Author Topic: Paloma Soto-Castillo  (Read 6120 times)

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Offline Kogs

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Paloma Soto-Castillo
« on: August 27, 2008, 10:59:44 AM »


Biography
Paloma Soto-Castillo (24)
Hometown: Downey, California
Occupation: Student

Paloma Soto-Castillo has been playing the social game her entire life, one of the skills necessary to succeed in the game of SURVIVOR. Her parents were both missionaries, causing her to move around a lot during her childhood. Growing up with this lifestyle taught her to adapt to any environment and she became a stronger person as a result.

Soto-Castillo was born in Chile and lived there for a large part of her life before moving to Tennessee, Virginia and then settling in California. One day, on a whim, she decided to leave everything behind and move to Kenya…alone, without any group or organization. She lived among the natives and wild animals for three months without any support from family and friends or any modern conveniences. After witnessing the people's suffering first-hand, she says it changed her life and she's certain she'll go back and help change their lives. Soto-Castillo is motivated to win SURVIVOR so she can open an orphanage or elementary school for the children of Kenya.

Soto-Catillo has a B.A. in communication studies from California State University, Long Beach and continues to go to school. She is currently working on her single subject teaching credential and works part time as a waitress. Her hobbies include traveling, camping and reading. In her free time, Paloma loves staying competitive and keeping her mind sharp by playing Texas Hold 'Em.

Soto-Castillo is single. She currently lives in Downey, California with her ****zu, Sam. Her birth date is August 24, 1984.


Offline Kogs

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Re: Paloma Soto-Castillo
« Reply #1 on: August 27, 2008, 11:48:36 AM »
« Last Edit: August 27, 2008, 01:43:37 PM by puddin »


Offline puddin

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Re: Paloma Soto-Castillo
« Reply #2 on: August 27, 2008, 05:30:15 PM »
.....


Offline Texan

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Re: Paloma Soto-Castillo
« Reply #3 on: September 02, 2008, 09:30:19 AM »
She may have a leg up on living with out since she has done that once.  We will see.

Offline marigold

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Re: Paloma Soto-Castillo
« Reply #4 on: September 17, 2008, 11:21:38 PM »
An interesting article .... an interview with Paloma:

I don’t think you can compare…the next 39 days to my life outside of it

Paloma Soto-Castillo is a 24-year-old student who has missionary parents, so she’s lived in different places. A year and a half ago, went to Kenya to do volunteer work where she “completely bushed it,” she said. That’d seem like excellent experience, but for a number of reasons, Paloma seems at once to be prepared for the game and not at all.

She was recruited at the Hard Rock Hotel’s Rehab pool party in Las Vegas, and is a student who graduated with a degree in communications last December but is currently working as a waitress and getting ready to return to school. While she has seen past seasons and understands the basic tenets of the game, I’d say she’s among those who know the least about it. While Paloma was pleasant, nice, and thoughtful, she ends up being kind of forgettable.

Paloma likens Survivor to a game like Monopoly and said she’ll “do whatever it takes,” regardless of her faith. Refreshingly, she said she wouldn’t draw any lines in advance of the competition because she doesn’t know what’s coming. “I don’t want to be that person that was interviewed … and then you watch me three months later and say, that girl’s such a hypocrite,” she said.

We talked a lot about that, because Paloma wants to differentiate between her game self and her day-to-day self, she insisted that what happens on the show doesn’t reflect who she is. While that’s not unlike the argument other contestants made, she seemed especially concerned about not being judged for what she does. “The situation is so different you can’t compare it to real life. Like, when I’m lying to someone on the game, I’m not lying because of resentment or things that I harbor inside my heart, it’s because I want to win a million dollars. So it’s completely different. It’s like you’re comparing oranges and apples. I don’t think you can compare this life and the next 39 days to my life outside of it,” Paloma told me.

That ideology works as a guard against accusations of hypocrisy, but at other points during our conversation, she’d also say contradictory or hypocritical things and not be aware of that. “I don’t gamble but I do like to play Texas Hold ‘Em,” she said, saying that she often wins or comes in second during tournaments.

