific basis, noted anthropologist Fisher: "For millions of years, we were traveling onthese grasslands of Africa, and ostracism was death. We have a feeling we want to be included."For Stillman, it was a little more immediate. "When you're in junior high and they are pickingteams, you have a feeling that, you know, you might be the least desirable one," she explained."And at the council, I knew I was going to go. It was a matter of getting out of that monsoon andgetting into a warm bed, pretty much."She ate three bugs for her team; actually, beetle larvae. What does a grub taste like?"A writhing egg yolk," reported Stillman, adding that the bugs popped when she bit down onthem.And didn't that count for something?"I think it did count for something, but I really feel you're only as good as your last few hours onthe island," she says. "There is no predictability. People will be amazed to see what happens."After she left the island, she didn't go home right away."I stayed in Malaysia for the full seven weeks," she explained. "I couldn't go home because if Ihad just showed up on March 24, eerybody would know what happened."

Was it because she was embarrassed that her co-workers would know that she had beeneliminated so early?"Not really," she replied. "I would do the show again if I was the first one kicked off."Clayson asked Stillman to give one- or two-word descriptions for each of her teammates.Dirk: "Religious virgin." In fact, Klein, Fisher, and Borowitz agreed that Dirk's ideology willprobably be his downfall. Said one: "You must separate church and island."Kelly: "Resourceful. Crunchy (down to earth)."Richard: "The Grimace."


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Sean the doctor: "Jerry Seinfeld."Rudy: "Surprisingly adjustable."Sonja (the first voted off the island from Stillman's tribe): "Sweet."Although they were not in her tribe, Stillman commented on two other contenders, whom she gotto know on the boat en route to the island.Gervase: "Suave, charismatic."Gretchen: "Resourceful. Very capable. Very nice. I hope that she wins."Clayson pointed out that other people, when voted off the island, looked relieved. But Stillmanseemed angry."Yeah. I don't know why I looked that way," she replied. "I didn't feel as angry as relieved. I didfeel very relieved. I got to have a shower. I heard my team had to walk back in the rain throughthe jungle to their camp. I was happy about that."What did she like best about the whole experience?"The sunrises and building a shelter out of bamboo. Like adult Lincoln Logs."Would she do it again?"In a minute."


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Ramona Gray

Season: 1 BorneoFinish: 13th place / 4th boot / Day 12Booted: 4-2-1

DOB: 1/20/71Age during show: 29Age now: 36Marital Status: SingleOccupation: ChemistHometown: Edison, New JerseyLuxury Item: JournalBiography:Ramona is a research chemist whose company works to fit together chemical compounds thatmay potentially unlock combinations that will be used to develop disease-fighting drugs.Growing up in a single parent home in Hampton, Virginia, Ramona credits her mother forhelping her live up to her potential. In 1993, Ramona received a Bachelor of Science degree in

chemistry from Howard University in Washington, D.C.Continuing her studies at Howard, she received her Masters ofScience degree in chemistry in 1997.Ramona describes herself as independent, out-going andmeticulous. In her spare time, she enjoys skydiving, kick-boxing, basketball, martial arts (she has a black belt in karate)and basically any other form of activity that gives her a goodworkout. She is a fan of the television show "ER" and the featurefilm "The Matrix." Ramona musical interests include gospel,jazz, pop, R&B, classical and rap.

Ramona currently resides in Edison, New Jersey. She is a member of the American Chemical

Society and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She regularly attends the First Baptist Church ofLincoln Gardens in Somerset, New Jersey. Her birth date is January 20, 1971.


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"Going to the island is a once in a lifetime opportunity that I plan on opening up to and totally

embracing."


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Interviews

http://www.survivorfire.com/viewtopic.php?p=434544&sid=8cb05bd0e6eb413da095d32336f72c58SF- Its been a good while since the very first season of Survivor has ended,

what have you been doing since we last saw you come seasons end at thereunion?RG- Wow...it's been four years! So many things happened as a result of being onthe show including appearances on/in: Live with Larry King, PoliticallyIncorrect, David Letterman, The Weakest Link, the Oxygen network, RealWorld/Road Rules Extreme Challenge 2000, MODE magazine, New Jersey Life,cover of TV Guide, TIME, Rosie (magazine), Heart and Soul, Chemical &Engineering News, Entertainment Weekly and numerous web sites. I also servedas a judge for the Miss Teen USA Pagent, signed with the APB Speakers Bureauand traveled abroad to Thailand, Bali and South Africa.At present, I am happily working back at my 9-5pm as a Research Chemist for

Merck & Co., Inc. I'm quite content; I bought a house last summer and amcurrently looking for a boxer puppy to complete the family!SF- So many people apply for Survivor these days, but how and when did youapply for the original? Where did you find out about the show and did youdo anything special on your tape?RG- I'm a self proclaimed adrenaline junkie: I ride a motorcycle, I've skydived,rock climbed and will be going whitewater rafting next weekend. I'd neverheard of Survivor until a friend of mine sent me an email about it. I wentto the site, thought it was cool and figured I'd give it a try. NO REGRETS!My video was VERY simple.....I just sat in my apartment and talked aboutmyself, went to the train station and talked about my job and then onHalloween did a Blair Witch spoof with the flashlight under my chin begging

them to give me a chance! LOL!SF- With this being a brand new experience for the 16 of you, what did youexpect going in since you had nothing to previously compare it to?RG- Honestly, I didn't have a CLUE! I was thinking we would be REALLY be forcedto find our own food. And while we did, some food was provided which Iwasn't expecting. That was the biggest surprise.SF- Eventually, you settled in at camp and started living the day to daylife. What were your first thoughts of the other 7 members of Pagong, and
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how/if did they change as time went on?RG- Jenna: full of engergy, VERY talkativeColleen: happy, funnGretchen: toughJoel: all american white boy, cuteGervase: down to earth, comfortableBB: grumpyGreg: excentric, differentI don't think my initial thoughts changedany while I wasthere.........probably didn't have enough timeto.SF- As mentioned before, this wasobviously the first season of the show.Did you guys feel lost out there the first fewdays not really knowing whatto do or how to act?

