RHAP: We Know Survivor - Survivor 47 Pre-Game Day 8: Kyle & Sue

Episode Date: September 12, 2024

Today, Rob and Mike discuss the next two players on the Tuku tribe, Kyle Ostwald and Sue Smey.

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Hey everybody, what's going on? Rob Sestranino back for day 8 of our Survivor 47 preseason interviews. Today, we will hear from two more Survivor 47 contestants, Kyle and Sue, back here with the guy who talked to them in the preseason. Of course, give it up for Mike Bloom. Yes, everybody listening is asking. Hello. Everyone's asking, you talking too cool to me? And yes, we listening is asking. Hello. Everyone's asking you talking to coup to me.

And yes, we are talking to coup today. Two more people, Rob, Kyle and Sue. OK. All right, Mike, let's get into it. Of course, you know where to find these. Look, if you're not subscribed by now, then what are you waiting for? Come on. Rob's website at com slash subscribe. subscribed by now then what are you waiting for come on robinclipsay.com subscribe i mean i'm really appreciating how uh the direction these please take day after day it feels like you're

going through the five stages of grief rob sometimes when it comes to these please yeah i just uh i'm trying hard you know we're giving these podcasts away like you look you know what if i'm not gonna i'm not gonna even ask anymore uh you don't want to subscribe it's subscribers are closed subscribers are closed no more yes you're either if you're not in yet then i'm sorry we're closed no we're not taking any more subscribers basic economics create a subscriber scarcity so it'll drive up demand sorry we're not taking any more okay you'll have to listen to every episode a la carte from here on out. Sorry, you snooze, you lose.

All right, two people surely who won't lose, Mike. Kyle and Sue. We're going to start off talking about Kyle today. Kyle Ostwald, and he seems like a very nice guy. Very, very sweet guy. So Kyle Ostwald, he is 31 years old from Sheboygan, Michigan. He is a construction worker, but also works as a residential contractor. Who knows, Rob, maybe if Survivor doesn't work out, he has a spot on secret celebrity renovation.

Oh, my God. I mean, I would love to find a nice contractor. I mean, do you take one that has some baggage against you back in panama about 20 years ago no no not not even not even like you know a lot of these contractors you know after covid you know everybody everybody was looking for them and now it's like talk about a supply and demand they're like hey yeah what do you want me you want me to you know uh change a change a light bulb uh yeah that's gonna be uh seven hundred dollars like yeah well it seems like uh kyle is gonna go for a million dollar upcharge here maybe he'll do that with the shelter of like hey uh if you give me your idol i'll add a light fixture onto the tree over here okay all right i'd listen all right i'm gonna have a problem with it

okay mike uh let's check out your interview with k, and then let's come back and talk about it. Well, let's start things off easy. Why don't you give me your name, your age, and your occupation? I'm Kyle Wren. I'm 31 years old, and I'm a residential contractor. So what does that involve? Is it the same thing as what you usually think of when you think of contracting? It's pretty typical.

I get myself involved a lot. I'm a small business owner and I like to fool around with things. So I get a bunch of random calls from like pouring concrete to standing studs to building roofs over houses like you name it. I'll get into it. Nothing really scares me. So yeah. So then what brings you from working on houses to probably constructing a shelter in a matter

of days? What made you decide that Survivor was going to be the next project you from working on houses to probably constructing a shelter in a matter of days? What made you decide that Survivor was going to be the next project you're working on? Well, not only was the show attractive, but I think that I've got what it takes to be a physical competitor in the game. But ultimately, the ability to go after something called financial stability for my family is like my biggest highlight for this. I'm a huge family person. I will sacrifice anything under the sun for my family is like my biggest highlight for this. I'm a huge family person. I will sacrifice anything under the sun for my family. And when you talk about the ability to

win such a prize on this show, it could open up the door for not only financial stability for my family now, but if done correctly, I truly believe that it could create a generational wealth for my family's family and just continue down the line. So why not? Yeah. Talk to me about your family. How was that closeness really built? So when I grew up, I had I was born into a seriously broke family. I mean, from addiction and alcoholism to suicidal deaths.

And I mean, you name it. My family's probably been through it. So growing up, I was challenged a lot. And I ended up meeting my forever fiance, Shania, 11 years ago. We've been together every single day since. And I've created with her something that I never had. Just over a year ago, we gave birth to our daughter, Ellie. We like to call her.

Thank you. And in August, we actually have a little boy due. So we'll be adding one more to the pack. Yeah. Oh, my goodness. Is this something you you plan on telling people? Because I know that Jeremy Collins did it back in the day. Yeah, man, I'll tell anybody. I'm so proud of it. I'll share that with anybody I can. I mean, to go from not having that to being able to hold that to every single day, day in and day out. I mean, it's remarkable. And when I say I love my family, I mean, I love them. Like Shania and I, we've been we've traveled in a van for over six years together. We've lived in campers. We've we've done some pretty wild shit. And the first time that I actually came to LA for an interview was the first time that I ever spent a night away from her. So for 11 years in the van, out of the van, whatever it may be, we always came home to each other and we always woke up together because that's just how, how a good family is for me. So how are you doing right now? Because obviously, uh, if that was the first night away, you've had several since and you will have several more.

