Final Interview Jeff's Final Chat
March 12, 2001 11:00 AM PST


CBS_Moderator: There are tons of great questions, so let's get started. If you are just joining us, we are chatting with Jeff Varner. To ask Jeff a question, please type it in the box below and click "Ask the Survivor." We'll get to as many questions as we can. Here we go!! Welcome, Jeff.
Jeff Varner: Hey y'all! It's Jeff here from Survivor, and I'm thrilled to be part of this. I've been working on the Internet for a long time, and never had a chat dedicated to me. So fire away!

Firebrand: Jeff, what did it feel like being the last one to be voted out, knowing that everyone else would continue coming back, week after week, and you would not?
Jeff Varner: That was the most difficult part of my experience. I thought I would win...I felt like I would win. Strategically, I felt I was set up to win. And to know that I was winning and had no part in choosing the winner was a difficult pill to swallow.

MissCleo: Hi Jeff--This is a question I'm sure the whole world wants to know: Why did ya'll choose Colby? Can you tell us about your tribe's discussion?
Jeff Varner: WE knew that we needed to get rid of their strongest competitor, which was, in our opinion, the person who was most likely to win the immunity challenges. We had no idea who on the other tribe had votes. I was focused on voting on who had votes, and the rest of the tribe was focused on voting out the strongest. We didn't know who on the other side had votes. I suspected Keith did, after meeting him. And my challenge became to convince Kucha to switch their votes from Colby to Keith. And slowly…and very subtly...I approached Kucha members to switch their votes, but Keith won immunity. Jerri put on a very good face on the first day. In fact, I actually thought I saw Jerri and Keith hugging each other. Watching the shows, that was pretty weird. So they were camouflaging Jerri. But Keith won immunity, so...there was nothing we could do. We reverted back to the Colby decision.

limbo: Hey Jeff, sorry that you had to go because of someone's big mouth. I'm sure that's the only reason why you were voted off. We all really thought that you would go far. Have you had the opportunity to confront Kimmi about her blowing your chances for you? I don't think that she did it on purpose but would be anxious to know what she had to say about it.
Jeff Varner: Kimmi screwed me on the fourth day. She told Tina, while we were on top of the rock about to jump off the cliff, that Debb voted for me. Ogakor went back to camp that day and decided that if the tribes merged equally, Ogakor would vote for me. You're right: Kimmi did not do it intentionally. I don't believe Kimmi was playing the game strategically at all. I think Kimmi was just on a camping trip. But after that, I never brought that situation up again, because I didn't want to draw attention to it. In the back of my mind, I never forgot it, and it played a big part in my effort to get Kimmi voted off. Unfortunately, we continued to win immunity and never had the opportunity to vote her off.

Firebrand: Jeff, how would you describe your relationship with Kimmi during her stay in the outback?
Jeff Varner: My relationship with Kimmi in the Outback was fine. I felt that she was a lot of fun, very much a free spirit (and so am I!), so we had that in common. So Kimmi and I spent a lot of time just hanging out and having fun. But we felt Kimmi was aligning with Mike, and so our strategy became to befriend her, yet get rid of her as soon as possible. Kimmi had no idea what she had done by telling Tina about that vote. I confronted her on the airplane from Sydney back to L.A. She was initially shocked, then she thought it was funny. And she laughed at the fact that she was able to get us back by speaking from the grave.

shayla: Do you think that it was fair not to have the immunity challenge after Michael got hurt? I really think that you guys would have won the immunity challenge and the final outcome would have been a lot different.
Jeff Varner: We were given the choice. Mark Burnett came to our camp and told us the night of Mike's accident that we could either merge 5 and 5 or compete in a final immunity challenge and risk going into the risk outnumbered. He explained to us that the challenge in itself was a very physical one that involved a lot of swimming. And since Rodger can't swim, we decided not to take the chance. I believe how Mark Burnett handled the situation was very fair.

