RUPERT
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SURVIVOR Host: Hi Rupert! Thanks for being here today. Are you ready to take some questions?
Rupert: Yes I am!
miranda: Hello Rupert. You played two real good games. I was rooting for you BOTH times. Between the two games you played, did you enjoy one more than the other? If so, which one?
Rupert: I had a better time playing ALL-STARS. I enjoyed myself a lot more, I felt more comfortable and more at ease. I was playing a different game, I was still--in my own way--in control of the tribe, but I stood back a little bit. When there was a decision to be made on ALL-STARS, if it didn't hurt me, I went along with it. On PEARL ISLANDS I tried to control the whole game. I relaxed a little more on ALL-STARS.
Legend41: Do you feel the game (especialy ALL-STARS) is geared more towards a cutthroat player and that a nice guy like Rupert has nearly no shot at winning?
Rupert: I think that the ALL-STARS game was geared toward more characters, not so much connivers. I was for sure a character out there. Now a good guy can win, and if I would have been able to force the tie at the Tribal Council I was voted out, I know I would have made it to the end.
rupertfan_3: Rupert, I think you played the game great, except why, oh why, did you not vote out Rob or Amber? There were several times when you had the chance.
Rupert: When I had the chance to vote out either Boston Rob or Amber I would go to the other tribemates to try to make them go against them. Every time we had the chance to put Amber out, they tried to target to Jenna or me. When other players say we could have switched the whole game up, that's really not true. It was hard to find someone to go against Rob and Amber. In that situation, I kept Rob and Amber close to me, and we all voted as a group.
jojo: Rupert, you are an awsome human being. What will you do with the million that you are going to win?
Rupert: (Laughs) I appreciate the confidence in thinking I'm going to win Thursday, but I did that in the Pearl Islands and it really let me down. This time, I cannot let myself think that I'm going to win the million. As of right now, even if I don't win, I am thrilled with all that has taken place. Now if I do win, the first thing I'm going to do is pay off my mama's house.
dgbk: What happened to Jerri last night? Did she come back later and talk with you?
Rupert: Last night all I saw was Jerri not getting the respect and emotions that she wanted out of the crowd. When she ran out of there I didn't know what was going on. And I never did see her again that night.
dearabby: Rupert, you are my all-time favorite Survivor. I think you set an excellent example of the measure of a man for your teens. Was it hard to keep your alliance with Rob, knowing he lacked the integrity that you have shown? If so, why did you do it?
Rupert: I looked at Rob as one of the kids I mentor. He's not much older than the kids I deal with at home every day. To give second and third chances is what I do in real life. I always want to see the good side come out, and I would encourage it. Rob proved his alliance to me when Lex and Kathy came over, looked him in the eye and said, "Why would you protect someone you don't know and stab your friend in the back?" Rob stood up with me and we put Lex off. Rob proved himself to me as a loyal ally. Even though he talked bad about me, he stood up for me, just like I would do for him.
bugaboo: Rupert, congratulations on being a great player. In my mind you are the #1 All-Star. I so wanted you to win the last Challenge. You appeared physically beat. What was the hardest thing those last three days?
Rupert: The last three days my reserves were gone. When I went into ALL-STARS, I was not as in as good as shape as I could have been. I was beat. By the end, I was just trying to keep myself in the game. Watching myself go through that maze, I remember how much pain I was truly in. I was so tired.
Dom: Hi Rupert! Congratulations on playing a great game. All of us in Australia love you. If you had a choice out of any of the Survivors, who would you take with you to the Final Two? Why would you take that person?
Rupert: If I had my choice, it would have been Rudy and me in the Final Two. He's a man of his word. We started the game together, and I sure would have liked to have ended it with him.
katjuice11: Rupert, first I want to say I think you are the GREATEST, and I voted for you to win! Whose idea was it to vote off Big Tom?
Rupert: First, thank you very much for the support. In terms of Big Tom, he wanted to put Jenna out, and she was my only ally. I could not let that happen. I don't want to say it was totally my idea, but the four of us agreed to put Big Tom out.
LauraineFromMass: How was the after-reunion party? No fistfights?
Rupert: (Laughs) No, there were no fist fights. I thought there was going to be one this morning on THE EARLY SHOW between Rob and Big Tom with me in between them. But no fights last night.
Trixie: Rupert, how much weight did you end up losing? The last episode, it looked like you were getting very skinny.
Rupert: (Laughs) I lost 50 pounds on my little SURVIVOR adventure.
rink: Rupert, are you going to design a clothing line of man skirts?
Rupert: (Laughs) You know, when I came back from the Pearl Islands, I thought about how nice it was to wear a skirt, and we thought about a line of men's skirts. When I saw Richard Hatch on ALL-STARS, I thought someone else was already marketing them. The boy showed up in a dress!
VOTERUPERT: What or who frustrated you the most in SURVIVOR: ALL-STARS?
Rupert: At the very end, when we got to the Final Four, Jenna not standing up for me. I understand it, but it was very frustrating.
Barbie: Rupert, how does it feel to be home and see the taped shows? What, if anything, surprised you the most when you watched them?