Are you doing all right right now? Yeah, I'm doing good. It does get a little heavy on the heart at times, but I'm not a gambling man. But if I was going to gamble, this is a spot where I'd do it. You know, this amount of time away from them could ultimately unlock the box to allow so much more time with them. So when it does get heavy, I just remember where my head's at and why I'm here and who I'm here for.

And it's full steam ahead. Well, let's look upon Survivor history to tell me a bit more about you. Give me one Survivor winner and one non-winner who you identify with the most. All right. I believe JT. He's an old school, school man old school survivor but he's just kind of a good old boy you know he's he wasn't really in it to just like make people's life hell he was just there to have a good time and because you know he believed in himself and he believed in and what he was after and he played a game that didn't really make

people feel uncomfortable they didn't like they didn't really make people feel uncomfortable. They didn't like, they didn't, you know, break trust with him or anything like that. And that's kind of the gameplay I would like to have something that's pretty truthful, something that has a little integrity and honesty behind it. I understand it's not always possible in a game of deceit, but those are the lines I want to try to follow. And as far as a non-winner, I hate to say it, but my man Jesse from season 43,

he was my survivor that pick. Um, and he, you know, he made it really far and, you know, it's like he was there for his family. And when that player challenge came about and it didn't quite pull through for him, it's like when you see somebody go underwater and you start holding your breath for him. And then when he didn't make it and you've seen him take that big breath and you could just feel that emotion get chalked in his throat because he felt like he, you know, kind of he felt that sensor. He wasn't crossing the finish line like he intended, but he was there for his family and he gave it everything he had and he did a really good job so obviously you have a history in construction you talked about uh the physical aspects of the game so are you really gonna come

in especially in the tribe phase and really just present yourself as like the camp life guy you know the one to go to for all the challenges early on yeah yeah i mean as long as it doesn't step on people's toes you know know, I don't want everybody's here because they're chasing a dream or they're on the adventure of a lifetime. And if there's somebody that just really wants to do something, I'm not going to try to shun them to the side and say, listen, like I do this for a living. You don't just let me take it. I'm going to, I'm going to let them do what they want. And if I see failure in the future, I'm going to fail with them because I want them to have a good time. I want them to enjoy them do what they want. And if I see failure in the future, I'm going to fail with them

because I want them to have a good time. I want them to enjoy themselves and I want to enjoy myself. And if I can see it coming, I know it's coming. I'm not really worried about it. And if all else fails at the end of that, I will put my two cents in

and I will try to do what I can to make things happen in a constructive manner for sure. Yeah, definitely pun intended on constructive. Can you give me your biggest, what's your biggest superpower and your biggest piece of kryptonite in your life that you're bringing into the game?

My biggest superpower and my biggest kryptonite. My biggest kryptonite would be, I always want to see people happy. I don't like causing pain. I don't like causing distress, having to jump through all the hoops and the different challenges I've had to do growing up and all the sadness and shit along the way. Like the last thing I want to do is hurt people or make people feel like they're not going to achieve their dreams. I'm always there to help you. That's part of why I got into construction is because you need help. And when you need help,

I'm the guy that's willing to jump at the bit. Even if I don't know what's going on, I'll learn it. I'll figure it out. So that way you have that peace of mind in the end. So that's going to probably be my biggest kryptonite is having to do things I don't want to do that could cause people emotional distress. My biggest superpower, I think is going to be my kindness. I have a way, my social game with my personality, it has a way that, I mean, without even trying a lot of the times it will just manipulate itself into your life. You'll just want more. You'll, you'll feel like you need to have more. And, you know, this is, I've, I've literally, I've done everything from diving in dumpsters and eating dinner that we've pulled from the dumpsters to riding out in California on million dollars yachts just off a conversation and conversation alone.

And I'm not afraid to eat garbage out of the dumpster with a hippie. And I'm not afraid to go out on the ocean with a businessman in a suit. I mean, from the bottom to the top. I can find a way to mingle. Well, let's talk about an exercise, perhaps, in that kindness. So I imagine you've been around these people for a few days. Even if you haven't talked, you certainly have been vibing with some people. Who are some individuals that, if you hit the beach, like best case scenario, you're my day one ride or die?

Oh, man, that's tough because like they you know, you don't know anybody's names. All you like at most, you get like a little smirk here or there or something like that. Um, the amount of traveling that I've done in the different social classes and things that I've intertwined myself with, I've really got a good idea for different personalities and just like that exist in the world. So I've been able to pick up a little bit of that, whether it's true or not. I have a feel on some, but there's, there's, I don't even know how to explain them. You know, there's like, there's one girl and one guy that I found so far that I just have really good

vibes about. I really hope that they're on a tribe with me um i don't i don't even describe describe them to me i want to uh what are they wearing today what color is their hair we can try to put the pieces together okay so the one girl she's got like a nose a nose piercing um i think she's got green pants on today maybe a brown top um she's got like kind of frizzy big hair that she wears up or when she lets it down it's just like uber long um the guy he is like i don't know how do you explain it he's he seems like he's in touch with himself um he he's um physically fit but not like muscular, beefy kind of physically fit. He just looks like somebody that would take care of themselves and is open to open to people as they are not necessarily classifying people. He just looks like a very open person.

