Rachel Ako (CBS)
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Rachel Ako: Hi Gordon! You’re so famous, you interviewed us before and after.
Gordon Holmes: Yeah, I’m like the 14th most famous person that does this.
Ako: (Laughs)
Holmes: Any luck finding your twin flame out there?
Ako: No, you weren’t out there!
Holmes: My twin flameness has already been spoken for, I’m afraid.
Ako: I’m jealous. She must be a great lady.
Holmes: She is. Although, her taste in men is questionable.
Holmes: Last night’s evacuation was a “Survivor” first. What happened after you were loaded onto the boats?
Ako: They evacuated us pretty late. I was getting my butt handed to me by the wind because I’m little as it is. They put us in this boat that was pretty rocky. Then they put us in this room with concrete floors, no pillows, no anything. We were separated by tribes and we weren’t able to talk. The producers were monitoring us. It was pretty awful.
Holmes: That sounds worse than being in the jungle.
Ako: That’s what I thought at the time.
Holmes: Were you being targeted before the challenge?
Ako: I felt a little targeted before the challenge. However, nobody was really stepping up regarding the puzzle except for David because he had a lot of experience and did 3-D puzzles, and made “Survivor” puzzles at home. So, I stepped up. I take full responsibility for it. But, I wish I would have stepped back and let someone else do it.
Holmes: Why did you feel targeted before the challenge?
Ako: I could see cliques forming with Sunday, Bret, Chris, and Jessica. They were pairing off.
Holmes: You ended up working with CeCe. Why was she being targeted?
Ako: At the time, I think there were rumors that I had an idol and they wanted to split the vote.
Holmes: Were there any cracks in that alliance that you tried to exploit?
Ako: Good question. Jess came up to me right before we were going to Tribal Council and she said, “I feel like Sunday and the others are playing me.” And she already had those two bacterial infections in her eyes, so that may have heightened it. I did play the game with integrity, and I said, “They’re not playing you, Jessica. They’re not voting for you.” I could have really screwed Jess over because she was desperate and her eyes were making her paranoid. But, I didn’t take advantage of it.
Holmes: There’s the evening’s lesson; always lie.
Ako: I know! I know. But, I went into the game and I said I was going to attempt to go far into the game with integrity.
Holmes: Did anyone see Jessica pocket the Legacy envelope? Did anyone see her sneak off to read something?
Ako: No, we were running around frantically trying to beat the millennials. I’m pretty sure nobody saw her.
Holmes: You and Paul butted heads a little bit. What was that relationship like?
Ako: At the time, Paul was more like “Do this! Do this!” It was almost very womanizing or bossy. But of course, I was portrayed as the bossy one. So, I was trying to be more playful about it. He has his moments, but he’s a cool guy.
Holmes: You used the word “womanizing,” did he direct his bossiness toward the women specifically?
Ako: He wasn’t very gentleman-like, I’ll just say that. He’s a good person, but at the time…
Holmes: What was your impression of Ken?
Ako: Initially, I didn’t trust him at all. On the island he seemed pretty down to Earth. And we actually hung out a lot. And with CeCe, we were close.
Holmes: Alright, word association time. Let’s start with David.
Ako: Funny.
Holmes: Bret?
Ako: Also funny. Goofy.
Holmes: Jessica?
Ako: Smart.
Holmes: CeCe?
Ako: A character.
Holmes: Sunday?
Ako: Bitchy after watching last night.
Holmes: Ken?
Ako: So many layers with Ken…nice.
Holmes: Chris?
Ako: Mean.
Holmes: Paul?
Ako: A good guy.
Holmes: Let’s finish with Lucy.
Ako: Very serious.
Holmes: You seem like a young spirit to me. Do you think you would have fared better with the Millennials?
Ako: Who knows? But, I do feel like more of a younger soul. I appreciate the Millennial philosophy and I think there are a lot of strong opinions on the Gen-X tribe about that philosophy. I blended in with both generations.
Holmes: Is it some solace that you were able to leave the game without bacterial infections in your eyes?
Ako: No! The next day on TV the same things happened to me. It pretty much ran rampant in Fiji. It was one of the worst days ever.
Any Questions? Drop me a line on Twitter: @gordonholmes
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