Access Atlanta > Entertainment > Radio Talk > Archives > 2008 > May > 12 > Entry
5/13: “Survivor” winner Parvati Shallow interview, Boortz, nixed & renewed TV shows
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Parvati Shallow, her voice hoarse from talking all day with media, checked in with me at about 5 p.m. EST today, about 19 hours after she was crowned the winner of “Survivor: Micronesia.”
Shallow, a graduate of Sprayberry High School (2000) and the University of Georgia (2004), now lives in Los Angeles. She gave kudos to her fellow players, who she dubbed “fierce competitors.” She herself was a fierce competitor, a tough cookie with a cute smile who left her real emotions at home and played to win.
Why do you think Amanda lost to you?
I think they thought she was faking [when she cried before getting rid of Cirie.]. She had just pulled off an Academy Award winning performance [the week earlier to save her own hide.]
Honestly, do you think Amanda was faking the crying?
No, I think she was genuine.
How come she didn’t just point out to the jury that she had gone 78 days back to back in two consecutive “Survivors” and make that a selling point?
I don’t think she was thinking straight. She wasn’t clearheaded. She was ready for it to be over.
How about you? Were you clearheaded at that point?
My head was in the game all the way until that final question Ozzie asked. Then as soon as it was done, I went all to pieces… I was walking down that bridge and at the camp, they give you water and candy. I just started bawling. Every emotion that had been pent up in me came pouring out. I don’t even remember what candy I ate. I was just shoveling it in my mouth.
And what was it with Natalie’s question about your sex life?
I was so confused. It was a weird game. I don’t know what she was trying to do. I couldn’t tell if she was trying to shake me up or ask me on a date!
Why did they cut out the fact you found the immunity idol on Exile Island but didn’t bother to bring it back?”
They had so much to put in that one episode. It was such a huge episode with Erik and the [immunity] necklace. It didn’t work with the story.
How did it all play out that you came up with that ridiculous story to bamboozle Erik?
We were all sitting around. Natalie was saying you guys will tell me if it will be me. We knew if Erik hadn’t won immunity, he’d be gone. Cirie said, what if Erik gave Natalie the necklace. We all put in our two cents and came up with this elaborate plan. Natalie at first thought we were making fun of her. We said, if anybody could pull it off, it’s you. Natalie could sell ice to an Eskimo! Once she was given a chance to play, she really pulled through. I give her a lot of credit.
You said you felt you had no choice but to play a more aggressive game than you did on Cook Islands. Why?
If I hadn’t, I would have been the first one voted out! Jonathan was trying hard to get me out the second we landed in Micronesia. We had played together in Cook Islands adn he had an alliance. I convinced his alliance to vote him out before me. He wanted to outlast me and get me out. He knew I was good at convincing people to do things.
You were lucky Jonathan had to leave because of that knee injury!
I told him yesterday in New York when I saw him that I voted for him to win the $100,000. [James got that prize again!] He would have made my life so much more miserable if he had stuck around. He was out to get me. He was a fighter. It was hard to see him out that way.
Same with James, right?
I was super upset when James got taken out. It was so out of nowhere with his infected finger.
I spoke with your friend Kelly Basinger [she dated him at UGA and they’re still friends.]. He said you had a much harder time in Micronesia compared to Cook Islands.
It was so much worse [in Micronesia.] Cook Islands was beautiful. Micronesia was nasty. There were bugs, bats, rats. It was raining all the time. You could never be dry. It was much harsher.
We saw your legs got pretty beat up!
It was disgusting. They showed a shot of me on Exile Island panning up my leg. That was so gross. It was not sexy seeing that puss coming out.
How do your legs look now?
There are still scars from all those bug bites. Battle scars! I’m proud to show them off.
Any clue what you’re going to do with the $1 million, or $550,000 after taxes?
I don’t now yet.
Did you think you were going to win?
I thought I had a chance. I had calculated the odds. I thought it might have ended up as a tie. [She beat Amanda 5 to 3.]
It was close with Amanda. Did you have any idea what would happen if it had been a tie?
I don’t know. They keep that a secret. I have no idea!
Let’s get back to Erik. You said at the time that this was the biggest blunder in Idol history. Still believe it?
Absolutely! The guy made some blunder! He took the cake. It was way worse than Ozzy.
So who voted for Amanda?
Ozzy, James and Eric. She was a lot closer to Ozzy and Eric than I was. And James, too, because they both were on China. [That’s “Survivor: China” last fall.]
But you were close to James until you ousted Ozzy, right?
James honestly felt a kindred spirit in Amanda. He felt he owed it to vote for her.
You got all the girls!
I think those girls appreciated that I played a very aggressive game. I didn’t make any apologies for the moves I made: outwit, outlast, outplay. That’s how I worked.
Any boxing for you since the taping ended?
I’ve been doing PR for the boxing charity I helped start. We provide scholarships and boxing training for underprivileged girls. I haven’t been training very hard myself. I’ve been kind of taking it easy.
Can you blame her?
In other radio/TV news:
-Neal Boortz is being harassed.
-Fox cancelled Kelsey Grammer’s sitcom “Back To You.”. Grammer believes the show was on the wrong network. Indeed, it should have been on CBS. And “New Amsterdam” gets no new life either.
-On the CW, “Aliens in America” is cancelled but “Reaper” was renewed..
-CBS has renewed “How I Met Your Mother” and “The Unit.”.
-On ABC, “Miss Guided” joins “Cashmere Mafia” and “Women’s Murder Club” on the nixed list. Too bad about “Miss Guided” though I was no fan of “Cashmere.”. Good news for “Eli Stone:” the sweetly strange drama featuring a prophet-lawyer got a renewal, along with David E. Kelley’s “Boston Legal.”.
-“The Electric Company” is coming back!.
Comments
By Mark
May 13, 2008 8:00 AM | Link to this
I don’t know why I even bother watching new shows…”New Amsterdam” was a great show, interesting story,well written and good acting…so of course it is not renewed…what a joke. Keep spewing out crap like more batchelors,big brothers,dancing shows etc. When are networks going to start letting shows build an audience and develop, they are so quick to pull the plug on quality shows that don’t attract 30 million viewers.
By Chief Wiggum
May 13, 2008 9:31 AM | Link to this
Survivor is still on? Seriously, how many years does it take for people to get bored with this stuff? Same applies to Idol, Bachelor, all the “reality” shows. There is a reason I don’t watch much TV these days…it stinks.
By Nombre Yoho Renge Kyo
May 13, 2008 8:34 PM | Link to this
No, come on, seriously….her last name is “Shallow”???
By Ralphie
May 13, 2008 10:42 PM | Link to this
Shut the f up dad. Survivor Rocks and this was the best one yet! Now go find something else to complain about and let us watch what we want to watch Mr. Policeman.
BTW, I thought Amanda should have won but the ending was as unpredictable as the rest of the season so it was appropriate.