So it's pretty attractive and is a personality trait, especially in this game. Now, I know you said that you don't want to necessarily hurt people. in this game now i i know you said that you don't want to necessarily uh hurt people i will ask you though is there anyone else that as you said you're a good study of of different personality types is there a personality type you're picking up on right now that might not be someone you'd vibe with on a tribe there's a few people here that just don't show emotion man like i don't is there gameplay or what it is but like i like to smile and when i look like, I like to smile. And when I look at you, I like to smile and smiles are contagious. And some of these people don't pick up smile at all. And so like, it just, the lack of emotion and like, it just makes me wonder, like, you know, what is your,

what is your personality type? Like, I have no idea at this point. I'm so excited to see what it is. And I hope that something becomes of it because I'd like to work with some of them. But as far as that lack of emotion, I'm just like, I don't know where you stand. And I don't know if that can be trusted because like good energy bonds with good energy. And if I'm throwing energy at you and you're not picking up any of it, what do I do with that? What is the biggest thing that you've picked up on from the past two seasons? So 45 and 46 that you want to incorporate into your game in 47? The biggest things I've picked up on is probably that I'm not so certain that making big moves right away is a position you want to be in. I'm not so sure that you want to be ahead of the pack on the front line.

As attractive as that may sound for like a resume for the jury or something like that further down the line, I think at this point with this new era, it's kind of important to just kind of like be a part of something big, not necessarily lead something big. So understand where you need to need to be to be with a group that's moving and doing something but always having kind of that meat shield per se that's going to take the hit going to take the fall if somebody or a group starts looking your way speaking of the new era do you have a plan for incorporating idols or advantages or journeys into your game considering how big it is yeah Yeah, my eyes are going to be open. I'm going to take any advantage that I can as soon as I get it.

But I want it to be under the radar completely. I'm a firm believer that if you're going to have something of that ability in your pocket, you are the only one that needs to know about it. As soon as you start telling people that you have it or you start one person, as soon as you leak it to one person, that thing's got to be gone either

play it that night or ditch it i mean i it's created such a big target on people right away and i mean hunter in this in the season that's playing right now he found an idol he did a wonderful job it was under the radar 100 and as soon as he told one person two people found out three people found out a slew of people found out. And then what happened is the day they told him is the day he went home. Find it, keep it, hide it. What would you say is your most controversial survivor opinion? What's your hottest take about a player or a season or the show in general?

So my hot take on it is I want to see some strong players make it to the end. I want that era of bring a goat with you. So that way it's a unanimous decision at the end and you got her locked in. I want that to kind of be gone. I don't know how it will when put in the position, but at this point, I want to see some players make it to the end where there are some split votes. I'm kind of tired of seeing all the votes run one way. And like this person gets everybody's vote. This person doesn't get a single vote. Like I want a real nail biter. I want the

cast. I want like the viewers. I want the people that are sitting there to be chewing on their fingers like what the hell is about to happen. then when it comes out i want i want whoever's sitting in the in the final seats to feel like they've done something i want them to have a couple votes i want them to feel a bit accomplished even though there's only going to be one winner in the end last thing i want to ask if you could pick a celebrity or a fictional character to come out as a loved one for a loved one's visit? You are all about family, but you can't pick your family. You're going with a fictional part of your family, I guess. Who are you bringing in? Why? Man, that's a tough one. I would want to bring my fiancee, Shania. I would want her to see this. Her and I have been a part of each other's lives for a long time,

and we've experienced so much personal growth together. We've done so much together, and we both kind of fuel one another when it comes time to personal growth. When she sees growth in me or I see growth in her and we experience new things, that lights us up and it's an addictive thing. So if given the opportunity, I would want her to come out here and be a part of this. I'd like to share my life with her and I just want to share this adventure with her as much as possible. Now, what about if it's someone outside of your family, like a celebrity or a fictional character, someone that you would never interact with with real life, but you get the opportunity here? I'd probably pick Ryan Reynolds. Ryan Reynolds, he's like one of my favorite actors out there.

The dude is just hilarious. I have a hard time listening to him speak without smiling or preparing for a good laugh. It's just, I think that he'd be a riot. And I just think that his personality would be a rip on this show. And I think Jeff would love him. Deadpool talking to the camera as well.

While he's out there the whole time. Oh my gosh. Could you imagine that? Well, I'd love to see you breaking the fourth wall to talk with me today, man. I mean, your kindness just absolutely emanates through the screen here, let alone, you know, what we're about to see over the course of 26 days. I'm so excited for you.