RG- I don't think we ever felt lost. We werea very'young' group and were all about having fun........we had people who knewwhat to do and what needed to be done so we hit the ground running makingfire the first night.SF- As i recall, alliances were never a factor during your stay, they didntpop up until later in the game with the Tagi alliance. With that said, howdid you vote then? Did people talk to each other on who they were votingfor, because that is a semi-alliance correct?RG- It was never shown, butalliances were brought up in our tribe pretty early on, but the other womendidn't what to participate. They wanted to "vote their conscious".SF- Unfortunately for you, and your tribe, you became really sick a shortways in. Do you know how it happened or about how long it lasted?RG- I knowexactly how it happened. When we initially jumped overboard, I swallow aLOT of sea water. In addition to that, I DON"T LIKE DRINKINGWATER!!....which, out there, quickly leads to dehydration; It lasted aboutthe first 3-4 days.SF- I, personally, think season 1 of Survivor was the best and you guysreally had to deal with hardships out there. I mean you guys ate rats!Were you really that hungry and what did they taste like?RG- YES, we were

really that hungry! Tagi were eating fish everyday.......it seemed like allthe fish were on their side of the island! LOL! We had no protein so we hadto do what we had to do. And they were quite tasty....a little small, butvery tasty!! Not quite 'like chicken' but with the texture of darkmeat....they had their own unique flavor.SF- Speaking of the eating aspect of the game. How much food did you guyseat on a typical day?RG- We had a bowl of rice 3 times a day with some


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occasional fruit....so not much.SF- What was the overall mood leading up to and going to Tribal Council? Isit just a terrible place to be?RG- Anytime we went to tribal council, I had aknot in my stomach...it was the WORSE feeling. Not only going, but havingto vote someone off OR being voted off yourself!SF- Did you really know you were gone the night you ended up leaving? Ordid you think you were around for at least another 3 days?RG- I kinda knew,but was hoping that I would be staying.......SF- What was the first thing you did once voted off?RG- Took a shower.SF- After you left, and the tribes merged, the game got very ugly with thealliances forming and lying and all. Were you kind of glad you were gonebefore the ugliness reared its head or would you have liked to try and gohead to head with it all?RG- I'm not sure I would've been able to handle that

ugliness. I'd like to think so, but maybe I'm a little too nave. I thinkmy physical strength would've gotten my far, though.SF- When we watch on TV, and challenges come on, we see the rules explainedbriefly and then a short summary of the challenge. How long could they endup taking? Were the rules thoroughly gone over so there would be nodisputes?RG- Depending on the challenge and whether we had questions or not,the explanation could take anywhere from 5-15min. And so that there were nodisputes, they were definitely thoroughly gone over!SF- Speaking of challenges, that was basically the only place where you wereallowed to see the other tribe. Did you know them well and were you allowedto speak to them at all?RG- The only time we were allowed to speak to theother tribe was on the boat before we were 'tribes'. And that we the firsttime we'd been able to talk since going through the process of being on theshow!SF- Season 8 is about to wrap up filming, and season 9 is right around thecorner. The game has definately eveolved over the years into basically atotally different game. What do you think has changed in it and why? Whichstyle do you prefer?RG- I think out of necessity the game has had to change;otherwise it would be way too predictable. I say make it as challenging aspossible....also, I'd like to see America get in on the vote. From the

final four on, let America have one vote!SF- Explain the process of rewatching yourself and your adventure on TV.Did anything others said about you hurt you? What about things you saidtowards others, anything embarrasing?RG- Watching and hearing what otherpeople said definitely hurt.....nothing embarrasing. I think it was amatter of pride. I knew how physically competitive I could be, but I wasnever in a position to really showcase that.


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SF- Who would you consider your few closest friends out there?RG- Gervase and JoelSF- How about the one thing you miss most about being in Borneo?RG- The unknownSF- What was the single most hardest part for you? Why?RG- Being vulnerableand knowing that you couldn't trust anyone.SF- Who do you still regularly keep in touch with from Season 1? Othersfrom the following seasons?RG- I regularly keep in contact with just abouteveryone from my tribe except Greg and Colleen (and that's only becauseno one has any contact info for them). We're all pretty cool. I'm probablyclosest to Gervase and Gretchen.SF- I know you always said you wanted to play again, so one would guess thatyou have remained a fan of the show and watched seasons since. Is thistrue? Are you watching All Stars, if so who were you pulling for?RG- I've watched EVERY season and I was pulling for Rupert in the

All-Star version.SF- How/if at all, has Survivor changed your life?RG- Anyone who says Survivorhasn't changed their lives is lying!! Being on the show, in that situation,made me realize a lot about my self and things I'm willing and not willingto do for money or at the expense of others. Outside of the show, it helpedme appreciate the life I have and reminded me of REALLY important thingslike friendship.SF- What are your plans for the near future? Long term goals?RG- Plans/Goals:travel, have a child, find my passion and continue to find a way to touchsomeone's life in a positive way.SF- In your own words, define a true Survivor.RG- A Survivor is some whoovercomes difficult situations, obstacles and odds and comes out on theother side victorious.

