Final Interview Alicia's Final Chat
March 16, 2001 11:00 AM PST


CBS_Moderator: There are tons of great questions, so let's get started!! If you're just joining us, we're chatting live with Alicia Calaway. To ask Alicia a question, please type it in the space below and click "Ask the Survivor." We'll get to as many of your questions as we can. Let's get started!!! Hi Alicia, thanks for being here to chat with us today.
Alicia Calaway: Thanks for having me!

The_Rattlesnake: Hi Alicia ! Before I ask my question I would just like to say thank you for sharing yourself with us and for playing the game to the fullest and to the best of your ability. It was a real treat to be able to watch and cheer for such a beautiful person and character, I certainly look forward to your influence on the game from this point on. Although you ended up on Kucha and had the best "Tribemates," what would you have done different, looking back now?
Alicia Calaway: I probably wouldn't have allowed myself to lose my temper with Kimmi. I should have just have kept walking away the first time and not turned around and got into an argument with her.

MissCleo: How close did you come to an all-out brawl with Kimmi when you guys got into your argument over the chickens?
Alicia Calaway: So close that I had to walk away a second time.

Valerie: I'm very disappointed that you were voted out. I was sure you would have made it to the final four. Did you have an objective and if so, did you reach it??
Alicia Calaway: My biggest objective was if I had been voted out, to at least make it to the jury. And I did that, and I was very happy with my position in the game.

Soph: Hi, Alicia! I would like to know how your new-found fame has changed your life? Is it for the better, or do you not like all the attention?
Alicia Calaway: (laughs) It's a lot of fun at times! But sometimes it can be a bit exhausting!

MXMike: Alicia, I hope that you can take some pride in the fact that you were seen as a huge threat! I was hoping you could elaborate more on why you felt so confident that you would be voted off. What we saw on the episode seemed to be misleading...what do you think about that?
Alicia Calaway: I knew going into the Game from the very beginning that I was going to be a physical threat. My physical fitness was an asset at the beginning of the game, but I knew it would be a liability after the merge if we did not have the advantage going in...since Mike got hurt, and Jeff got voted off. We knew that we were in a bad situation and that I would be the biggest threat in the Kucha tribe.

Alice_Springs: How did you prepare yourself mentally and physically for the big drop in calories and did you lose any muscle tone?
Alicia Calaway: I prepared physically by doing a lot of cardiovascular training before I left. And I didn't think much about losing weight out there, and I did definitely did lose some muscle tone. But that's okay.. as long as I could stay strong and Kucha kept on winning those challenges.

ImissMichael: Alicia, I was sorry to see you go. You were a great player! Wednesday's episode showed Tina, Keith, and Colby doing a very convincing job of pretending they were going to betray Jerri. However, you remained convinced they wouldn't. What did you observe off-camera that let you know the Ogakor alliance was still intact? Also, Jeff mentioned that you two were "kindred spirits." Do you agree?
Alicia Calaway: I knew that Colby, Tina, and Keith would have to vote off a Kucha member in order to keep their advantage over us. And I knew that would be me. And I do believe that Jeff and I are kindred spirits. Together, we are best friends at this point.

Jennor: Alicia, do you think you and Jeff will be life-long friends? Would you ever consider dating each other?
Alicia Calaway: We will absolutely be life-long friends. But I don't like to date my friends.. so I think we will just have to stay friends.. and that's it. Sorry! (laughs)

Tiggi: Of all the people you spent your days with, who would you say you became the closest with and who would you say you would least like to spend time with?
Alicia Calaway: Jeff and I were close from day 1, and remained close. Kimmi and I were not close from day 1 and will never be close. (laughs)

MissCleo: If you had to be stranded with one person--Kimmi or Jerri--who would you want it to be?
Alicia Calaway: Definitely Jerri! She and I traveled together after the filming of the show and we had a great time! She is a wonderful person!

Mookesh: Kucha had the momentum of a freight-train before Mike's accident; any comment on how that affected Kucha's unity before the merger?
Alicia Calaway: Kucha was definitely on the way going to the merge with the advantage. But after Mike's accident, we realized we needed to come together even closer to keep the momentum going. And we knew it would be hard going in evenly. We felt it was a little unfair, but the Gods decided to vote Mike out.