Mercedes27: Jeff, I love your attitude towards the game you played very well, and you entertained the heck out of me. What was your favorite challenge and why?
Jeff Varner: Thank you for the compliment, Mercedes27! I'm happy I was able to entertain you and others. In watching the show, I actually entertained myself. My favorite challenge by far was the blindfold challenge. It was so much fun being led around by Nick, not knowing what we were supposed to be doing, where we were supposed to be going...or how it was going to end. We didn't want the Doritos or the Mountain Dew. We actually felt the reward was weak and a bit silly. Our goal was to keep Ogakor from winning. And when we did, we were thrilled!

MzWings: Jeff, who was your favorite bud on S2 and with whom did you have the tightest alliance? All the best to you, you're wonderful!
Jeff Varner: Thank you Mizwings! Again, I appreciate the compliment! My favorite was also my closest, which was Alicia. Alicia and I are kindred spirits! We think about things similarly, our strategies were identical, and although you don't see it in the show that much, she is absolutely hysterical! She can tell a dirty story better than anyone I know! She's very funny!

vicchick: Why did you bring crayons and a coloring book?
Jeff Varner: I wanted a luxury item that did several things. I wanted it to convey my personality, and I'm very much a kid cleverly disguised as an adult. I figured it would help us pass time during those boring periods when there was nothing to do. And I figured it would offer a body of art that I could bring back to the States and auction off for children in need. Given Mike's accident, I narrowed it to a charity that helps children that have suffered from burn trauma. The artwork is magnificent; you won't believe it. And very soon, you'll be able to see samples and get information on the auction at Survivorjeff.com.

jeffshouldhavewon: Why do you believe that Kucha was so strong? Which qualities did this tribe possess that made them stick out from Ogakor?
Jeff Varner: The absence of Jerri Manthey!!!!!!! She was very much a divisive force in Ogakor, while we were able to bond with such great inspiration from Rodger, and motivation from Alicia and Elisabeth. Ogakor experienced the opposite, with the inflicted conflict brought about by Jerri and her strategy. Plus, they voted off a very strong person first, and that's Kel. And they voted off their wisdom second, with Maralyn.

louisvillelip: After watching what has been aired, has it changed your opinion of any of the other players?
Jeff Varner: That's interesting. No, because America is watching an edited package of who we are and what we went through. The viewer cannot judge us as people based on what they are seeing. So, therefore, I don't alter my recollection of people based on the show.

nyny10017: First off, I thought you not only played the game the best, but are the cutest castaway. How do you think your outback experience will change your life going forward? Do you think YOU were portrayed accurately in the show?
Jeff Varner: I find it shocking that I'm considered the cutest castaway when Colby is on everyone's screen at the same time. But I thank you for the compliment. That's hard to answer, because I don't know if any of us is accurately portrayed on who we are in real life. We're playing a game, and there is a lot of strategy that America doesn't see. I think that the producers focused on certain aspects of our personality and presented that to America. So what you see of me is accurate in that it is me and that I'm saying and doing those things, but it's only a very small piece of who I am and how I played.

booboo: Jeff I just wanted to say that you were the best and I loved your strategy and game play! Have you ever considered modeling, and was anyone else on your alliance besides Alicia--like Nick--because you guys always had a unanimous vote before the merger?
Jeff Varner: I have never considered modeling and don't know if I would. My alliance with Alicia was a very strong sub-alliance. We were aligned with Nick for Debb's vote; we were also aligned with Elisabeth; and for Kimmi's vote, the three of us were aligned with Rodger. Alicia and I, along with Nick, kept our eyes opened, our ears opened, and our options opened in terms of whom to vote for. We won immunity so many times that there was never any strong, significant need to form a bigger alliance. We knew what was going on at all times, and voted as a trio with where the others decided to vote. Just before Mike's accident, we were pulling Mike into the alliance.

LiLAngel666: What was the most embarrassing thing that happened to you while you were there?
Jeff Varner: I puked on camera! I tried so hard not to throw up when I was sick. And I tried to gracefully walk away from camp so that I could throw up in privacy, but it just sort of happened before I got away. And the camera caught every moment!

