“Yeah, I Had a Bad Attitude” – An Interview with Pirate Master’s Alexis
by David Bloomberg -- 06/18/2007
Watching the latest episode of Pirate Master, it seems Alexis thought people didn’t like her because of her personality, but statements of her fellow contestants on the show indicated they wanted her gone because of her expedition weakness and work ethic. Which was it? Or was it a combination? How did Alexis play the game? And what does she claim was her reason for wandering away from the boat during the expedition? Read on for answers to all these questions and more!
As you’ll see in this interview, Alexis readily admits that she spoke her mind – a frequent no-no on reality TV shows. But she also says she has a good reason for why we saw her apparently wandering away from her boat during the expedition. Whether it makes sense in light of what her fellow contestants said is up to you to decide. Read on!
RNO: Going into the show, what did you expect?
Alexis: I didn’t really have any expectations. I was never a big reality – I hadn’t really watched Survivor or any of that. I tried to watch some of those before leaving. You really don’t know what you’re getting into and are given very little information. So I went in with whatever happens, happens.
RNO: So you didn’t have any sort of strategy going in?
Alexis: I really didn’t.
RNO: Once you were there, did you develop a game strategy?
Alexis: Not necessarily. I kind of just went in and saw how other people were playing it. It wasn’t in evidence immediately [that others had strategies], but a lot of people were really politically correct in the beginning. They were trying to protect themselves.
I was brutally honest and blatant. I got better feedback for that than I could have predicted. They didn’t show it, but in a lot of Pirates’ Court, it was a lot more intense and I was usually running my mouth. A lot of people were playing it safe in the beginning because they didn’t want to be the sh*t talker. At the end of the day, my relationships with the people in the boat were more legitimate because of that.
RNO: Watching the show, and from what you just said, it seemed like you believed you were being targeted for your personality. Did it surprise you that you were being targeted at least as much for your work ethic or physical ability?
Alexis: Yes and no. When there were volunteers to clean the head, I’d be getting some sun. I wasn’t an eager beaver. I had kind of attacked Kendra the week before. How [the show is] cut, there’s a lot missing – that’s TV. But more of what I was speaking of was they had the opportunity to have at it with me, and I was surprised they didn’t speak up.
I sucked wind in the last expedition. On the expeditions, we were told you’re only as strong as your slowest player, and that’s the truth. But people pulled the dead weight. We all had our strengths, mine was certainly in the water and not on land.
RNO: How do you think you fit in with the rest of the contestants?
Alexis: I thought I was cast to be the bitch, which is probably how I come across. But I actually got along with everyone well. I was a straight-talker. Cheryl ended up becoming the bitch more than I was. I got along with everyone and made better friends. There were people who were more impressionable and played it a little more like, “What do I do?” I was just like, “It is what it is, get over it.”
RNO: If Cheryl became the bitch, why do you think you were sent packing?
Alexis: I think I was sent packing a because of my attitude. Yeah, I had a bad attitude.It’s hard. That’s just me, not just me on the ship. I just think people were cheerleaders, “Rah, rah, rah, let’s clean the head,” where I was like, “I’m dying, I’m going to take a nap.” And I had called some people out. I called out Kendra and we didn’t speak for a week on the boat.
RNO: Were you surprised that Joe Don wasn’t marked with a black spot?
Alexis: Yes and no. I wasn’t surprised because they put Cheryl up. What you don’t see really is that Joe Don was up there being all high and mighty, but a lot of the things he was saying, we don’t know. We didn’t hear any of those remarks [until they aired on TV]. Cheryl was the middle man between the crew and captain, she was much colder and entitled and pretty arrogant. I wasn’t surprised Cheryl went up. Like Louie said, if I can’t get the snake’s head, I’m going to get the snake’s tail. That was so the case.
RNO: How would you compare the captaincies of Joe Don and Azmyth?
Alexis: I think Joe Don went in and tried to fill a mold he thought a captain would fill and maintain the separation. Like Jay said too, Azmyth is such an airy fairy, earth daddy, one with the planet, one love, anarchy [kind of guy]. He definitely played it in a way that made the crew happy because he was human about it and shared the food and his winnings and let people come in his cabin. He was definitely the people’s captain, vs. Joe Don, who was just a jerk.
RNO: Why did you seem to wander away from the boat at the sandbar?
Alexis: This is so funny. Again: TV. When we got to the sandbar, we had to lift the boat up over it. What you can’t tell is how hard the river is rushing into the ocean. Cheryl and I were literally getting our asses kicked trying to get through. It came to the point where I was going to have cardiac arrest or I [could go to] the right to not run against the current. So I ran over to that bank so I could catch up and get ahead of the boat, so I could get back on it and not affect the team.
Cheryl and I had already fallen off not carrying the boat. I ran up the side because there wasn’t going to be any resistance from the water. It looked like I was on a walk picking flowers, but that wasn’t the case.
Once I was able to get on the bank, I could get back in the boat and not lose any time. I certainly didn’t hold them up. But you know, you gotta make good TV and make it look like I was lollygagging and having a field day. I explained that to Joe Don in Pirates’ Court, but [they didn’t air that either].
RNO: Do you have anything else you want to tell us about your time on Pirate Master?
Alexis: Overall, for me, the show was the smallest part. You really look at the group of kids who was brought together – Chippendale dancers and smoke jumpers and reality star wannabes. Such an odd mix, to be on such a remote beautiful island, the entire thing was priceless. It was like going to summer camp and being put in a cabin with a bunch of kids you want to throw apples at. But overall it was great.
RNO: Thanks, Alexis!
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