http://www.channel3000.com/sh/entertainment/stories/entertainment-20000622-165344.htmlNEW YORK-- "Survivor" contestant Ramona Gray said she wasn't surprised that she got votedoff the adventure game show in its fourth episode. She was surprised by who voted for her.During her time on the island, Gray, an African-American 29-year-old chemist from New Jersey,said that she hadn't had a white person as a friend since she was a teenager. But on the island, she

became friends with Jenna Lewis, a white 22-year-old college student."Even though she tried to redeem herself, a little too little too late," Lewis said when she votedfor Gray to leave the island. The two held hands as the votes were being tallied at the tribalcouncil and hugged when it was time for Gray to go.Gray told the CBS "Early Show" that her experience on "Survivor" has left her a bit distrustful ofpeople, despite making amends with Lewis."She voted the way she thought she had to," Gray told Jane Clayson. "I've talked to Jenna andI'm not mad."
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Gray said the two castaways have not "kissed and made up," but Gray has made peace withLewis' decision.I don't think you can really trust somebody in an environment like that. I'm non-trustinganyway," Gray said. "I did hold out hope that we would make a connection, that we would befriends. I think we'll keep in touch, but I don't think it will be to the extent that I had hoped."Gray said she knew she would be voted off the island early in the 39-day contest because she hadbeen ill for most of her 11 days on the island. She said she usually doesn't drink water and wasvery dehydrated and felt nauseous."I think of myself as a superwoman. There is nothing I cannot do -- nothing," Gray said. "For meto be vulnerable, (I knew) it was not good."Even though the island's simple diet of water and rice made Gray ill at times, she readily ate abug larva during an immunity challenge in the show's second episode. The two "Survivor" tribesfaced the immunity challenges every three days. The losing tribe must then vote for one of theirown to leave."I'm a competitor. When it's time to compete, it's time to compete," Gray said. "I would haveeaten three of those bugs if it meant we would have gotten immunity."Gray's Pagong Tribe lost that immunity challenge and voted B.B. off the island.

In the third episode, the Pagong Tribe ate some of the rats that were on the island after theirattempts at fishing failed.Gray said the rodents had their "own special flavor. It was really good."

http://media.www.districtchronicles.com/media/storage/paper263/news/2003/09/25/StudentLife/Students.Get.Real.On.Tv-531167.shtmlOn her birthday, Ramona Gray got a phone call from CBS giving her the good news that she wasselected for an interview for Survivor, the reality show stranding strangers together in a remotelocation. It had been two months since she sent in her five-page application and 30-minute video.Ever since then, Ramona would rush to her phone with tightly crossed fingers every time it rang.

Out of 6,400 applications only 500 were selected for the interview in the casting of the firstSurvivor episode. Gray was one of them. After the interview, the applications were narroweddown to 50 and she was still around.

Following what seemed to be endless interviewing, CBS scheduled psychological and medicalappointments for Gray and the other potential cast members. An interview with the president ofCBS was conducted and finally, two weeks later, Gray got the phone call letting her know shewas selected along with 15 other contestants to travel to a tropical island in the South China Seato compete for a million dollars.

"I was so excited," Gray said. "It wasn't even about the money; I would have gone even if there

wasn't any prize to win!"

Like many other adventurous "adrenalin-rush junkies," as Gray describes herself, she believesthat being on Survivor helped her live out her competitive nature and gave her the push sheneeded.

Gray is a Howard University alumna, holding a Masters degree in Chemistry. By the time shemade her television debut on Survivor's inaugural season, Gray had already graduated from
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Howard.

"Being on Survivor was a unique experience which I wouldn't have had anywhere else. Showslike these can give students the chance to be exposed to different cultures and surroundings. It isa lifetime experience which can certainly broaden their horizon," she said.

According to Gray, the main reason people audition for reality shows is because they want to benoticed. "It seems like a lot of people have the need for attention. There is nothing wrong withthat, unless it is the only reason for going," she said.

Gray's only concern is that young people might try to portray themselves the way producers ofreality shows want them to. She warns students not to make that mistake. "Just be yourself;there's nothing wrong with who you are!"

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,85331,00.htmlRamona Gray, a 29 year old biochemist from Edison, N.J., is the cast-off most likely to endorse

Dramamine. She got seasick on the raft to the South Pacific island, and hurled her way throughthe first week.Did you have any idea youd become so famous from this show? No! I really just thought people would see me on TV for the four shows and that would be it. Ifigured I wouldn't be on long enough for people to recognize me on the street or anything, butNO!Have people been doing weird things to try to get you to spill the beans?Oh my gosh, yes! I was at the spa, and this lady told me, ''I'm going to get my checkbook. Wellsee if we can get you to talk!'' I was like ''unless you have over $4 million in your bank account,you might as well keep your check,'' since thats how much CBS would sue me for if I leaked thewinners name.

You came off looking pretty miserable. Do you think you were fairly portrayed?In general I think it was pretty fair. It's funny, though. I just got my hair cut today and my barberwas like, ''Come on up here, Lazy,'' and I'm like, ''I did do some work!'' I take one nap and that'sthe piece that gets put on the freaking show! I really did help out. Honest.Whats the most annoying thing the camera crews did? I was having a bad day, during the days when I was sick, and I was doing an interview with oneof the producers. I just like broke down in tears and the cameramen were just right in my face. Itried to turn away, but of course they would reposition themselves. ''Come on,'' I told them, ''Giveme a break!''One last question. If CBS created a sister show called ''Sir-vivor,'' which Sir would you liketo be paired with: Sir Alec Guinness or Sir Elton John?Probably Sir Lancelot. He was a warrior and could have slayed us some better meals than the rats

that we ate.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2000/06/22/entertainment/main208428.shtml?source=search_storyTrue friendship is hard to come by, especially when you're stranded on a deserted island with $1million on the line. Wednesday night, the latest victim of the Survivortribal council found thatout the hard way.
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Ramona Gray, a 29-year-old biochemist from Edison, N.J., is the latest contestant to be bootedfrom the CBS adventure game show Survivor. One of those who voted her off was her teammate,Jenna, who hugged Ramona as she was disqualified."She voted the way she thought that she had to," Ramona says. "I've talked to Jenna, andI've quashed everything. I'm not mad."Even though Jenna was acting like her friend right up until she voted her off?"I don't think you could really trust somebody in an environment like that," says Ramona."I'm non-trusting anyway. I did hold out hope that we would make a connection, that wewould be friends. I think we'll keep in touch, and we have. But I don't think it's going to bethe extent that I would hope it would be."What about the hug? Was it phony around the tribal council after they voted and then she'shugging you? What was that about?Ramona says simply, "I don't know."This week's CBS NewsEarly ShowSurvivorround-table discussion, moderated by AnchorBryant Gumbel, featured comedian Julia Sweeney, actress Dawn Wells, who played Mary Annon Gilligan's Island, and Jim Poniewozik, who wrote the Time magazine cover story on voyeurTV.

