Castaway Interview: Matty Whitmore and Jamie Mass - Comcast Survivor Blog Inside Survivor

Matty was a single flint strike away from winning a million dollars. But, don’t feel too bad for him, he walked away with the ultimate consolation prize when he proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Jamie. We talked to Matty (and even heard from his lovely fiancé) the day after the “Survivor: Gabon” finale and got his thoughts on his public proposal, how much he trusted Sugar, and his favorite player (who may surprise you).

Gordon Holmes: First of all, what’s it like to go out to Gabon a bachelor and come back engaged?
Matty Whitmore: Man, that was the best moment of my entire life. And that “Survivor” could provide me that opportunity, it was just the greatest moment ever.
Gordon: Did you have that intention at all when you were going out there?
Matty: Not going out there but about five days into the competition, I solidified it in my mind and that was my driving force to get to day 31. Cause without that I don’t think that I could’ve made it that far. In “Survivor” sometimes you’ve got to reach outside of yourself to get the strength to carry on, and that’s how I got what I needed to move forward.
Gordon: Jeff Probst and I do a “Question of the Week” bit on Comcast.net. And Jeff had picked a moment in Gabon as his most endearing moment ever. His only hint was that it involved love. So, as we’re getting deep into this show I’m saying, “I think Probst made this up to get people to watch the show.”
Matty: (Laughs) That’s funny.
Gordon: And sure enough, they had the moment with Sugar and her dad and I thought that was it. Then two seconds later they cut to you and Jamie on the pier.
Matty: That week prior was probably the most nerve wracking week of my life. I didn’t know how it was going to be portrayed on the TV or if it even was going to be up there. So, when I saw it, I was happy.
Gordon: What’s going through your mind when you’re watching the biggest moment of your life as it’s being broadcast to millions of people?
Matty: The week prior was the most stressful time, and that moment all the stress went away. I had so much riding on that moment.
Gordon: How did Jamie react?
Matty: Oh man, Jamie and her parents watched it 25 times and were crying.
Gordon: When’s the big day?
Matty: June 6th of next year.

Gordon: Alright, enough of this love crap.
Matty: (Laughs)
Gordon: Let’s talk about the game. One of the things I appreciated about your game is I never felt like you were locked into one alliance, yet you were still a big part of all the decisions. One week you’re with Ace, the next Kenny, the next Sugar, and then finally Susie. Who were you closest to?
Matty: I liked Randy probably the most, because in the game of “Survivor” you’re lying and deceiving, and Randy definitely wasn’t lying. He may be rude and abrasive, but he wasn’t lying to you. So, that was a relief. And, he was hard to have as a friend out there because everyone else disliked him so much. He was probably my most enjoyable person out there. The only mistake I made, talking about being mobile the entire game, but I made a pact on Jamie and that cornered me for a while.
Gordon: And there’s no way you’d go back on a pact on Jamie.
Matty: No way, for a million dollars? It isn’t worth it.

Gordon: How solid was your alliance with Sugar toward the end?
Matty: My alliance with Sugar was huge because I was never going to write her name down after she gave me the idol. I was banking on Sugar.
Gordon: Were you totally blindsided by the tie vote?
Matty: Yup, during tribal council I kind of got wind of it when they brought up the fact that I was compared to her brother and Bob was compared to her father because she had just recently lost her father. I knew from that statement from Jeff that I might be in trouble.
Gordon: What was going through your mind when you saw the second “Matty” vote?
Matty: There are no words for it. I was sad, freaked out, nervous, overwhelmed…it was pretty hard. And then I had to go against Bob for fire which is even worse, the guy’s so good at “Survivor.”

Gordon: How close were you with Kenny?
Matty: Kenny was cool, me and Kenny were buds out there the entire time. But, I caught Kenny starting to be shifty towards the end of the game, so I had to start making moves against him.

