Survivor: Fiji's Alex Angarita Gets Snuffed

In no great surprise, especially with him being the only "outsider," last week, Jeff Probst snuffed out the flame of Alex Angarita. TV Guide sat down to get the behind the scenes scoop on his time on the island.

TVGuide.com: Got to say, I admire the "go down swinging" strategy.
Alex Angarita: You've got to. You can't just give up at the very end. That's just not the way life works.

TVGuide.com: Did you think you had a shot?
Alex: Were I a betting man, would I have placed a bet on me? No. That's dumb. But to convince others, I think you have to believe in yourself. So to a certain degree, as delusional as it might be, I did believe that my strategy might work. But from a bird's-eye view, I knew I didn't stand a chance.

TVGuide.com: Cassandra seemed at least interested in what you had to say.
Alex: At least I riled things up a little bit. Yau-Man wasn't as safe as he thought. I did something.

TVGuide.com: I think outing Yau-Man's idol, as you and Mookie did, will really change things.
Alex: I do, too. In a game as intense as Survivor, with such little time in between pivotal events, any small thing has a ripple effect. That is magnified by the way the game is played.

TVGuide.com: You kept saying the others didn't know what they were in for. Are you a big Survivor fan?
Alex: I am now! [Laughs] Part of what I felt was an issue throughout and something I didn't take into account was that I always assumed in my strategy that I was dealing with rational [people] who could see more than one or two steps ahead. I think I was wrong in thinking that. A lot of people who played that game think only about staying there week to week. I kept trying to explain to them all throughout the show. I'd say, "Listen, this will happen three steps from now if you do this now." Had I to do that over again, I would probably focus on explaining to people the immediate impact of their decision rather than the long-term impact. That might be a better way of persuading others.

TVGuide.com: The other alliance did manage to pull off that scheme to get your pal Edgardo out.
Alex: Yeah. That was Yau-Man and Earl, who do think several steps ahead. But for Dreamz and Stacy, going back on the alliance they had with Edgardo, Mookie and I bought them [a couple of weeks]. Now if they make it to the end... none of us are ever going to vote for them. They are going to be on the outside of an already tight alliance. If you start flip-flopping you are going to piss off too many people to win this thing. I don't think they thought of it that way. Sure, they got further than I did, but on a long-term basis, I don't see that working out for them.

TVGuide.com: Then they both lamely tried to apologize to you and Mookie.
Alex: Right? Oh, no big deal. You screwed me over. What, I accidentally lied to you and stabbed you in the back? My bad.

TVGuide.com: Do you think you picked the right guys to be in your Four Horsemen alliance?
Alex: I did get along with those people, at least on a personal level. I was [worried] about going into the merge with low numbers, so I chose people who I thought might be able to pull in someone else from the other side. I felt like at least each of us had a chance. I would have kept Lisi instead of Dreamz had she not proven herself to be so unreliable in terms of her commitment to the game. I didn’t want to be in a situation where there were seven of us left and Lisi was like, "Guys, I just want to go home."

TVGuide.com: Mookie did want to go home at the end, though.
Alex: He did. But that was when we had no chance whatsoever. He was just throwing in the towel.

TVGuide.com: Do you have any regrets about voting Mookie out?
Alex: No, I don't. It was my only move. Once I had made an agreement with my alliance, I never betrayed that alliance. When it was down to me or Mookie... if he had thought it all the way through, he would have put my name down. I've talked to Mookie since then, and he's in complete agreement about that. What can you do? My back was literally up against the wall.

TVGuide.com: Why call it "Four Horsemen"?
Alex: I think it might have been something I remember from watching wrestling back in the day. I just thought it was catchy.

TVGuide.com: Why'd you want to do this show instead of something like The Apprentice, where you can use your legal skills?
Alex: For exactly that reason, because this was going to test me on a level that I couldn't replicate in the real world. It was not about the million dollars for me. It was about testing myself and putting myself in a crazy environment and learning as much about myself as possible. I think this was the single best way to do it.

TVGuide.com: What did you learn about yourself?
Alex: A lot of things, but above all else to trust my instincts. And I learned that given any situation, my ability to presevere is definitely real. I don't stop, I don't give up. I go after what I want and this experience, as extreme as it was, solidified that in me and made me a stronger person overall.

