Final Interview

Kel's Final Chat
February 5th, 2001 11:00 AM PST
CBS Moderator: There are tons of great questions, so let's jump right into them. If you're just joining us, we're chatting live with Kel Gleason. We'll get to as many questions as we can. Here we go!
Kel Gleason: Hello everyone, and right off the bat, there has been no beef jerky anywhere in my life now, and there was no beef jerky when I was out there!

Moderator: Kel how did it feel to be one of the first voted out?
Kel Gleason: No, I'm relieved to be kicked out of that tribe because I didn't want to be around people that would falsely accuse me. I had an overwhelming sense of relief that I wouldn't have to put up with the lies. In having to prove my innocence, because in that tribe you were guilty before proven innocent.

Moderator: Kel, why did you find it so difficult to relate with your tribe?
Kel Gleason: I tried to relate to that tribe, but I think that anybody who goes on Survivor has a hard time relating to other people. It's not about putting people on an island who are the same, but about putting 16 people on an island who are different than you. The idea behind Survivor is putting 16 people together who are very different than you, and who would probably not be even your first choice as roommates.

Moderator: Kel how did you feel knowing they talked behind your back and went into your belongings while you were looking for food?
Kel Gleason: When I first found out about it, I was looking for bait in the woods. And the cameramen are always around you. I had really good ears and I heard that they were accusing me of sneaking in beef jerky, and initially I was very very angry about it, but I decided that the best thing for me to do was to not be mad about it and to be calm when I walked down the hill.

Moderator: If you were locked in a room with Jerri RIGHT NOW, what would you say to her?

Moderator: Is Jerri as deceitful in the outback as she appears on camera?
Kel Gleason: I'm just really surprised that she never really wrote to me, or emailed to say that she was sorry. It doesn't bother me that my alliance was broken or that I was stabbed in the back, because that's the game and that's how you win.

Moderator: Kel, how's a young disciplined military guy like you handling all this publicity? We are still lamenting your being voted off here in Canada!
Kel Gleason: I view survivor as a very popular TV show and I'm very glad I was on it. But I'm going to go back to my regular job. It's something I did, and I'm glad that I did it, but now I'm going to go back to my regular job

Moderator: Do you see anything in your upcoming future like doing ads or anything?
Kel Gleason: Sure I do! I still have student loans to pay off!

Moderator: How fast were alliances being formed this time around??
Kel Gleason: Day one!

Moderator: Kel, did you bond with anyone at all on your tribe?
Kel Gleason: Maralyn and Tina, especially Maralyn

Moderator: Kel, Did u imagine that Maralyn and Tina would break their word?

Moderator: if you bonded so well with Maralyn and Tina, then why do you think they voted you off?
Kel Gleason: I am speculating that someone convinced them that I was going to vote them off. No, I didn't imagine they would. Tina is a nurse, and Maralyn was a police officer.

Moderator: Did you think that being in the military would have kept you on the show longer since you should be able to endure the wilderness?
Kel Gleason: Yes it would help to endure the wilderness. But I knew it would not help me with the social dynamics and political aspects of Survivor.

Moderator: Kel--why couldn't the men just form an alliance (using physical strength as an incentive to help more tribe members survive through the merger) and then pray that the 'weaker' women (and, yes, I'm one) could then be picked off one by one during failed immunity challenges prior to the merger...
Kel Gleason: I built my alliance based on who I could trust, not who was physically strongest.

Moderator: Why did you not stay with the group? Thereby not giving them the chance to talk about you and turn against you?
Kel Gleason: Because someone needed to go out to fish, and find food. We only had 10 to 12 days of rice.

Moderator: IF YOU COULD DO ONE THING OVER AGAIN WHAT WOULD THAT BE?
Kel Gleason: I would not have said that I was an army captain. Soon as I said that I was an army captain, that made me a threat.

Moderator: Kel, why did you choose to bring a razor as your luxury item? What were the rules about what you could or could not bring?
Kel Gleason: The luxury item could not be something that could be used for survival. I enjoy having a good shave in the morning!

Moderator: How much weight did you lose during your stay at S2?
Kel Gleason: I lost 6 pounds in six days.

Moderator: Kel. I saw you do an interview with Richard Hatch. What was your impression of him?
Kel Gleason: I did not recognize him! He's lost so much weight! He looks like he's hitting the gym!

Moderator: What were you thinking, when you first learned the people that were in your tribe?
Kel Gleason: Physically I thought we were in better shape than the other tribe, except for Alicia.

Moderator: KEL, what is your ethnic background? You have a very unique look, sort of Asian.
Kel Gleason: My father is German and Irish, and my mother is Native American; she is Quechan.

Moderator: Kel, would you pose in the buff if Playgirl asked you to?
Kel Gleason: :::laughs:::: How many times can I answer this one! NO NO NO

Moderator: Kel did you watch the first survivor? If so, did you get any pointers?
Kel Gleason: Yes! To eat peanut butter and bacon 2 weeks prior so I could get fat! Watching the first show and reading the book, the Survivor book, gave me a step by step on how to play the game.

Moderator: What did you like best about the Australian outback?
Kel Gleason: That I could get a tan in 10 minutes!

Moderator: If there was another place to hold Survivor, where would you like it to be?
Kel Gleason: Antarctica.