You'll get us all hopefully chewing on our fingers by the end as you're manifesting. And this was such a great chat, man. So great to get to meet and talk with you. Thank you. I appreciate you so much. Thanks for being here. Yeah, of course. Likewise. Well, you're all set. I wish you nothing but the best, obviously, and all the anticipation leading up to the big day. And I can't wait to see what happens, man. Thanks so much again. It's going to be a blower. So it's a new year. You know what that means? Setting big goals. Maybe you promised yourself you're going to hit the gym every day, or maybe you said you're going to learn to make fire with

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Try it today and get up to $75 in PC Optimum Points. Visit Superstore.ca to get started. All right, Mike, there you have it. Kyle Ostwald. Do you think he's seen Deadpool versus Wolverine? Yes, but I don't know if he's checked out any of the other news regarding Ryan Reynolds and his spabs. Oh, I was going to say, I heard Wolverine might have been on the steroids. Oh, no. checked out any of the other news regarding brian reynolds and his spouse oh i was gonna say i heard wolverine might have been on the steroids oh no that's uh not good don't want to be juicing on

that stuff i just want adamantium in the system yeah okay all right uh but mike uh kyle just uh seems like a guy uh what would have to go wrong for kyle to not the merge? The only thing would have to happen. Yeah. The only thing I could think is, okay, we're all going to vote for this one person. And that one person throws a vote onto Kyle. Cause they don't really connect at all.

And then Kyle gets idled out of the game because I agree. This is a man who is so pleasant seeming so soft-spoken has this really amiable personality. He talks in the preseason about the fact that the people he's not gelling with are just the people that are not giving him good energy. So he's clearly going to go along to get along. He does not necessarily seem like somebody, at least at the outset to like stab you in the back immediately.

And he's going to be someone that seems to be contributing to camp life, considering his experience in construction. All green flags to me for the pre-merge rob the man is willing to eat garbage nobody else in all these hundreds of interviews that have been done in the pre-season over the years nobody's ever like you know what i eat garbage well didn't uh chris from millennials versus gen x do that one audition video yeah that was his audition video. If only I had the chance to ask him about that.

Should I be the question next time? How much garbage would you eat to be on Survivor? He doesn't care. He doesn't care. This is a guy that has been through a lot and he is somebody who also really underlines. Like dumpsters. Yeah, exactly. Been through a lot of dumpsters. He has underlined this financial capacity that the show brings. this is somebody again in the shades of jesse who he

mentioned in this interview get that money baby uh that he is someone who wants to play this game he loves the show but he wants to first and foremost take this money here's where this goes sideways okay um just like and then i'm going to channel ronnie barda okay we'll get the channel uh remember that uh okay he meets elaine stott and he's like she's gonna win the game she's like she's got the best story look at her uh she's like hey i want to fill my cup up let me let me stay and that's it like you hear this guy's story and it's like oh yeah you can't let this guy get the final travel council yeah it is interesting when i asked him you know will you share the story namely the one of him having a child on the way not to mention

again the humble beginnings that he comes from he talks in his one minute video on cbs about the fact that he grew up in a house with no running electricity. And then when he became a contractor, he tore down that house and now lives in it. I mean, write him the check already if he makes the final three. So I would imagine, especially from this hyper aware new era cast, it'll just be a matter of if not when they go after him. That's dangerous.

That's dangerous. So I can't let that guy sniff the final trial counsel. But other than that, I don't really see a reason to get rid of him. I think he's going to be an incredibly loyal ally. Like I know he vocalizes that he'll have to make moves in order to get done what needs to be done. But the fact of the matter is, you know, he said that his kryptonite is the fact that he doesn't want to hurt people's feelings. And look, the new era does get criticized for maybe being a bit too touchy feely sometimes.

But still, it inevitably is going to hurt people's feelings. He said he was vibing with a woman with a nose ring. Who's that? Rob, I'm going to be completely candid. I have no earthly idea who Kyle was talking about with either one of those. Either one. The other person was like, yeah, the person is just like a really good energy. Like, like, like, muscly, but not too muscly.

Yeah. I'm going to have to look at my Tiana video. just like a really good energy like yeah like muscly but not too muscly yeah i mean i i'm gonna have to look at my tiana video my first blush might make me think her which would be great because they're on the same tribe yeah okay uh bad vibes people that are not smiling so that's gay john love it john love it could be gabe gabe could be another one but i think once gabe sort of like actually opens up and brings that energy to him, I mean, I can really see again Kyle getting along with everybody on this tribe

and maybe I think he could see a possible number one ally and the other person we're going to talk about right now. Okay. All right. Anything else on Kyle? I mean, I think that, you know, it would be very fun to see Kyle sort of wear the black hat after a little while that even from the preseason he's being personified as like this skater looking dude

again uh sort of like the close enough welcome back ian rosenberger look to him and similar to might have a little bit of struggles with the morality of the game but listen jesse is someone who similarly had a lot of that weight on his shoulders coming in and it allowed him to play an incredibly cutthroat game and I do think it would be really interesting to see Kyle be able to make some moves and cut some people Kyle to me seems like Cody the way he was like being perceived initially right of like this guy just has he's a chill aloha bro who's really fun uh we don't need to worry about him whatsoever it feels like that actually is just kyle in general and so it worked really well to cody to a certain extent we'll see if it's the same case for kyle all right we'll find out how kyle does uh very close very soon uh we are only

days away from the Survivor 47 premiere. We've got somebody else to talk about. We're going to talk about Sue. All right. Girl named Sue coming up when we get back right after this. The all new FanDuel Sportsbook and Casino