Hypocrisy aside, that’s a skill that could benefit her in the game, except her Survivor strategy seems to be to wait around until everyone has no choice but to give her the $1 million. Paloma plans to “be myself, be low-key, let people bicker at each other, take each other out, be really helpful around camp, try my best during challenges, just be really active but at the same time not be too loud, where they notice, you know. And then, towards the end of the game, once my biggest threats have been taken out by each other, then I can just step up the game and eventually sneak up their somehow,” she said.

And if she does win, she has perhaps the most noble plan of any contestant, planning to give some of it to charity. She’s concerned that if her fellow tribemates learn that, she’ll be voted out because they’ll think, “she’s going to give some of her money to kids in Africa and build a school, so I’m not going to take her,” Paloma said. She also wants to buy a house, go on a vacation, and do other things with the prize.

Link: http://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/archives/survivor_gabon/2008_Sep_17_paloma_soto_castillo


Offline marigold

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Re: Paloma Soto-Castillo
« Reply #5 on: October 03, 2008, 05:50:46 PM »
An interview with Paloma:

Exclusive: Paloma Soto-Castillo dishes about 'Survivor: Gabon'

Paloma Soto-Castillo, a 24-year-old student from Downey, CA, had hoped to remain quiet in the initial rounds of Survivor: Gabon before sneaking up in the competition in the later rounds to win the competition.

However, after spending nine days as a member of the Kota tribe, she became the tribe's first member to be voted out due to her weak appearance and inability to get along with the tribe's more powerful members.

On Friday, Paloma talked to Reality TV World about how she felt about her tribemates, why she failed to get along with Ace Gordon, why she didn't suspect Jessica "Sugar" Kiper had secured the hidden Immunity Idol, and why she was chosen to participate in the week's Reward Challenge but not the Immunity Challenge.

Reality TV World: Were you surprised about how the pick' em played out at the beginning of the show?

Paloma: Um, yeah I was really surprised. I was surprised how the tribes ended up because it seemed like all of the physically strong and younger people were on one tribe and it seemed like the older people and the ones who seemed like they weren't as much in shape comprised the other tribe so it was definitely weird. I thought it was weird that, the way they picked it was like a mom after mom after mom.

Reality TV World: What were your initial impressions of your tribe after they had been chosen?

Paloma: I liked my tribe, but right off the bat I knew that I was in trouble. I could just tell that the tribe was comprised of very physically strong people. They're just all triathlon athletes and just very all about being athletic and I'm not. So that means that I was a minority in my group in that case and they were all about having a strong tribe so I knew that I was in trouble right off the bat.

Reality TV World: Your dislike for Ace was referenced in the first episode but only briefly. Did your dislike for him grow as the days went on or were you just instantly turned off by him?

Paloma: I believe it started, maybe five minutes into the show (laughs). Then it just progressed and progressed until the end. So yeah it just kept growing.

Reality TV World: What were some of the specific reasons you didn't like him?

Paloma: I just (pauses) He was just very arrogant and cocky. he always had something to say. He was very bossy, but he'd try not to be bossy. He was very condescending in the way that he talked to people. It almost seemed like he would put people down, but in the nicest way possible. There were so many things.

His personality was just not my type and we just clashed a lot. We were like night and day and I just... his accent his everything...

Reality TV World: ...I think some people have even questioned whether or not his accent was real.

Paloma: Yeah, I mean  that was the talk... I mean it's kinda hard to say whether it was real or not. I don't really know much about accents and I don't want to be one to call him out on it. I don't really know. But, you know, it did surface a lot at times and it did not surface so much at other times so that was kinda weird. But other than that I don't really know it if was fake or not. It could be!! (laughs)

Reality TV World: How did your tribe come to the decision that Sugar and yourself would be the two girls to participate in the Reward Challenge last night? Even [Marcus Lehman] seemed confused about how that happened.

