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Interview with Nick Brown (remember h...

Reality TVClubHouse Discussions: Survivor ARCHIVES: Survivor II - Outback ~ 2: Survivor II - Outback: Interview with Nick Brown (remember him?) users admin

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Essence

Thursday, October 16, 2003 - 6:25 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Essence a private message Print Post    
'Survivor' veteran Nick Brown reflects on series, fleeting fame
ERNEST A. JASMIN; The News Tribune

While other reality shows come and go, "Survivor" remains a ratings titan well into its seventh season.

Millions will tune in tonight to catch every grueling challenge, each devious plot. And that qualifies this season's contestants - who include Sandra Diaz-Twine, a civilian employee at Fort Lewis - as bona fide prime-time celebrities.


But those 15 minutes of fame are likely to slip away fast once the "Survivor: Pearl Islands" season ends. Just ask Nick Brown, the local guy who made it through 10 episodes of "Survivor: The Australian Outback" before being voted off the island in 2001.


"I still get recognized, but people think they went to college with me or they used to work with me," said Brown, who was in Steilacoom last week visiting his parents.


Not that Brown, 26, is complaining. "I always tell people it's a really good kind of fame if you're not trying to change your life. You can kind of live up for a year ... and then a year later nobody cares about you."


Not that there weren't chances to stay in the public eye. Brown cites getting a call from Playgirl magazine among his strangest post-"Survivor" experiences.


But Brown cut negotiations much shorter than Jerri Manthey, the "Outback" contestant who posed for Playboy. "I thought about it for about half a second," he said. "That's something I would never do. ... My grandmother would kill me."


Since "Survivor," Brown has graduated from Harvard law school and undergone training with the U.S. Army Air Corps. He said he will practice law as an Army attorney in Texas, but eventually wants to return to the Puget Sound.


With his "Survivor" experience behind him, Brown admitted that he would play the game differently if he had the chance to do it all over.


"I would've played a more active role in feeling out people's alliances," he said. "I kind of felt day by day that I could let those develop. ... You don't want to be too in people's faces too much (and) strategizing in the beginning, but you don't want to wait and start strategizing once alliances have already been made."


Brown hadn't watched "Survivor: Pearl Islands" until last Thursday, but agreed to break down this season's playing field based on what he saw and his own own experiences in the Australian Outback:


On Sandra Diaz-Twine: "Sandra won't win, (but) she has a good chance to get far."


He cited her argument with contestant Jon Dalton. "In the beginning of the game, that's not what you want to do."


Ideal contestants are amiable, but not too nice, since the contestants who have been voted off of the show make the final decision. "You don't be in the final two with someone everybody loves."


On Rupert Boneham: "I'm a fan of Rupert. I don't know if he's gonna win, but I think he'll be in the top four. He's an asset, and people are gonna keep him around for a while because they recognize he has enough brute, physical attributes. ... Also he's got a little edge to him. He's not too nice."


On Jon Dalton: "He may do all right. I didn't have a lot to draw on. But knowing (producer) Mark Burnett, he may be around for a while.


"I think a lot of people forget that you're taking three days of footage and making it into a 40-minute show. The editing can be very creative to say the least. On my show, I don't think a lot of people thought Mark would last a long time, but a lot of that was due to the editing."


On Osten Taylor wanting to quit: "The mental part of the game really sneaks up on you quicker than you think it will. (But) I don't empathize on day seven, because on day seven you should still be excited about it. ... If you're talking about you want to quit that early, maybe you shouldn't apply."


On the Morgan Tribe's losing streak: "It's a meltdown, but things can change very very quickly on 'Survivor.' My tribe lost the first challenge, then we didn't lose again for a long time. ... But in the end (members of the other tribe), they all finished in the top three or four."

Ernest Jasmin: 253-274-7389
ernest.jasmin@mail.tribnet.com

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