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Visit connectsontario.ca. All right, Mike. Soosmay is here. Sue Smey Sue Smey, what can you do me? I love her! I had a great time talking with Sue. She's a very fun character. She's very fun and what a delight

that we get to watch this person on our TV coming up and computers and mobile devices coming up here in just a couple of days. Or perhaps watching it on a plane because Sue Smey is 59 years old. She is a flight school owner from Putnam Valley, New York. And yes, her story of getting up in the air comes at, I would say, maybe the later altitudes in her life. But she goes to show that she'll do anything she puts her mind to,

including becoming a survivor player. Yeah. I never thought about years as altitude. Yeah, that's my take on the later days, later altitudes. Later altitudes. Okay. So when you're a baby, you're a sea level? Yeah, exactly.

And you're just kind of working your way up slowly into the troposphere. And then when you're in the stratosphere, look out. Yeah. All right. We've reached our cruising altitude. So feel free to start drinking and you can vote. And in a little bit, we'll be able to let you rent a car. Yeah, I wish pilots made that announcement. Just start drinking and voting away. Yeah. All right. Pretty soon I'm going to leave the Earth's orbit. Oh, goodness. Well, then you can just drift off to parts unknown, Rob.

Planets are in your midst. All right. So, Mike, let's go ahead and hear from Sue and come back and we'll talk about it. How are you doing right now? I'm doing great. How are you? Oh, I'm thrilled. I'm so pumped to get the chance to talk with you. Well, let's start with something nice and easy.

Why don't you give me your name, age and occupation? OK, my name is Seuss May. I'm 58 years old. And by the end of filming, I will be 59. And what was the third question? Well, what do you do for a living? Oh, so I I'm a pilot and I own my own flight school. Interesting. How did that end up coming about? I'm someone who is bored easily. I am always

looking for adventure and something exciting to do. So in my 50s, I said, you know what? I'm going to just become a pilot. And with that, I just once I became the pilot, I just bought a few airplanes and I just opened my own flight school all by myself. Nothing from anybody else. No handouts. It's 100 percent mine. And I'm so damn proud of it. And I would imagine that has taught you so much right about both independence and also

the ability to maintain relationships and bring people in. Well, the independent independence was probably the most important thing because I felt like my whole life I've always been a people pleaser, someone that I allowed them to make decisions for me. And I sort of, you know, went with the flow, kept the peace. And I kept saying, I need my own identity. I need to make my decisions, make my mistakes even. But I needed to do something for me. And it's just been a world of difference of who I am and the person I am. And the aviation

industry is very male dominated. So it has been difficult. I've had a lot of pushback with a lot of the males in the industry, but now I'm to the point where I do have a lot of respect and it feels really good. Well, let's talk about what brought you from pilot school to the world of pilots and passengers in the form of Survivor. What's your history with Survivor? How long have you been watching the show and what made you decide to take a very long flight out to Fiji? So I fell in love with Survivor, the very first episode that was aired. This was definitely something that is totally me. I love a challenge. I love the thought of having to figure out how to survive. And even back then, I knew I would be on the show one day. And at that time, my daughter, who was seven years old, helped me make a video.

I just never sent it in. And then she started getting sick. We didn't know what was wrong with her. It was a very difficult time in our lives. She ended up being diagnosed with juvenile diabetes. Our world was turned upside down. Oh, my God. our world was turned upside down oh my god um the only thing that really helped us and the good things through that time period was literally Jeff freaking coming into our living room and just

taking us away from our horrifying reality just for those you know one hour a week. And that's something that was like always so true to my heart. Fast forward to season 45. My daughter kept now she's 30 years old. Every time the episode, an episode would air, she would text me and be like, mom, you should do this. Mom. Oh my God, mom, you'd be so good at this this and it was almost like a reminder of that's who I was that's who I always wanted to be so her and I made my second video but this time I mailed it in and here I am I'm here so she definitely was my motivation to remind me to be who I was all these years wow well I'm so glad that she's doing OK and that, you know, it all comes full circle for you and her. So obviously, as someone who has been watching for a long, long time,

give me a survivor winner and a non-winner who you identify with the most. You're going to think I'm weird, but Tony, I freaking love Tony. And I feel like maybe I'm the female Tony, I'm very like creative. I'm the someone that would, I know they're all scheming. And if I can figure out a way to listen to their conversations, make some, find some way to figure out what everyone's saying and doing, I think it would help me in the game. And I believe Siri is a mastermind. She's someone that her thought process blows my mind. And she's definitely someone that I love to death. What is one life experience you think has prepared you most for the game?

