Final Interview Tina's Final Chat
May 7, 2001 12:00 PM PDT

CBS Moderator: There are tons of great questions, so let's get started!! If you're just joining us, we're chatting live with Tina Wesson. To ask Tina 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!!! Welcome Tina...Thanks for joining us!
Tina Wesson: Hey everybody!

flip: Tina, why do you think you won?
Tina Wesson: I think it was a little bit of strategy and a little bit of luck and a whole lot of relationship skills.

Amalia: Greatest day to you Tina! Being a woman also, what has this win meant to you personally?
Tina Wesson: That's a very sweet victory, I think, for women everywhere. I've had more women come up to me and say "We're so proud of you because you're a woman," and the fact that I'm a 40 year old woman makes it even sweeter.

sly: Tina, how's your life now?
Tina Wesson: A lot of interviewing. I have not had five minutes of free time yet.

anubee: Tina, what exactly were these relationship skills ?? What exactly was your strategy ?? Please elaborate.
Tina Wesson: Well, relationship skills--that would be sometimes if someone wants to be in charge, you have to let them be in charge because it's important to them. You let them think they're in charge, but you go and do whatever you want to do. You have to learn not to be reactive, and I think if you have an attitude of caring, that will definitely come across if it's genuine. My strategy was blown out of the water after the first hour. I was going to wait a couple of days, and I knew I had to form an alliance, but I was going to wait until I found out who I wanted to spend 6 weeks with. But Mitchell came along an hour off the plane and asked if I wanted to join their alliance, so I had to go to plan B. Basically, my point is that your strategy always has to be changing.

TangoYank: Tina, how would you compare your strategy to Richard Hatch's?
Tina Wesson: I think that the only comparison is that they were different. I never thought that I could win this thing. Richard said right off the bat, "Write me the check." I told Mark Burnett when I went in for my initial interview that I thought you could be kind and still win the game. He didn't think you could, but he said, "We'll see."

chatmaster: Have you met Richard Hatch? What's he like?
Tina Wesson: Yes, and very arrogant, but nice.

I_Love_Colby: Tina, what was the first thing you did when you got home from Australia? What was the first thing you ate when you left Tribal Council?
Tina Wesson: First thing I ate was a bag of Doritos--party size, I might add. When I got home, the first thing I did was love on my kids. I didn't want them to go back to school. I just wanted to them to stay home and love on 'em!

Falon: Hi Tina! I was wondering why you think that Colby wanted you to stay and not Keith. I think he would have had a better chance of winning if he would have voted you off. Why do you think he did that?

AlbertoPena: Tina, congratulations on the win! You should definitely buy Colby that Harley! How did you feel when Colby chose you over Keith? Were you surprised? Had you and Colby talked about it earlier? Would you have kept Colby on as well? Again, congrats! The best Survivor won!
Tina Wesson: Colby and I joined forces, and we made an alliance that he and I would be together 'til the very end. If I had won immunity, I would have taken Colby with me. For us it wasn't about the money; it was about both of us being in the finals together.

mesquito: Tina, how is the press treating you?
Tina Wesson: Very kindly, but giving me a lot of attention!
surviva_luva: Do you feel that the episodes on TV accurately portrayed you? And which people do you think were the most poorly portrayed?
Tina Wesson: I think basically CBS did a good job of capturing who we were, and I don't think anyone was unfairly portrayed.

Blondie: Congrats Tina! What was you favorite moment in the Outback?
Tina Wesson: My favorite moment was in the mornings whenever I went for my walkabouts. I got to see all of the wildlife, including kangaroos, wallaroos, wallabies, eagles, dingoes, flying foxes and so many birds you couldn't even count all the different sounds that they were making.

Bumbee: What was your favorite challenge?
Tina Wesson: Jumping off the cliff and, absolutely, the Internet challenge, when I got to talk to my family.