Paloma: Yeah, well we knew that we were going to have the Immunity Challenge right after the Reward Challenge and because we had won both of the Immunity Challenges already we would have to sit two people out for the Immunity Challenge. So we wanted to be able to have the strongest, physical players in the Immunity Challenge [because] that was more important than winning the Reward Challenge.

So in that case Sugar and I were seen as the weaker people in the tribe so the plan was for us to participate in the Reward Challenge so therefore we would have to sit out the next [Immunity Challenge] and that way the other girls who were in shape were able to participate in the Immunity Challenge.

(Laughs) That [explanation] was really confusing!

Reality TV World: In the same conversation when Marcus said that [he seemed confused] he also said he was frustrated because your tribe had been "stuck" with you. Do you know what he was talking about? Did you not get along with him alright?

Paloma: Um, I'm not really sure what you're referring to. What part was it?

Reality TV World: It [was when he was] talking out on the dock with [Charlie Herschel], [Corinne Kaplan], [Jacque Berg], and Ace. Marcus said something about being "stuck" with you in the tribe. Just what was your relationship with Marcus?

Paloma: I was pretty cool with Marcus. Marcus played nice. He said a lot of nice things to me and I thought that we had a good relationship but if on the side he felt differently than that's on him. I was never under the impression that that is how he felt.

And, in a sense, watching the show was a little bit of an eye opener in knowing what was going on behind the scenes and how he really felt, which is nice to know but he never gave me the slightest, slightest clue that that's how he felt.

Reality TV World: Did you know that he was in an alliance with Corrine, Charlie, and Jacque?
 
Paloma: No, I didn't know. I knew that they got along. Up until the last challenge that we just lost [on] last night['s broadcast] there wasn't really a solidified alliance because no one really knew who had an alliance with who because we were on fire [and] winning all of the challenges.

We just felt like we didn't really need to think about making alliances yet. [Well] at least that's what everybody else thought while we were all making alliances on the side. So nobody really knew who was in an alliance with who, other than the people who were in an alliance.

Reality TV World: On the show last night, Charlie was [shown] kind of saying who he thought were becoming close. Was that less clear than it was shown on the show?

Paloma: Um what do you mean? That Charlie was thinking about...

Reality TV World: He kind of said who he thought he saw as [the] potential alliances [in the tribe.]

Paloma: Well I totally thought that I had an alliance with Charlie. And I knew that I had an alliance with [Kelly Czarnecki] and [Robert "Bob" Crowley] for that matter. But the thing is, Charlie had an alliance also with Marcus and Corrine and Jacque and for them they wanted a really strong tribe and Ace was part of that.

[Ace] was the best athlete that they had and they needed him for the challenges. So if that meant that [I had to leave] then they were willing to do that just to not make him mad and keep him happy and motivated to help the team win.

Reality TV World: Actually, going off of Charlie one more time... he said in one of his confessional interviews that he couldn't understand why all of your tribe's women weren't drooling over Marcus. Do you have any explanation for that?

Paloma: Well (pauses) Charlie had a big crush on Marcus (laughs). So of course because he had a crush on [Marcus] he felt that all women in the world should have a crush on him too. So that's how that went. But a lot of the girls in the tribe did like Marcus. He's a well liked guy, he's very smart. He's just a very genuine person.

Reality TV World: Last night you said you knew that Ace had put you into that pole challenge against Crystal because he wanted you to fail. If that was true, why didn't you suggest another option or try to call him out on it?

Paloma: I mean we... there was a lot more to the episode than, obviously, that we watch [on TV]. When  [Jeff asks] who wants to sit this challenge out and someone raises their hand and says "me," there obviously is a good ten minutes [in between there] when we talk about it [and discuss other options]. So when Ace said that I should go on [the pole], it was either going to be me or Sugar and the plan was that Sugar would be stronger to help get [Susie Smith] off of the pole faster and that maybe me of Bob could for it.