Is it what we spoke about before? I'm kind of branching out on your own to found this flight school. No, I grew up. My family had a generational island and we all spent our summers there. It was generations. My grandmother was born on the island. We were very poor. We didn't have hot water. So, you know, when we needed to shower, we'd pour the shampoo in our hair, soap in our hand, run down to the water, wash up, come back. We didn't have drinkable water. soap in our hand, run down to the water, wash up, come back. We didn't have drinkable water.

So we would have to schlep a mile up the island with jugs, empty jugs, fill the water jugs. This sounds like a sweat challenge, basically. It was. And we also, you know, like it just, you know, my grandparents had an outhouse. We lived rough, but that was just our norm. So to me, I know it's going to be tough on the island, but I'm not going to be so shocked as I think a lot of the other people are. But I've roughed it. I've lived a rough, good in a good way, childhood and upbringing. So I feel I'm very experienced and I'll be pretty comfortable better than most. Well, to that point, what would you say is your biggest superpower and your biggest superpower and your biggest piece of kryptonite that you're bringing into the game?

So my superpower is that I have the ability to stay within myself. And when I do, I can move mountains. For example, I wake up every day and I think to myself, be where your feet are. So I'm not thinking about what happened yesterday. I'm not thinking about what's going to happen in another hour from now. I'm here with you, Mike Bloom, feeling honored and so blessed that I'm being interviewed by you in Fiji for the greatest show ever created. So to me, that's my superpower. Like I can be right here right now. And I'm in love with what's happening at this very moment. Now, what about your biggest piece of kryptonite? What do you think is that thing that maybe might send you head over heels talking about where your feet are? Oh, yeah, exactly. My kryptonite is my emotions.

Oh yeah, exactly. My kryptonite is my emotions. I, that's my favorite thing about myself. And I feel it shows how much I truly love and feel for everything. But when every time in my life that I've made a decision based on my emotions and not like my inner being and just like breaking off my emotions, they've always been 100 percent incorrect. So I'm going to always need to figure out how to get a hold of my emotions. I know when I'm tired. I know when stuff happens. You know, I have to like check my emotions and make the you know, make the decision based on what I feel is best, not how I'm really feeling, if that makes sense. Yeah. How do you think you're going to be perceived in this game? Because you are someone who is, you know, I'm sure used to as you talk about, you know, being a woman in a male dominated field, like you're used to having eyes on you for being, you know, judge preconceived notions. How do you anticipate that's going to come into play in Survivor?

on what my real age is, but obviously they're already looking saying, okay, this is the older lady. She's going to be the one who, you know, I'm bubbly. I'm they're going to think I'm ditzy that like, I just really, I'm not really here. I'm just here for the fun of it or whatever. Little do they know. I, I aced the boards in the medical industry. I've aced the FAA exams in the aviation industry. And my greatest schooling is my street smarts. Again, school of hard knocks. I grew up in a difficult time, different era. And I've I'm very good. Oh, I feel like I'm very rounded in all of the aspect. Well, let's turn those judgments around because you've been here for a few days. You haven't been able to talk, but I'm sure you've been gathering some thoughts watching these people around you. So let's start

on the positive side. Who are some people that like you're getting good vibes from that best case scenario? You hit the beach day one. These are some ride or dies for you. Well, I'm definitely looking at the strong. Obviously, we need strength. And there's two gentlemen here. One is a little bit older, but he looks like a powerhouse. I feel like he looks like he's very controlled, very like a methodical thinker. I think he'd be a hard worker. And he's someone that I definitely would love to have on my tribe. And then there's another tall gentleman with long dreads. He reminds me of like an MAA fighter or a boxer. Like he seems really badass.

I think he's going to be really good in the challenges. And he's obviously, I'm sure everyone has brought him up because he's just big and strong and looks like he'd be very good. There's also another girl that she's got like a big whole bunch of hair very pretty um she's got a beautiful smile seems very kind but I feel like she's real badass and I think that she's someone that I would love to be teamed up with too because I think like we could work well together now how about on the opposite side is there anyone on your for lack of a better term, no fly list when it comes to potential allies? There's a few that like, don't even look at you. I feel like they look scared and I don't, I can't read them at all. And so when I can't read someone, it's something, it's something that like, I would want to stay away from. I don't know if they're the type that would

open up and want to be, you know, like, I don't know, it's hard to read these people, but any of them that aren't smiling and are just like stone face, not my cup of tea. So talk to me about, you know, idols advantages. You spoke about wanting to channel Tony. Is that going to play out with journeys and other things that are obviously such a big part of the new era? I'm all in. I'm again, and other things that are obviously such a big part of the new era? I'm all in. I'm again, we could this could end tomorrow, right? So why would I hold back? I'm a challenger.

