Final Interview

Jerri's Final Chat
April 2, 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 Jerri Manthey. To ask Jerri 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. So let's get started!
Jerri Manthey: Hello everyone, this is Jerri Manthey from Survivor. Who has a question for me?

sunshine: Jerri, you gave it your all. Do you regret anything from the outback?
Jerri Manthey: I don't regret anything about my experience. I feel I stayed true to myself. I was honest and I spoke my mind. I feel very proud about the way I played the game.

NelsaandNica: Jerri, you definitely acquired the title for the Survivor that everyone loved to hate. Was this part of your strategy, or were you really surprised by some of the things that came out of your mouth?
Jerri Manthey: I never went into it hoping to be hated. That was definitely not part of my strategy. I did, however, go into the game with specific goals, and I achieved every one of them--except for winning the million dollars. But through frustration and hunger, sometimes you say things that you wish you could take back. We all did it at one time or another.

trippin_inCanada: Jerri, do you feel you were portrayed fairly on the show?

gary: Jerri, do you think CBS "made" you look like someone you are not?

MissCleo: Jerri - Mark Burnett said in the chat last week that, "...the editing didn't make Jerri look bad--Jerri's comments made Jerri look bad." What do you think about that?
Jerri Manthey: I don't think the editing was necessarily unfair. I think it was selective, and because I was such an outspoken person there was a lot of material that could be used and pieced together, but it was definitely very one sided. It was a small piece of my whole persona. I definitely said things that made for good television.

Kate: Are there things you said that didn't seem so bad until you saw them on television?
Jerri Manthey: I pretty much knew that I said something that came across in a bad way when I said them. But the show didn't necessarily show the moments when I apologized for those moments.

Whit: In what way do you think your acting career will be affected as a result of your appearance on Survivor--positive or negative?
Jerri Manthey: Awww...I was at first a little bit hurt, and soon came to embrace the character that was portrayed on TV. It was more my family that had a hard time. I had to console them every week after the show, and even more so regarding the tabloid stories--none of which were true.

Kate: Has anyone or anything specific in the media upset you with what they have said about you?
Jerri Manthey: I think mostly the tabloid stories disturbed me the most, but I have learned to look at it with a humorous point of view and just laugh. It takes a tough skin to be on Survivor.

BiGGDoGG4Amber: Jerri, two questions. What do you plan to do now that the show has ended? Also, what's the latest on an offer from Playboy? There's all kinds of rumors flying.
Jerri Manthey: I'm currently in a play called "Lady MacBeth Gets a Divorce" running through to the end of April in Los Angeles, and I have every intention of beginning to take meetings with people in regard to future acting work. I have yet to actually sit down in any meetings yet. Regarding Playboy...I'm willing to negotiate. We'll see what happens.

trippin_inCanada: Jerri, out of all the Survivors you were with, who was your favorite and who do you wish you could have spent more time with?
Jerri Manthey: Definitely Mitchell. Mitchell and I hit it off immediately. When I asked him where he was from, he replied "South Dakota," which is where my parents grew up and my relatives all live. I knew immediately we would be close friends, and once he was voted off, the game became less fun for me. He was truly the light of the party.

Whit: Is there anyone on the show that you absolutely would not want to run into again?
Jerri Manthey: I think everyone knows that I do not get along with Keith, but if I do run into him again, I will be more than happy to shake his hand and have a good laugh.

L: I heard that you and Alicia went traveling together after you were voted off. Where did the 2 of you go and did you have fun?
Jerri Manthey: Alicia and I traveled extensively and ended up in Bondhi Beach. We had a really good time, ate lots of great food and swam in the ocean, laid on the beach and laughed endlessly about our experience.