I mean, there was just a lot to it, and at that point I knew that a lot of people felt that I didn't belong on the pole but they had just come off of a 20-minute battle in Round One that [had] lasted a really long time and we were all exhausted. I just don't feel like they would have talked about it even if they wanted to because we were just so tired and ready to get to Round Two.

Reality TV World: Did you realize what Corinne was saying when she told you Ace wasn't the one making your tribe's decisions when you talked to her before Tribal Council?

Paloma: Well I would talk to a lot of people about Ace and we all had the same projection and the same idea of how Ace was. So when I was telling Corrine about Ace and what I heard he had planned through other people -- and her saying that Ace was not the one in control and "Don't worry Paloma, Ace isn't the one in control of this game" -- I thought it was her saying "Don't worry, we all feel this way. He thinks he's the head honcho but he's not."

I didn't really think much into it in thinking that she was saying "Well maybe Ace isn't in control of the game because someone else is."

That's the way I was thinking about it at the time. Obviously now that I watched it I'm like "Oh that's what she was talking about. She was talking about [how] her alliance was in control and not Ace."

Reality TV World: Did you believe Sugar's story that she hadn't found the [Immunity Idol]?

Paloma: Um, you know, I did actually. She was a very emotional person. She cried a lot while she was there. And she's going through a bunch of things in her life right now and now her dad just recently passed away so she's very emotional.

And because she's emotional we thought that she was just playing an emotional game and not thinking with her brain. So when we thought of her on Exile we never once thought "Oh she must be out looking for the Idol, she almost has it, she must be doing so well."

We all thought that she would be freaking out [and] sitting on a rock crying her eyes out. So when she came back, she came back crying so it just solidified the idea for all of us that she just had a horrible time while she was out there and wasn't able to do anything.

But we were wrong.

Reality TV World:  Last night, it almost looked like after spending nine days together, some of your tribe members weren't that upset to be going to Tribal Council. Did you notice a big [downward] change in your tribe's morale after the two [challenge] losses or did some of the people seem kind of happy to be getting the chance to get rid of you?

Paloma: I don't know. I mean, leading up to Tribal Council that day it was bad. I think the only [tribe member] that was happy was Sugar. And that totally makes sense now because she had the [Immunity Idol] and had nothing to worry about. Her and Ace were the only ones who were happy.

Everybody else, like, Kelly was clearly upset she did not want to be gone. Bob was sad, Charlie was sad, Corinne was even sad. I mean, it was a sad time but, you know, you're going to lose eventually so you're going to eventually get thrown out.

Reality TV World: Going into Tribal Council, were you expecting to go home or did you think Corinne had managed to save you?
 
Paloma: I knew 100% going into Tribal Council that I was going home. There wasn't a doubt in my mind. So a part of me was like "Okay, you're going home. you're sitting here in [tribal Council], this is the last chance to voice your opinion and what I feel and to call out people for how they were acting" and that's what I attempted to do.

Reality TV World: Ok so once you got to Tribal Council and you were talking about Ace, you were really just [focused on] getting everything out on the table before leaving?

Paloma: Yeah, I was just laying it all out there. I figured "I'm going home, I might as well lay everything out just so you know that the Kota tribe was perceived as being this, like, unified tribe and it really wasn't because a lot of people were really annoyed with each other and there were a lot of clashes and stuff." I just wanted to lay it out there in front of [Survivor host Jeff Probst] and be like "Hey this is what's going on and I'm not a part of it. I'm not gonna sit down and, like, pretend that Ace is cool when he's not."

Reality TV World: Were you surprised that you went home before an older person like Bob -- especially given he was the one who failed to solve the Immunity Challenge puzzle [and lost your tribe immunity]?

Paloma: No, not at all! Bob is an amazing person. He was the provider of our tribe and Bob probably would have been the stupidest person to get rid of at that point. He provided everything for us and was a hard worker. He was [and] is the biggest asset in the Kota tribe.

Reality TV World: How were you cast on Survivor? Had you applied previously?

Paloma: No I hadn't applied previously. I was recruited.