Gordon: Crystal seemed to hold a bit of a grudge after she was voted off. Have you two made up since then?
Matty: You know what, I played sports my whole life, and I learned to leave the game on the field. To be honest, I don’t get mad at that kind of stuff. I’m not mad at her and I don’t think she’s mad at me.

Gordon: It seems a lot of people say “It’s just a game.” But it’s clear that that statement is easier to say than it is to live up to.
Matty: It’s a hard game, Gordon. It’s a tough game and to be honest with you I’m feeling it today how really tough it is. It’s life changing, man. I’m going to have to think for the rest of my life that I was a spark away from winning a million dollars. That’s going to stay up in my brain.

Gordon: Why did you vote for Susie?
Matty: Susie and I were friends on day one of the game and we were friends on day thirty nine of the game. The only reason I think she was more deserving than Bob is that she suffered more in Gabon than Bob did. Bob had every reward and every luxury that Africa had to offer.

Gordon: My favorite Matty moment was during the pole-balancing challenge where you started laughing…
Matty: (Laughs) Everybody’s giving me grief like, “Why are you giving the old guy crap?” I didn’t mean to, there’s so much tension during that challenge, I was trying to release tension by making noises.

Gordon: What was going through your mind during Corinne’s final tribal council speech to Sugar?
Matty: You know, Corinne is Corinne. And I saw Corinne in Gabon and she didn’t really change her personality from day one. And, to hear that last night was saddening and awful.
Gordon: Before the reunion show were you all watching it together?
Matty: Yeah, we were in a holding area.
Gordon: What was the mood like in there?
Matty: Oh man, I was emotional. I don’t necessarily like to show my emotions, but inside my brain I was crying watching the show.

Gordon: OK, word association time…Sugar?
Matty: Charming.
Gordon: Ace?
Matty: Captain Fantastic.
Gordon: Gabon?
Matty: Beautiful and pure.
Gordon: Bob?
Matty: Well rounded.
Gordon: G-C?
Matty: Classic, he’s classic, man.
Gordon: Randy?
Matty: My favorite. Randy was hilarious.
Gordon: Jamie?
Matty: Jamie?  Soulmate.

Gordon: Is Jamie there?
Matty: Yup, she’s next to me.
Gordon: What does she have to say about the proposal?
Matty: Do you want to talk to her?
Gordon: I’d love to.
Jamie Mass: Good morning, Gordon. How are you?
Gordon: I’m good, Jamie. How are you?
Jamie: I’m good!
Gordon: What was it like to watch your marriage proposal being broadcast to millions of people?
Jamie: To watch it was absolutely incredible! We had a little viewing party at my parents’ house in Malibu, and I couldn’t help but be emotional. I didn’t even think they were going to show it. But, I was shocked. It was absolutely beautiful. I loved the way it turned out. It was amazing, because in the moment I was completely shocked and didn’t remember everything. So when I got to watch it again it was so beautiful. I watched it over and over again.
Gordon: Did you watch the recap show where Matty had everybody sing happy birthday to you?
Jamie: I did, I did! It was adorable.
Gordon: I think your boy’s a little bit sentimental.
Jamie: He is, I got a good one. He wears his emotions on his sleeve.
Gordon: How does it feel to be a part of Jeff Probst’s most endearing moment ever?
Jamie: That is so funny. Oh, what a great story!
Gordon: So, congratulations.
Jamie: Thank you.
Gordon: Can I talk to your fiancé again?
Jamie: Here he is, have a wonderful morning.

Gordon: One last thing, what do you take from your experience in Gabon?
Matty: This is life changing. This is the most challenging thing I’ve ever done, the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. And, Gordon, “Survivor” is the best group of people ever to be involved with. I’m so grateful that I got the opportunity to be on “Survivor,” it was the greatest experience of my life.

***Click Here to Comment - Do you think the proposal is the most endearing "Survivor" moment ever? Should Matty have voted for Sugar? What did you think of Matty's stay-loose strategy?