Kangapete: Tina: Who, out of the 16 Survivors, do you get along with the most today?

matti: Do you talk to any of the other people from the show now?
Tina Wesson: I talk mostly to Mitchell, Mike, Elisabeth, Rodger and of course, Colby. I talk to everybody else on the Internet through e-mail. There's no one that I don't talk to.

True_Survivor: Tina, do you miss the Outback?
Tina Wesson: Very much.

boscodog159: Did you bring a souvenir from the Outback?
Tina Wesson:: I brought back a piece of the Great Barrier Reef, thanks to Colby!

TENNESSEE_GoreLostTinaWon: Tina, how did it feel watching the entire season and not knowing if you won?
Tina Wesson: Well, for me personally it was never about the money, so to be honest, I never even worried about it or thought about it. I just went back to my daily routine like I always have. To be honest, I thought Colby would win, so I never worried about it.

jodiokie: Are you still going to be a nurse?

meyou: Are you going to quit your nursing job now?

sunflower: Tina--I'm so glad you won, you played great. What field of nursing do you specialize in, and how did it help you in the Outback??
Tina Wesson: I'm a private duty CAN. I work for one individual who is paralyzed from the shoulders down; I took a year off, and we'll see at the end of that year if I go back. My nursing training did not help me at all during my stay in the Outback.

Tess: Tina, is there anything you would have done different?
Tina Wesson: I maybe would have told Colby that if he won the immunity challenge to take Keith instead of me, because I feel very guilty that he took me and that I won.

Tinaisstandingtall: How did you cope with the stresses of the Outback?
Tina Wesson: Well, the biggest stress was probably the boredom, and when it got too bad I just challenged someone to a game of backgammon.

LooKout: How sure were you that Colby would vote off Keith?
Tina Wesson: One hundred percent.

Kucha: Did you believe Jerri with the beef jerky thing? And how did you feel about going through Kel's bag?

quota: Tina, you were the one that searched Kel's bag for beef jerky. Do you still feel that he had beef jerky?
Tina Wesson: I had reason to believe that Kel had beef jerky, and I do feel VERY bad that I was the one standing there and told to look in his bag for wrappers. Since then I've begged forgiveness from Kel, his parents, his sister, Kel's dog and anyone related to Kel!

Esti: Tina, didn't you betray Mad Dog by voting for her when you led her to believe you wouldn't?
Tina Wesson: I was never in an alliance with Maralyn. Actually, Maralyn, Kel and Keith were the three people who were NOT in the alliance, and I never told Maralyn that I would not vote for her. Actually, I wrote her a note on the night that we were going to vote her off and told her that I was in an alliance, that I would explain it later, and that I actually tried to throw a vote in another direction, but the alliance would not allow it.

KramerDE: GREAT JOB TINA, DELAWARE LOVES YOU!!!!!!!

hillbilly_billy: Congrats Tina, I'm glad you won!

nickels: CONGRATULATIONS, TINA!!!!

Melody: Has Kel forgiven you? Are you two friends now?
Tina Wesson: Yes, he's forgiven me and yes, we're friends.

RudiRules: I heard that Jerri was portrayed unfairly, or was she the same Jerri that we saw on TV?
Tina Wesson: What you saw is what you get! I would like to say that I do not know Jerri off the show, so she may be totally different when she's not playing the game.

skyduster: Hey Tina! You go, Girl!! I wanted to ask you just one question. When Elisabeth asked you if you had the power to give 5 of the Tribal Council people the million dollars, why did you exclude Rodger?? I totally understand the Jerri thing, but I was a bit confused on Rodger!

sal: Tina, in the final questions you were asked who would not be included and you said Rodger. Why was that?
Tina Wesson: The only reason I picked Rodger is because he is financially secure already, and he was aware of why I said that.