Reality TV World: Oh, ok. So had you seen a lot of the show before [being recruited] then?

Paloma: Yeah, I have. I've seen a lot of [previous] seasons.

Reality TV World: Was there anything you expected to see during last night's broadcast that CBS didn't show?

Paloma: I mean, there's a lot of things you wish you would've seen, or stories you wish would have been told. But you can only fit so much into a 45-minute episode. So no, there wasn't anything specific where I was like "I can't believe that the didn't show that!"

But at the same time there are little things here and there that you wish would have been shown. But they weren't.

Reality TV World: Last night Ace and Sugar seemed especially close. Did you see any possible romance [between them]?

Paloma: Um... they are, well, Ace is a big flirt. And Sugar is, well, a guy! (laughs) So Ace is her guy and Sugar is his chick and, maybe... I mean you never know what happens at night. Maybe they need to start showing what happens at night.

Reality TV World: Last night, there was a clip were Corinne admitted she didn't like a lot of her tribemates.  Besides Ace, who else do you think was on her list?

Paloma: Corrine didn't like Sugar. I'm pretty sure, you know, Corrine probably had something against Kelly [too]. Other than that I really don't know. From watching the show it felt like Corrine didn't like me as well But watching the tribal vote she said "I really, really, really like you and I don't want this to happen" so I was actually surprised that she actually liked me!

Reality TV World: What was your strategy going into the competition?

Paloma: It was generally just to lay low and hang out and to be as active for the team as possible around camp. I'm really good at puzzles and the mental aspect [of the game] so I felt like I could help the tribe by doing that. I'm just a nice person and can get along with everybody, so I thought just to lay low and let the big "honchos" kick each other out and then just slowly make my way [in] and start playing the game more aggressively.

Of course that always changes in the came because there are so many elements that play in and, just drive you crazy.

Reality TV World: As you said on the show, you were already pretty tiny before Survivor began -- how much weight did you end up losing on the show?

Paloma: I actually lost 14 pounds in nine days. I was just, I was depleting away (laughs)

Reality TV World: Kelly was the only Kota tribe member not to vote for you at Tribal Council.  Do you think that will hurt her?

Paloma: I mean, she definitely put a huge target on her back. She stayed loyal to me to the end, and she was like my best friend out there and she kept her word. She put a huge target on her back, but you never know what can happen in the game. It could work in her favor, or it could work totally against her.

Reality TV World: What's next for you? Are you back at school?

Paloma: Yeah. I graduated, but I'm working on my teaching credentials now. I'm a full-time student and waitressing to make money on the side.

Link: http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/exclusive-paloma-soto-castillo-dishes-about-survivor-gabon-7821.php

Offline puddin

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Re: Paloma Soto-Castillo
« Reply #6 on: October 03, 2008, 06:02:54 PM »
Thanks for posting Marigold :)

Offline marigold

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Re: Paloma Soto-Castillo
« Reply #7 on: October 04, 2008, 12:12:30 AM »
An interesting article an interview with Paloma:

Exclusive Interview: Paloma Soto-Castillo of 'Survivor: Gabon'

Paloma knew that the minute that she hugged that pole in last night's reward challenge that she was in trouble.  Two players from the opposing tribe would have to pull her off and drag her through the sand to their finish line, which they did with great ease.  The idea to put Paloma in the competition was Ace's, undoubtedly to expose her weaknesses as a physical player.  When her name was brought up for elimination, she wasn't surprised but didn't go out before trying to turn her tribe against Ace.  Today, she spoke to BuddyTV in an exclusive interview and this Survivor spoke her mind when it came to strategy, alliances, and her fellow players.

Can you tell me if you were a fan of Survivor coming into the game and had you watched a lot of seasons previously?

I had watched a lot of seasons previously before going into the game, so yeah, I was a fan of the show.

Do you think it’s helpful to know a lot about the game and previous players?