TVGuide.com: If you had it all to do over again, would you use the idol when you did?
Alex: Well, hindsight is 20/20. If I knew that I was getting screwed over, no. It was a 50/50 chance. Ed and I talked about it just before tribal and we knew it was going to be one of us. When I was sitting there I saw them writing the names and it was taking them a long time to write "Alex." One of the lessons I learned was to always go with my gut, because my gut told me to give the idol to Ed. It was screaming at me, "Give it to Ed! Give it to Ed!" And I just couldn't do it, because if I was wrong, I was done. I think I made the rational choice, but if I had listened to my gut, Ed would have stayed in the game and we would have taken out Cassandra and it would have been different altogether.

TVGuide.com: What is next on your agenda?
Alex: I've started an academic consulting company to get high-school students into law, medical and business school. I was pre-med as an undergrad, went to law school and went through the business-school process, waiting to hear back from Wharton and Stanford. I know how to get people into school. I've put together a team of top consultants and this is what I'm doing.

TVGuide.com: Are we going to see you giving people heck on the finale?
Alex: Oh, you have no idea. No idea! I'm like, "Oh, man, I hope I wasn't too harsh." I let it out.

Photo from TV Guide.

Survivor: Fiji's Mookie Lee Talks

Seriously, his real name is Mookie? And here I thought it was just a tribe-given nickname. Mookie Lee, a 25-year-old from Chicago was ousted on last week's episode of Survivor: Fiji. He recently sat down to talk with TV Guide on alliances gone bad and more.

TVGuide.com: Did you know before watching it that your alliance mate Alex had voted for you?
Mookie Lee: At that time at tribal council, no, I did not know. Afterwards I figured it out.

TVGuide.com: What was your reaction?
Mookie: Initially I was kind of surprised, but [on] the show [last week] he mentioned that he was going to make his vote count, so I kind of understood.

TVGuide.com: Did you have an inkling that the rest of the tribe was going to split their votes between you and Alex?
Mookie: I had no idea. I don't know if Alex had an idea or not and that's why he chose to [vote for me]. Had I been thinking, I probably would have voted against him as well.

TVGuide.com: You unfortunately did not fall in with the right guys for an alliance. They all seemed to turn on you.
Mookie: I know. Is it just me? I lose every immunity challenge, people just turn on me....

TVGuide.com: You never got to live at the nice camp.... No wonder you were looking so exhausted by the end.
Mookie: Exactly. I had lost like 25 to 30 pounds.

TVGuide.com: Do you feel like you were at a disadvantage because you never got to live at the "nice camp"?
Mookie: I definitely feel like I was at a disadvantage. I think if I was on Moto or at least had a couple of days there to eat and get a couple nights' good sleep, I probably would have lasted longer —more so if I had won immunity challenges. Then a lot of people who are there right now, people who just freeloaded, would be off, and I think I would still be there.

TVGuide.com: Really? Who do you think was a feeloader?
Mookie: Cassandra would have been one of the first people off. And Stacy.

TVGuide.com: Stacy did win that individual immunity challenge last week, though.
Mookie: That was pure luck.

TVGuide.com: The challenge was basically the old game Battleship.
Mookie: Yeah, except there was a little more at stake — either you are on the show or you are off the show!

TVGuide.com: You seemed like you wanted to go home. Were you just tired, or did you really want to leave?
Mookie: I was just feeling tired. Even at Ravu, I vocalized my frustration. But when you watch me in challenges and in the game, I am actually playing the game and still thinking. My heart was always there. I would just say things out of frustration, but I definitely wanted to be there.

TVGuide.com: How much did you want to keep that immunity idol for yourself, instead of giving it to Alex?
Mookie: I wish I could have hung onto it longer. But at a certain point I had to trust my alliance. That was my livelihood in the game and I gave it up, and the next tribal council I was out.

TVGuide.com: And it got wasted. Was that upsetting?
Mookie: I knew at tribal council, when Yau-Man spoke, that it was Edgardo that was going to go. But at that point I couldn't do anything about it. I think that would have been the biggest turn in the game, if I still had it in my hand and gave it to Edgardo.

TVGuide.com: Was Dreamz's betrayal a big shock to you?
Mookie: Initially I was iffy about him, but when it came down to Dreamz, Edgardo, myself and Alex, I knew I had to trust Dreamz, because Alex and Edgardo were obviously the closer pair within the four. I had to trust Dreamz. I had no choice because I didn't know what was going on with everyone in the other camp. But my instincts were wrong, and I chose the wrong person.