XoColbyRoxMySox: Tina, you rock! Rhode Island loves you and Survivor!!

edmilkman: Don't lose your accent, Tina. Great job!

tinaisstandingtall: Tina, I think you played the game brilliantly.

colbysucks: TINA, how do you feel about Debb crying during the reunion?

survivorII: How do you feel about Debb's treatment from the press?
Tina Wesson: I thought her speech was a redemptive moment, and it makes me very sad how the press rips people apart and has the potential to make a wonderful experience something so negative.

PyroStock: Tina, who was leading the Ogakor decisions to vote out Kel & Mad Dog early on? Was it Jerri?
Tina Wesson: Jerri and Mitchell started the alliance, and there were five people on that alliance, so we only had three people to choose from. We talked about who would go first, second and third. However, we pulled a switcheroo on the third one.

True_Survivor: If you could go on SURVIVOR again, would you?
Tina Wesson: No. Heck no! No way, no! Never! Get the message? The starvation was just more than I thought it would be. I actually thought they would throw us an orange or a banana or something, and actually they would just let us starve. I never want to go through that again.

Ken_Gooroo: Tina, now that you're rich and famous, what are you planning to do next?
Tina Wesson: I really look forward to going back to my family and living the life that I loved so much before SURVIVOR. Now, I have to find a way to balance the life I love and my career as a Survivor.

Music_City_Survivor: Tina, will you be doing any ads for Doritos? Maybe for a lifetime supply? :)
Tina Wesson: I don't know. I have not yet been able to talk with anybody about endorsements or commercials, because you had to lay low until you were voted off, and since I went to the end, I've yet to have any conversations with anyone. But I'm open! I think I should replace the Doritos tennis player girl!

banana_: Tina, our family admired how you played the game. Congratulations and God Bless!!!

BD32: Hi Tina. Great Job. Congratulations! From Idaho

CowboyLover: Tina, now that you're famous, who is the one celeb that u would like to meet?
Tina Wesson: Rosie--tomorrow!!! I also like Oprah. They both are very generous and giving people, and they give more than they take. I admire that quality.

snooze: Way to go, Tina!

tal14: Tina, we love u :)

GT: Upon receiving the check for one million dollars, what did you first do with the money? Congratulations Tina!
Tina Wesson: Thank you so much! I immediately gave the check to my husband, because I was afraid to even hold it. Hopefully, he deposited it, and I haven't had five minutes to spend it on anything yet.

XoColbyRoxMySox: Was there ever a time when you felt like quitting and giving up?
Tina Wesson: Never, ever, ever! I would die before I would quit.

kangaroo_boy: Who did you think would win at the start of SURVIVOR?
Tina Wesson: I don't think I formed any opinions from the start about who would win.

I_Love_Colby: Did you watch SURVIVOR 1, and if so, who would you relate yourself most to on SURVIVOR 1?
Tina Wesson: Yes, I watched every episode. Sadly enough, I related to Sean, because I thought it's got to be hard to vote people off, and how in the world could you do it? So, originally I thought the "ABC" method was pretty cool. I also liked Colleen, but I think Elisabeth is more like Colleen.

Amalia: You are a role model for everyone out there. What advice can you give us to be a contestant on SURVIVOR?

FlyBoy: If you could give the cast of SURVIVOR 3 any advice, what would it be?
Tina Wesson: Don't do it! It is so much harder than you could imagine. But if you really want to do it, 100% jump in, don't look back, be as kind as possible, send in an awesome video tape, come across as a type A personality and let Mark Burnett know that you're going there to kick some butt. And lots of luck!

gino: YOU ARE THE BEST, TINA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ashley: Canada Luvs ya, girl. Way to go!!

JenniferLynne: Hi Tina...Congratulations!

EladFromIsrael: Tina!!! Congratulations from Israel!!!!

carly: Do you think you are prepared for the aftermath of SURVIVOR in your life?
Tina Wesson: I'm not sure. I have to admit that the last 3 or 4 days have been extremely overwhelming, and I'm not sure that I can keep up this pace. Hopefully, when it all settles down I can find a place that I'm comfortable with.

matti: Tina, how much tax do you have to pay on your winnings?
Tina Wesson: Forty-seven percent.

