More Whatnot

Kat Edorsson and Hayden Moss (CBS)

Quick Note: I had a chance to sit down with all twenty of the “Blood vs. Water” competitors before the game began. I’ll be posting exclusive interviews with each pairing in the days leading up to the September 18th season premiere. Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for those interviews, behind-the-scenes exclusives, and more…

Name: Kat Edorsson
Age: 23
Relationship to Significant Castaway: Hayden’s Girlfriend
Previous Season: “Survivor: One World” – sixth jury member
Current Residence: Orlando, Florida
Occupation: Full-time Student/Sales

Name: Hayden Moss
Age: 26
Relationship to Significant Castaway: Kat’s Boyfriend
Current Residence: Springtown, Texas
Occupation: Real Estate
Personal Claim to Fame: Winning “Big Brother 12.”
Pet Peeves: Wrinkly clothes.

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Gordon Holmes: Kat, always a pleasure. And who’s this guy?
Hayden Moss: Hayden Moss, I was on “Big Brother.” I live just outside of Dallas and I work in real estate.
Kat Edorsson: Isn’t it more important to say, “Winner of ‘Big Brother’”?
Gordon: Whoa…what is this “Big Brother”?
Hayden: It’s another reality show.
Gordon: Not familiar. Kat, tell me about this “Big Brother” winner.
Kat: He’s tall, dark, and handsome. He’s charming. He comes from a great family. He’s one of a kind. He’s my best friend in the entire world. And he is the love of my life.
Gordon: Ugh…so many happy people today.
Hayden: I would agree with all of that. She’s tooting my horn quite a bit. I’m a little more humble. I wouldn’t ordinarily say that stuff.
Gordon: That’s why he has you here.
Kat: (Laughs) That’s why I’m here.

Gordon: Alright Kat, four people who have done the XFINITY “Survivor” Power Rankings have come back and played the game. Three of them made it to the finals and one of them won the whole shebang. No pressure.
Kat: That is awesome. I feel like I have a good chance where I’m positioned in the game already.
Hayden: If she plays her cards right she could float all the way to the end.

Gordon: During the “One World” final Tribal Council, you said you’d need another heart surgery before playing again. Was that all taken care of?
Kat: I go to my checkups every year and they said I can prolong it. They didn’t see any more than average leaking and they didn’t see any pressure or restraint on my valve. So, I don’t have a date set right now. I can’t say what will happen in the future, but my family and I think it’s a miracle that I’ve gone this long. Right now I’m as healthy as a horse. I’m very happy.

Gordon: We don’t know much about the other nine family members. But, we all know that Hayden has got some game. I joked earlier, but winning “Big Brother” is a big deal. Are you ready to deal with the target on your back?
Hayden: I know there are people here who have watched “Big Brother.” I played, and I played well. But, at the same time I’m going to be able to use what I learned there to my advantage. I’ve played the social game. None of the other loved ones have.
Gordon: I love me some “Survivor.” I used to say, “I’m gonna go on that show. Cut some throats, make some brilliant moves, win the million.” But, the older I get, the more I realize that I don’t function well when I don’t eat. That isn’t something you had to worry about in the “Big Brother” house.
Hayden: The physical game is a whole other ballgame. This is living off the land, not eating, not sleeping, then exerting yourself to the max. In terms of preparation, I grew up in the country. So, I’m going to be more capable of taking care of myself than most people. I’ve gutted a fish, I’ve been on hunts…
Kat: And when he says, “country,” he means “country.”
Hayden: (Laughs) Out in the boonies. I’m not afraid of it.

Gordon: How long have you two been dating?
Kat and Hayden: A year.
Gordon: Where’d you meet?
Kat: We met at a reality event.
Hayden: Give Kids the World in Orlando, Florida. Can’t wait to go back.
Gordon: A year. I’m an old man, so that almost seems like nothing to me. Have you fought? Do you guys ever fight?
Hayden: Yeah.
Kat: We don’t like to use the word, “fight.”
Gordon: Cause me and my girlfriend will fight.
Hayden: She doesn’t like to use the word.
Gordon: You’re having pleasant disagreements.
Hayden: That’s a good way to put it!
Kat: “Misunderstandings” is what I like to call them.
Gordon: So, you were right and he misunderstood.
Hayden: (Laughs)
Kat: Hayden will say, “I don’t like to argue” and I’ll say, “No, no, no, babe. We were having a misunderstanding. That’s not me.” And he’ll say, “You hung up on me three times.” And I’ll say, “That wasn’t me.”
Gordon and Hayden: (Laugh)
Kat: “That was somebody else.” It’s different for me. Everybody really adores Hayden and he’s won a show before. So, there’s a rivalry. We’ll have a tiff over volleyball or dodgeball. And then normal girlfriend/boyfriend stuff. You start dating and you pull the skeletons out of the closet.
Hayden: And to make matters a little worse, I live in Texas.
Kat: And I live in Florida.
Hayden: But we’re lucky because we do get to see each other every two weeks or so. We’re racking up frequent-flyer miles.