Moderator: Did you trust the men more than the women?
Kel Gleason: I trusted the women more than the men. That's why I chose Maralyn and Tina.

Moderator: Who did you perceive as the weakest member of your tribe?
Kel Gleason: Jerri. I thought she would cause a lot of friction within the group.

Moderator: Kel, If you were to do it again what luxury item would you bring?
Kel Gleason: Um....the same luxury item. The same one.

Moderator: Are you single???

Moderator: Kel, just in case you didn't know, everyone in the country thinks you're really cute. So why are you still single at the age of 33?
Kel Gleason: I just broke up, well actually I broke up a year ago with my girlfriend. Survivor has kept me busy. So I am very very very very single!

Moderator: Other than building an alliance, what did you think was an important aspect of playing the game well?
Kel Gleason: Finding people you can trust.

Moderator: Kel - Why didn't you all try to catch other things to eat besides fish?
Kel Gleason: There were no fig trees where Ogakor was. There were no wild pigs; there was just fish, bark, grass and leaves.

Moderator: Why is it that a trained military guy can't catch fish?
Kel Gleason: :::laughs::: I'm an intelligence officer, not a fisherman.

Moderator: What did you miss most when you were on the island?
Kel Gleason: I missed having a conversation with somebody that I could really trust.

Moderator: What was the first thing you did when you got off the Outback?
Kel Gleason: I ate lots and lots of peanut butter sandwiches!

Moderator: Did you find that a lot of the other Survivors felt threatened, because of your military background?
Kel Gleason: Yes very much so. That's the reason I was voted off.

Moderator: If you were the one winning the game, what will you do with the million?
Kel Gleason: Pay off my student loan, my sister's student loan, and open a gym.

Moderator: How does it feel to have an entire nation (And Bryant Gumbel) behind you? Kel, how would you feel about someone starting a fan club for you?
Kel Gleason: I'm really happy that Bryant Gumbel is so supportive. The fan club thing I haven't even thought of.

Moderator: Kel, how long were you in the outback after you were voted out?
Kel Gleason: After I was voted off, I was in Australia for a month.

Moderator: Were you honored when you found out that the National Review endorsed you as their Survivor-of-choice?
Kel Gleason: Yes, very much so. National Review is one of my favorite magazines.

Moderator: What type of training did you have before starting the competition?
Kel Gleason: The military did a good job training me for rigorous experiences.

Moderator: Were you able to interact with Jeff Probst--the host?
Kel Gleason: I did not have conversations with him. But he would speak to us as a group before a competition.

Moderator: I come from the Philippines. My classmates and I would like to ask if you were deeply hurt by Jerri's accusation

Moderator: If Jerri wasn't on Survivor, do you think you would have been on the show longer?
Kel Gleason: Yes and yes.

Moderator: How did the army respond when they knew you were going to be visible to the public eye as a Survivor contestant?
Kel Gleason: The army was very supportive. My superiors encouraged me to do the show.

Moderator: Do you think you played the game correctly?
Kel Gleason: I played the game as myself.

Moderator: Were you disappointed that the vote was 7-1, or did you see that as other tribe members protecting themselves?
Kel Gleason: I was not surprised that it was 7 to 1. Because I knew that there would be a chance that my alliance could have been broken. And I knew that I was vulnerable, because I was viewed as a threat.

Moderator: DO you think the game is more about social politics than survival skills?
Kel Gleason: Absolutely!

Moderator: Other than being booted off, what was hard about being there?
Kel Gleason: Listening to false accusations.

Moderator: Who would you like to be the host of the next Survivor? Would you try out again, having been through this experience?
Kel Gleason: I want to be the host of Survivor! And no, I would not do Survivor again.

Moderator: Were you warned about the river being dangerous?
Kel Gleason: We were warned that there were crocodiles in the river.

Moderator: Kel: Were you allowed to kill and eat alligators?
Kel Gleason: I don't know because I didn't see any crocodiles!

Moderator: Were you frightened to jump off of the cliff in the Butch Cassidy challenge?
Kel Gleason: No, it was fun!

Moderator: Kel- is there anything that you would like people to know about you that we don't already know?
Kel Gleason: I have a sense of humor!

Moderator: Are you planning to meet with any of your fans in the future?
Kel Gleason: I didn't know I had fans!

Moderator: Kel do you have a website or an email address to get in touch with you?
Kel Gleason: yea, it's glek1@hotmail.com.

Moderator: I admire you taking the chance with the game! What's next for you??
Kel Gleason: Thank you. I'm going to be on Letterman tonight, Rosie O'Donnell tomorrow and then Kilborn tomorrow night. And then I'm just going back to work.
CBS Moderator: Thanks again for being here, Kel. Thanks for joining us, everyone. Tune in to an all-new Survivor: The Australian Outback Thursday at 8:00 PM ET/PT. After Survivor, you can check out American's number one new drama, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, on its new night and time,Thursdays at 9:00 PM ET/PT on CBS! Have a good day!
CBS Survivor fans:
Bye Kel, thanks!
Bye Kel!
We love you Kel
Thanks Kel, you're a peach
Lots of luck in the future!
I think you're wonderful Kel...good luck
Good luck Kel we love you
Good luck in the future Kel
GOD BLESS YOU KEL!
Overall, you're the real winner!
I'm proud of you Kel! Go Army!
Bye Kel and Good Luck