I think it is helpful. I wanted to watch as much as I can as possible before I was actually in it. Strategically, watching as many episodes as you can and seasons that you can is one of the most important things you can do going into the game. Basing your strategy on how other people played might not be the smartest technique just because everybody’s different, everybody has a different strategy, and you’re put in a completely different situation with different people. Anything can happen on Survivor, I think that’s the most important thing for everybody to realize going into the game. You’re never sure what’s going to happen or who you’re going to get stuck with.

Were you happy that you ended up being part of the Kota tribe?

I like the Kota tribe as far as the people were concerned, but right off the bat when I looked at my tribe mates when we were standing on that mat at the beginning of the game, I knew I was pretty much screwed because they’re such an athletic tribe. Kota just bleeds triathlons and athletic people, and I knew that because I’m not as physically in shape as everybody else, I would have trouble trying to prove myself.

If you had made it further in the game, who would you have aligned yourself with?

I was in an alliance with Kelly. I was really close to Bob and Charlie, but it’s hard to say now knowing they had their own alliance. Bob didn’t really have an alliance with anybody, so I feel that I would have aligned myself with Bob. If we made it into the merge, there were people in the Fang tribe I had my eye on that I would’ve liked to get to know and maybe form an alliance with.

Who do you think on the Kota tribe is playing a really sneaky game? Is there anything that you watched in the episodes that you didn’t know?

For me it’s easy to say that Ace is playing a sneaky game just because I feel Ace is a sneaky person in general. But now in retrospect actually watching the show, Marcus is sneaky. Marcus has the whole Onion Alliance and he has that totally under control. Jackie, Corinne and Charlie are all over it and the adore Marcus, so he’s probably playing the best game right now as far as I’m concerned.

Do you think that Ace threw you into that challenge on last night’s episode so he could turn around and use it against you?

For sure, Ace has been throwing me under the bus since the beginning of the game, even from the first challenge. You don’t really see it because there’s not much they can show in 45 minutes, but any situation that Ace could make me look weaker or put me somewhere he knew I would not do as well, he would put me in for sure. He wanted me out, it’s obvious.

Before you got voted out last night, you really let him have it in tribal council. Is that your personality to be straightforward and just say what you think?

Yeah, I’m usually really straightforward. I usually get along with everybody, I can’t think of anybody that I don’t get along with in real life outside of Survivor. I’m sure Ace is a cool person outside of Survivor, but when someone’s arrogant and cocky and all about himself, I tend to be straightforward and be like, “Hey, just because you’re like this doesn’t mean I’m going to be like everybody else and be OK with it. I’m not. That’s who you are, and I want everybody to know it before I leave.” I knew I was leaving, so I knew that I might as well do a little damage before I left.

Is it safe to say that you’d be happy if you saw him get voted out on next week’s episode?

Oh yeah. Maybe not next week, but anytime that he got voted out before the final three, I’d be a happy camper.

What’s life been like since you’ve been home?

I’ve just been elated. Being on Survivor is not just going and filming the show for the time we were in Africa, but you come back and you have press and all your friends know. Any time that you run into people you haven’t seen in a long while, you’re known as “Survivor Girl” now. So it’s been weird, but I’m keeping myself very busy. I’m taking five classes this semester in my credential program, so I’m actually a full-time student keeping busy with school. I’m still working as a server on the weekends and sometimes during the week, so I’m just keeping as busy as I can. Survivor was a huge part of my life, but I don’t want it to control my life. I have to move on.

Link: http://www.buddytv.com/articles/survivor/exclusive-interview-paloma-sot-23341.aspx
« Last Edit: October 04, 2008, 12:35:55 AM by marigold »

Offline marigold

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Re: Paloma Soto-Castillo
« Reply #8 on: October 07, 2008, 08:36:00 AM »
An interview with Paloma:

Survivor: Gabon's Paloma Is a "Happy Camper"