Trippin_inCanada: What was the scariest thing that happened in the Outback? Was it the Michael incident?
Alicia Calaway: Yes, the accident with Michael was definitely the scariest thing that happened. Standing in the water with him for 20 minutes with him screaming, was a life changing experience for all of us.

Lonely_Man: Alicia, did you have any funny things we didn't see on TV that happened to you? Like encounters with a wild animal?
Alicia Calaway: I was drying my underwear on a stick inside of the hooch, which is our shelter. And when I went to put them on, I noticed a spider had made a web inside of the crotch of my underwear. But, luckily, I noticed it before I put it on! (laughs) Ireland: What's the first thing you pigged out on when you got voted off?
Alicia Calaway: Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I had been craving them from the very beginning! And I couldn't wait to get back and have all the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches I could!

Tandy: After watching the shows on tv, what surprised you the most about the Kucha team?
Alicia Calaway: The thing that surprised me the most was that Rodger was considering voting me off because of the tension between Kimmi and myself.

hereiam: Alicia, thanks for being such a wonderfully "strong" role model for fitness. Where do you see yourself in 5 years - especially after all this excitement wears down?
Alicia Calaway: Thank you for your kind words! And hopefully I will be able to open up my own training facility!

AmbersBoy: Alicia, I've got a more general question for you. It seems that since Survivor aired, television will never really be the same. Do you think the show is a positive contribution to our culture, or just a fun, entertaining TV show?
Alicia Calaway: I think the show serves both purposes. It's an inside to how people interact in a social situation when they're taken out of their element. But it's also fun to watch them go through so many different changes throughout the game.

BlondieStar: Out of the original group of Survivors, who did you identify most with? And did you think Richard deserved to win?
Alicia Calaway: I identified the most with Gretchen. She is a very strong and level-headed woman, and I admired the way she played the Game. When I had originally watched the show, I did not like Richard at all and didn't think he deserved to win. But after being part of the game and playing the game I respect his strategy a lot more and absolutely think he deserved to win Survivor 1!

Trippin_inCanada: What was the best challenge in Survivor? Which one was the most fun?
Alicia Calaway: The most physically demanding challenge was the obstacle course, when we were tied together. But the most fun challenge was the blindfold challenge when we won Doritos and Mountain Dew.

CHRIS_FROM_CANADA: Did you feel that the presence of the camera made the Survivors, including yourself, act differently as you would if the cameras weren't there? Or did you feel you would be the same people even with the cameras gone?
Alicia Calaway: In the very beginning of the Game, I think the cameras had a definite impact on how people were behaving. However, about a week into the show, we completely forgot the cameras were there, and they had absolutely no impact on us.

D_D: Elisabeth seems like a sweet and nice person; her relationship with Rodger is very father/daughter like! Are they both for real?
Alicia Calaway: I know it's hard to believe, but they are probably even closer than they appear on tv.

Dizzy_Girl: What was the one thing you wished you had brought with you but you forgot?
Alicia Calaway: There was nothing we were allowed to bring with us outside the mandatory items, so I know I didn't forget anything. But I would have liked to bring my pillow, so I would be a little more comfortable at night sleeping.

kay5545: Alicia, what was your biggest shock to "surviving" in the Outback. Was it lack of food, weather, or the insects?
Alicia Calaway: The weather was the most unexpected part of being in the Outback. We knew we would be hungry, and we knew that the insects were going to be dangerous. But we didn't realize it was going to be as cold as it was at night.

Nick: Were you restrained from hunting certain animals?
Alicia Calaway: Yes, most of the animals in the Outback are protected by the Government.

hope2survive: Alicia, Do you think your experiences in the Outback have permanently changed you? If so, how?
Alicia Calaway: Yes they have definitely changed me permanently. I realize now that it doesn't take much to make a person happy. Definitely not material things. We had hardly anything out there, and when I got home I realized I accumulated entirely too many things around me. And I literally packed 5 bags of clothes I never wore to Good Will.

kuchalover: What inspired you to apply to Survivor?
Alicia Calaway: I was intrigued from the very beginning of the first show. And I loved the thought of being challenged, both mentally and physically. And I wanted to see if I could do it!