Alton_from_NC: Do you think you guys ate better than the first Survivor group? and do you still crave chicken feed :)
Jeff Varner: I think on the whole, the first group of Survivors had more food than us. However, focusing on Kucha, we ate very well.

JerriBytes: Exactly what does "chicken feed popcorn" taste like?
Jeff Varner: We were catching 4-8 fish in a day, on average, plus the chickens, plus the pig. The Kucha corn, which is what we called it, was amazing! And very addictive! It tasted a lot like granola and popcorn, mixed with the spices we had. It was very addictive! The more you ate it, the more you wanted it.

paulhogan: Jeff--How much sleep would you say you got on average each day?
Jeff Varner: It varied. It depended on the weather--on the cold, rainy nights, very little--maybe four hours off and on. On a warm, comfortable night, which there were very few of, maybe about 6. But all of the nights, the sleep was very light and in segments. You woke up a lot when you would turn over, when you would hear a noise, and you just eventually learned to adapt and adjust to that lack of sleep. We each took probably about one to two naps during the day.

Kayewms: It must have been horrible being so dirty for so long...how did you guys deal with that?
Jeff Varner: Actually, you adjust to that very quickly. You get in the water a lot, except for Kimmi, and the water basically helped you keep the surface crud off. After a few days, you didn't notice it. And after a couple of weeks, it was never an issue. In fact, coming back to civilization, I found taking a shower and brushing my teeth to be a challenge. It was a little difficult to motivate myself to bathe everyday.

ali: Jeff, was most of your time spent on work (gathering food) or did you have time for relaxation and play?

boobeck: Jeff, was mental and physical boredom one of the largest obstacles that you had to overcome while in the outback? What did you do during the day to stay busy?
Jeff Varner: We, at Kucha, worked very hard...all of us! Including Nick. I hate the way they edited into the show me saying Nick was lazy, because on the whole, he was not. Because we went through most of the day reinforcing the hut, fishing, washing clothes, and foraging for food, we found ourselves spending fun time in the late afternoon, early evening as the sun sets, and the days when Ogakor went to tribal council we considered to be our day off... and we would play. The rocks and the rapids, right in front of our camp, formed a natural jacuzzi. We would sit in the jacuzzi, swim in the river, and color in the coloring book. There were often times, with all the niceties and luxuries in our camp, that we referred to our home as Casa de Kucha, the Outback Spa!

I did not find boredom to be an obstacle at all. Our camp was very organized, there was always something to do, and we all are very hard workers. So rather than sit around bored, like you see Ogakor doing, we were always improving and enhancing our camp. We had a totally different experience than Ogakor. They laid around and did nothing all the time. And their camp shows that.

slobby: How many hours a day did you typically spend by yourself, and who was the most private in your tribe?
Jeff Varner: Each of us had our own private time. Alicia would sit at the river's edge, wash and brush her hair and lounge in the sun. Kimmi would go off to her favorite log and would color and meditate. I would break away approximately an hour and a half each day. I had my favorite rock in the middle of the river. I would wade up and sit on the rock and contemplate strategy, think about home, listen to music in my head, and just basically download the experience. After the famous finger-waving catfight, we all decided at Kucha that private time was probably a mandatory thing. And that everyone needed to go away and spend some time with themselves. And that was Rodger's order. Rodger was very much the tribe's father.

DrewCripps: Did you guys encounter any kind of wildlife out there, such as kangaroos and koalas?
Jeff Varner: Yes! A lot…all the time! We saw wallabies, wallaroos and kangaroos daily. There was one day that I was walking through the woods and spotted a huge kangaroo just sitting there. And I stopped and stared at it, and it stared back at me. And it would scratch its belly, and I would scratch my belly, and it seemed like we had this exchange back and forth. It was beautiful!

We saw dangerous, deadly snakes everyday! I accidentally picked one up when it was in a log one day…that scared me! We saw turtles and snakes swimming through the water. We saw crocodile's eyes, sometimes, in the water when we walked to challenges. And every night and every morning, huge poisonous spiders would appear in huge webs between trees. They were plentiful. I was amazed at how many we saw, but how big they were. The wildlife was magnificent! The birds were tropical…bats flew over at night. We saw only one pig, which Mike was able to catch. And we saw Mike everyday! Which to me is wildlife in itself!

