"Survivor: Second Chance" (CBS)
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Name: “Chaos” Kass McQuillen
Season: “Survivor: Cagayan”
Finish: Third Place
Why You Should Remember Her: Kass earned her “Chaos” nickname by turning on her alliance and voting out Sarah Lacina. She also had a very dramatic come-from-behind win at the final four immunity challenge.
Gordon Holmes: Chaos Kass!
Kass McQuillen: Chaos Kass, that’s me.
Holmes: Is that nickname good or bad coming into a returnee season?
McQuillen: I think it’s just funny. I think it’s actually good in some ways because even though I’m the old lady mom out here, I definitely have shed that persona in my prior season. Nobody’s going to be looking to me to be the mother figure. And, I think I can clear it up with people. In Cagayan I played alone, I never had an alliance. So, it’s not that I’m disloyal. Everybody out here is disloyal. Every single person on this beach has betrayed someone. But me? I never had the chance to be loyal.
Holmes: I think you have to assume people are always working in their own best interest. You can plan for that. The best players can predict it. But what about the concern that you’re out here to wreak havoc?
McQuillen: If people think I’m just out to cause trouble…I think now everybody knows that I was never in an alliance. I was doing whatever furthered my game. I did everything I personally had to do to get further. If anybody asks me, I’ll tell them why I flipped. I think it’s come out since the game that everybody considered me number six when I flipped. I was never anybody’s right-hand person or main alliance.
Holmes: We have a group of returnees who have been through the process and who appreciate that the audience isn’t shown everything that happens. Could that work in your favor as far as getting people to come learn about the real you?
McQuillen: That’s totally going to work to my advantage. I know who I am and I know who I was when I played. I think a lot of people hang onto the character they played on TV. They’re coming in here wearing that. Especially people without life experience. This is an older cast. I think people are going to be more open to listening to people and getting to know them. Plus, we all have preconceived notions. But we all also have a piece of the story that wasn’t told. Every single person here feels like something was missing from their great “Survivor” story.
Holmes: Aside from the win?
McQuillen: Yes, not just the win, but I’m sure everyone here is saying, “I was screwed by the Outcasts, I was screwed by this.” Everyone has a chip on their shoulder. I know personally I’m a pretty easy-going person. I’m not one of the great troublemakers. I work around camp. I’m not worried socially. I just never got in on my season. The Brains tribe? We were all individuals playing. Nobody ever was cohesive together. Not even Spencer and Tasha. And when I got in with Tony (Vlachos) and Trish (Hegarty) and Woo, I stayed there. That was what was working for my game.
Holmes: There are four Cagayaners here. The most out of any season. That feels like a disadvantage. I’d be worried people might make assumptions.
McQuillen: I think it can be a negative. For me, I don’t think it’s a negative. Everyone knows everyone from my season still hates me. I’m not considered part of the crew. Everyone knows Spencer and Tasha still harbor some resentment toward me. They’ve been very vocal on social media with their anti-Kass status. They’ve bonded over that. They’ve been a force. And they both shunned me. And Woo, I don’t think he’s a big part of the “Survivor” community. I like Woo. I counseled him to take me, not Tony. I always had his best interest in mind. I think Woo would trust me. And the benefit of having them here is I know their tells. I know how they play, I know what bothers them. I know what they’re prone to do as we get to day twenty. I like that. But I think Tasha and Spencer have the bigger target out of the four of us.
Holmes: Who’s going to be in trouble early?
McQuillen: I’d like to see Vytas go early. I’m thinking Joe is going to go early. Just look at him.
Holmes: Jooooooey Amazing.
McQuillen: He’s a specimen! Seeing him in person is like, “Wow, you’re an Adonis.” But he stands out. We’ve got a lot of alpha males here. There are shorter alpha males, older guys. They’re going to want to get rid of the younger guys. Plus, Vytas has a lot of connections. I don’t think I’m a target. And if I am, there’s no valid reason for it. That’s just the way it goes. I didn’t do the pre-gaming that you hear about people doing. I don’t even know to what extent people did that.
Holmes: None of it?
McQuillen: I was so tight-lipped when I got to casting that when I saw J’Tia (Taylor) and Tasha, none of them knew I was going to be there. That’s how non-close we are. I was hoping J’Tia was going to be cast because we were pretty good friends. But, she didn’t make it. Maybe I direct messaged on Twitter like, “Hey, glad to see you’re here.” But, nothing.
Holmes: Were people receptive to it?
McQuillen: Originally I said I wasn’t in the mix when all of that started. I intentionally said I had a conflict and that I declined. I didn’t want to start playing the game. I have a life and to start playing two months before…
Holmes: How dare you have a life outside of “Survivor”?
McQuillen: I know! It’s ridiculous.
Holmes: Have you heard of any other pre-game shenanigans?
McQuillen: You hear about the “Blood vs. Water” and “One World” people. That’s narrowed down quite a bit. A lot of people who were in the mix didn’t make it. I think Shane and Terry were contacting a lot of people. And, I talked to Terry, but we talked about being in the Navy. In fact, I thought he didn’t like me after our conversation.
Holmes: We’re thirty one seasons into this business. Sometimes they like to switch things up. If there are any twists, what do you think they could be?
McQuillen: I’m sure it’ll be two tribes because there are twenty of us. I think we’ll have at least two double Tribals. I’m guessing they might narrow it down in the first day or two. Kind of like a “Heroes vs. Villains” start where it’s super physical and people are getting hurt. Then a double Tribal. Then randomly put us in three tribes. I’d like it if they’d switch us up a lot just to thwart that pre-gaming. I’ve always thought they’d play the game in reverse where it starts more individual. But that might be too much of a burden on the cameramen.