I love competition. The I will think at times I'm not going to sit back and be afraid. I've never lived afraid. I'm not going to start now. So I'm going to go for it all. And whatever happens, I'll be proud of myself for what I've accomplished. What is your most controversial survivor opinion? What's your hottest take about a player or a season or the show in general? I think the one thing that I really don't don't like, and it's more just my own personal

way of feeling is that the challenge where you're all under the water and your face is just up through the cage. Yeah, last gasp. Yes, I feel I could do that part, but being in the cold water for hours, I don't think my, I don't think I could handle it. Like I always run cold to begin with. And that's because I'm a scuba diver. And when I'm underwater for too long, my whole body gets too cold and I have a wetsuit on. So I can't imagine, you know, if it didn't last too long, I could do it. I feel like I could do it.

But if it's hours, there's no way my body would be able to take it. What is the main takeaway you're bringing from Survivor 45 and 46 into Survivor 47 that you're incorporating into your gameplay? I'm definitely if I get an idol, I believe that we all are going to have our alliances. I don't trust anybody. I understand that your number one is going to screw you over before everybody else does. So depending on where we are in the game, I will play my idol because I don't want to go home with an idol that, you know, that's any challenges and everything we do. You know, I'm going to push for all of us to be united and work together.

But I'm not trusting one person. We're all going to be liars here. Right. So I'm me, too. So I'm not taking any chances and I don't want to go home with an idol. Last thing I'm going to ask, if you could pick a celebrity or a fictional character to bring out as a loved one for a loved one's visit, who are you choosing and why? OK, so. I'm going to I would bring Esther Hicks, who channels Abraham Hicks. I don't know if you're familiar with them, but but it's the same thing with Daryl Anka and Bashar. but it's the same thing with Daryl Anka and Bashar. I'm big into channelers people. And they basically channel you to just be yourself, you know, know you have the strength, you know, believe in yourself.

And that's probably what I would be wishing I had at when we're tired and run down and ready to just fall to the ground that, you know, just that inspiration of just like, there's a part of me that can do this. Yeah. I mean, listen, Jeff Probst motivation works, but it can only get you so far. You sometimes need to bring in the professionals. I need the professionals. Yes. Well, this was such a light. I feel motivated after, you know, listening and talking about everything that you have done so far is clear. You have a very stacked resume and now you get to build a resume on Survivor. I am so excited to see what you're about to bring over the next 26 days. I know you've been sitting on pins and needles for the past little while, but I cannot wait

to see once you talk about, you know, being where your feet are once your feet hit that sand to see where you go from there. Thank you. Yes. Thank you so much. I appreciate that, especially coming from you. Oh, no, that means the world. It was so great getting to meet you

and chat with you. I wish you nothing but the best in the days leading up. And of course, the days to follow. And yeah, I'll see you on the other side. Mike. All right, Mike. There you go.

Sue Smey. There we go. Don't ask her to play Last Gasp. No, definitely not. Which I would say it's not even a cold take as cold as the water that she's in. Maybe slightly misunderstood the assignment of what a hot take was. But listen, I'm grateful she answered the question. Yeah.

Look, I think that the history of Survivor is littered with colorful older female characters um very excited sue is here sue reminds me honestly of a new era jane bright from nicaragua i think it's it's this idea of like this this down-to-earth woman from humble ironically not down to earth exactly up in the sky who lists as part of her hobbies that she loves like skiing and building outdoor fire pits which I know makes her the favorite player of one crazy Dave from Survivor China

and so I think that Sue is going to be somebody that endures herself immediately by being someone that is obviously going to work hard around camp and much like Jane who really at least according to the edit, had like the cast in love with her. So many people are already in love with Sue. Rob, finally, for your sake, we get to put the face to the name

that a lot of people have been mentioning in these interviews, right? The older woman with the long blonde hair. She's so great. She has such a fun energy. I want to work with her. Gabe said she wants to immediately find her on day one on the beach. I think that Sue is going to be a very popular person to work with, especially in the pre-merge.

Well, so many survivor players come in and everybody's so savvy about the game and maybe not so sweaty or savvy anymore. Right, which sucks for Sue because she grew up doing a sweat task, basically, the way she described it. People understand the assignment and they're very much like, okay, well, I'm not going to show anybody anything. OK, I'm not going to I'm going to keep my cards close to the vest.

And then you have somebody like Sue who is just like authentically herself, can't be any other way. And I think that people are attracted to that. Yeah, I think it's going to be somebody who not to say that her personality, at least in the moment, seems to brush up against anybody, especially getting a sense from her tribe in particular. I don't really see any huge clashes going on, but I do think that Sue's openness and again, the energy that she's presenting, even nonverbally, is something that a lot of people are picking up on. And so I do expect her again to fall in really well with this group gabe wanted to seek her out as a day one ally i feel like for some reason i just feel like she and kyle are really going to get along together like i feel like they're gonna be some maybe the workhorses of the tribe and just kind of value each other there