Sweeney watched Survivorfor the first time Wednesday night. "I wanted to hate it," she says."I wanted to be above it, and I ended up getting drawn in."Poniewozik chimes in, "That's the experience. You despise yourself for watching, and youdespise the show, yet you must look."But Wells says she does not despise the show. She views it as a study of human nature, adding,"We're looking at civilization."Ramona was sick for the first week on the island, partly because she was not drinking enoughwater and became dehydrated.But she did muster up the courage to eat the bugs in competition and, when she was hungryenough, to eat rats."They have their own special flavor...Rat taste," says Ramona. "It wasn't chicken, (but) itwas good."Ramona looked so miserable. Was she as miserable as she seemed? Did she enjoy any part of herisland adventure?"I enjoyed the whole thing, believe it or not," Ramona asserts, adding that "the mostmiserable point" was the night it rained without stopping. "I didn't sleep at all. I was soakingwet. I had the rats in the hut with me. It was bad."Ask her to describe some of her teammates in one word and here's what she says:Greg: "Crazy."Gretchen: "Survivor."Jenna: "Cheerleader."Joel: "All-American boy."Gervase: "That's my boy. Gervase is my boy."

But that doesn't mean there is a love connection between Ramona and Gervase -- unlike the onebetween Greg and Colleen, which Ramona terms "hot and heavy."In reply to several questions fromEarly Show viewers, Ramona says she did write in her journalduring her time on the island, and she is toying with the idea of writing a book. She was notscared at all during the game, and she thinks if they ever make a movie version ofSurvivor,Angela Bassett might be a good choice to play her.What did she do when she got get off the island?"Took a shower! It was cold water, but it was still soap and water," she recalls. "I took a


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shower for about 30 minutes."Would she play Survivoragain?"Yes, even if there was no prize money," Ramona replies. "I wanted to try out for theAustralia one. They said I couldn't."


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Dirk Been


DOB: 6/15/76Age during show: 23Age now: 31Marital Status: SingleOccupation: Substitute TeacherHometown: Spring Green, WisconsinLuxury Item: BibleBiography:Dirk graduated from Sauk Prairie High School before earning his bachelor's degree of arts inReligious Studies from Seattle Pacific University in Washington. He currently works as asubstitute teacher while also helping to take care of his family's dairy farm.Dirk loves fishing, dancing and blind dates. Having played basketball in high school and college,

it is hands-down his favorite sport. He prefers to watch "The Simpsons" and "Saturday NightLive" on television, and declares "Indiana Jones: The Lost Ark" and "The Matrix" as his favoritemovies. Describing himself as energetic, funny and loud, he is most proud of being involvedwith helping disadvantaged kids reach their full potential. He lists Martin Luther King, Jr. andLarry Bird as his personal heroes because he believes they are two examples of effective leaderswho led by example.Dirk's perfect day begins with an early morning fishing trip, followed by a competitive game ofbasketball until it's time to head for dinner at his favorite pizza place. Afterwards, he and hisfriends dance the night away.Dirk resides in Spring Green, Wisconsin. His birth date is June 15, 1976.


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Final Words

CBS Site:I guess I want to start by just thanking the Lord for this unbelievable blessing. This whole thinghas been a wild trip. I want to thank the Lord for first of all sending his son Jesus Christ to diefor me and for his entire creation so I can join him in Heaven one day. I want to thank him forsending me to another part of his beautiful creation. I want to thank Jesus my Lord for just givingme the strength and the mind, the body and the health just to be part of something like this.I want to thank the Lord for the beautiful team he blessed me with. I want to thank the Lord forSonja and the person he created in her. I want to thank the Lord for Stacey and the person hecreated in her. I want to thank him for Sean. I want to thank him for Rudy. I want to thank himfor Richard. I want to thank the Lord for everyone else involved in the cast. I want to thank himfor the crew and everybody involved. It has been an incredible blessing for me. Thank the Lordfor Mark for allowing me to be here and for everyone who picked me.I want to thank the Lord for the beautiful weather we've had here. I want to thank the Lord forthe protection we've had since we've been here. I want to thank the Lord for the blessing of foodevery day. I want to thank the Lord for his plan. I want to thank the Lord for allowing me to fail.