Tina__Didmeproud: Tina, you deserved the prize. I'm so proud that you won!

Crystal: Your kids must be soooo proud of you!

Amber2001: Michigan loves you, Tina!

TangoYank: Tina, did you read any of the Internet websites about the show while it was going on? Tempted to post anything yourself? ;-)
Tina Wesson: Originally, I went to a couple of sites, but they were so cruel I vowed never to go again. There was a fellow out of Nashville who is a Christian who offered to make my own website for me. I would go to the message boards there because they were so uplifting and encouraging, and gave me a lot of strength.

sews: Tina, what religion do you follow? And did it play any part while you were in the Outback? You are such an inspiration to all of us!!!
Tina Wesson: Thank you so much; it means more to me that you know. I was raised Baptist. I now attend an interdenominational church. I choose to be called a spiritual person rather than a religious person. I think it's more about your personal relationship than it is about your religion.

BestFanOfSurvivor: Forty-seven percent! It's a lot of money!!

Dr_Hab: Tina, were you allowed to bring a picture of home or anything into the Outback that reminded you of home?
Tina Wesson: We could only bring one personal item, and mine was the backgammon board. That wasn't my first choice, but out of the five that I could pick that is what the producers chose for me.

castrohel: TINA TINA TINA!

BiggestSurvivorFan: New Jersey is behind you 100%, Tina! We luv ya! Congrats!

Keithfan: Tina, you rule!!!!!!!

Tess: Tina, what was the scariest moment for you?
Tina Wesson: The scariest moment was definitely after I crossed the river to get the rice. The grass was up to my neck, and it was dark, and snakes were everywhere in the Outback. I thought that I would probably get bitten, because I could not see where I was walking, and we actually had three snake bites the first ten days. Snakes were very prevalent, and that was the only time I was afraid.

Survivor_Fan_7: What was your first choice for a personal item?

sldenmark: What were your other choices for a personal item?
Tina Wesson: A journal.

brerrabbit: Good job, Tina. How much weight have you gained back?

susie_q: Tina, you lost soooo much weight on the show. Toward the end I thought you were going to break. Did you gain all of your weight back? Do you have a workout program? Also, I'm so glad you won! Me and my two little girls could not stop crying with excitement!
Tina Wesson: Aww, that's so sweet! I'm so glad to be a mom and a woman and win the thing. I started at 118 pounds, I dropped down to 99. I went up to 125 when I left, finally put on the brakes, and I'm back at my original 115 where I like to stay. I try to work out at least five days a week.

FunKiEMunKie216: How did you feel that Amber got to bring a journal and you didn't?
Tina Wesson: I don't know what happened, but Amber's personal luxury item…. There was some mixup, so when she was at the ranch getting ready to go, they allowed her to bring her journal due to the mixup.

Dawn: Did anyone else get bit by a snake? Were they poisonous? Were you able to get treated right away?
Tina Wesson: I'm not sure how many people total were bitten, and I'm not sure how many of those were poisonous. I do know one was bitten by a Taipan, because they are very dangerous. The people who were bitten were all with production, and I'm sure they got immediate help. There was a medical doctor on staff who stayed at the compound, and they had a facility there to give the antivenom.

survivor: Love you TIna!! You go, girl!!!!!!!!!!

buckhunter: Texas luvs you Tina!

BritBrat: Tina, we say thank you from Tennessee!! We love you!! We are so glad you won! Thank you!

castrohel: Tina is the bomb!

Toadfish: How bad were the biting insects? In SURVIVOR I, castaways had bites all over them. It didn't appear that way in the Outback.
Tina Wesson: That was one of the good things about SURVIVOR 2. No rats and no insects. Just crocs and snakes...and spiders...and dingoes...that's all!

