Archive > Survivor Tocantins: The Brazilian Highlands
Spencer Duhm
puddin:
Todd Herzog and Spencer Duhm are dating
Survivor China winner Todd Herzog and the youngest Survivor cast member ever, Spencer Duhm, are dating.
Todd confirmed the relationship in an e.mail to After Elton, saying he met the Survivor Tocantins cast member “about a month before his season began” last fall and said, “I was attracted to him the moment I saw him, mainly because he’s got this confidence that pours out of him and a piercing stare that you can’t help but notice so I went ‘fishing’!”
During our conversation in Brazil, which happened after they initially met, Spencer talked about Todd and praised his game play but dissed him when he was talking about not wanting to appear like previous gay cast members (“I won’t be Todd”).
Although Todd told After Elton that they are “doing the ‘take it slow’ thing which I find to be really nice,” he also said “we are planning a huge trip this summer.” Spencer is spending spring break with Todd: “he’s coming to stay with me all next week, and I with him next month,” Todd said, and it’s UF’s spring break this week.
The reality TV world is ridiculously incestuous so Todd and Spencer are are far from the first Survivor couple—there’s Ethan and Jenna, Rob and Amber—and Jeff Probst also dated a cast member, Julie Berry. Nor are they the first gay couple, as Brad and JP dated during Cook Islands. The CBS show has a much better track record with creating lasting relationships
http://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/archives/survivor_china/2009_Mar_09_todd_spencer_dating
puddin:
Exclusive Interview: Spencer Duhm, from 'Survivor: Tocantins'
Friday, March 13, 2009
It's hard to believe that Spencer Duhm didn't kind of get screwed last night on Survivor: Tocantins. Is one sub-par challenge performance enough reason to vote a person out of your tribe? If your tribe is Jalapao, then this appeared to be the case. However, as is constantly the case with Survivor, last night's episode didn't tell the whole story. According to Spencer, who we had the chance to speak with this morning, there was a lot more going on behind the scenes than the viewing audience was privy to. That's fine - CBS is working with time constraints and have to tell the best narrative available. However, Jalapao has been portrayed as a go-with-the-flow tribe, filled with likable characters lacking in strategery. Spencer claims this is absolutely not the case. Read/listen to the below interview to find out why.
http://www.buddytv.com/articles/survivor/exclusive-interview-spencer-du-26962.aspx
puddin:
‘Survivor’ Castaway Interview: Spencer Duhm
Remember the first time you saw “Survivor?” Odds are it involved Richard Hatch running around in the buff, Sue Hawk cursing, or Greg Buis talking into a coconut. The latest “Survivor” castaway remembers this…but he was only ten years old when it happened…
We sat down with 19-year-old Spencer Duhm the day after he was voted out of “Survivor: Tocantins.” We had a chance to discuss JT’s tooth, Jeff Probst’s evil prank, and the truth behind the all-male alliance that we never saw.
Gordon Holmes: So, what happened last night?
Spencer Duhm: I embarrassed myself on national TV! I’m kidding, they voted me off for strictly challenge reasons. When I went down to the water to talk to JT, they were still really upset about the challenge. But, we moved on. We had a guy alliance from day two, and when I tried to make an alliance with Joe and Sydney they thought I was being sneaky.
Gordon: That does sound sneaky.
Spencer: Well, we re-upped the guy alliance as the priority alliance in the tribe, and we were getting ready to get rid of the girls. Joe went and told Sydney it was going to be either me or her, so they should turn on me. They made it look like it was because I was bad at the challenges, but there was a lot they didn’t show.
Gordon: Maybe if you had lost a tooth in the challenge they’d think you were trying hard.
Spencer: Yeah, maybe if they thought I was caring at all. Because I must’ve not been concerned at all. I wasn’t trying, I gave no effort…C’mon. I’m a terrible outfielder.
Gordon: When Sydney asked if there were any girls you liked, was she fishing or was she completely oblivious to your homosexuality?
Spencer: She was definitely fishing. She was the only one who suspected anything on my tribe. Cause at night I’d sleep on one side of her and Joe would sleep on the other side, and Joe would always cuddle. And I like to be by myself when I sleep, so she looked at that as not responding to her. At one point she asked the other guys on the tribe if they thought I was gay. And they said, “Oh no, give him a break. He’s young.”
Gordon: Oh, so if someone doesn’t want to cuddle with Sydney then they’re automatically gay?
