Lawyer Viwe Soga was the third Survivor to have his Malaysian torch extinguished exactly a week ago when his allies Lorette and Mandla turned on him at the last moment and voted him out of the game.
I caught up with him for us in this week in between and had a chuckle when it confirmed what I've been suspecting all along - the rivalry between him and Grant had everything to do with them wanting to be in their own episode of Boston Legal.
Here's what he had to outwit, outlast, outsay:
Tashi: When you got whacked - you looked so happy and chilled - where you as pleased as you seemed?
Viwe: Tashi look man, you just have to take things on the chin. I was surprised that it happened - it was bemusement more than anything else, I thought: “Whoahoa-haha, what happened here?” I didn’t see it coming - if I knew my head was on the chopping block but I thought my alliance with Mandla and Irshaad would be enough to see us through.
All indications from Lorette were that she still disapproved of Lisa’s work ethic and I thought that would be enough to swing the vote in my favour and geez, look at what happened - Mandla swung and Lorette swung with him.
Tashi: The question that always comes up in these situations is: how could you not have known that the tide was turning? Why didn’t you do more to ensure it
definitely wasn’t you?
Viwe: Sure, look obviously the problem is - as a viewer you don’t see everything that happens on the island. You’ll see selected conversations - it’s difficult to get a full all-round understanding of what’s going on. Right up until we got to Tribal Council I was pretty sure my alliance with Mandla was secure.
Let me give you an example: as we were about to step in there, Irshaad came up to me and said: “Viwe are we cool? Do we have Lorette?” and I said: “Irshaad, I told Mandla to speak to Lorette,” and we both went to Mandla and said: “Did you get Lorette?” and Mandla said: “No no no we’re fine, we’re cool.”
I knew that Grant and Angie were politicing to keep Lisa in the game but we were politicing just as much, myself and Irhsaad because we’d had this alliance with Mandla, we’d talked about it beforehand that look, “Guys we’re voting Lisa out if it comes to Tribal Council.”
Tashi: So what was it that convinced Mandla and Lorette to vote you out instead of the Lisa Pig?
Viwe: Looking from Mandla’s perspective, I thought, look he’s a big guy, there could be a target on his back - what he needs to do is keep his allies close and move that way in the game. The Grant, Angie, Lisa alliance was obvious.
Grant hit a chord with him when he said we shouldn’t be in Tribal Council all the time. Obviously you’re only going to be in Tribal Council if you lose challenges - looking at the men on the island, I was the youngest guy and physically I was the smallest guy as well.
You juxtapose me with Lisa - Lisa’s a big girl - so physically the wrestling contest put in starkness that I’m pretty small compared to these guys so if you’re gonna win a challenge you’re gonna want pretty much the strongest woman there.
Another thing as well was really just a myth that has been built up around Lisa’s prowess in challenges - up to that point she hasn’t done anything in any challenge to be honest with you - aside from her swim on the first day when she was the first person on shore.
Tashi: You’re right about Grant striking a chord with them about the challenges because that’s what convinced me. Firstly we saw you going: “Oh I’m so hungry etc” and then he said something about you not sticking to the strategy at the challenge.
Viwe: The strategy we used for the challenge was incorrect, it was tactically stupid - that was Grant’s strategy that we used. I told them: “Look guys we need to have one person going for the ball and someone else on the shoreline, it only makes sense,” but I was shot down by the rest of the tribe.
We went with the strategy and we lost as a result so I was just appalled that he even went on with his little Twinkie anecdote after his strategy effectively lost us the challenge. The smart thing I should have done my own thing and done the strategy I tried to get. If I’d done that and we’d lost my head wold have been on the chopping block for not following instructions.
Tashi: He was really convincing with that. He convinced me then he obviously convinced Mandla and Lorette but when he voted you out he didn’t give that as the reason - he said it’s because you’re a lawyer and he doesn’t trust you. This must be part of his strategy for keeping Lisa on - she’s clearly not the brightest pin in the basket.
Viwe: Sure, sure - look if I was in his position I’d want to keep Lisa on as well. She’s openly arrogant, she speaks without thinking, she’s lazy - I mean it’s out there and Grant knew I was always going to vote him out. I wanted to get Lisa out, he was gonna be next on my list as far as I’m concerned. The lines were pretty much drawn - in that first episode, remember there was that alliance.
Tashi: Yes you two were thick as thieves.
