Each weekday, EW will post the answers from a different player.
And often that obsession over every minute detail only increasesafterthe game.
This was super-overwhelming, and for whatever reason I felt like Carrie inHomeland.
Michele Crowe/CBS
I had charts and webs and ran through every what-if scenario.
It took over and was theonlything I was able to think about or make sense of."
When you are obsessing overSurvivorwhile playingSurvivor, that is called doing your job.
I had a lot of problems with getting my professional ‘engine’ started.
Brace yourself for full scoopage below!
Me and my wife are expecting a baby girl in March.
Because of that, we have been taking this whole socially distancing thing seriously.
What is your proudest moment ever from playingSurvivor?
My proudestSurvivormoment was winning the blindfold challenge as the caller.
From a challenge perspective, it was awesome to win and show my skills as the best caller inSurvivorhistory.
What is your biggest regret from yourSurvivorexperience?
Here we go… Are you ready to go a little deep into game talk with me?
you’re free to only gain that credibility if that advice is reasonable, and honest.
In my season, I regret not giving advice to Elaine.
I wrongfully assumed it was an idol (after all, the season was calledIsland of the Idols).
What Elaine failed to realize at that point was that she was the biggest threat of all.
If she makes it to the final 3, she wins.
I played a fake idol at the 4-vs.-4 vote.
This was quickly found when Dan went rummaging through her things after she returned.
Noura gave up the idol and it was buried.
Dan told me where it was buried.
After all, what did I have to lose?
That should have been a tell that it was fake.
It was worth a try.
How do you feel about the edit you got on the show?
It showed some of my personality and did not make me look like a jerk.
Still, there was a beautiful story arc in there that can only be deciphered through a circumstantial viewing.
I was the easiest and quickest target maybe in 40 seasons.
What was it like coming back to regular society after being out there?
Was there culture shock or an adjustment coming back?
In one word: overwhelmed.
This was super-overwhelming, and for whatever reason I felt like Carrie inHomeland.
I had charts and webs and ran through every what-if scenario.
(Shockingly in all of them, If I survive my vote out, I win!
Just kidding… kind of.)
It took over and was theonlything I was able to think about or make sense of.
Meanwhile, being unable to let go of the game was not so great for my own mental health.
I had a lot of problems with getting my professional “engine” started.
In the first few weeks I was back, I was seriously concerned that I broke my brain.
To come in sixth-to-last place on what Dalton Ross ranks as the worst season ofSurvivor?
Additionally, and again in the essence of transparency, there wasa lotof drama associated with our season ofSurvivor.
My dad always says I dodged a bullet by getting voted out when I did.
Whom do you still talk, text, or email with the most from your season?
This kid Tommy from my season will not leave me alone.
He texts me like every day.
Molly and I are very close.
My wife and I took her to her first Phish concert in the summer of 2019.
Lauren my sister from another mister.
Dean yo return my calls/text.
I just want to be your friend.
There was only one season after mine, so of course I watched season 40.
I think there was a good balance of advantages/twists vs. gameplay.
Todd was able to strike the right balance of manipulating people without being a “bad guy.”
Who’s one player from anotherSurvivorseason you wish you could have played with or against and why?
If you asked me this before I played, I would had given you a different answer.
My answer is Coach.
You always know where you stand with Coach.
Despite his goofiness, he always was a very good alliance member.
It also gets boring out there.
Having a good storyteller really helps pass the time (even if the stories are made up).
If you could make one change to any aspect ofSurvivor, what would it be and why?
I am of the camp that you should reward winning, not losing.
That information regarding the twist becomes very valuable in the game.
Finally, would you play again if asked?
I do not know, but I would like to be asked.
Before I played, I was once randomly reading an article about Shambo (Survivor: Samoa).
Shambo had refused invitations to return because she did not wantSurvivorto “define her life.”
When I read that, I thought that was the dumbest thing I have ever heard.
Shambo was on to something.
With that being said, what drives me back to wanting to play is the what-could-have-beens.
Could I have been America’s sweetheart?
Could I have been the next great strategic mind?
Could I have been the greatest villain since Russell Hantz?
Could I havewonmy season?
Maybe… but instead of all of that, I just got my vote blocked.
To keep track of our dailySurvivorQuarantine Questionnaires and get allthelatest updates, check outEW’sSurvivorhub, and followDalton on Twitter.