SuRvIvOr_FaN_007: What were your friends and family's reaction when you told them you were going to be on Survivor?
Alicia Calaway: I only told a few people who are closest to me. They were very excited, but they were much more confident that I would be going and be selected than I was!

hope2survive: Alicia, Do you have any advice for people who are thinking about trying out for Survivor 3? What did you do in your interview or video tape that you thought set you apart from your competition?
Alicia Calaway: When you're applying to be on Survivor 3, you should make sure to be yourself and not try to be the person you think they want to select to be on the show. You never know what kind of person they are looking for. So be creative. I think it was probably my videotape that got me selected. It was creative and different than anyone else had sent it. It was short and to the point. I had a friend of mine dress up in a kangaroo costume, and I pretended to hunt him down in Central Park. It was very funny, and was very creative for a just a minute and half worth of videotape. (laughs)

SurvivorGeek: How much did you miss your family while in Australia and what did you do about work? Did you take a leave of absence?
Alicia Calaway: I missed my family immensely while I was away. We had 2 months with absolutely no contact with them. But I tried not to think of them too often, so I wouldn't be too distracted from the Game. And I am in business for myself, so I hired 5 trainers to take over for me and train my clients, until I got back.

out: Was there anything you wish you had learned before you left for the Outback? Like how to build a fire without matches?
Alicia Calaway: Yes I wish I had learned how to preserve meat, so that when we killed the pig, we could have saved a lot more of it for the future days to come.

chuck: I understand that Australia has a rabbit problem, too many of them. Did you or any others try to catch them to eat?
Alicia Calaway: Unfortunately, we didn't see any rabbits where we were located. But if we had, we would have definitely tried to catch more than one!

JUSTME: Have you bought any chicken feed to make "Kucha Corn" since you have returned?
Alicia Calaway: (laughs) I hadn't bought any chicken feed because I'm a little afraid of the repercussions. I want to wait to see what could happen to us, before I start feeding on Kucha corn.

Rationale: Which contestant do you think was the most different from you?
Alicia Calaway: I think the contestant most different form me would have to be Rodger. He is much older than me, he lives in a small community with not very many people. And he's a farmer. But I absolutely loved him and think he's probably the greatest person out there.

survivorchamp: Alicia, what's the deal on Nick? He's always in the background never saying a thing. I know he wasn't feeling well but he needs to be more of a team player . Can you shed some light on this for us?
Alicia Calaway: I agree with you there. Nick slides under the radar a little too well. I'm not quite sure if that is his strategy... but I know he's a lot thicker than he appears to be on tv.

Karen: Who's luxury item was the most useful, and what was it,? And who's was the least useful and what was that?
Alicia Calaway: The luxury item that was the most useful was Nick's luxury item, which was a Frisbee. We used it as a plate, for everything including eating off of and cleaning fish, sorting Kucha corn.. anything you could think of you would need a plate for we used it for. The least useful luxury item was Debb's, which was eye liner, which none of us thought we would need anytime soon.

cstrail: What did you do in your spare time while there to have fun or stay in shape?
Alicia Calaway: Jeff and I would often venture off into the Outback to find grapes and berries and see what kind of things was going on around our campsite. We also had an area in the area, that we called our jacuzzi, and we would go there on the hot days to cool off.

mate: What was the most difficult emotional challenge you faced?
Alicia Calaway: Jumping off the cliff had to be the most emotionally difficult challenge for me. I am afraid of heights, and I am not crazy about the dark, murky water, that's known as Herbert River.

tosuperstar: What was the most shocking thing about the Game itself and the Outback in general?
Alicia Calaway: The most shocking about the Game itself was how much harder it was than I had expected it to be. And the Outback is ruthless.. the temperature changes are extreme, and we were approaching wet season, which means the rainfall was becoming heavier and heavier, and more and more dangerous.