If I've failed in some way, I'm very surprised. I thank the Lord for the surprise of being heretonight. I'm completely surprised for being taken out this early. I thank the Lord for that becauseI know he's got a plan for me to move on somewhere else.I've got to thank God for the awesome opportunity. If anybody watching hasn't had theopportunity to meet God through Jesus Christ, let me tell you it's unbelievable. The spirit willchange your life today. If you want to take care of it, just come talk to me we'll handle it rightnow. I'll whip the word. Actually I left my bible back at the camp just in case anybody needed it,just in case I was voted off tonight. Anyway, we can still pray tonight. The Lord has given me somuch and this show is just a continuation of it.Tomorrow I have no clue what the Lord will give me and I'm so thankful for this entire event inmy life. It just blows my mind. It's a blessing from God and I know that. I'm not sure why heyanked me so quick, but I know I tried my best. I had the most fun I could. I worked the hardest Icould. I went after it and some people didn't see it that way, so I'm gone. The word tells us we'remore than conquerors. What does the Lord not have his hand in? He has his hand in everything. Iwas voted out for a reason. I don't know that, but the Lord will make it clear. I still can't believe Icouldn't catch a fish. Maybe I'm not as good a fisherman as I thought, but you know somethinglike this challenges you.I felt like I answered the call the best I could. Obviously it wasn't good enough. I couldn't go thedistance. The only reason I came here was to go the distance and there wasn't a day until I sawthat third vote I didn't think I would make it. Until I saw that I thought I was going the distance. Idid in my heart what I thought was right. I thank the Lord for the strength to be able to stand up,just to do what's right. It's not a problem for me to be cut tonight, because I'll be kicking itsomewhere else tomorrow and somewhere the next day. I'm very thankful. Thank you God.

Thank you Lord. Thank you Jesus Christ. Thank you Holy Spirit. Thanks for all those supportingand praying for me. I love you guys. I love everything going on here. You guys take of yourselves. I've got some partying to do y'all.

Trivia

Challenge Record: 50% (4/8)Voting Record: 66.67% (2/3)


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Dirk was the first player to be booted 4-1-1.Confessional Average:

Quotes

"I feel like this adventure has been a blessing from God, and I can't wait to be a part of everymoment."


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Interviews


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Joel Klug


DOB: 4/13/72Age during show: 28Age now: 35Marital Status: SingleOccupation: Traveling SalesmanHometown: Sherwood, ArkansasLuxury Item: ShampooBiography:One of four siblings, Joel grew up on a dairy farm approximately 20 minutes outside of GreenBay, Wisconsin. During his junior year at Reedsville Public High School, Joel joined the UnitedStates Coast Guard where he remained with a reserve unit for approximately one year. He thenworked various jobs, included working for a sheet metal company, as a landscaper and also as a

construction worker, before accepting a job at a health club.In 1997, Joel relocated to Little Rock, Arkansas, after being recruited by a financial companywhose primary clients are health clubs. At 25 years old, Joel was hired as a National AccountManager and became one of the youngest individuals working in his position, although hequickly proved himself to his peers. In two-and-a-half years, his contributions have helped thecompany generate record-breaking growth.Joel describes himself as confident, strong-willed and adventurous. When not traveling thecountry, Joel enjoys playing football and golf. His favorite television show is "Arliss," and hisfavorite feature films are "Usual Suspects" and "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels." His perfect day wouldstart with a chartered fishing trip in the Gulf of Mexico, followed by a dinner of grilled snapperand mackerel. Enjoying the sunset from the deck of a condo in Sanibel Island, Florida, he'd

smoke a great cigar while listening to the surf.Joel currently resides in Sherwood, Arkansas. He is a member of the International Health &Raquet Sports Association. His birth date is April 13, 1972.


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Final Words

CBS Site:To Mark Burnett, CBS, and everybody else out there, thanks a lot. It was a great experience, alife changing experience. I'm a little disappointed that I went before the teams merged. I alwayspredicted that I'd go right after the teams merged.The main thing that came down was Gervase's statement the other day. The girls really tookoffense to that. I think I was the only one that was really outspoken. A lot of times whensomebody wanted something said, the group knew it had to be said. I was the one that said it. Ithink I drew a lot of the fire that way, but that's me. I'm not the kind of guy that is going to sitthere and not say anything. If something needs to be said, I'm going to say it. People can saywhat they want, that I was stupid to say anything, but if I wouldn't have said anything, we'd besleeping on the ground in the jungle.I did what I came here to do, to compete, to give everything I had for the team and for myself,and to prove I could do it. Eighteen days in the jungle, it was cool and I made it almost halfway. Iwish I could've made it a little longer.I think the girls on the team; maybe a few of them had a little inferiority complex. They took

some of the remarks wrong or too serious. My mom always taught me open the door for a lady,help her, never walk in front of her, always let her go first and make sure everything is okay. Iwent into it with that attitude and I got complaints about it. So I started treating everyone likeone of the guys and I think some of the girls wanted their cake and eat it too. They wanted to beequal with all of the men on the team, so I treated them equally with the men. They wanted theirpleases, and for us to give them a little bit of leeway because they were women. I'm definitelynot a chauvinist. I think a woman can do anything that a man can do. That is why I had everyfaith in the world in the team.I'm gone because I questioned some of the decisions and I didn't take everything automatically atface value when something was said. These are all questions the rest of the team wanted to ask.Whoever voted against me for that reason, maybe it was Gretchen, these weren't questions Ithought of on my own, these were questions that people came to me and said "what about this?" Iwas just the one who said them. So think what you want to think.Good luck with everything everybody. I don't have any ill will towards anybody. I'd just like tosay hey, I'm sure I'll think at night tomorrow or the next day of things I wanted say. I know Ialways think of things I want to say later. Thanks to CBS, thanks to Mark Burnett, thanks toSurvivor for giving me a chance to come out here. It has just been a totally amazing experience.This is the ultimate game. This is the whole deal. I'll have a few drinks for you guys. See yousoon.

Trivia

Quotes

"It's been a surreal experience so far and I'm totally psyched to get the competition started."


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Interviews


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Gretchen Cordy

Season: 1 BorneoFinish: 10th place / 7th boot / Day 21Booted: 4-1-1-1-1-1-1

DOB: 2/7/62Age during show: 38Age now: 45Marital Status: MarriedOccupation: HomemakerHometown: Clarksville, TennesseeLuxury Item: ToothbrushBiography:Originally from New York City, Gretchen attended Freedom High School in Bethlehem,Pennsylvania. She spent six years as a survival instructor for the US Air Force where she earnedthe Cadre Award from her survival instructor training class (for being the person who mostexemplifies the spirit of survival).

