Final Interview

Final Interview Michael's Final Chat
March 5, 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 Michael Skupin. To ask Michael 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. Here we go!!!
Michael Skupin: Hello everybody, this is Mike Skupin from Survivor.

Kucha_Crazy: Would you consider getting those burns to be the worst experience of your life? If not, then what was so far?
Michael Skupin: At the time of the accident, it was the most intense pain that I have ever felt in my life. But in retrospect, the way the whole experience has changed my life, it was one of the most positive things that's ever happened to me.

VerTig0: How soon after your accident did you realize that your stay on Survivor was over? Did it happen instantly, or did you still have hopes of going back to finish what you started?
Michael Skupin: I had hopes of going back to the game. For the first 48 hours after I was evacuated, the optimistic side of me kept believing that I would be able to come back. Once I realized that I was not going to go back, due to the severity of my injuries, I went through a 24 hour period of mourning. And since then, I've not had a bad thought about it--I know it happened for a reason.

lizguy: How long did it take for the medical crew to arrive after your injury occurred?
Michael Skupin: Mark Burnett has worked with the same medical team for almost 7 years. And they had the vehicle all stocked and ready to go for any emergency that could occur. So within 60 seconds of my injury, the medics and helicopters were on their way. It was hard for me to judge time, it probably took 10 to 15 minutes. And after I received all the medical attention, I was airlifted right out.

imnomozart: How did your family react when they saw your accident the other night?
Michael Skupin: They reacted very similarly to the way that my tribe reacted and to the way the most of the public watching the show. They were shocked and sad and they cried. They went through the same emotions that I went though. It was good they went through that, because now they know in their minds and in their hearts exactly what I went through. And now they understand the experience a lot better.

eddie: I'll have to admit that I didn't care for you too much at the beginning of the show, but you kept proving your worth to me for being in the Outback. I was really disappointed to see you go, but I guess that's the game. Other than yourself, who did you admire the most in the Outback and why?
Michael Skupin: The people I admired most were Rodger and Elisabeth. And the reason is because their morals and ethics most similarly matched mine. We spent a lot of time together in the Outback, and I became friendlier with those two than I did with the rest of the tribe. Although I made lifelong friends with all 16 people out there.

monkey: I have heard you say that Survivor has really changed you. Has it been easy to go back to your office job after having been in the outback?
Michael Skupin: There was a 30 day adjustment to living back in the U.S. There was also an adjustment because I didn't have full use of my hands. It has only been about the last 3 weeks that I have had full use of my hands. That, in itself, is an adjustment. Another adjustment, is a telephone call usually took 5 minutes and now takes 20 minutes, because of all the questions. Now it is hard to even get a gallon of milk because everybody stops me. But it is still a lot of fun!

Kerby: Where do you go after you are eliminated from the game? Can you go home right away? Do you have to stay in camp or can you travel the country?
Michael Skupin: To maintain the integrity of the game, all 16 of us flew over together and flew home together. So if you were eliminated from the competition, Survivor paid for you to travel around Australia and paid for all of your expenses. I personally spent 10 days in the hospital and the last 10 days, I spent traveling with the aid of a Survivor staff member.

Shorty: I was very impressed with the way you handled yourself when you were burned. It seemed as though you had built a second family in Kucha, is that how you feel?
Michael Skupin: Yes! I feel very strongly and very close to the final 6 members that were out there. I've seen most of them since the show has aired and speak or email with them on a daily basis. I think... I'm sure... we'll all be close for a very long time.

KuchaRNA: In the Kucha Tribe, who did you mix well, and not mix well with? Were there some people you just didn't talk to, some people who you liked, or some people who you just absolutely couldn't stand?
Michael Skupin: Because the Kucha tribe was 12 days without going to a tribal council, we weren't put in a position to have to strategize and scheme and backstab like the Ogakor tribe did. So, life at the Kucha camp was a lot more pleasant. On top of that, we were eating so much better and I believe sleeping so much better, that we weren't forced into making decisions on whether we liked people or not. I still talk to every single person in that tribe, even the first one voted out. And there wasn't really anybody I didn't care for. Even voting for Deb and Kimmi was a hard thing for me.

KC: You were presented as very extreme, even to the point of the psychotic. How did you feel about that kind of a presentation? Would you call yourself extreme?
Michael Skupin: I approached the Game more like going out there and having fun, and experiencing the Game and the Outback more so than strategizing than playing a game. The extreme parts of me that were portrayed did happen, but I believe many of them were taken out of context by some of the viewers. For instance, when I smeared that blood on my face. That was done as more of a joke on how we should up to the next immunity challenge as to show and tell the other tribe that we have gotten a pig. And some of the expressions when we were about to butcher the chickens were sensationalized in a way that made me seem a little obsessed. And admittedly I was hungry and I was ready to eat like everybody else, but I think that my having fun at times was taken a little too seriously by some of the viewers.

jwalker: Were all of the members of your tribe Christian and was that ever an issue with the rest of the cast?
Michael Skupin: Rodger, Elisabeth, and Tina all expressed similar beliefs to mine at the start of the game. Being in the Outback for a long period of time changed everyone's lives spiritually to some degree. And no, my Christian beliefs did not affect the relationship that I had with anybody out there regardless of what they believed in.

