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Csnog
| Thursday, May 15, 2003 - 10:19 am
Name: Matthew Von Ertfelda Age: 33 Marital Status: Single Occupation: Restaurant Designer Hometown: Washington, D.C. Luxury Item: High School Wrestling Jacket Current Popularity: 90% SURVIVOR Host: We're now joined by SURVIVOR Runner-Up Matthew Von Ertfelda. Hi Matt, thanks for being here with us today. Are you ready for some questions? Matthew: Yes, fire away! jojojogo: Matt, You did a great job, and I think you should have won! Do you think acting like a pyscho lost you the game? Matthew: I don't think so. It's possible, but I don't think so. That was really a strategy to distract people's attention and to dismiss me as a threat. It's possible that I played that card a little too long and people started to be frightened of me, but I'm not sure that holds much water. But it did help me get ahead in some critical phases in the game. Joke: Why did you take the jacket as your luxury item? Matthew: I took the jacket as my luxury item because I thought it might serve as a pillow or at least help me sleep at night, which I felt could be an issue. From what I read on various SURVIVOR websites there were sleeping challenges in the jungle. It did, in fact, prove to be very useful. Enna: Hey Matt, must say you looked quite handsome last night. Did it take you long to get your weight back? Matthew: [laughs] You're too kind. It took me about six weeks to put the weight back on. There was a lot of fast food and a lot of weight training that was required. patter: Matthew, how did you feel knowing only Butch voted for you? Matthew: It bums me out a bit, but it doesn't really surprise me. I don't think that the members on the Jury gave me a lot of credit for my strategy and how far it got me. I also don't think that they really acknowledge the journey and evolution my character underwent in the game. kerry: Matt, did any of you Survivors get attacked by anything while out in the Amazon? Matthew: Well, we got attacked by insects on a daily basis. We did encounter some toothy pirhana that bit Butch's finger, but there weren't any close calls with anacondas, crocodiles or jaguars, although we knew that they were always lurking in the neighborhood. SURVIVORFan419: Matt, what was your favorite moment on SURVIVOR? Matthew: I think one of my favorite moments on SURVIVOR was one morning during a rainstorm when Christy and I enjoyed a bottle of wine and talked about ourselves and shared stories. It was just a great opportunity to get to know her as a person, and it's a real pleasant memory. Superduper: Was it difficult to maintain secrecy and not share the news with your family and friends about finishing in the top two? Matthew: It really wasn't difficult to maintain secrecy about my finish in the Final Two. Although there was an article that came out about CBS betting that named me and Jenna as the Final Two and that did raise suspicion. SURVIVOR_fan: What was the first thing you ate when you got back home? Matthew: The first thing I ate when I got back home was a big bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken! It was a dream come true! SURVIVORGroupie: Did the cameramen/women ever get in the way? Matthew: That's a great question! When Butch and I were fishing, there was always a camerman or crew within the vicinity, and oftentimes they'd board our boat and they would make a lot of noise and movement and make it very difficult to fish. ruthiesedai: Matt, were you surprised that Christy did not vote for you? Matthew: I was surprised that Christy didn't vote for me, but I also knew she could be unpredictable which is the reason she was ousted from the game earlier, so I was surprised. But in hindsight, I should have anticipated that she would be somewhat of a wildcard. lcsb: Matt, you seem very intelligent. Do you really spend weekends studying Swedish? Matthew: [laughs] I don't spend entire weekends studying Swedish, but I do enjoy foreign language study, and I've been known to study Swedish or another language for hours for fun, believe it or not. AMAFAN: Matt, it was very thoughtful of you to let the others have a visit from their families. Tell me, what was your reaction after the food auction when Jenna and Heidi made those rude remarks about Christy buying her letter? Matthew: At that juncture in the game, I thought that Jenna and Heidi were being rather mean to Christy. My feeling was that Christy had waited to bid on the letter and it was the only item she'd bid on, and she really deserved it more than Heidi or Jenna, although I understand that all three really wanted to hear from all of their loved ones. blair: Matt, if you had to do it again, what would you do differently? Matthew: If I had to do it again I would probably have made an effort to be even more outgoing and gregarious during the initial phase of the game. I would've made more of an effort to build strategic relationships from day one, but also spend time to better understand the individual strengths and weaknesses of each contestant so I could partner with someone I could trust and who could take me