‘Survivor: Kaoh Rong’ exclusive: Debbie Wanner on being voted out, Joe, Aubry, and overall perspective
There are few players like Debbie Wanner on “Survivor: Kaoh Rong,” and you could really stretch that out to have it apply to all 32 seasons of the show. To us, she’s one of the more original, funny, and interesting characters we have ever seen on the show. What also makes her great is that she’s not just there for the sake of one-liners or fun confessionals; she also wanted to play the game, and play it hard. She was in part responsible for what happened to Liz in the early part of the game, and there were times after the merge where it felt like she was in a good spot.
As a matter of fact, we’d argue that circumstances were really the only reason why she was voted out Wednesday night. Aubry was concerned about her passing around information too openly, but at the same time we feel like if it wasn’t for the immunity idol trickery, Jason, Scot, or Tai would’ve been a pretty easy mark and would’ve gone home instead.
In our exit interview today, we spoke with Debbie about the vote, how much she saw it coming, her relationship with Joe, and how she really manages to keep the entire experience in perspective even in spite of her being presented as such a big character.
CarterMatt – Did you know you were being voted out of the game?
Debbie Wanner – It was a really long tribal. The reaction that you saw on TV was to something that you didn’t see. So actually, I knew.
So let’s hop in the time machine for a moment and talk about the vote. When did you think that your name would be written down?
Previous to immunity, Aubry did want Julia [out], and I told her it was a bad idea because I don’t suffer tyrants easily. The bold move, the intrepid move was now: Take out one of the guys. Only Jason and Tai have idols, they’re not going to give their idols to a millionaire, so he can stay in the game and they can put their own heads on the chopping block. My [idea] was that we go two, two, and two on all of the guys.
But because they had taken the hatchet and the machete and caused their ‘psychological warfare’ — and by the way, I responded by taking their shorts, I retaliated — why would you cave in to these bullies? Why would you give them a chance of getting their foot in a crack of the door? Take them out, and take them out now. But, the safe thing to do was not even take a chance that they could use the super-idol, so the safe thing to do was to take out one of the girls and it was me. I was the one who stepped up with the plan.
So who do you think was the one most resistant to going along with your idea?
It was Aubry, period. She was the only one. I think the others could have been persuaded, and [when it comes to] my [plan to split two, two, and two], when Julia when back to Scot and Jason, at least what was shown, and told the guys it was going to be Tai and Jason, she never even brought up Scot’s name! She went back and she talked to them but, as far as I know, didn’t give them accurate information. Julia stuck with the girls anyway because it would’ve been asinine for her to flip at that point because it was six to three.
How much paranoia was there about Julia? How much time did you really see her spending with the guys?
Very, very little. I mean I walked by them and said ‘who’re you guys voting for,’ and it took me a few seconds to do that, so I knew that they weren’t targeting Aubry, they were targeting Cydney.
Everybody breaks off in their own groups and goes off here and there. Julia was with them for thirty seconds. I just figured the odds of her telling them what we were going to do were slim to none, and Julia’s a very bright girl. ‘The numbers are six to three, and they want to take out one girl which makes things even worse for me, so now I’ve gotta stick with them.’
I want to go back for a minute to the Liz vote, because I really thought that this was a really great episode for you in between entertainment and strategy. What was your read on that whole situation? On the show, it looked as though Liz and Peter weren’t taking you and Joe seriously, and you were able to exploit that to make a move.
From the moment we hit that beach it was two, two, and two. We all got along. We had really good times, and I genuinely like Liz, like Peter, like them all, which is more than I’ll say for … well, we’ll leave it at that. Peter and Liz were very cocky, and I was never the person like ‘I’m the smartest, Einstein and I could be genetic twins.’ I never thought in life that I was all that intelligent; I just work really hard.
Joe and I were building the shelter, getting the food, starting the fire, etc., etc., Neal is looking for the idol constantly, Aubry is freaking out in neurotic mode constantly, and Peter and Liz were just lounging letting the minions do the work! (Laughs.) Unfortunately sound really carries over water, and of course I knew that they were going to take out me and Joe. Joe’s 72 years old. Of course, take out who they perceive to be the weak people.
What always surprised me was that I was the only person with a plan in terms of ‘what do we do if we lose.’ So, I just had to make up my mind as to if I was going to go with Neal and Aubry, or if I was going to go with Peter and Liz.
What was your take on Joe out there? He’s someone who has been very quiet on the show.
Joe’s a rarity today, and maybe that’s because he grew up in a different time. Joe is a true gentleman, he never got ugly or arrogant or cocky or even rude. Even when Scot was pouring water on the fire. I don’t know if you’ve ever been camping, and I mean camping for real, carrying things up a mountainside. You have what you brought in. Fire means a lot. Even when it’s 110 degrees and you’re eight degrees off the equator. Joe maintained his dignity, and at his age the man should be getting six figures just for putting up with it, and not just the physical [nature] of it. Let’s just say that Joe got some ugliness thrown his way that has not been shown in its entirety. He was a true gentleman.
Is Joe someone you wanted to go to the end of the game with?
I’m going to say yes, and that’s not because I thought nobody would vote for Joe because he didn’t hold his own. Joe more than earned his keep out there. I’d bring him out of respect, because I had that much respect for him.
After the tribe swap you had suggested at one point that [the Chan Loh tribe] get rid of Jason because he was ‘lazy.’ Was that your full assessment of him, or were you just trying to [plant the seed] out there?
I thought that he was lazy around camp. I never lost sight of the fact that I didn’t go in there at 30% [body fat], I went in there at 8, 9%. You really have to eat out here. Some days, dinner was four snails. So get up off your a– and go get what you’re going to eat. It’s not coming by boat! There’s nothing unless you go get it.
So yea, he really did not do much in my opinion around camp.
What was the whole experience like for you watching the show, in between seeing the confessionals and all of the times the show messed around with your job? Did you have fun with the reaction?
It’s more interesting for me to see the reaction of people who actually know me. I don’t get a raised heartbeat even watching myself on TV. It’s kind of cool; even I think I look skinny sometimes (laughs), so I must.
It was neat. The coolest part was meeting the Cambodian natives, seeing that country top to bottom. I love history, I know all about Pol Pot and the devastation those people have endured, and let me just say that there are no obese people in Cambodia. I’ve seen people [around the world] who don’t have electricity.
I put it all in perspective. Was it cool? It was really cool. I didn’t cure cancer, I didn’t climb Mount Everest, I didn’t swim the English channel. I’m on a reality TV show that was just a game. I can keep it all in perspective. But yea, it was a really cool, unique, singular adventure.
So with all of the life experience that you do have, what’s the experience you want to have next?
That would be climbing Mount Everest!
So is there an interest in going back and doing this again?
Maybe.
Is it just the sort of thing that you’ll wait and see where you are in life?
Yeah. ‘Can I gain twenty pounds?’ I’m going to have to figure out how to go out and gain weight, since I can’t go in at 115, 120 pounds again. There was no glucose in my brain. There was the enormous patch on my right shoulder. The infectious were rampant, they were penicillin resistant.
Does going through what the Brains tribe went through out there, which in terms of infectious and injuries may be worse than any tribe ever, influence your decision to return in any way?
You’re away from home for more than 39 days, and it’s really more like 60 days. And when you’re my age, you probably have children to take care of, you have a job that isn’t like ‘I’ll be back in two months — make it three!,’ and then you have aging parents. When you are a middle-aged American, you have a lot of real responsibilities. It’s a lot easier for somebody in their twenties to pick up and go than somebody at my age. So I don’t think the elements, the harsh environment have as much to do with it as ‘are you able to go?’.
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