“I Was a Spark Away from a Million Dollars” – RealityNewsOnline’s Exclusive Interview with Survivor: Gabon’s Matty

by David Bloomberg -- 12/15/2008

One spark could have lit the fire that would have given Matty a million dollars. Is he upset about the loss, or did Survivor also help him put everything in perspective? What was his strategy in the game? Why did he vote for Susie to win? And will he have Randy videotaping his impending wedding? Find out all of this and much more, right here!

Matty made it very far, especially considering he’d never really seen the show before (as he describes below). So what did he get out of the experience? What does he think of the winner? Read on to find out all of this and more.

RealityNewsOnline: Hello, Matty, and thanks for taking the time to talk to us here at RealityNewsOnline. Starting at the beginning, what was your strategy coming into the game?

Matty: I really didn’t have a strategy. I had never viewed the show. I was approached in a supermarket. The head lady for Survivor approached me and my girlfriend and my best friend and asked if I’d ever thought about being on the show. A month later I was on the show. So I really didn’t have a strategy going in because I never really viewed the show prior.

RNO: Why do you think she picked you?

Matty: I tried to ponder that, but I really don’t know why – maybe it was a look. I don’t know.

RNO: Did you develop a strategy along the way?

Matty: My strategy was to play in the moment and not plan the future out and think about the past. I just wanted to be in the present moment and focus on the task at hand. And my strategy was to be true to myself and not to sell out.

RNO: Usually, the physical threats are eliminated shortly after the merge, yet you made it to the finale. Do you think that was due to your game play and alliances, or because the others were just so unpleasant?

Matty: I think it was a combination of everything, and a lot of luck had to do with it as well.

RNO: How do you feel now that you’ve seen the reason Sugar decided to vote against you and put you in the tiebreaker situation?

Matty: Once Jeff brought up that Sugar compared me to her brother and Bob to her father, I knew Bob would take the prize because Sugar lost her father and she found a place in her heart for Bob.

RNO: What thoughts were running through your head last night at the reunion when a majority of the jury said they would have voted for you if you’d been in the final three?

Matty: It was – I don’t know the word for it. Sad, I guess. Pretty overwhelming. I guess I was a spark away from a million dollars. Thank God a million dollars is made out of paper and it doesn’t matter. But it was frustrating, to be honest.

RNO: Can you expand on what you mean that a million dollars is just paper and doesn’t matter?

Matty: What I learned is there is a lot more valuable things in the world and the real things in life don’t necessarily come in the form of money or cars or wealth. Things come in simplicity like your family and breathing and walking. We’re blessed.

RNO: Speaking of family, congratulations on your planned wedding. Will you hire Randy to tape yours and Jamie’s wedding?

Matty: (Laughs) I don’t want Randy to tape the wedding, but I want Randy to be at the wedding.

RNO: Considering what we saw of Randy, some readers might be surprised at that.

Matty: In the game of Survivor, everybody’s lying and deceiving you. Randy may be abrasive and rude, but he never lied to anybody. That was really breathtaking out there in Gabon.

RNO: With hindsight being 20/20, is there anything you would have done differently?

Matty: I’ve been trying to look and critique my game, but I don’t really know what I could have done differently. I played it to the best of my ability and I really don’t regret anything.

RNO: Did you ever expect to be outmatched in physical challenges by a 57-year-old?

Matty: No, Bob was overwhelming. The guy was so good. He really humbled me. He’s the ultimate Survivor and everybody learned that last night.

RNO: And yet you voted for Susie. Why?

Matty: For a couple reasons. She and I were allies from Day 1 to Day 15, Day 20, to Day 39 – we were friends the entire time. Bob had all the rewards the entire time and that makes life in Gabon a lot easier. Susie suffered more and we were friends. I really wanted Susie to win, but Bob is just as good.
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RNO: No thought of voting for Sugar?

Matty: There was no thought of voting for Sugar. But I wasn’t going to vote against her.

RNO: I heard from previous contestants that Sugar received a princess edit, leaving out some of her more unlikable behavior? What do you think?

Matty: Sugar, as everybody saw last night, was definitely disliked by a lot of the contestants and liked by a lot of the fans. I think her edit was good. Sugar is not really a bad person, she just played the best game she could.

RNO: We’re short on time, so is there anything else you’d like to tell us about your time on Survivor?

Matty: My time on Survivor was the greatest experience of my life. It was the most challenging and rewarding thing I’ve ever done. Survivor is the most authentic reality show. They stay true to what the show is supposed to be. They keep their integrity – it’s as real and raw as they bring it to you on TV. I’m just honored to be a part of that.

RNO: Thanks again, Matty!

» Exclusive Interview: Bob Crowley, Winner of 'Survivor: Gabon'
» Exclusive Interview: Bob Crowley, Winner of 'Survivor: Gabon'