SuRvIvOr_FaN_007: Who is the one castaway that you really wanted to get to know but never got the chance too?
Jeff Varner: Maralyn. Mad Dog! I could tell she was such a personality. I figured her to be tons of fun and I was very sad when they voted her off. When she took her teeth out at that challenge, I fell in love with her immediately! I got to know her after the game, but would love to have lived with her.

chelseaboy: Thanks for the great scene where Tina was trying to swallow the insect and you contributed to her gagging. I thought that was the best, and it gave us a good understanding of the fun person that you are. I would have done the same. Are there any more examples like that which us viewers have not seen?
Jeff Varner: Thank you very much for that! I don't know what came over my body and that moment, but I knew Tina needed to throw up in order to keep Kucha from losing its 3rd challenge in a row. When I saw her take a bite out of the tripe and dry heave, I saw that as an open opportunity to jump in and make a difference. This is not summer camp, this is not a fraternity or sorority social…this is Survivor, and I didn't feel that gagging at her was out of bounds. I actually cracked myself up with it...and laughed even harder when she threw up, because it worked!

Yes, there were several other things that didn't make the show, that I did to intentionally taunt Ogakor. One of my strategies was just to relax and have a good time and not take it all so seriously. I'm sure Ogakor hated me for a lot of what I did, but to me, I had a ball! I have no regrets, and I would do it all again, probably harder!

simple_simon: Hi Jeff, has the experience on Survivor changed your life? And what would you do differently in retrospect if you could do it all over again?
Jeff Varner: In retrospect, I would be a little smarter about convincing soon-to-be-banished castaways to vote for someone else, and to avoid the votes accumulating against me. And Survivor has changed my life in every way possible. It has made me a more patient person, a more accepting person, a stronger person, and I guess the feeling…it will continue to change my life in the month to come.

CBS_Moderator: Thank you so much for being here and chatting with us, Jeff. Would you like to make any final comments?
Jeff Varner: Thank you everybody for stopping in to ask me questions. This has been a blast. I'm honored to take the time to talk with y'all! I look forward to getting e-mails and letters from all of you, 'cuz i would love to hear from you. Keep an eye out in the near future for survivorjeff.com. That site will keep you posted on me, where I am, what I'm doing, and will offer you an opportunity to talk to me. Keep watching the show! It gets really interesting! Cross your fingers and hope Jerri goes home Wednesday night!

CBS_Moderator: And thank all of you for your great questions. I'm sorry we didn't have a chance to get to all of them. Remember to tune in to an all-new Survivor on a special night this week, Wednesday at 8PM ET/PT only on CBS. And don't forget to check out www.survivor.cbs.com for all the latest Survivor info!! Goodbye all!

survivornut: Bye Jeff--You're #1
WoolyGal: Love you Jeff! Hope you and Alicia date!
JeffFanKJL: We Love ya
jennor: Thanks Jeff, love you, bye
AliciaAllTheWay: Good luck in the future
Sad2CJeffGo: Jeff...Yer the bomb! I love ya buddy!!!!!! Thanks for the MANY laughs!!!!!!
patchouli: You're very cool, I'll miss you
chatty: We love you Jeff!!!
yohoo: Thanks jeff!
AnnieH: I wish you all the best in the future. Good luck on Regis and Kelly tomorrow!
survivor_to_be: Bye Jeff We love you!
Locke_Scythe_Survivor_Junkie: Canada loves you!
lmp: Bye Jeff. You were great. Are there any smart people left?
min: Thanks for your time Jeff. Wish you could have survived longer
Robin: Bye Jeff, you played a great game!!
Sad2CJeffGo: You were my favorite Jeff! I love you!!!!!
TheDanMan: BYE JEFF! THANKS FOR CHATTING WITH US!
wolfie_pb: Thanks for taking the time to chat with us Jeff!
Marsha: Good bye Jeff! You rock!!!


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