Too often, butting heads with a stronger player spells doom for reality show contestants. Such was the case for Survivor: Gabon's Paloma Soto-Castillo, who was very vocal about her dislike of fellow tribesman Ace. Even though her torch has been snuffed, Paloma chatted with us to tell us about her regrets, the experience and why she's "excited about the future."
TVGuide.com: I was rooting for you and hoping your plan to vote out Ace would work. Why did your tribe mates decide to vote for you instead?
Paloma Soto-Castillo: They were all about the physical aspect of the game. They wanted to have a strong, physical tribe. I know Ace is one of the strongest members of the Kota tribe. They wanted to win as many challenges as they could, and the challenges had been very physical up to that point, so they knew they needed him. As much as they wanted him off because he was annoying, they wanted to keep him around for challenges. And they wanted to keep him happy so that he wasn't even more annoying.

TVGuide.com: Going into tribal council, did you think you had a chance to stay?
Paloma: I 100 percent knew that I was going home, just from having conversations during the day, the whole eye-contact thing, people not looking at you. You can tell when you're going home because of the way your tribe members act toward you.

TVGuide.com: Did Ace set you up by putting you in the brutal pole-hugging challenge?
Paloma: Ace was setting me up from the beginning when we did the ball challenge, and we needed someone to sit out after Michelle was voted off. I wanted to participate in the ball challenge because I didn't want to be that person who is perceived as the weak one who sits out challenges. When Jeff asked someone to volunteer, it looks like I just say "me," but it was actually a conversation we had as a tribe. I told them I wanted to participate and Ace was the first one to say, "You're the shortest person here. We need tall people because it's a big ball." Since the beginning, it was always "make Paloma look as weak as she can be."

TVGuide.com: You said if Ace wins, you will never watch Survivor again. What is it exactly about him that you don't like?
Paloma: He's a very arrogant person. Ace is always trying to impress everyone with as many things as he can. He even admits to it, so it's not like I'm calling him out. There's just something about his accent, his aura, his persona. I just couldn't stand him.

TVGuide.com: The pole challenge was one of the most brutal I've ever seen on Survivor.
Paloma: When Ace decided I should be the one on the pole, I knew right off the bat that I was screwed.

TVGuide.com: Were Crystal and Randy too rough?
Paloma: Crystal is probably the biggest woman I have ever seen in my life. Crystal alone could have dragged me across the sand in a second. When Jeff said "Go," there was a part of me that just wanted to run away. I was thinking, "I'm just going to get slaughtered. I'm going to get taken out of the game with a broken bone or a dislocated shoulder." It was really scary, but I did my best. I thought it was funny that my tribe had a little conversation about how I gave up so easily. But I don't remember giving up one single time. I struggled all the way to the finish line.

TVGuide.com: Kota has now lost two challenges in a row and its first tribe member. What does Kota need to do to regain the momentum?
Paloma: As far as they're concerned, they probably feel like since they got rid of one of their physically weakest people, they're OK. But as much as Kota wants to pretend that everything is fine and dandy, within the tribe there are a lot of cliques and people that are just pretending to get along.

TVGuide.com: Who is pretending to get along?
Paloma: I know Marcus, Charlie and Corinne really can't stand Ace whatsoever. Kelly and Sugar don't get along. Their personalities clash. Bob is probably the only one who gets along with everyone. He's chillin'. It's going to be interesting to see what happens with Kota. I wish them the best.

TVGuide.com: Did anyone think to see if Sugar actually had the hidden immunity idol?
Paloma: Sugar was really a hard person to read. She was very emotionally unstable, and she had a legitimate reason to be. Her father had just passed away, but she would just cry about anything and everything. So when she was sent to Exile Island, it was never a topic of conversation among the tribe that "Oh, Sugar is on her way to finding the idol." It was just like, "Sugar is sitting there crying her eyes out." No one thought she got the idol. But it would have been smart for me to try and push the idea that she might have it and that we should flush it out.

TVGuide.com: Knowing what you now know, how would you have played the game differently?
Paloma: In retrospect, I should have downplayed the fact that I didn't like Ace. I sort of separated myself from the tribe because, in the beginning, everybody seemed to like him. I should have tried being nicer to him and not made it so obvious that I didn't get along with him. It hurt me in the game, and it put a target on my head for sure.