Gretchen describes herself as strong-willed (stubborn), compassionate and open-minded. Thetwo things that she is most proud of are her children. She enjoys camping, hiking, canoeing andswimming. Gretchen's hobby is working in her yard, and she likes listening to alternative music.When describing her perfect day, it would be camping with her family in the Hoh Rain Forest inWashington State.Gretchen currently works part-time at a preschool in Clarksville, Tennessee. Happily married for14 years, she and her husband have two children, one dog and a ferret. She is a member ofAmnesty International and her children's PTA. Her birth date is Feb. 7, 1962.


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Final Words

CBS Site:Everything was beautiful and I really enjoyed everybody I met. It's all pleasant memories for me.It really is all pleasant memories.It's scary to me, but Greg reminds me a lot of my son. I would be happy if he grew up like Greg.Greg is a very intelligent man, he likes to have fun and he likes to play with people.The voting is definitely the hardest part of the game. I loved BB, I understood him and I couldwork with him. The only reason I voted for BB was because he told me he wanted to go, and upuntil the last minute he wanted to go. I loved Ramona. I really liked Joel. It came down to wherewe had to vote for people, so I had to put everybody in a lineup and pick somebody out. It was adifficult job.There is nobody I could say I was glad that person went, even with the other tribe that we met. Ithought Rich and I would conflict a little bit. Personally I liked Rich in the time I got to talk tohim. There was nobody I had a conflict with.Well it's my turn. I came, I saw and I didn't conquer. But I had a great time playing, and I'mreally glad I came.

Trivia

Quotes

"There is no failure except in no longer trying, and I don't plan to fail!"

I dont know you, but I know human beings.


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Interviews


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Greg Buis

Season: 1 BorneoFinish: 9th place / 8th boot / Day 24Booted: 6-3

DOB: 12/31/75Age during show: 24Age now: 31Marital Status: SingleOccupation: JourneymanHometown: Gold Hill, ColoradoLuxury Item: FrisbeeBiography:Born in Plano, Texas, Greg Buis is one of four siblings (two brothers and a sister). He studiedanthropology at Brown University, graduating in 1999. He is currently based in Gold Hill,Colorado, although he continues to travel around the world. He has lived in Ridgewood, NewJersey; Providence, Rhode Island; Boulder, Colorado; Santa Barbara, California and Australia.

Along the way, he has been employed as a survival skill program director, boat mechanic, a stonemason and a restaurant manager.Greg describes himself as energetic, hardworking and dedicated. His favorite color is green andhe loves the smell of a pine forest. He says his perfect day would entail stalking a wild animalslowly and quietly enough to surprise it by touching it. His birth date is Dec. 31, 1975.


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Final Words

CBS Site:I'm glad you could all join me here. It has been quite an evening. A twist of fate that maybe somedidn't expect and some did. It seems I've been voted off. There are a few things I would like tohave done had I remained on the island. Climb a tree, some vines perhaps, and go for a bit of arun. It's hard to say otherwise.It's an excellent game, well manufactured and well thought-out. A microcosm of humanity andhumanitarianism possibly, possibly not, possibly just a game. Confess my deepest, darkestsecrets, is that what we're here for? I'm not sure. In fact I'm not exactly sure what I'm here foranymore. I know that we're here; it's just me, you, and those around us.I'm not sure when they'll start closing in. I hear noises in the jungle now. Things might behappening. Things might be taken over sooner than we think. Whether the rebel forces will beable to counteract with something like Operation Tapioca, I will not say.But if it does happen, I know nothing about it. I was never part of any such operation or involvedwith any people that were. I'm just saying something big may happen soon. This is the deep darkheart of the Bornean jungle. Never underestimate what could happen.

Trivia

Quotes

"Everything not forbidden is compulsory."


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Interviews


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Jenna Lewis


DOB: 7/16/77Age during show: 22Age now: 30Marital Status: SingleOccupation: College StudentHometown: Franklin, New HampshireLuxury Item: JournalBiography:Jenna currently attends classes at New Hampshire Technical Institute. Previous occupationsinclude work as an insurance claims analyst, daycare worker and waitress.Jenna describes herself as energetic, competent and athletic. Her favorite sports are football andtrack & field - she'll add basketball to this list only if she's playing. Her favorite television show

is "Ally McBeal" and her favorite feature film is "Austin Powers." Her musical tastes run thegamut of teen pop to hard rock to rap.A perfect day for Jenna begins with an early hike up Mt. Cardigan before going for a swim. Shewould then take her daughters to the playground, followed by a raucous game of paintball withsix of her close friends. At night, she'd go dancing.Jenna currently resides in Franklin, New Hampshire with her twin daughters, Sadie and Sabrina.Her birth date is July 16, 1977.


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Final Words

CBS Site:Well, I had a good time, a great time on the island. I was ready to go home, not that I wouldn'thave liked to stay for the million.There were a lot of alliances going and I felt like I was targeted tonight, 'cause they knew thatSean would vote for me alphabetically. So they knew they'd get an easy off from me. Which iscool. I had a good time.So they had more rice in their pot, and I just want to let everybody know that it was great. Untilit got malicious and evil, and I didn't really want to play anymore anyway. 'Cause it was nolonger who could survive, and enjoy the competition. It was becoming alliances. They were morepowerful because Pagong went into it a little nave.So, do I have any hard feelings? Sort of, but I'll just chill with them until I'm back on themainland. So, that's it. I had a really good time. No hard feelings and nothing's taken personally.

Trivia

Quotes "Veni, Vidi, Vici!"


