Last night marked the end of an era in Survivor: Tocantins as Coach Wade was sent packing. Indeed, the warrior has fallen, the dragonslayer has been slayed! I talked to Coach earlier today and he gave me more than an earful about his thoughts on the way he was precieved by his fellow tribemates, his glorious time on Exile Island and his pick for the big winner. It's a lengthy read so settle in for some serious Coach Wade wisdom...
Hilary: I enjoyed the episode last night..it was quite a turn of events.
Coach: It was epic, it was heroic and I loved every second of it.
Hilary: So did you feel people were respectful of your life experiences, which you shared with the tribe?
Coach: I thought it was kind of hit or miss. You don't see the interaction between myself and JT and Stephen. I closed myself off to a lot of people like Erinn and Taj, so I understand their ridicule. I think that unless you've been there and done that, like one POW talking to me, I wouldnt understand, but him talking to another POW, they would understand each other. That's why Survivor is such a big communuty because we understand what we've been through. I knew when I told that story about the Amazon that people were going to ridicule me and there was a big part of me that didn't want to tell it, but I felt that it needed to be told. Whether it touches somebody somehow and makes them a better person or inspires somebody. I love motivational speaking, I've been doing it for the last thirteen years and never asked a dime for it so if I can have an influence on somebody positively, that makes it all worth it. Down there, I definintely think the producers tried to sow seeds of doubt in everyone's mind, which I'm not really supposed to talk about, but when I told that story people were silent and it took a lot out of me to tell it. I've only told it to three groups of people and it ripped my guts out to tell it. It was a very traumatic time in my life. I still get chocked up just thinking about. It was very tough but for people not to understand and respect it, I understand because if you told me the story I'd say "that's crazy, this is mordern society that doesn't happen," but then my response to that- and I'll shut up in a second and let you ask the next quesiton - if you were dropped off in the top of the Amazon with no radio, no one following, no firearems, what do you think is going to happen? You're going to shake hands with the natives, pet the crocodiles and let the phiranna tickle your belly on the way down? No, you put yourself on the front lines and things are going to happen.
And that's just the beginning! Make the jump for more Coach!
Hilary: So your poem last night, I liked it, I thought it was very...
Coach: I did think it was very appropo and I was very happy that they put it in there. I'm a music conductor and I create music and I love writing music and there's that part of my mind that people don't see. That's why I came in kinda calling myself "the Renassiance Man" I'm not trying to say I'm better than anybody because I don't think I am, in fact it's the contrary, but I love creating things. There's that creative part of my mind. You've got the trumpet player, the conductor, the soccor coach, the jock, the sensitive person. I'm probably more sensitive than anyone else out there...I've have...well enough of the that, but I love creating things so as I was sitting there just thinking about the game and reflecting on it while I was sitting there meditiating I thought this would be good and I like analogies. Of course, I ran with the dragonslayer and I don't really think I'm the dragonslayer and all that kind of dleusional stuff but I thought what a great analogy because we are in battlefield and I love making analogies like that, so anyway I just wrote it in my mind so at tribial I was like Jeff I need to say this and thank god I was able to because if I hadn't told that little poem then it wouldn't have gotten out there. I thought it was very appropro, we're all going to battle and we all hope someone out there will remember our names.
Hilary: Do you feel that it was truly heard and understood by the other members of the tribe?
Coach: Yea, I know you got all the eye rolls and all that kind of stuff but I've been told by every peson that was there, "wow, that was actually good." Everyone thought I would be pontificating about my own greatness or whatever and they were really surprised at that. Even the biggest naysayers, the biggest eye rollers, the biggest gaggers, they've all told me "wow, that was actually good."
Hilary: So have you remained friends with any of your tribemates?
Coach: Nah, we've talked very briefly and they wanted to tell me they liked the poem but for the most part we don't have any contact with anybody.
Hilary: There were a couple of times there when Jeff sort of nudged you about your stories and the poem. How do you feel about the way he treated you?
Coach: I love Jeff.He's very intuiative. Actually I think we're a lot alike. You know what he wanted to do every tribal was get people on their heels. You what you don't at tribal, he would ask me a question and try to box me in and I'd knock it out of the park. And he'd look at me like "ok, this is an unusual postion" and then he'd say "ok, so Candace, tell me about the challenge yesterday," and totally change subjects. So I think that he and I both liked coming to tribal and verbally sparring with each other. Did he insult me? Yea, that's his job. Did he cast doubt as to the validatity of my testimony? Yea, that's his job. Did it suck when he did it? Yea, but you know what, he's out there pumping up the dragonslayer every chance that he can and I'm like "ok I think this guy is the man." I had a really good repoire with him and it's his job to make it sensational and to ferret out the truth and cause dispersion and doubt on everybody. So he was just doing his job, I've got no problems with it.
Hilary: You seem to have a lot of wisdom. Do you feel like you were you able to reach and effect any of your fellow tribemates?
Coach: I definintely think so. I think that Tyson came into the game wanting to lie and cheat and steal at all costs and I really think that because of my influence on him that he changed the game. Once we merged, unfortunately it was Tyson's downfall. I'm not saying Tyson he played completely honest but he told Stephen and JT exactly their place in the game. Had he not done that it would have been he and I in the final two. You know I took Erinn under my wing at one time, I meditated with Debbie, I brought Taj to tears talking about her son. I really think that I did influence people out there. So yes, definitely.
Hilary: You made an statement last night which was interesting to me as a woman, about how women percieve things differently than men...
Coach: I try to coucil a lot of my players and assistant coaches on relationships so I do like to study human behavior. Sometimes what men think is a pebble - for instance when a woman asks "how does my hair look?" say "it's alright" and they hear, "it doesn't look good." And You think it's a pebble but the time the ripple effect gets to them it's like a boulder was dropped in and the waves are washing over them. They're ticked off and you don't even know why, SO I made that analogy because I think women do have intuition. My pebble was "hey Erinn, you did great," but she heard "oh no, Coach is going to do it dragonslayer style and he's one-upping me." That's what I was referring to. Of course talking about women's intuition, you know I made that comment originally saying that Erinn knows she's going to get voted out, but as soon as it left my mouth, I thought "uh oh, that means they could have intuition about me. I coud say I was being really brilliant and predicting my own demise, but I can't pull your leg about that. As soon as I said that it was like uh oh, she might have intuition and I'm going home.
Hilary: Who should we have our eye on now?
Coach: I think all of them. It's such a game and the excitement...You don't have the dragonslayer anymore, you don't have me to hate on now. You've got these people who are just going to go at each other's throats. And of course you know when it gets down to the final four, it's any man or woman's game. I think I'd like to see Stephen win because he is such a warrior and never complained about anything...
Hilary: The wizard!
Coach: Yes, the wizard. The wizard really turned into a man out there.
Hilary: Finally, ff you had it to do over again, would you change your agenda going to Exile island?
Coach: My time on Exile was the most beautiful, heroic, sad, self-anaylzing point of the whole show and it was beautiful and I loved it and I cherish that experience. I acutally think it made me stronger in the challenge. Contrary to what the others said I was not using it to make an excuse. I don't have to make an excuse for myself. I can tell you right now what was I dissapointed in most with throughout the whole show - it wasn't the editing, it wasn't anything else, it was me not being better at the challenges. Thinking that I'm a twenty-five year old man who's the world record Kayak holder and actually I'm not anymore. I'm a thirty-seven year old coach with a bad back and seven concussions. So I don't make any excuses on my performance. I was disappointed in myself. And coming back from Exile, I think I had such intense mental focus that I actually did better. I definintely would not change anything about that experience.