Spencer: I think she was going off of how receptive JT and Joe were to her flirting and I really wasn’t. She’s great, and there’s nothing arrogant about her.
Gordon: Did JT ever give you any reason to believe that your homosexuality would be a problem?
Spencer: Oh, none whatsoever. I didn’t bring it up because I know there is no upside. It can be a subconscious thing. And some Southerners can be homophobic, I’m not generalizing, I’m Southern myself. Some people thought it came across like I was ashamed of it, but that was not the case at all.
Gordon: Now I understand that you weren’t originally cast, you were an alternate. And, when someone had to leave before the show, Jeff Probst had some fun at your expense.
Spencer: He played a little joke on me. He and one of the other producers came down and they were like, “Yeah, it doesn’t look like it’s going to work out for next season.” Because I was holding out hope that if I didn’t make this season I’d make 19 or the next one. But then they were like, “Because you’re going to be on this season!” I lost it. I couldn’t utter any sound. I was at Ponderosa (where the players are gathered before the game starts) so I couldn’t say anything. But it was very last minute.
Gordon: So the lesson here is: never trust Jeff Probst.
Spencer: (Laughs)
Gordon: Does anyone on Jalapao know about the cross-tribe alliance that Brendan and Taj have been cobbling together at Exile (not an) Island?
Spencer: I don’t think anyone else in my tribe knows, besides obviously Stephen, it was never brought up to me. We wanted to keep Brendan going every time so we would know where the idol is on their tribe.
Gordon: Help us to get to know your tribemates a little better. When I say their name, give me the first thing that pops into your head. Let’s start with JT.
Spencer: Leader, helpful, very outdoorsy.
Gordon: Sandy?
Spencer: Psycho Sandy, she’s crazy! But, she’s super fun to have around.
Gordon: Stephen?
Spencer: Huge vocabulary.
Gordon: Joe?
Spencer: Good old boy.
Gordon: Sydney?
Spencer: Gorgeous.
Gordon: Taj?
Spencer: Genuine.
Gordon: What can you tell us about Coach from your vantage point at Jalapao?
Spencer: From what I saw out there, we thought he was a bit of a wimp. During the challenges, even the weight-holding challenges we were like, “Really? You’re going to put Debbie up there? And you’re going to put Tyson up there?” I mean, Tyson is a strong guy and a great athlete but for holding weight he’s very skinny. Coach would be much better, but Coach kept backing down from challenges. All these things added up, and I kicked his butt in the basketball challenge.
Gordon: So, what’s it like for someone who’s been watching “Survivor” since he was 10 years old to get the call to come on the show?
Spencer: You have no idea what the adrenaline was like when they handed me my buff. I was freaking out. It was so cool. And the whole experience was unbelievable. The first three days we didn’t have any water or food, but I was like, “Yeah! The first days of ‘Survivor’ everybody starves! Yeah!” I really enjoyed it. I was disappointed that I only lasted fifteen days. But, I had a really good experience.
http://www.fancast.com/blogs/survivor/survivor-castaway-interview-spencer-duhm/
Jobby:
--- Quote ---Gordon: What can you tell us about Coach from your vantage point at Jalapao?
Spencer: From what I saw out there, we thought he was a bit of a wimp. During the challenges, even the weight-holding challenges we were like, “Really? You’re going to put Debbie up there? And you’re going to put Tyson up there?” I mean, Tyson is a strong guy and a great athlete but for holding weight he’s very skinny. Coach would be much better, but Coach kept backing down from challenges. All these things added up, and I kicked his butt in the basketball challenge.
--- End quote ---
100% reason for us to like him!!! :tup: :funny:
RealityFreakWill:
'Survivor: Tocantins'' Spencer Talks Tribal Strategy
It was the second week that the Jalapao Tribe lost the Immunity Challenge on "Survivor: Tocantins -- The Brazilian Highlands" and had to face host Jeff Probst at Tribal Council. There was a lot of plotting and scheming behind the scenes as to who would go home. When the vote was tallied, 19-year-old Spencer Duhm from Lakeland, Fla., was cast out of the Highlands.
ET: Why did you want to be on "Survivor" in the first place?
Spencer Duhm: Apparently, I am strange. I love the show. I am obsessed with it. I am not normally an outdoor person, but I am an adventurous person, so, because I am a fan of the show and I wanted to see how well I could do, I wanted to be a part of it. Even though I am not an outdoor person, I loved starving and I loved being dirty, because it was such a part of the show.