Survivor_Girl: Jerri, you and Amber were extremely close. Do you see each other now?
Jerri Manthey: We haven't seen each other since the end of the show; we email each other occasionally. I believe she's probably totally overwhelmed in her very small town of Beaver with her new celebrity status. I look forward to seeing her again and spending time with her. icantwait: Do you think there will be many long-lasting friendships that come out of this Survivor? Is there anyone else you are keeping in touch with now?
Jerri Manthey: Absolutely. I truly believe I've been blessed in that I've made lifelong friends, and I have every intention of remaining close to Mitchell, Alicia, Amber, Jeff Varner, Nick and Rodger.

Survivor_Girl: Jerri, it is obvious that you thought you and Colby had a special relationship. Were you hurt when you discovered what he revealed were his true feelings about you?

Reset: Jerri, do you think there's a future between you and Colby?
Jerri Manthey: I was a little bit hurt when I heard the things that Colby said, because what he was saying to me was quite different. But I understand it was in the context of a crazy game, and I don't take it personally whatsoever. I think Colby and I will be friends, and that's it.

Kimmmbers: At the beginning, who did you hope to be in the final 2 with you?
Jerri Manthey: I intended the final two to be myself and Mitchell.

angakanga: If you could have traded one person on Kucha for one person on Ogakor...in retrospect, who would it have been, and why?
Jerri Manthey: I would have traded Keith for Michael because Michael was an aggressive hunter and provided well for his tribe.

boomerang2: Jerri, which of your tribemates had the best sense of humor? Was most fun to be around?
Jerri Manthey: Mitchell, as well as Mad Dog, were the full-time entertainment at Ogakor.

ldms: What was the first thing you did when you got home?
Jerri Manthey: I ate three Snickers, two Mars bars, a Milky Way, a handful of chocolate bon bons, a half bag of Lay's potato chips and then proceeded to yak it all up!

sunshine: Is there anything that you did while in the outback you wish you could have done differently?
Jerri Manthey: I wish I had spent more time truly appreciating the beauty of the area I was in and less time arguing and stressing about the people that were in the game.

Jul: Hi Jerri! Do you feel that you were under more stress that was physical or mental on the island?
Jerri Manthey: It was pretty much equal. Physically, I've never experienced such fatigue due to hunger, and mentally, I've never experienced such a crazed state of paranoia and harsh judgment from others.

ilovejerry: Hi Jerry. What was the most embarrassing thing that happened to you in the outback?
Jerri Manthey: Definitely after I won the boomerang toss and had a full meal. I got very, very sick and spent the whole night running into the woods with a shovel.

colby_will_win: What was the most danger you were in while on the island?
Jerri Manthey: I went for a hike looking for food and almost stepped on a Taipan, which is one of the most dangerous and poisonous snakes in Australia.

eighteentwentynine: Hello, Jerri! You played a great game. Please tell us what you thought was the most difficult thing to live through from a strategy point of view.
Jerri Manthey: The most difficult thing about being in the Outback was the lack of food and its effects on not only your physical stamina but also mental endurance as well.

lori: Jerri how hard were the immunity challenges?
Jerri Manthey: Some of the physical challenges were the most difficult due to the fact that we weren't eating and it was like sometimes 120 degrees during the day and we had very little energy. It was like being a gladiator.

Vasee: Jerri, I want to know how you stay in such great shape?
Jerri Manthey: I do yoga as well as hike and back-pack. Mostly outdoor sports are my favorite. I'm not really one for going into gyms.

Survivor_Girl: Jerri, why did you bring the bongo drum as your luxury item?

Kat: Jerri--what was the best luxury item your tribe had?
Jerri Manthey: I brought my bongo drum because it's an item that I take with me frequently when I go into the desert. It seemed only natural to bring it with me. It helps me to release stress as well as entertain others. I think my favorite luxury item that anyone at Ogakor had was Tina's backgammon. We spent many days in the hot sun--hiding from the hot sun in our tent playing backgammon.

saribeth: Jerri, which challenge was the best and which was the worst?
Jerri Manthey: My favorite challenge was the obstacle course that Colby and I won. I was very excited being put through something very close to what my father had been through in the military. It was probably the most physical thing I've ever taken part in. My least favorite was the other obstacle course when we were all tied together. It was very difficult due to people in front of you pulling you and people behind you yanking you backwards. It was definitely the hardest one to do.

