Nick Stanbury came out of hiding for the first time in Tuesdays episode of Exile Island when he tooth-chopped Bruce, got voted out, chucked Cirie a pair of socks and disappeared.
On Wednesday after the show I miraculously managed to find him and trust me when I tell you that I've never caught up with any Survivor who's an unimpressed with himself for being in the show.
By the end of chatting to him I was having a chuckle 'cos I couldn't for the life of me work out why he'd possibly wanted to be in it. I didn't ask him why though - it just struck me that not knowing is much more suited to who he is. Here's what he had to say:
Tashi: When you left you didn't actually comment about the show at all but instead you said "be true to your dreams." Are you true to yours?
Nick: I'm attempting to be. It hasn't reached the level I aspire to but one of my goals was to attend law school and obtain a law degree. Since the show aired I got into the law school I wanted to and now I'm a first year law student so it has begun.
Tashi: So what are your other dreams?
Nick: They include many things from personal relationships to what business I want to get into to the parts of the world I want to travel to. I have family in Eastern Europe I want to spend an extended time staying with. I just have to find money to finance these things.
Tashi: Yes, you'll have to be a hotshot lawyer.
Nick: I don't know about being a lawyer.
Tashi: Why would you go to lawschool then?
Nick: You can still use it for lots of other things. It can translate to business or the public sector. Law is a very restricted profession that's very time consuming and I don't want to dedicate myself to something to that degree.
I have to have time to do other things to be free and not chain myself down to an occupation. I'll go into business - perferably securities or investment.
Tashi: So you could have been in The Apprentice too.
Nick: They're pretty viscious over there I think.
Tashi: When Sally lost the spear in Episode 2 - why didn't you jump in to help her try to find it?
Nick: I honestly didn't think it was going to sink as quikly as did. I felt so stupid for even letting her experiment with it in that water. It was absurd.
Tashi: But you didn't jump in after it at all.
Nick: No. It just sank straight down and in three or four seconds it was just gone. I was dumbfounded. Not jumping in was something I regret.
Tashi: The other incident that happened to you was you machete-ing Bruce, which we've just seen. Do you think this was the reason he decided to stick with Casaya and vote against you?
Nick: It's an interesting theory but I don't think so. Brucie's a very tough guy with his martial arts history. If I could have hit anyone I'm glad it was Bruce - anyone else might have truly been injured or at least thought they were. No, I don't think that's why.
I think Bruce did the smart thing as far as his own salvation was concerned. A few minutes after it happened he was smiling and we were hugging and I don't think he held any malicious will from it.
Tashi: Why didn't you try harder to hang onto the pole in the Immunity Challenge knowing how desperate your situation was?
Nick: It was very difficult and mentally I was struggling. To look over at Terry, he looked like he could have stayed up there all day. I gave it all I could. I was very surprised and disappointed that I wasn't able to outlast Terry. My first goal for me was to be on the jury and to not achieve that was very disappointing.
Tashi: Who was your fave out of everybody?
Nick: Austen was my best companion. He's one of the most interesting people I've ever met. A truly good hearted, wonderful person, who's very smart. Terry as well. I was very pleased with the cast. There was no-one I really butted heads with. I don't really quarrel with people.
You just got to see good and bad - all sides of them and Bobby Mason was one of the most fascinating guys. I was really disappointed that he didn't make a better showing. Tina too - she was tremendous. Austen was my best friend on the show though.
Tashi: Are you still friends?
Nick: Yes, with him and Terry.
Tashi: Who was your worst?
Nick: I don't know. In the end I think it was Shane who was probably the encouraging factor to get rid of me. He was the ringleader in the meeting that took place the night I got voted off.
He wasn't my worst though because I really enjoyed him and had a good time with him but in the end he was probably the one who wanted me voted off.
Tashi: He's been psycho since episode 2.
Nick: He was in pretty serious withdrawals. I don't know what it's like, I've never been through that.
Tashi: Who's your fave Survivor of all-time?
Nick: I'm a fan of Survivor but I've never been a die-hard fan until the last couple of years. I'd say my favourite is Tom Westman from the season of Palau. What he pulled off was incredible. He came from a minorty tribe, joined the majority as an outsider and won it.
Tashi: What gossip do have about yourself that you can tell us that we didn't see in the show?
Nick: You know, I just take pride in being a very private, regular student. Nobody at school knows that I was in the show and I prefer it that way. I prefer people not to know that I was a Survivor before they meet me.
I just went back to my life. It was a tremdendous experience and it's something that I view as having happened and it's going to stay an isolated incident. I don't want to build on it from an entertainment or occupational standpoint.
Tashi: What went down in the show that we didn't see?
Nick: There were many moments where the game was put aside in favour of things like a group message in the ocean. (Me: homo-erotic, I
told you)
Some nights when it was raining profusely we'd stay up - Austen is a great singer - and we'd be up singing songs for hours. There are many moments the time restraints didn't show - as well as copyright issues.
If it's a popular song you're singing they can't put it on air without paying the artist. One night we had a concert around the fire and we spent hours partying but the producers couldn't use any of it.
Ends