ET: You didn't look that hungry to me yet this season.
Spencer Duhm: Trust me. We were very, very hungry. About day eight or nine, we ran out of the squash we had been supplementing our meals with, so all we had left was our rice. We maybe had four little scoops of rice per person and we would eat twice a day. I lost 18 pounds in 15 days, so we were really, really, really hungry.
ET: Was being hungry the hardest part, or was there something harder?
Spencer Duhm: Hunger is never easy, because you are not used to it, but I was prepared for it, so I didn't have a problem with it. The boredom, because -- they don't show them on TV -- but there were so many days you try to occupy yourself. It is a nice balancing act between trying to rest and trying to keep your sanity. There were some days out there we didn't have anything to do all day long. We played Charades one time.
ET: What about hunting or fishing?
Spencer Duhm: We couldn't kill anything, so we couldn't hunt. But we could go fishing. The best time of day to fish was at dusk just before the sun went down, so we would normally wait all day to go fishing and then we would catch four or five fish and have a good little meal just before bed.
ET: Is not killing anything one of the rules?
Spencer Duhm: That was a rule in the area we were in, so aside from catching fish … I ate a grub worm, but if we found an animal, we couldn't kill it.
ET: If you had a do-over, would you change anything? You were talking about whether or not you should come out to your tribe on the show. Do you think that would have made a difference? Or is there something else that you think you should have done differently?
Spencer Duhm: Knowing the people and having learned more about them, I don't think they would have had a problem. I was just concerned that they could and it was high stakes. I didn't want to risk it. There was no real upside, there was only a downside, so why even bother? That was my whole thing with that. JT -- and I mentioned him in the episode -- I don't think he would have had a problem at all. As far as my strategy goes, I would have picked different people to be in an alliance with, because, obviously, the ones I was with didn't work out. But, I am glad I did what I did because I felt it would be successful. I would also learn how to catch balls in nets [Spencer's last challenge on the show]. That would have helped.
ET: I know Coach was on the other tribe, but he seems to be the controversial character this season. Did you get to know him at all?
Spencer Duhm: I did not. The only time I talked to him was at a challenge and he was on the post opposite me and we would have very short exchanges there. But aside from that, we didn't know him. All we knew was that it seemed at challenges that he would never take the first step up, so we thought he was weak. We actually discussed that at our camp. We thought it was odd that he never stepped up for challenges, because he looked like a strong guy.
ET: What's it like to watch it on TV?
Spencer Duhm: It is actually very normal. I thought it would be weird to see myself on TV. I thought it would be creepy and I would hate seeing myself, but it has been great. On TV, I see my camp and I am thinking, "That is not what it looked like." I saw it from a different angle. It is kind of weird, but it is cool.
ET: Now that you are watching, you know there was a secret alliance between Taj and members of the other tribe. Did you have an inkling of that when you were there?
Spencer Duhm: Her alliance didn't cross my mind. Her having the Immunity Idol did. We all wondered about that. We knew she might be creating friendships because we kept sending the same person -- Brendan -- to Exile Island because we wanted to know who on their tribe had the idol if we merged. We wanted to know, "Hey, he is the only one who had a chance to get it." Also, we wanted to send somebody strong, so it would weaken their tribe.
ET: What was the hardest part of readjusting to being home?
Spencer Duhm: Having my stomach readjust to normal food. That took about six days. I won't get into details because it probably isn't good for press, but my stomach would not take food very well. I would shove food down my throat, then I would take a breather for five minutes, because my stomach was really small, and I would think, "I can eat a little more" to the point where I would get sick. I would do it at breakfast, lunch and dinner. I didn't learn.
ET: You were the youngest player. What advice would you give to next season's youngest player?
Spencer Duhm: I don't think the age thing was so much a factor. I would not be so inclined to trust everybody at face value. I tended to trust them more than other people did. For instance, Taj was very genuine and she came back from Exile Island and she had a bad reaction to some bugs out there, so she was eaten up and looked uncomfortable, and she was, "Exile is not that bad." Don't be as trusting as you would be inclined because, obviously, we have less life experience, but overall I don't think age was an issue other than they thought I was devious because I was a big fan and that put a target on my back.
"Survivor: Tocantins -- The Brazilian Highlands" returns on Wednesday, March 25 at 8 p.m. on CBS.
http://www.etonline.com/news/2009/03/71789/index.html
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