Viwe: No no no no - I had an alliance with Lisa. Lisa came along with Grant and Angie to give us numbers really. I never had an alliance with Angie and Grant, nothing ever drew me to them - not to say we didn’t get along but I didn’t like them to be honest with you.
Before that Tribal Council I decided: “I want out of this, I don’t trust Grant, I don’t trust Angie,” if I’d stayed there I would have been voted out completely unawares thinking I had a solid alliance.
The next day I went to Irshaad and said: “These people are trying to get you off,” - there was talk that they wanted to get him off so I said: “Let’s get our alliance going here - we can’t let them control the game. You can see exactly what’s going to happen here: it’s going to be you, then me, then Lorette and Mandla. ” So there was new three-way alliance and our main aim was to get Lorette on board as the swing vote.
Tashi: Clearly the real battle was between you and Grant.
Viwe: Ja pretty much hey, you can see that Grant is taking Angie and Lisa along with him, utilizing them for his purposes and I didn’t want to be in alliance ruled by Grant for goodness sake. I took a risk obviously but I think it was the best thing - I think they would have voted me out regardless if I’d stayed with that one.
Tashi: Ultimately I think the conclusion from the whole thing is that both you and Grant are lawyers so you can’t be trusted.
Viwe: Oh come now Tashi (laughs), I honestly wouldn’t say that myself.
Tashi: So you’d say you were trustworthy?
Viwe: Ja look I think I was trustworthy - I was never gonna vote against Irhsaad or Mandla. The first alliance I got in with Lisa - when Grant and Angie came along it changed the dynamic for me.
Tashi: Why’d you hook up with her in the first place??
Viwe: Initially I wanted to start an alliance with Nomfundo, Irhsaad or Mandla - one of the three so I put my feelers out - saying :”Guys, what do you think about the alliances in Survivor?” – trying to be discreet but the resounding message I got from the was: “No no no no,” Mandla said: “No baba, we need the strongest people, we can’t be playing alliances so early.”
I wanted to solidify my position and I just so happened to be walking with Lisa gathering leaves, it just turned out we were on same alliance-making page at that stage. We did get along – we were both the two youngest people in the game, we’re both from small town universities - up ‘til now I have no ill feeling towards Lisa, I actually got along with her very well.
Tashi: Are you a Survivor fan?
Viwe: Big time, I am.
Tashi: Who’s your all-time fave?
Viwe: Jonny Fairplay.
Tashi: Argh! NO.
Viwe: Without a shadow of a doubt Fairplay. He was a decent competitor - he wasn’t the best physically but he played such a strong mental game. Look he lied like an idiot but that was the corner he found himself in. I thought he played a very strong mental game. I think it’s really important to do that.
Tashi: So, do you have a girlfriend?
Viwe: I do.
Tashi: Is it love?
Viwe: Love or? (laughs) Ja, ja it is.
Tashi: And what did she have to say about your performance?
Viwe: She was pretty bemused by all my complaining so I had to make it clear: “Look I pretty much only said that Irshaad, I didn’t go around babbling and talking about how hungry I was to the whole tribe.”
The only other person who heard me complain was Lisa ‘cos I knew she was going to vote for me so I didn’t care what she heard but I didn’t go ‘round babbling to Mandla, Lorette or the others. She knows I’m not the type to complain like that so I wanted to make that clear but otherwise she was bemused ‘cos I’m such a massive fan of the show.
I had my plan, from the first day when I was playing the bewildered tourist I didn’t stop thinking. It’s unfortunate that Grant was able to make me the scapegoat for the challenge, look credit to Grant for managing to turn Lorette and the Big Guy around. What an experience.
Tashi: Now that Mandla’s turned on you - who would you like to see win?
Viwe: I’d like to see Irshaad win. He had a difficult time growing up – such an upstanding, honest guy - salt of the earth kinda guy, I’d love to see him win. Even Mandla, I was very close him and I have no ill feelings towards the big guy so I’ll be rooting for him all the way.
Tashi: Who would you definitely not like to see win?
Viwe: Grant.
Tashi: Pure and simple?
Viwe: Pure and simple.
Tashi: The battle of the courtroom. Survivor spin-off: we need to put the two of you in a courtroom and watch you argue.
Viwe: That would be brilliant, see how the old man takes it. The man’s senile - that Twinkie comment was ridiculous, I’d sooner hire a Twinkie as my lawyer than him.
Ends