Gervase Interview
İMSN Live. Edited for clarity. May not be copied or reprinted without permission

Digital Dish Diva says: Welcome to MSN Live. This morning CBS and MSN Live present an exclusive chat with Gervase Peterson who was exiled from the island this week on the phenomenal hit show, "Survivor." Gervase was long rumored to be the winner of "Survivor"-- from that "X across the picture" red herring to psychic predictions. Now meet Gervase and find out what was going through his mind as he waged a private battle against the other castaways on "Survivor." Gervase, welcome to MSN Live!
Gervase Peterson says: Hi. Thanks for having me.

Digital Dish Diva says: We have thousands of questions, so let's dive in!

Digital Dish Diva says: tinkerbell_76 Asks: What did you think about all of the rumors naming you as the winner?
Gervase Peterson says: Yeah, I knew about all the rumors and I thought it was great! Great attention and great exposure. After the story, my stock went up. I went from 50 to 1 odds in Vegas and they went to 2 to 1 odds. Everyone loved me.

Digital Dish Diva says: nasalaunch_com Asks: Gervase, was there ever a time where you were truly afraid on the island?
Gervase Peterson says: When I first got there I was kinda scared and basically as we went through it I was scared. One day I almost got bit by a snake and that was scary. It was a scary experience, but it was great!

Digital Dish Diva says: milkeyz Asks: Gervase, which did you enjoy more: The Pagong tribe or when the two tribes merged?
Gervase Peterson says: The Pagong Tribe. We got along really well, like a family. But when we merged we knew we'd have to deal with all the Tagi and they were a bunch of jerks and we didn't like them.

Digital Dish Diva says: etherbun Asks: Will you stay in touch with anyone from the island?
Gervase Peterson says: Yeah, I talked to my whole tribe. I talk to Joel every day. I talked to Jenna last night and talked to Colleen two weeks ago in Miami. I also keep in contact with Dirk, Stacey, Sean, and Kelly.

Digital Dish Diva says: KungFuMF Asks: Which castaway did you most dislike? Which one was your favorite?
Gervase Peterson says: I didn't care for Sue at all. She's real abrasive and bossy. We had a lot of friction. I loved my whole tribe. I really looked up to Joel because the survival things I couldn't do, he could and Colleen was just too cute!

Digital Dish Diva says: LunarGirl25 Asks: Gervase, what did you think of Richard?
Gervase Peterson says: To tell you the truth, Rich isn't that bad. Whenever he's being conniving or cocky you can't stand him. But he's really a nice guy and he was cool to talk to.

Digital Dish Diva says: Guest_Charmed Asks: Were you surprised by Sean's vote against you?
Gervase Peterson says: Yes I was, but I kind of figured it out. He figured out that I was going and it was in his best interest to vote for me and not piss the others off by voting for one of them.

Digital Dish Diva says: Ravyn777 Asks: What was your luxury item Gervase? Was it useful?
Gervase Peterson says: It was a deck of cards and it was very useful. We had a lot of down time and we played cards a lot. And then when we merged Rich loved to play cards, we played every day. I think that put me in good favor with him. I told him that if he voted me off my cards were going with me. (laughs) I think it kept me around a little longer.

Digital Dish Diva says: Did you leave the cards?
Gervase Peterson says: I left them.

Digital Dish Diva says: What a good guy.
Gervase Peterson says: (laughs)

Digital Dish Diva says: Annual_Ranger Asks: Gervase, how's your baby?
Gervase Peterson says: The baby is doing great! He's three months old, and getting bigger every day. His name is Gunner. My plans for him are to come out of his freshman year and go pro.

Digital Dish Diva says: Guest_earth2sean Asks: Did you ever get to practice the challenges before they took place?
Gervase Peterson says: No. What happened was they kept us in the dark the whole time. They would say get ready in half an hour and get ready to go. We would get to the challenge and they would describe the challenge to us one time and we would do the challenge.

Digital Dish Diva says: Easilyinfluenced Asks: I have heard that the island you were on was covered with almonds and you guys forgot about them after them as a food source. Is this true?
Gervase Peterson says: No, we knew there were almonds on the island and they were small, hard to find, and so little of them, we didn't worry about eating those things.

Digital Dish Diva says: MacBlue2000 Asks: Were you nervous when you found out you were picked for the show?
Gervase Peterson says: Actually I was very nervous. I filled out the application knowing they would never pick me. And when they did I panicked! I knew I had to learn how to swim in 4 weeks and other survival skills.

Digital Dish Diva says: LadieBugg2 Asks: I can appreciate your positive, be your self-attitude and that is why I wanted you to win. I felt you are a true survivor and I took some lessons from you. But how on earth did you ever make it that far with out telling Sue where to get off?
Gervase Peterson says: (laughs) I held my tongue on that one. I knew she was in the alliance and it was in my best interest not to say anything. But I'm telling people now that I really didn't like her.

Digital Dish Diva says: Standata Asks: Do you think it is 90% personality and 10% survival skill?
Gervase Peterson says: No, I think it's really 50/50. The first half when we're all working as a team I think it's personality. But when we merged it turned into individual competition and was survival of the fittest. That's why Sue, Rudy and Rich voted me off, they knew they wouldn't win as long as I was still there.