msjulian: How much time, if any, did you get to yourself in the outback??
Jerri Manthey: I didn't really get to spend too much time alone because you're always aware that if you leave, others might be plotting against you, but right before the merge I made a point to go off by myself and spend a fair amount of time relaxing.

claire1212: You played the game well...did you go into the game trying to stir things up a bit? Was it all part of your strategy?
Jerri Manthey: I decided to play the game from the very beginning in an aggressive matter. My first goal was to create an alliance as quickly as possible, and did so within the first hour of the game. My intention was to prove to everyone that I was needed as well as important to have around, and because I was in fact a take-charge person rubbed some people wrong.

Survivor_Girl: Jerri, what is the proof you claimed to have that Kel had beef jerky?

dalene: Jerri, do you honestly believe that Kel had the beef jerky that you said that he did? Because that whole scenario was just too funny (especially the way Mad Dog handled it).
Jerri Manthey: I still stand by my story. I am 99% sure Kel had beef jerky and I find it quite interesting that although he denied it, every time he'd been questioned about it, his story changed from a blade of grass to a piece of bark. It never made any sense to me.

nicks6: Who was your favorite member of the 1st Survivor, Jerri?

Sergie: Jerri: Who was your favorite castaway from Survivor 1???

colby_will_win: What person from the original Survivor do you think you most compare with?
Jerri Manthey: I admire Gretchen the most because of her strength and her abilities as a woman and as someone who understood the act of survival more than anyone else. I would say I compare the most to Gretchen, even though Gretchen has an abundance of patience, which I fall short of. She was very honest and straightforward, and I admire that.

JoeWANNAbeonSurvivor: Jerri, did you like Elisabeth as much as everyone else did? How did you feel about Rodger?
Jerri Manthey: When I first met Elisabeth and Rodger I thought they were both very likeable, loveable people. I still feel the same way, regardless of the things they've said about me on the show.

therealSurvivor: Can you say why you don't like Keith?
Jerri Manthey: When we were hiking on our way to the camp, Keith made a very condescending remark towards me that instantly set me off. I never did fully understand how a gourmet chef couldn't make rice. We just rubbed each other the wrong way from the very beginning. On the hike to the camp I was carrying a load of stuff and I wanted to prove that I was strong and he looked over at me and said "Wow. I'm really impressed you can carry so much stuff." I just thought it was a pretty chauvinistic remark, and that was enough for me.

Elisabeth_fan: What is your opinion of Jeff Probst?
Jerri Manthey: I think Jeff Probst is a very nice man. He's a very difficult interviewer at Tribal Council. He's good at what he does, and he does it with a smile.

Tarzan: Hey there, Jerri, congratulations on playing the game so well. Did you do any thing to prepare yourself before you went to the outback, and if so, what?
Jerri Manthey: I ate lots of Taco Bell and doughnut holes to put on an extra 5 pounds, and relaxed in my bed watching TV a lot!

KANGA: Jerri--What is the main situation/event that you were not prepared to experience on Survivor? Based on this experience, what advice would you give to future Survivors?
Jerri Manthey: I really don't think there's anything you can do to prepare for the hunger you feel, and that is definitely the most frightening part of the experience. You go to bed hungry, you wake up hungry, and there's nothing to eat.

Getitright: Hi Jerri. Are there any skills of any type that you wish you would have had going into the outback, or were you fairly pleased in what you did bring to the table?
Jerri Manthey: I do wish I had taught myself how to start a fire without matches, because the very first night was absolutely the worst.

Cole: Jerri, what did you specifically do for your application video, and why do you think they chose you?

BOB: Jerri, we're big fans of yours. Do you know why you were picked over the other applicants?
Jerri Manthey: I decided when doing my video to have fun with it, and to make sure it represented who I was in all different aspects of my life, including where I worked, my physical activities, my hobbies and my loveable animals. I think it's very important that your audition tape represents you honestly and diversely. I think I was picked over others because my tape was honest, well rounded and full of physical activity and personality.