SilverWolf: You stated in your Early Show interview that your hands were miraculously healed, and that it made you aware of a higher power. Has your relationship with God changed in any way since your experience?
Michael Skupin: Yes! I believed in God before I went out to the Outback. But the presence of God became much more real in my life when my hands were healed so miraculously. But even before that, the previous 17 days in the Outback, make you realize that somebody had to create all the beautiful things we saw out there, and you really start to dig deep in your soul that there is a higher power.

prairie: What made your tribe so successful, in your opinion?
Michael Skupin: When we first hit the Outback, I felt the other tribe was physically stronger. What happened with our tribe is we bonded more emotionally, worked better together as a team, and started eating better. The combination of those 3 things, I believe were responsible for us starting to win all the challenges.

Kuchakor: Which Survivor from Season One did you try to model yourself after the most?
Michael Skupin: I'd never seen the first Survivor before I started the interview process. And when I was asked that question in the final interview, I said that I feel I have a uniqueness to myself that didn't resemble any of the first 16 contestants. I didn't have a strategy that copied anybody's on the first show. I created my own strategy, which really changed daily once you got out there. P>foxwest: Do you feel that making emotional attachments with your tribemates means you are not "playing the game," as Richard Hatch said on the Early Show?
Michael Skupin: No. Tribal Council is never easy, regardless of your attachments to a particular member. I believe the bond that the Kucha tribe had, not only made the experience much more pleasant, but created lifelong friends as a result. It's more than just playing the Game. The overall experience out there, and what it does to you mentally and spiritually, is much more long lasting than any prize anybody will earn from the show.

BaKaRa: How do you feel about the editing of the show? Is it staying true to the experience?
Michael Skupin: I would say the editors of the show genuinely captured the essence of what was happening day by day in the Outback. And, although I wasn't always excited about the way I was portrayed, everything they showed really did happen.

Shorty: Can you describe in more detail the pig slaying? How did it happen?
Michael Skupin: The pig hunt actually took 3 days. We all had seen footprints and droppings from the pig, and were not surprised when we finally saw it. The hunted itself lasted for about 2 hours and CBS was very classy as to the way it was edited to TV. The animal was killed in a very humane way.

Survivornut: Were you surprised at the controversy killing the pig caused?
Michael Skupin: Yes, I was surprised by the controversy. It never entered my mind while I was in the Outback. Because that's the way our whole country was founded, when the early settlers moved in. They killed animals to stay alive.

Disney711: What do you think of PETA and other animal-rights groups being upset with you and the rest of the show over the chickens and pigs?
Michael Skupin: I respect the viewpoints of PETA and of the animal rights groups. And I hope they respect mine. I just don't agree with them. I believe that anyone that gets hungry enough will do what they need to do to survive.

ozzie: How did you feel about Kimmi and her stand against not eating the brain? Did you respect her for her strength of character or was it more frustrating to potentially lose the challenge?
Michael Skupin: Both. I respect Kimmi's beliefs and was surprised that she was able to maintain them throughout the time she was there. Because we were all so hungry. I was shocked that she would come out to a game, knowing that there would be a chance that she would have to eat something like that. There were other members of the tribe that had not eaten pork or beef in 15 years... but for the sake of the game made an exception. I still respect Kimmi's decision, although I don't agree with it.

iluvmike: I noticed in the challenges, you always made yourself have the hardest task. Was that because they considered you their leader?
Michael Skupin: It wasn't because myself or my tribe considered me the leader. And it wasn't my decision to be the one to take on the hardest tasks. We were all given an opportunity to discuss the challenges before we went and did them, and as a team we made the decisions as to who would take what role in each challenge. My tribe made the decision to put me in the roles that I was in. And because that was my role, I did the best I could do each time I was in it.

amanda: In order to survive, one must be mentally and physically able. Which do you think is more important to win the game?
Michael Skupin: Although they are both critical to your longevity in the game, I believe the mental part of it is the part that will take you into the final rounds.

POTUS: In your opinion, how prepared mentally is your tribe for the merger?
Michael Skupin: Based on the camaraderie and nutrition, I believe the Kucha tribe goes into the merger very strong.