further in the game. jodyg: Matt, what was the most uncomfortable thing about the adventure (physical or otherwise)? Matthew: The most uncomfortable thing about the adventure was really the psychological dynamics of the game. I found it very uncomfortable knowing that others were plotting against me or planning to deceive me, and it was very difficult to face that possibility every day. It was difficult to identify and determine who was to be trusted and who not. The uncertainity could make for very uncomfortable situations. OfCourseItWasRigged: Matt, congratulations and did you feel that Jenna's statement about you "not needing" the money was an unfair statement? Matthew: Thank you very much. I think that Jenna's statement was unfair. In fact, I rent an apartment and drive a used car. I feel that I could use the money just as much as she could. SuRvIvOrPhAn1017: Are you and Jenna dating? If so, I am quite jealous of you, but congrats anyways on your finish. You played a very good game. Matthew: [laughs] Jenna and I aren't dating. We are merely very good friends. awsomegame: Matt, do you consider any of the other castmates friends? If so, who and why? Matthew: I consider Butch, Ryan and Dan, among others, to be good friends of mine, people whom I intend to maintain contact with for many years to come. Butch in particular always struck me as very genuine with a great sense of integrity. I really enjoyed the time I spent with him in the Amazon. He was one of the few people whom I could really trust. He was also a great fishing partner. oldymoldy: I thought Butch was pretty loyal to you, Matt. What do you think? Matthew: Butch was extremely loyal to me, and the one regret that I have in the game is that we couldn't go further together. The group decision to oust Butch and put him in the fourth spot was very, very difficult for me. We_Hate_Jenna_Club: Matt, we really want to know: did you know that there would be letters up for auction, or did you think that it was only food? Matthew: I had no clue that there would be letters up for auction. At the time, I was really only interested in food anyway. Cita: Are women approaching you more now? Matthew: Yes, [laughs] in fact during the party last night I was approached by dozens and dozens of women. It seems I have a very loyal following among female SURVIVOR fans. MattTheTRUESurvivor: What was the toughest Challenge for you, and why? Matthew: The toughest Challenge for me was the maze Challenge, which Jenna won. That Challenge was difficult because I didn't spend enough time studying the sign that indicated which direction we should go in to find a particular key. I actually confused two of the symbols and in the end lost to Jenna because I simply couldn't find the last key. GoSURVIVORGO: When Jenna won Immunity in the maze, did your strategies change? Matthew: Yes, when Jenna won Immunity in the maze I had to adapt to the new situation, a situation she controlled. I had to abandon my alliance with Butch and Rob and create an alliance with Jenna, an alliance which eventually would take me to the Final Two. ILJ69: What did you miss most from home, and why? Matthew: I really missed my journals and writing implements, because I love to write and I found it frustrating that I couldn't record everything that I thought and experienced while I was in the Amazon. Johnny: Matt, what advice would you give to someone who wanted to be the next Survivor? Matthew: I would suggest that they watch a season of SURVIVOR so that they get a good idea of how demanding the physical and mental aspects of the game really are. I would also suggest that they spend time on some of these Survivor groupie websites to get an analysis of the successes and failures of past contestants, as this information can be invaluable. Brian: Did you feel like giving Alex a cup of "Shut the Hell UP" at the Reunion show? Matthew: I did. I found that his outburst really showed a lack of class. I felt that it was really unecessary and it was kind of a cheap shot. In my opinion he was just being a sore loser. ion108: Matt, so what are your plans for your car? Are you really gonna let Rob use it? Matthew: Rob's not getting his grimy little hands anywhere near my new car! [laughs] I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the new car. I need to think about that. BungleInTheJungle: Matt, you seem to have a great relationship with your Mom. What did she think of your second place finish? Matthew: My mother is very proud of me. She knows that I did the best that I could do and she feels that I played the game with a lot of integrity and that people have a lot of respect for me for having gone so far in the game even though I never watched an episode of SURVIVOR. AMAFAN: Matt, there was a lot of talk that Butch didn't do much out there to help with everyday survival. Was that true, or just the way he was portrayed? Matthew: Butch actually did a huge amount of work at camp. He was tireless in collecting and stacking wood, collecting, boiling and filtering water as well as fishing. I think that he had the best work ethics of anyone from SURVIVOR: THE AMAZON.
