‘Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen-X’ (CBS)
QUICK NOTE: XFINITYTV.com is the place to be for all of your bug-eatin’, back-stabbin’, “Survivor” coverage. During the season we’ll have insightful weekly Power Rankings, exit interviews, and full episode recaps. Follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for up-to-the-minute updates.
Watch Full Episodes of “Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen-X”
Gordon Holmes: You don’t speak for so long and then you’re awesome!
Lucy Huang: (Laughs)
Holmes: You’re finally given your chance to shine and it turns out that you’ve been making moves and think you have Ken and David in your pocket. Can you talk me through what we missed during the first three episodes?
Huang: I was really aligned with the six; Bret, Paul, Jessica, Sunday, and Chris. We were in a good place. With the other two, David and Ken, I knew that they felt like they were underdogs with CeCe. So, I tried to be friendly with them. I would take care of David, when he was watching the fire I would feed him. I was the one that was actually cooking a lot of the food. I was a care giver, which they didn’t show. So, I was able to establish that relationship with them, a motherly one. So, I felt like I was playing the part where I knew I was intimidating because I came in looking muscular. I was trying to play it down with sweetness in the beginning.
Holmes: People in leadership roles often have the biggest target on their back. Were you concerned about that when you stepped up?
Huang: Yeah, but the thing was I wasn’t trying to be a dictator. I was trying to be a messenger. I did like them, it wasn’t just strategy. I wanted Dave and Ken to stay at that point, so I told them who the majority wanted to vote out. I wasn’t try to change people’s vote, I was just giving a message. When I said, “Don’t talk to other people,” it was because I didn’t want chaos and confusion to start because once you go to Tribal you can’t discuss it anymore. I gave them the information they needed to know. That’s how I work in my business, a lot of my directors want to complain about this and that and get into all of this emotion. But really, what are the facts? Those are the things we need to know and what we need to work with.
Holmes: You said the majority wanted Jessica gone, but you were the main driver behind that, right?
Huang: I wanted her gone, and I think Sunday wanted her gone. But, she didn’t really express it. We felt that she wanted to take over the power after Paul left. She was the main driver behind voting him out. I wanted Paul out at some point, but he didn’t seem like a threat to me. She started planting seeds in people’s heads and it made you think, “Are you number five in this alliance?”
Holmes: Sunday wanted Jessica gone? It seemed like David and Ken thought they were tight.
Huang: I think Sunday was just playing along. I questioned if Sunday would vote for Jessica or not, I wasn’t the one that spoke to Sunday. I was afraid to bring that up. I didn’t think Ken would go back to Jessica, I thought Sunday would. I think Sunday was playing Jessica’s game and getting rid of Jessica would give her a chance to play her own game. Females hide what they truly want to do, and I had that feeling with Sunday and Jessica.
Holmes: When Jessica told you that Ken was targeting you, did that sway you at all to keep her around?
Huang: That didn’t sway my vote, she still needed to go.
Holmes: The inciting incident with Ken was when you told him what to do. He didn’t like that. I was thinking about “Redemption Island” where you had Boston Rob telling his alliance not to talk to people. “Survivor” is very much a reflection of society where if a man is blunt, he’s often viewed as a strong leader and if a woman is blunt, she’s often seen as a bitch.
Huang: Oh, absolutely. After watching last night I concluded that if a male had told him that, it wouldn’t have happened that way. And the thing with Ken, and I should have paid more attention because it happened with Rachel, he’s just really one of those more sensitive men. He needs the “please” and the “thank you” and the “I need you for this.” I’m more of a I can do everything kind of person. It’s not to say that it’s bad. I just needed to go deeper and learn more about this person and how to talk to people. You continue to grow in life anyway. I can’t talk to everyone the same way. Not all men will take the information the same way. There are going to be more sensitive men. Chris and Bret appreciated how I was. They didn’t want the foo-foo or the emotion.
Holmes: I felt like David’s idol play was very short-sighted. The game changes so much, the vote was so unsure. You’ve had a lot of time to think about it. Where are you with that move right now?
Huang: I’m thinking he was trying to keep the underdogs together. Even though CeCe was an easy vote for him, he kept her. He and Ken are pretty close and I think Ken and Jessica are pretty close. So, he wanted to keep that alive. But he wanted to go with what Ken wanted, which before Tribal was vote for Lucy. And then, suddenly after all of that talking, Ken realized, “Dude, I just want to take care of you. I’m just giving you the info.” So, Ken changed his vote and it didn’t get to Dave early enough. But, I wasn’t voted off. Two votes? That’s not voting off. The other thing is, I’m proud of the fact that you thought that I was so much of a threat that you had to use your idol.
Holmes: Word association time. Let’s start with Jessica.
Huang: Sneaky.
Holmes: Bret?
Huang: Happy-go-jolly guy.
Holmes: Chris?
Huang: A stud.
Holmes: Paul?
Huang: Poseidon.
Holmes: Rachel?
Huang: Paranoid.
Holmes: CeCe?
Huang: Paranoid as well.
Holmes: Sunday?
Huang: She’s like the mom, she’s my mom on the show.
Holmes: Ken?
Huang: Sensitive.
Holmes: David?
Huang: A weasel.
Holmes: When we did the pre-game interviews, it was cool because the cast seemed more diverse than usual. But, here we are four votes in and three Asian-American women have been eliminated.
Huang: Honestly, that sucks. But at least I wasn’t one of the first Asian women that were voted out. (Laughs) I was the one that lasted the longest. I just think that there’s this whole stereotype, Asian women are supposed to be submissive. But, we’re pretty hardcore. And the way we’re brought up we have to fight for things. I think the three of us can be really honest and say what we feel. We get things done and I don’t think males are used to that. If it was another man yesterday that delivered that information to Ken, that wouldn’t have happened.
Any Questions? Drop me a line on Twitter: @gordonholmes
Tags: jeff probst, lucy huang, survivor, survivor millennials vs gen x
More Whatnot 