TVGuide.com: Your Four Horsemen pals were upset that you told Dreamz about the immunity idol.
Mookie: At that point I had to because I had to gain his trust and that was the only way I could do it. I felt like [Alex and Edgardo] were basically using me to get a little further because they wanted to share the idol in the end.

TVGuide.com: I did like the "Go down swinging" mentality.
Mookie: Exactly. I wanted to raise some hell before I went, instead of walking out silent.

TVGuide.com: Do you think Jeff Probst was a little harsh when he basically accused you of invading Yau-Man's privacy?
Mookie: You should expect that there is no privacy. People have looked through bags before. Yau-Man basically looked through Sylvia's bag, so he should expect the same, especially from people who had their back against the wall. We had to get a little creative and basically find any information that we could to keep ourselves in the game.

TVGuide.com: Did the girls hiding in the bushes spoil your plan?
Mookie: That was sneaky! Now that I've watched the show, I learned that they didn't hear everything. The reason why we went and told Yau-Man was because we felt like they would spoil it before us, and it was definitely sneaky and surprising. One second you are on top of the world with this great game plan and the next you are like, "Oh, crap."

TVGuide.com: Did you achieve your goal of stirring up trouble?
Mookie: Definitely. Every bit of information in this game counts. For some people, knowing that Yau-Man never told them about the idol could change the game. I don't know, but hopefully it does.

TVGuide.com: What did you think of Dreamz's explanation of why he turned on you?
Mookie: That was complete BS. Alex and I knew he was completely lying. Had he been a little smarter he would have tried to milk it and gain our trust in a different way rather than lying to our faces again. But he betrayed us. He's the one who said there were going to be snakes and rats in the game, and there he is.

TVGuide.com: Are you on speaking terms with the Four Horsemen?
Mookie: I haven't spoken to them yet, but I leave things in the game. The game is a game; in real life, we're friends — hopefully.

Photo from TV Guide.

Survivor's Michelle: The Tribe Has Spoken

Survivor: Fiji's Michelle Yi was voted off last week, in an episode that had a twist that just might have been the final nail in her coffin. A lower-than-radar player, she was not a stand-out in the tribe, and I didn't see her making it to the end. Michelle was the first member to be voted off the newly merged Bula Bula tribe and TV Guide asked sat down with her to get the behind-the-scenes scoop, and what her plans are for the future.

TVGuide.com: I have to say, in your little exit interview, you were so peppy and happy about the experience. That's a nice change from Rocky screaming at the camera.
Michelle: Yeah, which is surprising, too, because I was bawling my eyes out and then you have to compose yourself. They sit you down and they're like, "OK...," and I'm like, "Ahhh."

TVGuide.com: Were you totally blindsided by the vote, or did you have a hunch it was coming?
Michelle: You definitely get an uneasy feeling on your way to tribal council. It's especially unnerving on the way there, since we didn't talk....

TVGuide.com: It was an interesting twist to have the tribe divided and send the losing half immediately to tribal council.
Michelle: I knew it was coming when Alex pointed out that I was the one he was voting for.

TVGuide.com: Now, do you think Jeff Probst sort of did you in? You weren't allowed to talk to each other, but he basically asked Alex who he thought should go home.
Michelle: It definitely took away the concept of even talking in tongues at tribal council, because everything you have to say, you have to say in front of everybody. That was just shocking that that happened, but I think Alex knew that in order to get Dreamz to vote his way, he had to say it out loud.

TVGuide.com: Right, because it definitely seemed like maybe Dreamz would have voted for Stacy, because he didn't seem to have a relationship with her.
Michelle: Right, right, I doubt he was keeping her around for emotional reasons after the incident with the coffee press.

TVGuide.com: Ah, the coffee press. She wouldn't show him how it works because he wasn't in her alliance. That's not really good strategy on her part, being mean to other people.
Michelle: No, no, I don't think so.

TVGuide.com: You lived in both camps. Do you think the luxury camp was really true Survivor?
Michelle: Definitely not. The luxury camp was nicer than when I go camping.

TVGuide.com: Do you think that it was fair?
Michelle: It was incredibly unfair. The nutrients [available] in the nice camp and the good sleep and food proved to be such an advantage in challenges. After all, the new Ravu boys kept losing to a bunch of girls and an old man.