Kerby: What impact do you think you had on the tribe dynamics by leaving? Instead of going into the merger with a six to four advantage, Kucha is now tied.
Michael Skupin: Each person in the Kucha tribe had an important role in the team dynamics. And anyone else that would have left, would have had a dramatic impact on the tribe that we were. So my leaving is, in my opinion, as harmful as anyone of us.

toddjr: Before the start of this Survivor series, there was a lot of talk about the different personalities, the snake, the rat, even the mother. But it seems that the Father figures had a good advantage, like Rudy and Rodger. Do you feel that it helped them last longer given their ages? And which personality were you, the Son, maybe?
Michael Skupin: Again, I don't feel like I fit any of the molds that were established from the first show. I think I have a fatherly instinct... I have an athletic side to me... I have a humorous side to me... and I have a physical side to me. And the combination of all of those traits helped me get as far as I did.

BaByGuRl: Did you and your tribe make up any games to keep yourselves occupied?
Michael Skupin: There is so much to do in a day. When you catch a fish, it's about a 3 hour process before you are sitting down and eating it. Cooking the chickens was even a longer process. So because our tribe was more active in the food gathering, it seems like we had more to do than the other tribe. We talked a lot, while we were busy, and we did have fun swimming in the river, but for the most part there wasn't a lot of time to play a lot of games.

StopDropNRoll: What were the hardest immunity and reward challenges?
Michael Skupin: Physically, the hardest immunity challenge was the obstacle course-- from a team perspective. For me, physically, the hardest challenge was the water torture. Mentally, I believe the hardest challenge was the "Doritos" challenge.

SuRvIvOr_FaN_007: What character trait do you think you have that got you far in the game?
Michael Skupin: I feel I have a balanced combination between physical, spiritual, and mental toughness to last out there. Without the mental toughness, it would be very easy to give up.

txlady: What was the one thing you craved most while in the Outback?
Michael Skupin: Protein. When you get as hungry as we were, you become obsessed with food. And every day we had hours of conversations about food products that we missed. But overall, any sort of protein was the part that I missed most.

missmew: What was the most exhilarating experience you had in your time in the Outback? steven: What was the best part of being in the Outback?
Michael Skupin: The most exhilarating for me was during the water torture challenge, when that pole snapped on my back. The best part about being in the Outback, for me, was that I was able to prove to myself that if I was ever faced with a situation where I had to survive out in the wilderness, that I proved to myself that I could do it!

ICE: Other than the obvious, what was your most difficult moment in the Outback?
Michael Skupin: The most difficult thing about the experience is the incredible pains that you felt from hunger. The hunger was so intense, that it would wake us up in the middle of the night.

koala: How would you like to be remembered as a Survivor 2 member, as the guy who killed the pig, as the guy who burned his hands, as the leader figure of Kucha, or as the sexy daddy from Kucha?
Michael Skupin: I would like to be remembered as the guy who gave 100% and was able to play the Game and last as long as I did while still keeping my moral character intact.

louisvillelip: What was the first thing you did when you got home?
Michael Skupin: Spent 24 hours with my wife before telling anybody that I was home.

dead: What advice would you give to future Survivors?
Michael Skupin: If you're applying for the show for the experience of television, fame, or money, then your motives are in the wrong place. That is not the type of individual they are looking for, in my opinion. The experience alone is worth a million dollars for anyone who gets the opportunity to play.

michaelistheultimatesurvivor: Will you be showing up on any commercials or making other media appearances?
Michael Skupin: Yes! I will be making appearances to tell the full story of my experiences in the Outback. As far as television or commercials, I will look at those situations on a case-by-case basis. I'll be on the Howard Stern show, on E!, and Rosie.

CBS_Moderator: Michael, thank you so much for taking the time to answer some questions for us today.
Michael Skupin: Thank you for all those who believed in me! Thank you for all the kind letters and emails I've received! As a result of this experience, I will change and have changed ,but the change will only be for the better. I will never get a big ego from this experience, because I feel it is a blessing. And finally, the positive and spiritual changes in my life have been so dramatic as a result of the show, that I can say that it was the most incredible thing that has happened in my life so far!

iceangel: Bye, Michael have a good one!
skywalker: Mike, you rock
msratty: Mike, you made the game so much fun to watch!
kangaree: Mike we will miss you on the other episodes, good luck & good bye!
CybeLe_KuChA: Bye Mike, we love you! xxx
koalababe: Good luck to you Michael! I will miss the intensity you brought to the game!
PokeMom: Good job Michael... we are proud of you!
Sades: Best of luck Michael
joeldm: YOU'RE THE BEST MIKE!!
PeggyinOhio: Thanks for chatting!
KristaLakey: Good Luck in the Future Mike
manu_from_montreal: i had my money on you mike!
Giggles1206: bye MIKE! YOU ARE AWESOME! WE LOVE YOU!
Michael Skupin: Thanks, those comments really mean a lot to me!

Candy181: Bye Mike you are so kool!! good luck!!!
Locke_Scythe_Survivor_junkie: you're the best mike!
Giggles1206: WE LOVE YOU MIKE!