Queequeg: Would you ever do something like this again? Would you recommend it for anyone else? Why?
Jerri Manthey: I definitely would do it again. Anyone who is seriously interested in doing it should know that their entire lives will change in many ways, but if you want to do it for survival and that's your main motivation, go to a survival camp!

Isabel: We all know the media is hunting you down. What about the general public? Are you being spotted on the street and being approached? If so, in what manner: positive or negative?

camel: Jerri, how do people generally respond to you when they see you on the streets?
Jerri Manthey: I do get recognized frequently on the street, and I've had nothing but positive reactions and support.

Maruschka127: Jerri, are you nervous about how Letterman might treat you?
Jerri Manthey: I couldn't be more excited to be on David Letterman's show. I've been joking with my friends since high school that I would someday be on his show, even if I had to do stupid pet tricks! I look forward to meeting David.

survivor_chick20: What is your opinion of David Letterman's treatment of the Survivors on his show? A lot of folks find him very rude.
Jerri Manthey: I think you have to fully understand and appreciate David Letterman's humor, then you won't find his remarks insulting or belittling, but just funny.

philly_joe: Jerri, were you ever really bored in the outback?
Jerri Manthey: I've never been bored a day in my life. Only boring people get bored.

RODGERMYMAN: Hi Jerri. How much weight did you lose on Survivor?
Jerri Manthey: I would guess between 15 and 20 pounds.

ugcheer720: Hi Jerri, did you really pick Amber for the dinner because she was closest to winning, or because you needed alone time with her to talk about the alliance?
Jerri Manthey: In retrospect, I think now strategically it would have been smarter to pick someone like Elisabeth or even Colby to share the dinner with, but at the time I wanted to remain loyal to the one person who stood by me throughout the entire game, and that's what was most important to me.

slick: Was money your primary motivation for doing the show?
Jerri Manthey: My primary motivation was for the adventure of a lifetime and the opportunity to push myself physically beyond what I'd ever done before. The million dollars was a bonus.

alabamagal: Jerri, you are obviously a very talented and attractive person; do you think this gave you a false sense of security as to your ability to win the game?
Jerri Manthey: I never felt 100% safe or secure in the context of the game. I made it a point to stay true to myself and to deal with the adversities knowing that I was a strong person. No one can possibly ever be completely safe or secure in the game of Survivor.

Robin2: Do you watch the show every Thursday now?
Jerri Manthey: I watch the show every single Thursday at my best friend's house. She gives me the support I need when I have to deal with my feelings being hurt, and celebrates with me every success that I encountered. I watch the show unfold for the first time with America.

skyy: Jerri, is it very difficult to watch the edited Survivor?
Jerri Manthey: Some shows are more difficult that others to watch. In particular, the episode when I won the meal and took Amber and proceeded to watch everyone say really horrible things about me. I was a little hurt and upset, but realized that comments were made in the context of the game and let it go at that.

colby_will_win: Do you think you would have enjoyed the Kucha camp more than the Ogakor in the beginning?
Jerri Manthey: I think Kucha had a very interesting dynamic in that they were more aggressive and more creative and more full of energy, but I still enjoyed Ogakor, which at the beginning was a very fun place to be.

Lockethesurvivor: What Kucha on the Barramundi tribe do you wish you could've gotten to know better?
Jerri Manthey: I wish I could have gotten to know Rodger better, and I hope someday I get to.

rudder: Did you bring any souvenirs back from the Outback?
Jerri Manthey: I actually bought a bunch of boomerangs while in Australia. The only souvenirs from the Outback itself was a couple of rocks and a shell from the Great Barrier Reef.

outwit: Were you shocked when you saw that 4th vote for you at tribal council and realized that at least one of Ogakor had turned on you?
Jerri Manthey: I was a little bit surprised but not completely shocked. I kind of saw it coming.

kangaree: Were you shocked when Colby, Keith and Tina voted for you instead of Elisabeth? Was that expected at all?
Jerri Manthey: I kind of saw it coming.