TVGuide.com: Although, that Yau-Man is pretty wily for his age.
Michelle: Yau-Man is definitely an underestimated player.

TVGuide.com: Were you excited when you heard you guys were merging?
Michelle: I was very excited about the merge, just because I felt very strong with my alliance with Earl and Yau-Man, when we knew we could get Cassandra and Dreamz on our side and it would be easy sailing after the first merge boot. Unfortunately, that was me.

TVGuide.com: They went and threw in another twist.
Michelle: Yeah, it's unfortunate to be the victim of a twist, but maybe that's a better way to go out than everyone hating me.

TVGuide.com: Right, well you definitely seemed pretty well liked by everybody, which you don't always hear on Survivor.
Michelle: Yeah, that's very true.

TVGuide.com: I have to ask, how'd you fall off that platform during the blindfold challenge? You were the one who could see!
Michelle: I was so focused on calling to Yau-Man that I wasn't even thinking about how close I was to the edge of the platform. The greatest part of all is, after I fell, I got up with nervous laughter, I looked around, and I realized that nobody saw because everybody was blindfolded.

TVGuide.com: Except the camera.
Michelle: Yeah, except for the 16 million people at home.

TVGuide.com: I hope you're OK, but it was very entertaining and showed a tenacity on your part that you got right back up.
Michelle: [Laughs] You know, you're still competing. Just because you fall doesn't mean it's over. So you get back up and we still ended up winning the challenge.

TVGuide.com: Who was in your alliance?
Michelle: I was closest with Earl and Yau-Man. We each definitely played a very different role in our alliance and I think that's what made it so strong. Earl's kind of a hidden leader whereas I'm sort of the pickpocket spy. Yau-Man is under the radar, though definitely dependable. Also, we knew he was holding the immunity idol and we knew we could bring in Dreamz and Cassandra.

TVGuide.com: And your spy role, very good idea. I wouldn't have suspected it, you're so sweet.
Michelle: That's definitely part of it. I can be a little deceptive sometimes, and I know in this game you have to give trust to get it back, you can't just be taking it. So, to prove my role and my loyalty to my alliance, that's what I had to do.

TVGuide.com: I noticed on your bio that The Amazing Race was your favorite show. Are you a fan of Survivor, too?
Michelle: I am a fan of Survivor, too. My favorite part of Survivor is not the social game, it's the challenges, which is why I love Amazing Race.

TVGuide.com: They've had some crazy challenges this season.
Michelle: Yeah, although overall, I'd say Survivor is a social game.

TVGuide.com: You said you kind of learned a lot about yourself and what sort of person you are. Anything specific?
Michelle: Well, I was just proving to myself that I'm as tough as I like to think I am and that I can be put through a lot. I think as a little girl, I'm underestimated a lot of the time.

TVGuide.com: Can we watch out for any fun stuff from you at the final jury?
Michelle: Well, I guess we'll have to see. I definitely play the role in helping to decide the million, so I couldn't ask for a better position now.

TVGuide.com: Well, unless you were in one of those two or three final hot seats.
Michelle: [Laughs] Exactly. I'll be on the sidelines, rooting for my boys the whole way.

TVGuide.com: What are you doing now?
Michelle: I am currently going to school at University of Cincinnati, studying fashion design. I graduate in June.

TVGuide.com: Maybe we can see you on Project Runway!
Michelle: I know, perhaps you can look forward to a line of activewear….

TVGuide.com: You can do a lot with those Survivor buffs!
Michelle: Exactly!

Photo from TV Guide.

First Survivor Contestant Booted

The newest season of Survivor premiered last week, and this time, the group is in Fiji. Jessican deBen, a New Orleans native, was the first person booted from the popular reality show, but since she's on her way to the Oscars, providing make-up touch-ups, I think she'll be ok. She recently sat down with TV Guide to dish about the experience.

TVGuide.com: Are you surprised you're the first person out?
Jessica deBen: Yeah, I definitely am.

TVGuide.com: Watching it on TV, why do you think they singled you out?
Jessica: Look at when I was tying the rope. Jeff [Probst]'s like, "Jessica's slowing down the tribe!" [Laughs] I mean, I should have screamed at Jeff like, "Damn it, Jeff!"

TVGuide.com: Nobody screams back at Jeff Probst.
Jessica: I know, I think you're right! But that really got to me — and then I slowed down even more.

