Elisabeth Hasselbeck nee Filarski
Survivor stats: Was on
Survivor US: The Australian Outback (Season 2)
Got voted out 12th on Day 39
Got perved by everyone bigtime
Currently occupied: as co-host of the US daytime talk show The View.
Jury verdict: the US Survivor who's forged the most successful TV career since surviving.
Viwe Soga nee Soga
Survivor stats: Was on
Survivor SA: Malaysia (Season 2)
Got voted out third on Day 7
Has a rep. for being a reality TV junkie
Always spotted at the Big Brother Africa Finale's
Currently occupied: as co-host of SABC3's celebertainment show
Flash!
Jury verdict: the SA Survivor who's forged the most successful TV career since surviving.
It's true isn't it? I've gone through everyone and out of all the South African Surivors there's no-one else who's landed a Primetime TV gig since the end of both shows.
Last I scooped: Season 1 winner
Vanessa Marawa was seen at a Cape Town nightclub getting buddy-buddy with
Brothers & Sisters actors (but not actually
doing anything specific besides schmodelling); and Season 2 winner
Lorette Mostert has gone back to the police force - she paid off her house with her winnings and invested the rest in real estate.
With all this in mind and with
Survivor China edging towards the Finale I thought it would be trippy for us to catch up with Viwe to get his take on the season and what should happen next:
Here's what he had to guffaw:
A still of Viwe taken during Survivor Malaysia
Tashi: What’s been your take on the season?
Viwe: There’ve been some frikkin’ good characters - James, the entire way I was rooting him on and he leaves - with
two immunity idols! I was livid, my God.
Tashi: He’s gonna come back for another season - for Season 16: Fans Versus Favourites. I also loved him - I thought he struck such a fascinating character being a gravedigger.
Viwe: How funny was his transformation - at the beginning he was this strong, quiet black guy who hardly said a word and then he becomes this wise-cracker who just put it down.
Tashi: I kept getting the sense that he’s had a
lot of time to think about life - while he digs graves.
Viwe: He definitely had that time, he had his views and he didn’t put up with *bleep!* either. How was Peih-Gee's comeback as well? From someone who kept losing challenges to come back as she has - what a fighter - I don’t particularly like her but freakin' hell, I have respect for her.
Tashi: Why do you think she rubs everyone up the wrong way?
Viwe: I think it happened when she was argueing over the challenge when they had to balance the balls on the drums and she immediately started blaming James for the loss.
She started whining - she’s also a whiner and talks *bleep!*, with respect - I think she just disintegrated, then fell apart - that’s how I felt - and then she just had this comeback. That’s mental strength for you.
Tashi: Who do you think’s gonna win?
Viwe: If Denise makes it, the Jury will vote for Denise - she really hasn’t screwed anyone over except James so far, but I think the others have all stepped on ego’s. Todd especially - a nasty piece of work is Todd - I think if anyone is
not gonna win it’ll be Todd.
If Peih-Gee makes it all the way - with Denise not being there - I think Peih-Gee's a great bet because of how she’s fought tooth and nail.
Tashi: Who’s your fave? Who would you
like to win?
Viwe: I’ll go with the feel-good choice: Denise. Amanda’s starting to come out as a real schemer, a real biyatch as I can say, she’s starting to do a lot of politic’ing - she’s probably as scaley as Todd is, but not as pronounced.
Todd’s another frikkin’ story, I mean he engingeered James’ leaving, he’d wanted him out for a while - he’s such an out-there schemer, it’s very easy to like that kind of character but he’s too much for me.
He’s constantly thinking things through - you can see he’s a great thinker, he’s upped the odds in the game but he’s put himself out there as a result. Someone like Amanda – she’s as much of a schemer I think but she’s been much more under the radar compared to Todd.
Tashi: His story about his sister’s miscarriage: absolute truth or mega lie?
Viwe: I think it's a Jonny Fairplay lie - could be wrong but the problem is because of the type of character is he no-one would put it past him to lie about it. He’s damned if it’s true/damned if it isn’t.
Tashi: Even when he told us; and him and his sister told Amanda and her sister, I still didn’t believe him. I thought him and his sister were very much in it together.