Rupert: The one thing that stands out is that they never showed us eating. We didn't do much eating, but when we did, we ate well. I got to the point where I was catching fish with my bare hands, and they never showed it once. That was probably my proudest moment--I caught a three-pound catfish with my hands--and they never showed it on TV.
MinnieZ: Hi Rupert. Prior to the Food/Reward Competition, you were able to embrace your lovely wife. How hard was it to see her fail at the Challenge when she worked so hard to be with you?
Rupert: She did not fail at that Challenge. She did better than I ever thought she would. She showed me an inner strength that was tougher than I ever imagined.
Rupert_Million: Rupert, how does it feel to be the most popular Survivor ever? Your popularity never dropped below anyone else both times you were out.
Rupert: To go on to see the popularity poll is the ultimate in an ego boost. I am the person who never felt adequate, and to see everyone out there giving me approval was one of the best things in my life.
SheBrat: Hey Rupert, how hard was it to go from PEARL ISLANDS to ALL-STARS, and did they give you some time with your family in between?
Rupert: I had about two months in between SURVIVORs, and I took every minute I could with my family.
Snoopie: Hi Rupert. You have become a hero to my little girls, and they have a question for you. What are some things that you and your daughter do together for fun?
Rupert: We love to go to the zoo in Indianapolis; we try to go at least once a week. That is my daddy-daughter time that I love.
Lizzie: Rupert, what in the world were you thinking when you built a below-ground shelter on a beach?
Rupert: (Laughs) I built that shelter above the tidal surge. It was still on sand, but I never planned on the tide hitting us. The shelter was built to keep us cool in the day and warm at night. Unfortunately, with the rains and the islands being volcanic, the water does not go into the ground. The water never came from the ocean; it came from the jungle behind us. It was a bad idea, but in Indiana we build basements.
HonkinOnBobo: Rupert, did you make a conscious effort to be more low-key this time around? You didn't try to orchestrate things as much as in PEARL ISLANDS.
Rupert: I made an effort to lead the tribe without showing everyone I was the leader. It was fine for me when Boston Rob and Amber wanted to take that lead role. I just hoped to guide them.
Melissa: Rupert, besides yourself, who do you think was the Ultimate Survivor?
Rupert: I feel like Rudy, at 76, is the Ultimate Survivor.
sharyn: Rupert, knowing that lying might have won the game, would you change the way you played to win?
Rupert: I played the game like I live my life. I do what I say and say what I do. Compromising who I am is not what I'm about.
Breezy: Rupert, is there any one person from the game that you would most like to keep in touch with?
Rupert: Rudy and I will always keep in touch; I have a good friend in Rudy. The other unlikely character in the group that I do enjoy company with is Boston Rob. I feel like he and I will be friends for many years to come.
WhitneyHouston: Rupert, you missed your oportunity to have a live chat for your PEARL ISLANDS show. Is there anything you want to mention about that experience?
Rupert: PEARL ISLANDS was a good beginning to my journey. I was not able to finish my journey there, and I am thrilled I was able to finish it on ALL-STARS. It was good that I had PEARL ISLANDS to practice, then ALL-STARS to really play the game right.
rink: Hi Rupert. On SURVIVOR: PEARL ISLANDS, how did Balboa die? Did he suffocate in that container you kept him in?
Rupert: When I found Balboa, he had gotten away from a bird. He had an open gash on his side about two inches long that I tried to bandage with a piece of my dress. The sack I kept him in was more to keep him warm and safe. I made sure there was plenty of air. He was just hurt too bad.
philo: Hello Rupert. Are you going to do any television after SURVIVOR? People want to watch you, man.
Rupert: (Laughs) I am in negotiations with a few cable networks to try and get my own show. I am also doing the super-model challenge with the Texas Bikini Team at the Venetian in Vegas this summer that will be on cable. I will be one of the judges. I want to be on TV more; hopefully, that will be my new career.
Gerri: Rupert, on the PEARL ISLANDS show Ryan O said you smelled the worst. Who do you think smelled the worst on that show and on ALL-STARS?
Rupert: Well, I personally think we all stunk on both shows.
Puma_Puma: Rupert, on SURVIVOR: PEARL ISLANDS, in the 1st episode you stole the other tribe's shoes. That was pretty funny (and smart). In SURVIVOR: ALL-STARS, did you perform any other type of similar action that maybe wasn't aired?
Rupert: (Laughs) No, I never got the chance to take advantage of any of the other tribes like I did the Morgans.
shoptaw: Why should I vote for you to win the second million dollars?
Rupert: I'm the only Survivor who's done back-to-back SURVIVORs, and I still haven't won. This is my third chance, and maybe the third time is the charm. I would love to get everyone's vote, but I hope you vote for who you feel deserves it.
SURVIVOR Host: Unfortunately, our time with Rupert is up. Rupert, thanks so much for being here to chat with us today. Do you have any final comments for your fans out there?
Rupert: Thank you all for the thousands of letters and wonderful fan mail I receive. It has been a joy to read with my family. If you want to know more about me, check out rupertb.com. Again thank you very much to one and all. I appreciate it immensely.