SuRvIvOr_FaN_007: In the Perch immunity challenge did you get a chance to go to the washroom or did you have to hold it? Or did you have to go while just standing there?
Alicia Calaway: Luckily enough for me, I never even thought of going to the bathroom! But if I would have to go, I would have to go just standing there. Thank God that didn't happen!

MissCleo: Did anyone else have to go?
Alicia Calaway: Nobody appeared to have to go, but it's possible that some of the people that jumped off earlier may have been motivated by their need to have to use the bathroom! (laughs)

joie: Do you think if you would have won the pole challenge that your tribe would still be around and in the end one of you would have won?
Alicia Calaway: I don't think that my winning immunity at the pole challenge would have made a difference. It appeared that Ogakor was going to cast their votes on Jeff no matter who won that immunity challenge.

KYkid: Alicia, I think you are awesome. How much weight did you lose while you were in the Outback? And, what was your body fat before and after?
Alicia Calaway: Thank you for saying that! I am not quite sure how much weight I lost, because I was trying not to concentrate on that too much. And I never check my body fat or weigh myself... I strictly go on how I look and how I feel about myself at the time.

spunky: Would you ever pose for Playboy?
Alicia Calaway: I would be happy to if they offered me the right amount of money! (laughs)

paulhogan: Was there any romance going on that they didn't show on tv?
Alicia Calaway: Unfortunately not. We were a little too dirty and unkempt to think about romance!

KuchaRocks: Alicia what is your favorite piece of memorabilia from the your time in the Outback?
Alicia Calaway: On Halloween night, Mike and I were fishing in the river when the sun started to set. And millions of flying foxes, which are large bats, came flying down the river over our heads and through our camp.

tater: What do you think would have been the best reward for a reward challenge?
Alicia Calaway: I think when they offered us a picnic for the blindfold challenge, they should have gave us a huge spread! That would have been the best reward!

day_tripper: Why did you pick Colby for the vote off after the merge? Did you really not know he didn't have any votes previously?
Alicia Calaway: We picked Colby for the vote off after the merge, because we knew he was the strongest tribe member. We didn't know the voting history because we only saw the Ogakor tribe at the challenges and it appeared that they were getting along fine, from what we could see.

petey: Alicia, which Survivor is as they seem on the show, and who is the most misunderstood?
Alicia Calaway: The most misunderstood would be Jerri. She is nearly not as mean as she appears. But unfortunately, this show has brought out the worst in her. Although Kimmi and I do not get along, she was exactly the same in the Outback as she would have been anywhere else!

StuckZipper: Alicia, you are so beautiful! Is there any cast member that you wish you would have gotten to know better?
Alicia Calaway: Thank you for that compliment! I would have to say I would have liked to have gotten to know almost everybody in the Ogakor tribe better, because I didn't get to spend very much time with them. And they all seemed like cool people! But there isn't any one person in that tribe that sticks out more than the others.

bunnie: If you could have switched one person from your tribe for someone else right at the beginning, who would that have been?
Alicia Calaway: I would have switched Kimmi to Ogakor and Colby to Kucha! (laughs)

OICU812: Didn't you get the impression that there was tension at Ogakor when Colby threw the water on Jerri?
Alicia Calaway: We didn't see Colby throw the water on Jerri, because we were busy enjoying the Doritos and Mountain Dew. I wished we could have seen that, because that would have given us a little more insight on what was going on in the Ogakor tribe.

wilbur: Were you disappointed that although you were clearly the fittest, the fittest did not survive?
Alicia Calaway: It's always disappointing when you don't win. But I knew that my physical fitness was going to be a threat if we did not go into the merge with the advantage. This game just isn't about who is the most physically fit, and in my case that proved to be true.

sea: Alicia, was there any time you got scared out there?
Alicia Calaway: Yes, quite frequently at night, when we had to use the latrine. It got to be scary because it got to be so dark you couldn't see the hand in front of your face, but you can hear all the animals running all around you.

bunnie: Alicia, you're awesome, how well were you portrayed to us?
Alicia Calaway: Thank you! I was portrayed halfway accurate. The only thing they showed about me was my serious side. There is so much more about me that you didn't see... particularly my funny side and the fact that I like to laugh a lot.