TVGuide.com: What was the overall experience like for you? Was it what you expected?
Paloma: It was nothing like what I expected it to be. It's a lot harder — you don't actually absorb it until you're out there living it. It was hard to have a strategy and play this crazy game that has so many different parts while struggling with all these things your body needs, like sleep and food. But it was really exciting and a very, very good experience.

TVGuide.com: What are your future plans? You've lived in Kenya and have said that you want to return there and build an orphanage or a school. Is that still your plan?
Paloma: Yes. A lot of the Survivor family are very involved in charity events, and I am actually really excited about participating. Hopefully, I can put one together. There are other ways of making a million dollars to help these kids in Kenya. I'm excited about that, and I'm excited about what the future holds. Like I said in my closing statement, there is nothing bad that could have come out of this. I'm a happy camper.

Link: http://www.tvguide.com/news

Offline marigold

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Re: Paloma Soto-Castillo
« Reply #9 on: October 08, 2008, 07:33:30 AM »
An interesting article:

Survivor: Gabon Paloma eliminated

Survivor: Gabon
Paloma
Eliminated October 2

What was your first impression of Africa?
Paloma: Gabon is beautiful. It's untouched land. Everything is so green - I loved it. It's a very scenic, beautiful place.

The Kota tribe dominated the first six days. What happened?
Paloma: Kota's a very physical tribe. We have a lot of strong athletes. As far as the physical challenges were concerned, we dominated the whole way. We screwed up the puzzle. I feel like the tribe focused so much on the physical aspect of the game that they didn't take into account how important the mental aspect was, and that was our downfall.

Why did you and Ace not get along?
Paloma: Ace and I are like night and day. We have completely different personalities. There's just something about him that rubbed me the wrong way. He's a very arrogant person. He knows he's arrogant and I just don't deal well with cocky people. He thinks he knows everything and I just could not stand him, especially in the circumstances we were in. Not having food or water really magnified my dislike of him.

Why do you think he campaigned to send you home?
Paloma: There are a few reasons, including that I was one of the weaker members of the tribe. I definitely wasn't as physically fit as some of the Kota members. But there were other people who weren't physically fit, either - Sugar was one of them. But Ace took a liking to Sugar [Jessica], and they were together most of the game. So I just feel like I was the only one who really voiced my opinion about not liking him. And whenever he said something that I felt was inappropriate or annoying, I wasn't one to hide my feelings. I was very blunt about how I felt about him. I put a target on myself.

Speaking of Sugar, did you have any idea that she had the immunity idol until you watched the episode?
Paloma: I didn't really feel that she was capable of finding it, but I guess she was. Sugar's a very emotional person. She cries a lot. So, when we talked about while she was gone, we just assumed she was sitting in exile crying, instead of actually looking for the idol. She surprised us all. Given the way she was acting for nine days, we thought for sure that she'd be a wreck.

How hungry and tired were you?
Paloma: I was starving. All I wanted was a cheeseburger! You watch Survivor on TV and think it's easy. But, when you're actually there, it's a completely different story. I love food. And not having it really did affect me. The lack of sleep really got to me, also. It was cold and I was wearing a dress and sleeping on a hard floor. All of that took a toll on me. I was getting weaker and weaker by the minute while I was out there.

Any regrets?
Paloma: In retrospect, I feel that maybe I should have kept my opinion of Ace to myself. I guess I separated myself from the tribe because I didn't like him.

Who are you rooting for now?
Paloma: I'm rooting for Kelly because she was the most legit person out there. She was a good friend. I love her. Bob is an amazing person. I don't think he's rubbed anyone the wrong way. He's just a good man with good values and morals and a good family, so I'm really rooting for him. And also Charlie's one of my favorites. He's really funny and I love him.

Link: http://www.intouchweekly.com/2008/10/survivor_gabonpaloma_eliminate.php