What’s something that will blow fans’ minds that happened out there in your season but never made it to TV?

I don't even know if I can say this... but I wasn't supposed to be on the show. I got a call a week before contestants flew out of America, and was told, "Unfortunately, you did not make the cast for season 19. But we would like to fly you down to Samoa as an alternate if anything happens to a cast member between now and the start of the show. But you should know, no one in 18 seasons as an alternate has ever made it on the show." I told the casting assistant "I'm getting on that plane. And I'm getting on that show."

So the entire time the cast is being flown to and shuttled around Samoa, everyone has to keep quiet. You can't talk so as to not give anything away (accents, personalities, etc) before the game starts. Most of the time we're in blindfolds — people are getting sick and puking in the vans on the bumpy, third-world roads en route to location. Everyone knows there's an alternate, but no one knows who it is. And I'm doing my best to blend in, like the cat who swallowed the mouse, having to play the game before the game so that just in case I did make it on the show, I didn't start day 1 with an 'alternate bullseye' on my back.

I worked my ass off in every element of the pre-game to prove I belonged on the show. Eventually, Mark Burnet and Jeff Probst bring me into a tent hours before location — and mentally gassed, expecting him to hand me a plane ticket home, Probst tells me "So you may have heard we'll also be shooting Survivor 20 here on location in Samoa, and that maybe if you didn't make this season, you might be thinking you'd get to play in season 20. Well, that's not gonna happen." (Insert heart drop. Cold blooded, Probst!) But then he continues, "That's not gonna happen... because Mark and I would like to see you play in this season. Welcome to Survivor: Samoa."

Next thing you know, crew members are rushing to location to rebuild sets to accommodate the extra alternates, (adding me and a player on the opposite team to equal it out). Turns out they used money in the budget to add the alternates, for the first time in Survivor history, that was originally allocated to the “Family Reunion” episode. So, as I was told, because of me, everyone on the island that was pining over their family members from home, hoping and longing to play long enough to make it to the “loved ones” episode were never going to get that satisfaction. And if you watch that season, sure enough, no loved ones in the budget that season.

This is another story that didn't happen to me, but one of the players on my season was diagnosed by the medical staff with having an impacted colon. This was going to cause severe issues to their internal organs if it didn't get corrected. Unfortunately, medical staff has to be “hands off” and so they could not help. This person, knowing the situation had a choice: Do nothing and maybe die. Get airlifted and evacuated from the game. Or C... put a stick up their ass and try to remove the blockage/impacted colon themselves.

And believe it or not, this person walked off from camp, broke off a piece of bamboo about 6 inches long, sanded it down as best they could with a rock, and then bravely stuck it right up their ass, being ever-so-gentle so as to not puncture their colon and reeeeeallllyyy mess things up. And... this person.... heroically succeeded and stayed in the game. So for anyone I meet and asks me "Is it really 'real' out there?" I say to them, go stick a stick of bamboo up your ass and tell me how “real” you're feeling.

Who’s one player from another Survivor season you wish you could have played with or against and why?

I used to think Parvati, because when I studied her on tape, I never realized why people found their way under her spell so easy. I thought it would be a good test, and I, of course, would pass. Then one day, as random as life is, completely outside of the show and after my time in Samoa and her time in Heroes vs. Villains, I bumped into the great Parvati running stairs at a popular outdoor venue somewhere.

I was running upstairs, she was running down, and as we crossed she recognised me and turned with her soul-sucking eyes and just said, "Oh, hi. Nice to meet you," with a smile. And…I melted. I didn't know where I was, couldn't feel my legs, and hadn't heard a word she said — but felt like I had this innate responsibility to trust her, follow her lead, and do what she says.

We parted as quickly as we crossed paths, but I remember finally catching my breath (for a couple reasons) at the top of the stairs after thinking... "Phewww. So glad I didn't play on her team. She would have absolutely railroaded me." I agree with Probst who (I believe) ranks her as his number one player in the game — and definitely John, my buddy from Samoa — was turned out to prove his rocket scientist smarts in getting Parv to say yes to marrying him. John's an awesome dude and you gotta just love love love their family.