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Interviews


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Gervase Peterson


DOB: 11/2/69Age during show: 30Age now: 38Marital Status: SingleOccupation: Youth Basketball CoachHometown: Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaLuxury Item: Playing cardsBiography:Gervase hails from Philadelphia and currently lives in Willingboro, New Jersey. He is a youthbasketball coach and his previous occupations include an auditor, a field representative forNielsen Media Research and a test technician for I.B.M. He attended Lincoln Technical Institutefor two years.

Gervase's proudest accomplishment is living to the age of 30. His perfect day would consist ofplaying with his kids, enjoying a game of basketball and football, followed up by a largeincredible meal. His hero is his mother for all the sacrifice and love she gave after his fatherpassed way when he was fifteen years old.His three favorite hobbies are watching movies, basketball/football and anything revolvingaround actress Salma Hayek. Gervase describes himself as confident and responsible, but hastrouble dealing with indecisive people who are afraid of trying new things. His birth date is Nov.2, 1969.


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Final Words

CBS Site:First off I'd like to say that I don't hold any feelings toward Rich and Sue or anybody in Tagi forpicking us off one by one. That's the smart thing to do, and that's what I was trying to do to themwhen I was with Pagong before the merger. It's just that my tribe didn't want to do that theywanted to keep it as an open game, fair is fair let the best person end up winning the milliondollars. That's where Pagong made the mistake, not knowing that this is a game and there are amillion dollars on the line and people will pretty much do anything for a million dollars when itcomes down to it.So I really don't have too much to say. I had a great time here, the best time of my life. It wasreally all on me when it came down to it, to win these challenges for immunity and I didn't. I fellshort and that's why I'm not in the tribe any more, I'm sitting right here. So, that's all on me and Ican live with that. I gave it my best shot, I tried my hardest to win these challenges, I was goingfor broke every time and just couldn't muster up enough to come up on top.I'm very proud of myself cause I really didn't think I was this tough to last thirty days on atropical deserted island. I've amazed myself in a lot of the things I've done out here. I'm pretty

sure all my friends and family will be happy for me and proud of me for all of the things that Iaccomplished and that's what matters when it comes down to it. I'm about to go home to my littleboy Gunner and I can't wait to see him and everybody else. I am proud of myself, I'm happy, andI love everybody home. I'll be coming to see everybody real soon.

Trivia

Quotes

"I'm excited beyond belief!"


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Interviews


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Colleen Haskell


DOB: 12/6/76Age during show: 23Age now: 31Marital Status: SingleOccupation: College StudentHometown: Miami Beach, FloridaLuxury Item: SoapBiography:Colleen currently attends college at Miami Ad School where she is working to make a portfoliothat she hopes will eventually lead to a job in creative advertising. Previous jobs include workingas an intern for Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. and waitressing.Born and raised in Bethesda, Maryland, she attended college at the University of Georgia in

Athens where she was able to study abroad in London, England on a six month internship withthe London Film Festival. Upon graduation, she spent two months in Ghana, West Africafollowed by two months traveling in France.Colleen describes herself as talkative, independent and a bit spacey. Her favorite topics at adinner party are stories and jokes ("I still believe in storytime"). In her spare time, she enjoystraveling and cooking, and prefers to listen to talk radio. An avid lover of French films, sheadmits that Kevin Costner's "Robin Hood" can still make her cry.Colleen currently resides in Miami Beach, Florida. Her birth date is Dec. 6, 1976.


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Interviews


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Sean Kenniff


DOB: 11/27/69Age during show: 30Age now: 38Marital Status: SingleOccupation: NeurologistHometown: Long Island, New YorkLuxury Item: RazorBiography:The middle child of three, Sean was born in Massapequa, New York. His father worked as afirefighter for New York City while his mother maintained her work as a homemaker. Graduatingfrom Massapequa High School, Sean immediately began his studies the following fall at theState University of New York at Binghamton where he eventually received a Bachelor of Science

degree in biology.While other kids opted for spring break in college, Sean stayed behind to save his money in orderto get through medical school. He attained his M.D. through New York Medical College. Upongraduation, he then spent four years with the Long Island Jewish Medical Center (a division ofthe Albert Einstein College of Medicine), serving his last year as their Chief Resident.As a neurologist, Sean maintained a private practice that allotted him the privileges to work forthe Long Island Jewish Medical Center, the North Shore University Hospital (an affiliate ofCornell University) and St. Francis University Hospital (an affiliate of Columbia University). Atage 30, with full intentions of resuming his profession at a later date, he's taken a break toexplore other avenues of interest.An amateur writer, Sean wrote a yet-to-be published psychological thriller which he hopes to

someday develop into a television show. He's also written the sequel. He indulges his artisticimpulses through sketching and writing poetry. He also finds time for boxing at the WestburyPolice Athletic League.Sean currently lives in Carle Place, New York. His birth date is Nov. 27, 1969.


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Final Words

CBS Site:They want me to say something after I just took that lonely walk when your friends slice yourthroat wide open on national TV. Nah, I'm just kidding I don't have any hard feelings towardsthose guys, they played the game.I think that they know how they conducted themselves. They conducted themselves in a prettysinister fashion and I think that will show up on tape, I think the American public will know that.

I think the jury right now is in a tough position because they are going to have to decide betweenpeople they dislike, myself included, depending on the result. There are people that I genuinelylike on there, but there are some very callous, cold, and duplicitous people remaining in thecontest. I like to think I was the last good person down. I hope that is the way Americaremembers me. I conducted myself very well here.On this island you have the good the bad and the ugly but unfortunately right now the ugly isprevailing. I think most of the good people are sitting on the jury pool. I did gain fifteen friends,well maybe twelve or thirteen which nobody remaining can say, and when it comes down to it

that's pretty priceless.

Trivia

Quotes

"I'm prepared for the unknown, and I'm ready to lock horns with Mother Nature!"