Holmes: Twenty separate crews running around an immunity challenge might be tough.
McQuillen: I don’t know if they’ll do that extra vote thing again cause it bombed.
Holmes: They probably liked how it worked out because it was such a big chain reaction.
McQuillen: Yeah, but it wasn’t a very big impact.
Holmes: Not in the big picture, but it was a great moment. It’s probably a thing where in the perfect situation it’s amazing and every other time it’s lame.
McQuillen: You really have to know what’s going on to use it correctly.
Holmes: And if Carolyn didn’t use her idol, it wouldn’t have made a difference. They already had the votes.
McQuillen: So wasted. But, are we surprised?
Holmes: Poor Dan. Talk about a rough reunion.
McQuillen: Well actually, I think the “Worlds Apart” cast was much more civil. People were horrible in that season. They said mean things. A lot of people think I’m a villain, but what did I ever do personally to anyone? I voted you out. I didn’t say stuff about your family. Yet, my cast was horrible to me and still is.
Holmes: It’s tough to take home a win with that kind of negativity. How do you keep jurors on your side?
McQuillen: The first person on the jury will be a nice person, and hopefully I won’t have written their name down. Because they set the tone at Ponderosa. When you have an ego like Sarah’s at the time, just such a strong personality. When you blindside that person and you’re the person that she already didn’t like? It just adds fuel to that fire. And when that alliance started to fall like dominoes… Nobody likes to lose to me. Sarah and I have made up. Trish on the other hand…
Holmes: That’s a shame. It’s a game. But, it’s real emotions and it’s real money.
McQuillen: I don’t have hard feelings toward the people. There are a couple of people in my cast who still despise me. Morgan (McLeod) never spoke to me again.
Holmes: Well, she’s young. Hopefully she’ll come around.
Holmes: Alright, we’re going to play “Align or Malign.” In my hand I have nineteen cards featuring your competitors. You’ll go through them and tell me who you’ll align with and who you’ll malign. Trick is, you only get eight aligns.
McQuillen: I’ll be hard pressed to find eight.
Holmes: (Laughs) Feel free to malign everyone.
McQuillen: Vytas…malign. There’s something about him I don’t like. He’s very calculated and false in his smiling and movements. He’s not a natural person out here. I have a really bad feeling about Vytas.
McQuillen: Jeff…align. I think he’s going to be whiny out here. He’s going to be complaining. He’s going to have a rough time with the elements. And he’d be great to take to the end.
McQuillen: Keith…I could align with Keith. I don’t think he’ll take charge. I don’t think he’ll be an alpha. And he’ll fall away in seventh or eighth place.
McQuillen: Peih-Gee…I’m going to malign. I think she’s smart. I think she’s scrappy. China was a much different environment. I think it’s going to be hard for her out here. I can already see her not understanding the island type of game. I think she’s very abrasive and would do whatever it takes to win, so I don’t want to be with her.
McQuillen: Kimmy…definitely align. She’s so annoying already. A vegetarian with a leather purse reading Bill O’Reilly? Hails from New York but lives in Houston? She’s going to be insecure, she’s not going to be a challenge threat.
McQuillen: Stephen…I could align with Stephen. I don’t think he has the confidence to win the game and I think a lot of people are going to be gunning for him…or he thinks they will because of his relationship with Rob (Cesternino) and the “Survivor” community. He already lost the game at final two and I think he could do it again.
McQuillen: Joe…malign. He’s going to be gone early. I love Joe, but maybe he should take over as host.
McQuillen: Tasha…malign. I don’t trust her and she’s out to get me.
McQuillen: Ciera…malign. She’s too in bed with everybody in terms of the Monica, the Terry, the Vytas. She’s got too many connections.
McQuillen: Kelly Wiglesworth…I don’t think she’s even going to have an alliance. Malign. She’s not in the game. Her heads not here. It’s been fifteen years and she hasn’t watched a season.
McQuillen: Abi…I would align with her in a heartbeat. You can already tell she’s going to blow up on people. She’s already blown up on a couple of the staff here. And, she’s in a rough place in her life. She just broke up with her long-term boyfriend. She’s in her thirties. She’s probably looking to get married and have kids. She’s going to be a trainwreck. And I think she’d be loyal.
McQuillen: Woo…I’m going to say…malign. I’m going to throw him to the wolves. I can read him and it’d be nice to have someone on the other side. I might use him a little. He’ll understand and still vote for me because he still feels guilty.
Holmes: There’s that first juror you were looking for.
McQuillen: He’d be a great first juror. So would Joe…so would Keith.
McQuillen: Jeremy…he’s so physical…and he was loyal. I’m going to malign him. I just don’t see it.
McQuillen: Kelley Wentworth…malign. She’s too much of a physical threat to go to the end with.
McQuillen: Shirin…so annoying. But, I’ll align with her because she’s annoying. This older group is not going to put up with that and her social skills are kind of stunted I think. And for me to say that? That’s bad.
McQuillen: Monica…do not trust. Malign.
McQuillen: Savage…definitely align with him. I don’t think he’s going to be able to deal. He has the Jeff Probst link everyone is bitter about. He’s a millionaire already. No one is going to give him the money. He’s probably going to find an idol being best friends with you-know-who.
McQuillen: I’ll align with Terry. We were both in the Navy.
McQuillen: Spencer…MALIGN! I’ll write your name down any minute.
Any Questions? Drop me a line on Twitter: @gordonholmes
“Survivor: Second Chance” will kick off with a special 90-minute premiere on Wednesday, September 23rd at 8 p.m. ET.
Tags: jeff probst, kass mcquillen, survivor, survivor cambodia, survivor second chance
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