Gordon: As a returnee, you don’t have a clean slate. What do you think people think of you, and how can you use that to your advantage?
Kat: Going into this game, I think people are going to trust me as much as they did before. “One World” wasn’t me putting on a front. That was me being who I am. I’m friendly, I’m charming, that’s just who I am. The only thing that I learned was not to be so selfish, don’t talk over people, listen more. Those things I did not know at that time. I didn’t think I was selfish at all, but I was the most selfish person in the world.
Gordon: It’s different to be told something about yourself, then to watch it on TV.
Kat: Yeah! It’s incredible. Going back into the game knowing all you know now, and you got so far before? If you do the same thing and keep it cool and casual, I know the game. I think I will win.

Gordon: This is the first time pairs are heading into this game. What’s the gameplan?
Kat: Here’s my thought; we have a different type of option than anyone else. Now, I’m going to give you this information, but we will kill you if you say anything.
Gordon: You think I would betray the Power Rankings bond that we have?
Kat: I’m just saying…
Hayden: She is going to slit your throat.
Kat: You don’t mess with my men or my money and now I’m playing for both.
Gordon: I wouldn’t dream of doing either.
Kat: (Laughs)  Here’s what I’m thinking of doing; if we’re in a situation where Hayden might have to go to the left and I have to go to the right. Of all the people here, we’re not married, we’re not family, so technically, if I want to make the tribe feel like I’m flipping on Hayden, I can, and I’m allowed to. Let’s say I’ve done something wrong and Hayden’s upset with me, he can tell people he’s not on my side because we’re not obligated to each other.
Hayden: It’s just an option we’re keeping open. We know where our loyalties lie.
Kat: He can bat his eyes at the older women that aren’t married, which is both the women here. And I could bat my eyes another way. We could play those roles if we have to.

Gordon: What are your early thoughts on the cast?
Kat: It’s so tough. Just by looking at the people, it was Rupert’s time like a year ago. He cannot be here anymore. I think everyone feels that way. There are winners here, but Hayden might want to keep them around because he’s in the winner’s circle. I like Tina and I like Aras. People I’d want to keep around because they could be an explosive atomic bomb are Brad and Monica. Could you imagine if I knocked over Monica in front of him?
Gordon: That’d be a bad scene.
Kat: He would clothesline the (expletive deleted) out of me and make me pay.
Gordon and Hayden: (Laugh)
Gordon: For the record, I’m not laughing because you were clotheslined, it was the way you worded it.
Kat: I’m just saying, I want to keep Colton around as long as possible. On his season of “Big Brother” her name was Rachel (Reilly) and she had red hair and she was just out of control…
Gordon: She’s the one with the…
Kat: The big boobs? Yeah, she’s Big Boobs McGee.
Gordon: I was going to say “laugh.”
Hayden: (Laughs) She was a trainwreck. Think of it like a fishtank. You’ve got a lot of small fish and one big fish. The big fish draws your eye. That’s how I want to play the game. Keep Brad in.
Kat: Keep Brad in, keep Colton in. Laura’s a swing with her daughter. They’ll go either way. Tina and Aras can be swings. Tyson…who knows, he played with Rupert.

Gordon: And the pink hoodie is going to make a return?
Kat: The pink hoodie is in full effect. We actual have double…
Hayden: Matching pink hoodies!

Note: At this point Hayden and Kat perform a synchronized fist bump routine.

Gordon: Oh man, young love. You guys make me sick.
Hayden: (Laughs) We’re going to make a lot of people sick.

Any Questions? Drop me a line on Twitter: @gordonholmes

Don’t miss the special 90-minute premiere of “Survivor: Blood vs. Water” on Wednesday, September 18, 2013 at 8 p.m. ET.