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Interviews


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Susan Hawk


DOB: 8/17/61Age during show: 38Age now: 46Marital Status: MarriedOccupation: Truck DriverHometown: Palmyra, WisconsinLuxury Item: TweezersBiography:Born in Waukesha, Wisconsin, Susan attended Waukesha South Campus High School. Currentlyemployed as a truck driver, she previously owned and operated a hunting and fishing camp inN.W. Ontario, Canada. Prior to that, she worked as a horse trainer and a waitress/bartender.Susan's three favorite hobbies are hunting, swimming and fishing. She enjoys hunting birds with

her dogs, Ellie and Stinky. She describes herself as motivated, resourceful, and flexible. Herfavorite television shows are "The Drew Carey Show" and "Who's Line is It Anyway?" Herfavorite feature film is "Papillion" (starring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman) and sheprefers to listen to 60's and 70's rock and roll music.A perfect day for Susan begins at 2:00 AM to walk the dogs. She would be at work by 5:00 AMdelivering concrete, and be home by 6:00 PM for a quick run in the woods with husband, Tim,and of course Ellie and Stinky, who would be looking for pheasants. Returning home, they wouldeat dinner and retreat to the hot tub for a romantic evening.Susan currently resides in Palmyra, Wisconsin. She is a member of the Wisconsin Road Team, anorganization of truck drivers that travel throughout the state to teach student drivers how to sharethe road safely with big trucks. Her birth date is August 17, 1961.


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Final Words

CBS Site:It's been a blast. It was very, very much fun. I said it would be great if I could finish in the lastfour or five and I finished in the top four. Hey that's good enough for me. I didn't expect a wholelot more.Outside of the weather, and being cold when it rained at night, and the sand fleas this was a loteasier for me. To make my money doing this is easier than driving a truck to Chicago every dayof the week. That's a lot worse than being out here in the bush. It was neat being on a team andI'm still on a team until this is aired.Meeting the people and playing the alliance thing, it was a lot of fun. It was a lot of interactionwith people. I haven't had a chance to have lot of interaction with people in a long time. Becauseof my job I'm in the truck and driving all day. So thank you for letting me be here and if I had achance I would do it again.

Trivia

Susan was the first person to ever cast a vote on Survivor.

Quotes

"Thank goodness I'm getting out of the cold!"

Im a redneck, and I dont know corporate world at all, and corporate world aint going to

work out here in the bush.

Action, man! Action, Richard!

The chicks think Im voting for one person and Im not.


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Interviews


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Rudy Boesch

Season: 1 BorneoFinish: 3rd place / 14th boot / Day 38Booted: 1-0

DOB: 1/20/28Age during show: 72Age now: 79Marital Status: MarriedOccupation: Retired Navy SEALHometown: Virginia Beach, VirginiaLuxury Item: ToothbrushBiography:Rudy joined the Navy in April of 1945 and immediately volunteered for "secret and hazardousduty" with the Amphibious Scouts and Raiders, highly classified naval commando units. In 1951,six years after Scout and Raider training at Fort Pierce, Florida, Rudy completed UDT(Underwater Demolition Teams) training in Little Creek, Virginia, and was assigned to UDT-2

(redesigned as UDT-21 in 1953). He remained in UDT-21 for the next 11 years. During thisperiod, he completed numerous specialized schools and deployed routinely to the Mediterraneanand Caribbean areas with the Naval Amphibious Forces. Rudy became a proficient combatswimmer and expert in small-boat operations. In 1962, Rudy was one of the 50 hand-selectedofficers of the original SEAL (Sea-Air-Land) Team TWO, becoming one of their mostdistinguished members.In 1967, Rudy was advanced to the rank of Master Chief Petty Officer and, between combattours, served as the senior enlisted position of Command Master Chief. From 1968-1970, Rudycompleted two combat deployments to Vietnam. Among his numerous awards, Rudy earned theBronze Star Medal for heroic action during more than 45 combat operations. During and after hisstint in Vietnam, Rudy was delegated the "Chief SEAL," and set physical and operational

standards at SEAL Team TWO.In the late 1980's, Rudy became the Naval Special Warfare Community "Bull Frog," adistinguishing award presented to the SEAL serving the longest time on active duty. Instead ofretiring, Rudy was selected as the Senior Enlisted Advisor to USSOCOM. In August of 1988,Rudy headed to Tampa, Florida and entered into the "inner circle" of the Special OperationsCommand to advise on all enlisted matters of the Joint command. For his extraordinaryperformance, Rudy was awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal - an award not often givento an enlisted man.Master Chief Rudy retired from the U.S. Navy after completing over 45 years continuousactivity. He was honorably discharged on August 1, 1990. Rudy and Marge, his wife of 42 years,are now involved in extensive volunteer work. In 1992, Rudy captained a 38' power boat duringthe "Americas Cup 1992" event. In 1996, he captained a support boat at the Summer Olympic

Games. He continues as a Red Cross Volunteer and drives support vehicles and performsessential services during disaster-relief operations. He is also a volunteer for the Virginia BeachPolice Department. Involved with many organizations, Rudy is a founding member of the UDT-SEAL Association and a founding member of the Association's Board of Directors, having onceserved as their President. He is also on the Board of Directors of the Special Operations Fund.Rudy currently lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He and Marge have three children, Ellen Marie,Patricia Ann and Barbara Jean, and one granddaughter, Kelsey. His birth date is January 20,1928.


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Final Words

CBS Site:I never thought I'd come this far, because in the beginning you needed to be an athlete tocompete. I got three votes, then I got two votes, then I got one vote and then they forgot aboutme. I figured I was right in the middle, where I wanted to be. Today was the first time I got avote since a month ago. It was the fatal vote. I'm sure tomorrow Kelly will win it. Just like Jeffsaid, Richard stepped on a lot of toes. I might have given

Documents

Borneo Contestant Profiles