Viwe: You also think: “Why would you say that sort of thing about your sister on national TV?” It’s a very sensitive matter if it’s true.
Viwe spading at the BB Africa 3 finale What’s been your all-time fave backstab?
Viwe: *bleep!* it wasn’t my favourite but how they turned the game on James. It made me want to stand up and applaud, like “My God these people are cruel - wow.” You just wanted to say: “Dude, can’t you see what’s going on??”
When you’re in the situation you have conversations with people - you see them having conversations in the distance but when they come back they say “Everything’s cool.” - they just lie to your face!
Everybody put up such a great front with him, like Peih-Gee, when she said she was resigned to leaving.
Tashi: Who’s been your ultimate season Pig?
Viwe: JR! *laughs* I couldn’t stand JR. He was clever - you know, I almost thought at times he was trying to play a Richard Hatch type game, the psychological game, trying reverse psychology here and there, being deliberately outspoken at times but he had such an overinflated sense of self worth and importance that he just was NOT likeable at all.
I usually like the underdog - when you see everyone hounding against them I’m usually on their side - but I just couldn’t find the same feeling for him. When he left I was chuffed, I thought “Good Riddance, really.”
Tashi: Who’s been your Best Dressed?
Viwe: It’s funny how they always blur out Amanda’s ass ... uh... ‘cos she always had too much to show. As a spectacle to see - James is a ... wow - he’s such an impressive, imposing figure - as a straight man I’d say he’s something to look.
Tashi: Clothesless preferably.
Viwe: Well, I wouldn’t go that far *laughs* I don’t think we’ve ever seen a Survivor that physically impressive.
Tashi: And your Worst Dressed? Mine’s Hangboobs Denise.
Viwe: Oh - yes! They stare you in the face. They give her this unassuming air. She’s been pathetic at challenges, she hasn’t been particularly helpful around camp and she’s got this slob appearance but it all also gives her a charm and appeal. You ostensibly don’t see people like that as a threat - she’s in a dishevelled state and her mallet.
Tashi: Argh! It’s the worst - I couldn’t believe it when it turned out she actually has a husband.
Viwe: He looks like a trucker or farmer. Her look is terrible but at the same time not a particularly bad thing for the game - obviously she’s not going to have a love interest in the game but people will trust you more because you have an assuming good ol' country feel to you.
Tashi: If there were another season of Survivor South Africa - an All Stars - why would you want to do it again?
Viwe: It’s like an itch that you can’t scratch - especially when you come out of the game early. Like James I didn’t see it coming at all, naively, I was younger, you have life experience behind you now, you’re a little bit more cynical now.
You want to go back to do what you wanted to do - at the stage came out I didn’t have a proper chance to implement all my plans. I was scheming - scheming but in the scheming I completely lost track of what was happening around me. You’re caught in the moment, “My God I’m on TV - wow!”
You know what you could have done but didn’t and it’s really irritating. Obviously you have fun with it, like with you say “If you blinked you missed me” but you really want another chance to do what you wanted to do.
Viwe. Spading. Take 2.
Tashi: Would you say that your ultimate strategy would be to NOT trust anyone EVER.
Viwe: 110%.
Tashi: Would you wear the same outfit? You wore shorts?
Viwe: I wore a pair of black pants. There are so many things I’d change - I’d wear one of those Zulu leopard skin vests. I have to go with socks too - you don’t think of it but when you’re getting stung all night - the area between your shoes and ankles you get stung silly. They would definitely be my first option.
Something more out-there, worth remembering - we were all pretty conservative, nothing memorable, I’d wear leopard skin, socks and short shorts - or maybe those khaki’s farmers wear.
Tashi: Who do you think’s played the best game on China?
Viwe: I love Todd’s game - he's almost the running commentary chap, he engages with us, we always know what he’s doing. He’s really put himself out there but I’d say my choice would be someone who’s more understated and at this stage I’d say Amanda. I really respect the game she’s played.
Peih-Gee’s been good but she’s really gotten on people’s nerves. For someone who’s played the game from the outside, I’d say Amanda.
The Finale's coming up, not this Monday, but the Monday after: 31 August.