Digital Dish Diva says: Guest_sunny Asks: Do you think you've been portrayed fairly by the cameras? They kind of made you seem lazy.
Gervase Peterson says: I think I was portrayed very fairly. That was my original plan. I didn't have any survival skills and I only learned to swim four weeks before. So I just tried to lay low and do as little as possible. And to get along with everybody and save my strength. To work really hard on the competitions. I needed a little help down the line but I just couldn't get it.

Digital Dish Diva says: axe41 Asks: What happened when you were voted off? I'm sure as they say you must leave the island immediately you didn't. Where did you go and what happened?
Gervase Peterson says: What happens is you spend the night on the island, and then the next day they boat you to the resort an then you come back in three days to see the Tribal Council meeting.

Digital Dish Diva says: Clayton_25 Asks: Did Richard do most of the fishing by choice, or was he the only one that knew how? I only ask because I didn't see Sean, you, or any of the other males doing the fishing.
Gervase Peterson says: Yeah, everybody tried too, even Greg tried to go out there and spear fish, but Rich was the only one that could do it. I give Rich a lot of credit for that.

Digital Dish Diva says: girlnextdoor147 Asks: So, what was the first thing you ate after you were off the island?
Gervase Peterson says: A peanut butter and jelly sandwich that Jenna gave me.

Digital Dish Diva says: christina_jroseluvr5 Asks: What did you think when Richard walked around naked on his Birthday?
Gervase Peterson says: It didn't bother me at all. That was Rich's prerogative. I was amused when I saw him because I was more endowed then he was.

Digital Dish Diva says: GK211 Asks: Did you and the other kicked off castaways live it up when you got back to the mainland?
Gervase Peterson says: Oh definitely! We partied every single day until we left Malaysia.

Digital Dish Diva says: gisdude Asks: What did Jenna think when rich tried to offer her the shell necklace (as a bribe)?
Gervase Peterson says: (laughs) Jenna wasn't too pleased about it. Jenna is a tough girl that likes to prove she can do things on her own in a man's world. And you gotta respect that.

Digital Dish Diva says: CJM27 Asks: Did you have any idea while you were on the island what a huge success the show would be?
Gervase Peterson says: We had no idea. I personally was hoping we would have the number one spot sometime in the summer. But this just took off from the beginning and it's been one incredible ride!

Digital Dish Diva says: Guest_the_survivor Asks: What did you think of Sean's voting strategy?
Gervase Peterson says: I thought Sean was an idiot with his voting strategy. He honestly didn't think there was an alliance until Jenna go voted off but by then we had lost 3 from our tribe. He's not the smartest guy in the world.

Digital Dish Diva says: Pickinupadams0 Asks: Has readjustment to regular life been difficult, and if so, in what ways?
Gervase Peterson says: Yeah, it's been difficult, in the beginning. The first week everything was the same, my eating habits, my sleeping habits, I was kind of in a weird state. But about four weeks later I was back to my normal self. I feel great now though!

Digital Dish Diva says: scari44 Asks: Our family has decided that they gave you a bad torch on that last physical challenge. Has that thought crossed your mind?
Gervase Peterson says: It definitely crossed my mind. When I was running into the ocean I did trip and fall and my torch did get wet, but I was thinking something was going on there because I tried sticking twigs and leaves in there and there was nothing that worked to relight it.

Digital Dish Diva says: HeisHe1 Asks: ever considered the fact that Rudy had an unfair advantage over everyone? Being an x Navy seal, he was trained to survive. If I were on the island, I would gotten together with him and worked out a plan for survival.
Gervase Peterson says: Well if you actually watch the show, he does less work than I do. And I'm the proclaimed lazy one. (laughs) He's a retired Navy Seal so I think all the survival skills are long gone. He can cook a great bowl of rice though!

Digital Dish Diva says: Guest_jeannie Asks: Have you received any offers for endorsements or other work? I heard you got a new SUV out of the deal?
Gervase Peterson says: Na, I didn't get a new SUV out of the deal. There have been a lot of vehicles like TV, Movies, Commercials, and endorsements. I am trying to find the right vehicle and go along for this ride.

Digital Dish Diva says: TeamRocket_Meowth Asks: I saw Entertainment Tonight yesterday. They reported you auditioned to start in a new movie with John Travolta. Can you tell us more about the audition?
Gervase Peterson says: Yeah, I auditioned for John Travolta's new movie "Swordfish." It went great and I'm just keeping my fingers crossed and hopefully I'll hear back from them.

Digital Dish Diva says: freeagent_5 Asks: Did you gain a lot of knowledge from this experience?
Gervase Peterson says: What I learned was that I'm tougher than I thought I was. I always knew I was mentally tough, but I didn't know if I was physically capable and I learned that I could. So what I learned was to appreciate everything from the small things like toilet paper, soap, showers, pillows, beds, and especially food.

Digital Dish Diva says: Our last question Gervase if from TheHog who Asks: What's it like knowing who the winner will be, but not be allowed to tell anyone?
Gervase Peterson says: It's great because every week someone picks someone to be voted off and they're wrong. I don't think anyone thought I was going to get voted off, but I did. There's definitely a lot of surprises to come, so keep watching!

Digital Dish Diva says: Gervase, thanks for joining us this morning on MSN Live! Best of luck with future projects. We'll be looking out for "Swordfish" with you in it!
Gervase Peterson says: Thanks for all the love and support that you've showed me throughout the show. And thanks for realizing I'm not a lazy guy, but that was my plan.

Digital Dish Diva says: Tune in to "Survivor" every Wednesday night on CBS and see who the next exiled "Survivor" will be.

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