TVGuide.com: Going in, what was your strategy to win?
Jessica: Let me think, what was it? I remember telling someone that when I first saw "Papa Smurf" Gary, the older guy with the gray beard, and Lisi — who had on the insane glitter boots and a rocker-chick outfit — I wanted those two to be my allies. But, of course, they were on the other team.

TVGuide.com: Of course. So do you think it's fair to blame you just because you couldn't untie things?
Jessica: Oh my god, I'm just glad my job doesn't require me to solve puzzles or untie rope.

TVGuide.com: How was "have-not" island? Was it all that bad?
Jessica: No. I mean, it was even prettier than it looked on TV, and it looked great on TV. Maybe that's another reason I got voted out, because I thought the island was so gorgeous, I didn't even care that we didn't have the shelter. And look at Erica — she was so upset, I didn't realize it.

TVGuide.com: When you realized that you had helped build this enormous, gorgeous shelter but wouldn't get to stay there, what was your first thought?
Jessica: I just felt like, "No way is the winner going to come from the loser tribe." Maybe the winner [does] come from that tribe, but it would be a long shot.

TVGuide.com: I can imagine, seeing as you'd have no energy! I'd like to be sleeping in a hammock, frankly, if I was out there.
Jessica: Yeah, with a couch and a shower and a sewing machine? What the hell do you need a sewing machine for? I'm sorry, it's ridiculous.

TVGuide.com: Well, you could make pretty little clothes out of your buffs — which you would have been great at, since you're a fashion stylist.
Jessica: [Laughs] That's true, that's true.

TVGuide.com: Why did you want to do Survivor instead of, say, something like Project Runway?
Jessica: That's a good question. I don't know, I was just approached with the idea and I couldn't say no. I mean, I think I would prefer this rather than some more "girlie" show. I had fun, it's a bit more of an adventure, and it made me not afraid. So I got voted out, I ended up in New York, I'm in a great place.... It wasn't so bad.

TVGuide.com: And you got to spend a few weeks chillin' in Fiji.
Jessica: That was amazing.

TVGuide.com: Would you ever do anything like this again?
Jessica: Absolutely, unquestionably yes. And if anyone else ever gets the chance to do it, I would say do it.

TVGuide.com: Did you make any friends on Survivor?
Jessica: I think I did, I mean, I don't know who voted me off, but Erica was from Louisiana, and I don't know how much I can say, but we've gone drinking since. And "Rocky" (James), maybe he did vote me out, but he calls me all the time from L.A., and I'm just like, "Hey!"

TVGuide.com: Are you an outdoor adventurer?
Jessica: Yeah, I used to do makeup for a fitness magazine and they would send us to all these crazy locations, where the models are ice-skating, or surfing....

TVGuide.com: As a stylist, which celebrity do you think most needs a makeover?
Jessica: Oooh, good question. I would have said Anna [Nicole Smith], but she just died, so.... Let's see, who else could make a big comeback? I'd want to pick someone who's much older who could make a comeback. Or even somebody younger, like Tara Reid. She would be a cool person to make over. I could tell you who I wouldn't make over, and that's Chloe Sevigny. I think she's got the best sense of style.

TVGuide.com: What's next for you?
Jessica: Oh, you know what?! I have a great gig doing makeup touch-ups at the Oscars.

TVGuide.com: That's fantastic!
Jessica: There's a huge makeup company that's going to sponsor my venture. They've hired me to do that, and they're going to do some podcasts and have a crew following me around.... I'm probably going to make an ass out of myself there, too.

TVGuide.com: Oh, that's all right. It'll be fun!
Jessica: It's going to be great. You'll see me on the red carpet chasing George Clooney with a makeup brush.

TVGuide.com: Well, you gotta do what a girl's gotta do.
Jessica: That's true.

Survivor 13 Winner: Yul Kwon

Survivor: Cook Islands, the 13th edition of the reality show, had their finale last night and management consultant, Yul Kwon, walked away with the $1 million prize.

Yul is a graduate of both Stanford University and Yale Law School, and used cool strategy and level-headed thinking throughout the whole game, beating out waiter Oscar "Ozzy" Lusth in the end. 'Course having the hidden immunity idol certainly didn't hurt.

Host Jeff Probst said, "It's the first time I've ever felt bad that somebody didn't win. It was so evenly matched."

It was a close vote too, with Yul winning 5-4. "The key to winning the game is maximizing the good luck and minimizing the bad luck."

Photo from People.