Pascale: The Best and Worst Part of being on Survivor?
Alicia Calaway: The best part about being on Survivor was taking part of such an amazing life-changing experience. There really isn't a worst part about being on Survivor.

Chris_S: Alicia, What was the most memorable moment of being on Survivor?
Alicia Calaway: The most memorable moment for me was standing on that pole in the middle of the river for 10 hours, 17 minutes and 55 seconds! I never thought I had that kind of patience! That is exactly the kind of thing that you learn about yourself when you are in a middle of an experience like that.

Reddbull_Luvs_Alicia: Alicia, you are a dynamic person. What will you do next to challenge yourself?
Alicia Calaway: That is a good question! I haven't thought that far ahead, because Survivor continues to be a challenge everyday. Something new is always coming up, but I'm open to suggestions. So please send them my way if you have any!

MaJo: Alicia, what do you think about the fact that there have been so few minority group members on both Survivor shows?
Alicia Calaway: I'm not sure what to think about that. I don't know if there is just a higher majority of other ethnic groups applying to the show or not. And I don't know what exactly the producers are looking for when they are interviewing for the show. It would be nice, however, to see more ethnic groups represented on the next show.

AdiosJerri: Do you think David Letterman's treatment of the Survivors on his show is disrespectful or just funny?
Alicia Calaway: I definitely think the David Lettermen treatment of the Survivors is disrespectful. But then again, that's the kind of humor David brings to his audiences. And that's what they expect from him.

ptownfan: Alicia, do you get recognized often? Is that weird for you?
Alicia Calaway: Yes, I do get recognized often. And it is very strange for me, especially because I am 32 years old and not accustomed to people recognizing me on the street and in the subway.

sandy: Was it a big let down when you got back to the real world?
Alicia Calaway: It wasn't as much of a letdown as it was a hard adjustment. I went from being in the middle of the woods, to the middle of the city. And it took me about a month for me to return to normal. I would love to go back there... I have a new found respect for the Outback and any environment like that!

ceojoe: Alicia, have you been in touch with any of your fellow contestants since returning from the filming of the show? I mean, did you make any lasting friendships?
Alicia Calaway: I have spoken to every single contestant except for Kimmi, which I am sure we will be speaking sooner or later. We are all very close, because we are the only 16 people that got to share in this experience together. And we will always be friends because of that.

KuchaKutey: I admire you and respect you so much. And you are such a great role model for teenage girls, like myself. Will we still see you in the media-on TV shows, commercials, magazines?
Alicia Calaway: Thank you for saying that! I hope I can continue to be a positive role model, and it would be nice to continue on this path. I'm working on it right now as we speak!

timrayo: What is the most important thing in your life now that the show has ended for you?
Alicia Calaway: Making the most success I can out of my experience ... and making sure everyone that I love is proud of me and what I have done.

CBS_Moderator: Alicia, thanks so much for being here today and for taking our questions. We had a great time chatting with you.
Alicia Calaway: Thank you for your kind words and questions! I hope you continue to watch the show. Things become very interesting and the show has been a lot of fun.

CBS_Moderator: Thanks for joining us, everyone. Tune in to an all-new Survivor on a special night, Wednesday at 8:00pm ET/PT, only on CBS. And don't forget to check www.survivor.cbs.com for all the latest Survivor info. See ya next time!!!

Alicia_Rulz_All: Bye Alicia!!! I LOVE YOU!

CurlyMom: See ya Alicia, you did great!!!! Thanks for being on chat.

Leesi: Good luck Alicia...

kurs: Alicia you rule!

sonfel: I'm sure everyone's proud of you. I am.

Jennor: Alicia, thanks for the chat, Utah loves you, bye.

redmoon: Alicia, we are proud and honored by your example. Thanks.

Sonique_Hedehog: You are the coolest, Alicia.

U_Go_Girl: Bye Alicia, you were AWESOME!!!!!!!

Fried_Chicken_for_Rodger: We love you Alicia. Stay strong!

survivorchamp: Thanks Alicia, you were the best on Survivor 2.

Melanie: Bye alicia, love ya!!!!

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