and listen as a bit of a tease tomorrow the next person we'll talk about tiana hallams wants to become a pilot oh wow so that isn't in that can't be a coincidence that's a recommendation if i ever heard one but what is so interesting rob is again going back to jane who yes seemed to be this like you know southern mom with a heart of gold on the surface but was uh cooking her own fish and dumping out water on the fire behind the scenes sue calls herself the freaking female tony so we know that she is going to cause a lot of mischief as well behind the scenes yeah well we love to see it love to see sue bring some chaos to all of this she says that she's got good vibes from an mma person like who's the mma person so this is tk because she talks about the man with braids uh and so that is going to be someone who is also on her

tribe so i think well she talks about wanting to be straightforward and it's really interesting because it actually reminds me of when i interviewed julie alley for season 45 and she said something very similar right which was like I know because of my demo, I could get targeted initially if we go to tribal early. So I want to make sure I work with strength to make sure that we get to the merge as a cohesive group. And then I'm surrounded by threats that could get taken out over me. Now, maybe the second part didn't work out so well for her

because she was actually the threat out of that group. But it was a big strategy that she pursued. And it looks like Sue, I think, is thinking along the same lines of, again, she knows that she sticks out. She's trying to play up that role of like, ah, you're all my children. I'm just here for a good time and then hopefully for a long time. And so I imagine that she is going to be looking to the brawnier members of tuku to not only work alongside but then also be able to utilize them to keep her out of tribal council okay um what about bad vibes scared people scared people i mean it does seem like again sue has this courage that she brings

she talks about that in my interview and in her video and bio as well i mean it does take a lot of courage to just change course if you'll change flight paths enter a industry that is incredibly male dominated be looked down upon because of your gender and then start your own business from it it's clear she has courage and bravery for days and so i would imagine that she looks at those who are playing scared and is like you have no time to do that at all just make the move don't think about it no regrets okay all right mike she's all in we are too we are as well i mean from that perspective i could see a world where she does get caught a little red-handed ironically enough on the blue tribe that like yes she is being seen as

like the fun granola lady or milf or whatever you want to use to typify her as these players have uh to be part of an alliance who called her milf that was sierra right sierra called her a milf but then it's like oh wait she actually has an idol oh she can be dangerous again maybe it's just because i have julie kind of reverberating in my mind from that perspective so i think sue has a chance to go well and do far as i mix up those two phrases but i also think that there is a chance where she ends up getting comfortably into the post merge but then either everyone looks at her and says oh everyone loves sue we can't take it to the end or it's like wait a minute sue just tried to pull off this big move sue's big move if you will and it falls short now we have to take her out yeah it'll be interesting to see if sue is and we've talked about this a lot over the years

it's like a very interesting like meta conversation of like the older woman on Survivor, later days, is she seen as the mom or is she seen as sort of like a tough old gal? Well, I think she's going to have more of the, you know, tough old gal more so than that. We saw last season with Maria. I'm, you know, i'm driving the minivan i'm the you know uh that i don't think anybody's gonna be calling her mama sue cut to when they all call her that um but i think that that's the better way to go yeah i would agree as well though i do think julie and maria though they didn't end up going to the end i think the narrative is if they had both gone to the end, they would have won,

which is maybe a bit pushing up against, again, that kind of perception we've seen of these mother types making it to the end. So we'll see. I do agree that I think the persona that Sue gives off is more of that tough perspective, but still, I think, having some sensitivity in her heart as well and openness to making relationships. So right now, I think, having some sensitivity in her heart as well and openness to making relationships.

So right now, I think she's flying high coming into the season, and we will see if a crash is inevitably coming. All right. It got a little dark at the end. All right. Let's see if there's some turbulence. Let's see if it's a bumpy landing.

Yeah. Okay. All right. see if there's some turbulence let's see if it's a bumpy landing yeah okay all right so uh rob is a website.com slash subscribe is closed uh we're not taking any new subscribers anymore very sorry uh about that hopefully uh you got in if not uh survivor 48 is coming this spring to CBS. Go hibernate. What's coming up for you? Yeah, so still doing these over parade.com, finishing off with the Lavo Tribe, which we started off with. So if you want written versions

of nearly all those interviews, check it out because Rob, we are but one day away from finishing this entire stretch of preseason press before we look ahead to the premiere proper. All right, Mike, who is coming up in the finale of our Survivor 47 previews? Well, it's truly an explosive finale because we've got T and TK.

It is Tiana, the first Hawaiian residing in Hawaii on the show, as well as the aforementioned person who wanted to become a pilot, possibly falling in line with a nice teacher there. And TK, who is the quote unquote MMA fighter. So we'll talk about them as per usual. We'll also talk about taking a full look at Tuku, seeing what the initial dynamics might be. And maybe I'll get my winner pick at the end of that.

And we'll wrap up the whole dang thing, Rob. You got the winner pick locked in? I think I've got it locked in. Yeah. Now, officially, after reviewing everything and getting some extra materials as well, I think my mind has coalesced around a name and we shall see what that name will be tomorrow. All right. So a lot to look forward to.

And of course, hope to see you back for one more day of our Smart for 47 previews. Thank you so much for joining us. Take care. Have a good one. Bye.