Each weekday, EW will post the answers from a different player.
Thomas), and has either blogged or podcasted about the show ever since.
Years later, the edit still stings.
Stephen Fishbach in ‘Survivor: Tocantins’.Monty Brinton/CBS
I’ve had a lot of people tell me that seeing my vulnerability was actually very moving.
It’s possible to present a person’s messy complexity without making them look ridiculous."
Recently, I had ashort story publishedabout a has-been reality TV contestant in the literary journalOne Story.
Stephen Fishbach in ‘Survivor: Cambodia — Second Chance’.Monty Brinton/CBS/Getty Images
By which I mean to say, I have definitively moved on.
What is your proudest moment ever from playingSurvivor?
Unquestionably, making fire on Exile Island inTocantins.
J.T. Thomas and Stephen Fishbach in ‘Survivor: Tocantins’.Monty Brinton/CBS
I sat on a tiny dune as a rainstorm was kicking up trying to get driftwood to catch flame.
I was there for literally hours, banging on my flint with a dull machete.
And then, just as this brutal night was descendinga spark.
I’ll always be grateful that nobody gave me a lighter.
I leftTocantinsbasically feeling like the fandom considered me J.T.
During that season’s live finale, the audience booed every time my face came on screen.
Thus began my 10-year reputation burnishing tour!
Across every forum and every social web link, I explained and argued how brilliant all my decisions were!
Actually, one of the smartestSurvivormoves I made was during the airing ofTocantins.
What is your biggest regret from yourSurvivorexperiences?
But actually my biggest regret is the shoes I wore onSurvivor: Cambodia.
This wasn’t just an aesthetic problem.
I could barely walk around camp, which made it hard to run up and down the beach strategizing.
(Or at least not my embarrassing ouster the next episode.)
Just a reminder that every tiny decision you make onSurvivorhas enormous ramifications!
“Blow fans' minds” is a pretty high bar.
IS YOUR MIND BLOWN?
Also there were crazy amounts of dangerous beasties in Tocantins.
On Exile, Brendan and I saw a full contingent of crew members wrestling with an anaconda.
Keep in mind that on Exile, I was completely alone.
This was very unusual, as the crew never touches you.
My brother sort of joked, “Oh, was that a bad one?”
And the guy said, “Yes, very deadly.”
I still get chills thinking about it.
How do you feel about the edit you got on the show?
I’ve had a lot of people tell me that seeing my vulnerability was actually very moving.
I’ll sometimes hear from new fans making their way through the seasons who are watchingTocantinsand enjoying my game.
There is no moreSurvivorafter that point.
What was it like coming back to regular society after being out there?
Was there culture shock or an adjustment coming back?
My first season, like everyone, I went through the hoarding food/eating rice with my hands phase.
I resolved in Brazil that I wasn’t going to use my cell phone ever again.
That lasted until the car ride back from the airport.
It basically blew out my senses.
Tocantinswas the most incredible adventure of my life, which I’ve never regretted for an instant.
But during the airing ofCambodia, I absolutely regretted going back onto the show.
To be honest, I almost declined my spot on theSecond Chanceballot.
Ultimately, one of the producers told me, “This is your last shot.”
And nobody wants to give up their last shot.
That said, now with some distance, I can definitively say I’m glad I went back.
I made a lifelong friend in Jeremy.
I got to see “new school"Survivorfirsthand.
And most importantly, I got a huge bump in my Twitter follower count.
Whom do you still talk, text, or email with the most from your seasons?
J.T.and I are still very close.
We talk and text regularly.
I lived in Alabama near him for a short while.
He’s basically family.
I actually officiated his wedding!
Tyson’s one of my closest friends.
I also officiated his wedding!
And he was right.
The pants fit perfectly!
I’m wearing them now!
Taj George andJeremy Collinswereatmy wedding, but neither of them officiated.
Spencer Bledsoerecently led me on some guided meditations.
Roleplaying in the nerdy, imagining-a-universe in your mind way.
It would be incredibly tedious for me to mention every person from previous seasons I’m in touch with.
But I have to give a shout-out toJohn Cochran, who I communicate with nearly daily.
To my “Wine & Cheese” allianceCourtney,Eliza,Sophie, Charlie,Francesca, andBrian Corridan.
He and I have a relationship advice podcast,The Love Know It Alls.
Oh, and there’s a certain EW eminence who I’ve also become great friends with.
It was you all along.
Yes, of course.Cagayanwas my favorite season.
Who’s one player from anotherSurvivorseason you wish you could have played with or against and why?
Christian, because as fun as my two seasons ofSurvivorwere, nobody would play in the sand with me.
If you could make one change to any aspect ofSurvivor,what would it be and why?
I think as a viewer and a fan it’s going to be amazing.
MTV’sThe Challenge(my other favorite reality show) got infinitely better when they started casting more diverse contestants.
I don’t know a single person who was onSurvivorwho wasn’t deeply emotionally rattled by it.
The show needs to provide sustained counseling with expert counselors.
But sometimes over the years, the show has presented those same struggles in a cartoonish and mocking fashion.
It’s possible to present a person’s messy complexity without making them look ridiculous.
Nobody wants to disobey the handlers, because everyone’s worried about their spot on the next all-stars.
Finally, I dream of one day seeing Sang-min playSurvivor.
Finally, would you play again if asked?