Survivorrocks: I LOVE YOU TINA!!!!!!!! YOU ROCK GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!

zig: Tina, I knew you'd win!!!!

lalanded: Did you learn any survival skills before going to the Outback?

texasfan: How did they prepare you for the show./game?
Tina Wesson: There was nothing, and no preparation for the game. We were suggested to read two SURVIVOR books before going out. My husband was an eagle scout, so he helped me with compass skills, and that was about it.

SUNNY : What do you miss most about Australia?
Tina Wesson: The land and the wildlife. It's a beautiful country. I took a lot of mental photographs, but I will never forget, and in watching the last episode for the first time, I was moved to tears.

LuvDaColbster: GREAT JOB, TINA!!!!!!!!!!!

TimberTee: Tina!!! I'm so excited for you--congrats!!!

KramerDE: Tina, how close did y'all get to the Crocs?
Tina Wesson: We actually were swimming right with them. The water was so muddy you never knew where they were, but we were told as long as you don't put your feet down, they were just as afraid of us as we were of them. For some reason, I trusted CBS with that knowledge.

Survivor_Cutie: CONGRATS TINA!! YOU WERE GREAT!

babyborn: How hard was it to "ignore" the cameramen?
Tina Wesson: Not too hard. There were only three people in camp in the beginning. They were not allowed to speak to us, and we were not allowed to speak to them. They kept their watches covered so we could not see what time it was, and so they became like pieces of furniture.

survivor_chick21: Do u still have the bathing suit you wear in the Outback?
Tina Wesson: That grody thing? Afraid so!

Kangapete: What did you do with the flag, Tina?
Tina Wesson: It's in my suitcase.

princess1980: Great job, Tina!! Colorado loves you!! You rock!

DA_BOMB: GOOD FOR YOU, TINA!

cutecowgirl: Wonderful job, Tina, South Carolina loves you, and good luck in the future!!!

natty: Congrats Tina! You go, girl!

ryanfoster: Hi Tina, Congratulations from Lansing, Michigan.

GreyEyesNC: Tina, What charitable organizations will you support? Lesley, NC
Tina Wesson: I'm working very closely with the Arthritis foundation, due to the fact that I have rheumatoid arthritis myself. Also, I'm going to start a SURVIVOR fund that people can make a donation to, and it will help for other people trying to survive whatever situation: hurricane, tornado, fire, flood. But I'm going to need help in getting that foundation started, since I know nothing about doing that myself.

IzzyHigh: Way to gooooo TINA!

iwishiwastina: BEST WISHES TINA FROM EVERYONE IN TORONTO, CANADA!!!

michael: CONGRATULATIONS FROM MONTERREY MEXICO

survivor_addict: WAY TO GO TINA FROM WYOMING

Irishguy: Congrats Tina from all of Ireland

dude_2000: What were your reactions right after you found out you won the million?
Tina Wesson: I was totally shocked. I never expected to win, so I never even thought about it, never even allowed myself the opportunity to think about it, so I was just one hundred percent floored! Then I felt guilty because I thought Colby should have won, so it was quite an emotional ride.

CowboyColby: Congrats Tina from Hamilton

Pigpen: Best wishes from Thorold, Ontario, Canada.

keithshouldofwon: NC loves Tina!!! Congrats!!!

kpowers: Tina, Kentucky also loves you!! We have a group of kids at our school that would love to say thank you for being a role model for them and teaching them a lot during your trip and adventures. Woohoo Tina!! Congrats from G.R. Hampton Elementary School in Barbourville, KY!!
Tina Wesson: Thank you so much. I think the kids are our future, and the more we as grownups can set an example, the better the world will be in the future. Thank you for the comment--it means a lot.

CBS Moderator: Thanks so much for joining us, Tina, and congratulations!
Tina Wesson: Thank you! Thank you everyone for typing in. Remember to be kind and reach for your dreams and go for it--whatever that may be! God bless all! love, Tina.

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



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