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Gina8642
| Thursday, May 15, 2003 - 11:47 am
Great articles Csnog - Thanks for posting!!! I'm thinking there hasn't been another suvivor when people (the general public) were sooo unhappy with the results. Yes, folks haven't liked the winner before, but usually the runner-up isn't that much better of an option (think Clay). I'm wondering if the jury has a clue yet how negative the internet enthusiasts reaction to their decision has been?
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Frogichik
| Thursday, May 15, 2003 - 12:01 pm
What were they talking about "Alex's outburst" at the reunion, I don't remember?
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Gina8642
| Thursday, May 15, 2003 - 12:25 pm
Jeff asked Matt if his psycho bit was all an act. Matt said something like - yes, it was. I wanted to deflect attention from my strength. Alex started shaking his head. Jeff let him speak and Alex went on and on how Matt 'flipped' and really was psycho. Jeff finally had to cut him off because his story wasn't going anywhere. Basically Alex acted like an idiot for the whole reunion. He kept shaking his head and rolling his eyes at everything Matt said or did. He came off a an immature spoiled sport. I'm not the only one who thought Alex acted like a dope. On the SS board I found an 8 page (at 20 posts a page) thread on I hate Alex.
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Csnog
| Thursday, May 15, 2003 - 12:43 pm
I don't know why Alex should be angry at Matt. It was Rob who decided to vote Alex out.
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Abby7
| Thursday, May 15, 2003 - 4:11 pm
That article explains a lot. Thanks. I didn't think he was all that wealthy. A rest. designer for Marriott wouldn't make you that rich. However, the perks must be great. I'm sure he travels for free alot (not just for business)...definitely free hotel stay! At the reunion, when Jeff asked if they would have voted for Rob if Jeanna had taken him to F2, the reaction was mixed. However, Alex did shake his head no. So he probably wasn't happy with Rob either. Alex did sound immature at the reunion (especially with all the "dude" comments).
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Hummingbird
| Saturday, May 17, 2003 - 10:18 am
I am always surprised at how bitter some of the losers are at the final vote. Alex was the example of it this time. John the nurse and the Captain were both bitter and nasty towards Neleh. This behavior just makes them look bad and makes you feel really glad they didn't win. I didn't like the results this time around and I was also disappointed when Vecepia won.
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Chaserla
| Tuesday, May 27, 2003 - 7:27 pm
Here is an interview with Matthew http://www.realitytvtalk.com/forums
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Texasdeb
| Wednesday, May 28, 2003 - 6:45 pm
Even though Matt seemed a "little strange" on the tv shows - I saw through that & knew it had to have something to do with editing. I think Matt is one of the most adorable male specimens out there.
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Seamonkey
| Wednesday, May 28, 2003 - 8:09 pm
Matt's a real winner in life. I'm sorry his grandma didn't live to see S6.
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Monkeyboy
| Thursday, May 29, 2003 - 11:47 am
Who was the Captain, Hummingbird?
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Seamonkey
| Thursday, May 29, 2003 - 3:34 pm
I thought he was the General? The guy with the large jaw who was a limo driver??
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Monkeyboy
| Friday, May 30, 2003 - 12:32 am
Im still drawing a blank. Im going to look on the CBS site.
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Hummingbird
| Sunday, June 08, 2003 - 9:11 pm
There was no Captain. I meant The General, of course. Must have lost a brain cell or two back in the sixties.
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Texasdeb
| Thursday, June 12, 2003 - 4:09 pm
I know you can't control what you dream about, but last night Matt made it into my dreams for some reason. Let me tell you, I DID NOT want to wake up. I don't usually have this kind of a dream - wonder what it means?
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Hermione69
| Friday, June 13, 2003 - 8:08 am
Texasdeb and Matthew sitting in a tree.... K.... I.... S.... S.... I.... N.... G!!!!!
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Csnog
| Monday, June 23, 2003 - 8:22 pm
Snogging ^.^
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Chaserla
| Tuesday, July 01, 2003 - 8:31 am
http://matthewvonertfelda.com/index.htm Matthew has his new web site up running if anyone is interested.
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Seamonkey
| Tuesday, July 01, 2003 - 9:12 am
Like the Dunhill ad.
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Tabbyking
| Thursday, July 03, 2003 - 9:44 pm
thanks for the link. he is a very likable guy...i still am perplexed as to how he lost to jenna. he played hard on survivor. i hope he has great good fortune in whatever he does from here on out.
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