It didn’t take very long for Rupert Boneham to become a “Survivor” fan favorite. In the first half of the first episode of “Survivor: Pearl Islands” Rupert embraced the pirate theme of the season by stealing and selling the shoes of the opposing Morgan tribe. From that moment on, America was in love with the tie-dye-wearing giant. Fans were so smitten that they voted for him to win a million dollars during the “America’s Tribal Council” special that aired after “Survivor: All Stars.”
And now Rupert, considered by many to be the most popular player in history, is headed back into the game for “Survivor: Heroes Vs. Villains.”
I had a chance to sit down with Rupert during the “Survivor” Reunion Party to find out how “Survivor” has changed his life, who his picks are for the biggest “Survivor” hero and villain of all time, as well as how he spent his million dollars.
Gordon Holmes: Other than the million dollars you won during the “Survivor: All Stars” reunion, how has “Survivor” changed your life?
Rupert Boneham: The best thing that has happened from “Survivor” is, I’ve run a mentoring program now for eighteen years, for the twelve years before “Survivor” people would look at me and ask why I’m taking kids out of the system and putting them back on the streets. After “Survivor” they’re willing to look at the young men and women coming out juvenile detention, coming out of foster care, coming out of modern orphanages and say, “Wow, they’ve never been given a chance. They can’t read or write, they’ve never been shown how to make a living.” The American public is more ready to accept helping my kids after “Survivor.”
Gordon: “Heroes Vs. Villains” is just around the corner and I’ve been going around and asking former players who the biggest heroes and villains are, and overwhelmingly you’ve been named as the biggest hero.
Rupert: (Cheers) Oh my, God. I’m so glad to hear that!
Gordon: What does that mean to you?
Rupert: Being able to show more that it counts how you play the game. Playing the game with honor, showing that you can give to yourself in a respectful way and give to others and not worrying so much about winning or losing. It’s how I play my life, and how I run Rupert’s Kids, and how I can show what really matters. And by doing that, by losing the game twice I was given a million bucks, so I am a winner. But I’m really lucky. And I did steal everybody’s shoes and I did lie to people, but I’m still viewed as a good guy.
Gordon: Is there a Rupert’s Kids Web site we can plug?
Rupert: Oh gosh yes, rupertskids.org. We run a program that actually helps the community and the kids, saves everyone money, and costs nothing. Even before “Survivor” we ran a program that has never been given a government dollar, never been given a grant dollar, and has been showing successes every year.
Gordon: OK, this conversation is getting a little too warmhearted for me.
Rupert: (Laughs)
Gordon: Let’s talk about some gross stuff. What are some of the most disgusting things you’ve witnessed as a part of the game?
Rupert: There have been some really disgusting things. Watching little Jonny Fairplay lie about his grandmother. Playing the game where we were so hungry in “All Stars” and making a “Survivor” gumbo with bugs and worms and grubs. But, when I watched nineteen (“Survivor: Samoa”) and saw Evil Russell, he’s such an evil person. He has to be the most disgusting thing I’ve seen ever.
Gordon: I was just about to ask you who you think is the worst villain ever, but I think I just got my answer.
Rupert: Absolutely, Evil Russell is evil to the core.
Gordon: On the flip side, who’s your pick for the best hero of all time?
Rupert: Rudy Boesch. Rudy is the toughest, most honorable player I have ever met in my life. Rudy is why I fell in love with the game. I told my kids in my mentoring program, “I’m going to get on that show, and I’m going to play just like Rudy, and show that I can win that darn game.”
Gordon: Have you seen the “Survivor” slot machine?
Rupert: I have, darn it! The “Survivor” slots, they even copied my voice.
Gordon: I’ve won some nickels on that machine. “Survivor” gave you a million bucks and me about $12.15.
Rupert: Very, very good. And if you fill up the whole screen with me you get to see clips of me running around in my dress!
Gordon: If you could pick one moment from “Survivor” for people to remember you by, what would that moment be?
Rupert: The moment people remember me by is stealing the shoes. But now, my favorite moment in “Survivor” history was on May 13th of 2004 when Jeff Probst was writing a check for a million dollars on my back on the same day my daughter turned five years old. That was a beautiful birthday and a wonderful day.
Gordon: Did some of that money go toward Rupert’s Kids?
Rupert: I tell people all the time, I won a million dollars that night, within a few weeks I had a million dollars spent. We gave a quarter of it to charity, half of it to the government, the other quarter to my wife, my daughter, my mom, myself. We met life goals for just six months of playing the game.
Tags: jeff probst, rupert boneham, Russell Hantz, survivor, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains
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