Matou: Being a woman, did you think you had less of a chance of winning than men?
Jerri Manthey: Absolutely not. I felt being a woman was even more so to my advantage, because women are commonly underestimated.

pepperjuice88: What do you think is the most important lesson you've learned from the experience in the outback?
Jerri Manthey: I learned never to take even the smallest things in your life for granted. A gesture of friendship, a pillow, a good night's rest, a person's trust, and chocolate!

Pete: What was your best moment on the show?
Jerri Manthey: My favorite moment was when I was playing my bongo drum and Amber and I were shouting out whatever we were craving. I turned it into a stress reliever and we had the laugh of our whole experience.

jeennie: How did you feel, Jerri, when you saw that Colby had brought back shells for everyone??
Jerri Manthey: I was at first very shocked; I never saw that coming. A little bit angered at his manipulation, but then I was full of respect for his game maneuver.

LizIsTheBest: Did your acting skills give you any advantage in the outback?
Jerri Manthey: Absolutely not. This was so real that any acting skills I've had to use in the past were completely irrelevant. I was, however, more comfortable being myself and not modifying my behavior in front of a camera, whereas other people sometimes played up to the camera and tried to be politically correct.

island: Jerri, the show seemed to focus at times on your lack of food. Was that THE issue that filled most days in the outback??
Jerri Manthey: Yes, absolutely. We obsessed about food about 18 of the 20 hours we were awake.

elisabethisthebest: hi jerri! :):):):):) What was your favorite part of the whole Survivor so far?
Jerri Manthey: My favorite part was the location. It was absolutely beautiful where we were, as well as the friendships that have formed from the experience.

thereallimbo: Jerri, if you could say one thing to the American public to change their opinion of you, what would that be?

SilverWolf: Jerri, regardless of what everybody says I still liked you because you were playing a game to win, which is exactly what I would do. Do you have anything you want to tell the public to smooth the edges?
Jerri Manthey: I think it's very important that people realize that out of 3 days and hundreds of hours of footage, only 41 minutes is used, and you didn't get a full picture of who Jerri is in that time. I think it's very important, both in life and in the game of Survivor, to keep in mind that if you don't stay true to yourself and you try to become something you're not, you may end up regretting it.

CBS Moderator: Thank you so much for chatting with us, Jerri! Do you have any last remarks?
Jerri Manthey: Best of luck to those who attempt to get on Survivor 3, and remember above everything else that it is a game.

CBS Moderator: Tune in to an all-new Survivor on Thursday at 8 PM/ET, only on CBS. And don't forget to check out www.cbs.com/survivor for all the latest Survivor info. See ya next time!
simple_simon: So long Jerri! Lots and lots of luck to you !!!!!!
jeff_is_a_hottie: BYE JERRI THANKS FOR YOUR TIME
spiritwind: Jerri, thanks for being the Survivor we love to hate... you made it interesting (and painful) to watch…but now we will see if Barramundi is able to be one team now.
barramundi_girl: I don't know why everyone bad-mouths you, but you rock!
karlene: Greetings from Canada; you played the game well
jeff_is_a_hottie: GOOD LUCK BYE
GoElisabethsaysJamesBW: Good luck in the future
DanFromS3: Bye Jerri we all love you!!!
CUSH: YOU ARE THE BESTTTTT
Brooke: Good play Jerri. Love
jerritoo: Jerri, you should be proud of yourself for being so strong!
Geetz_from_Phil: Kudos to you Jerri! You've played the game the best! Good luck and regards from the Philippines!
AmberRox2: Yay! Hope to see you soon!
Bambi: Good Luck in your future
jeff_is_a_hottie: BYE JERRI LOTS OF LUCK
stingray: From Singapore, we love u!! :)
rivers: You played the game well.
CUSH: Jerri, thanks for taking time out to talk to us!!!
jerri_is_da_bomb: You will b the ultimate Survivor to me!!!



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