Archive > Survivor Tocantins: The Brazilian Highlands

Sydney Wheeler

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marigold:
Video:

Survivor: Tocantins Interview - So Long, Sydney Wheeler


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zshJJyFz4w

marigold:
Another interview with Sydney:

‘Survivor’ Castaway Interview: Sydney Wheeler

Sydney Wheeler wasn’t shown doing a whole lot on “Survivor.” She flirted, she cuddled, and she followed the leader. But what did we miss out on?

We had a chance to talk to Sydney the day after her dismissal to get her thoughts on what the editors didn’t show, her secret strategies, and flying ceramic pigs.

Gordon Holmes: Now, which show were you on?

Sydney Wheeler: (Laughs) “Survivor.”

Gordon: I used to watch that show. I stopped though.

Sydney: Oh no…

Gordon: Cause they keep voting off all of the pretty ladies!

Sydney: (Laughs) Yeah, now that Candace is gone!

Gordon: So what happened last night, were you blindsided?

Sydney: You know, I wasn’t. But, I didn’t want to go. I kind of knew it was coming. Taj was hugging me and making me feel like it was my time to go. But, I pulled JT aside and just asked him straight up what was going on, and he told me it was between me and Taj, and Taj has more of a pull when it comes to a merge. So, I kind of knew it was coming.

Gordon: Was it brought up at all that Joe’s fake hidden immunity idol could go to you.

Sydney: No, that was never brought to my attention, but it would have been pretty good if it was.

Gordon: Now Joe mentioned last night that he wanted to keep you around because he had a little thing for you, but did he know you had a boyfriend?

Sydney: Yeah, the first night we got together we all hung out, and it was all brought up, marital status and all. But he and I got along really well, we had a really good connection. He was like my big brother more than a boyfriend.

Gordon: So it wasn’t a show-mance, it was just edited that way.

Sydney: Right, he wasn’t my “Survivor” boyfriend.

Gordon: When you came back did you tell your boyfriend about the salsa dream and how important that was to you.

Sydney: (Laughs) Yes, I told him, I even wrote in my journal the whole time about how much I missed him.

Gordon: I don’t know much about dream interpretation, but I’d assume salsa’s got to be pretty serious.

Sydney: It’s spicy. And I like my salsa spicy. So that’s a good thing.

Gordon: I’d also assume any dream you have out there is going to be about food. He should feel lucky to be included.

Gordon: Did you know Taj had the hidden immunity idol?

Sydney: No, I didn’t. And I never would have dreamed she did. She was playing such a low-key game. She played like everyone was against her, and she didn’t have any allies. I tried to be honest with her, but I think it was me trusting people too much.

Gordon: Did you have any kind of clue about the cross-tribe alliance?

Sydney: No, that was a great idea, right? It’s such a smart idea. Taj is a smart whip.

Gordon: I felt like your edit focused on your looks, and even I made a joke about that earlier, but what kind of strategy were you employing that we didn’t see?

Sydney: It’s so frustrating, they really honed in on me being someone who’d use her looks to get ahead. Going into it, I knew I could maybe use it, but my strategy was to make an alliance from the very beginning. Like when me and Spencer and Joe, I saw that Spencer and Joe were the big guys, like alpha males. At least Joe was. So, that was my strategy to get into an alliance early. But, I didn’t know too much about the game, so I was kind of going at it from a different point of view. I wanted to stay below the radar.

Gordon: Now we missed a couple of weeks because of the NCAA tournament.

Sydney: Yeah.

Gordon: And who cares about basketball when there is “Survivor” to be watched?

Sydney: (Laughs) Yeah, but it got me further, didn’t it?

Gordon: True, but the athletic highlight of the past few weeks has to have been a certain girl catching ceramic pigs that are flying by at 100 miles per hour.

Sydney: (Laughs) Oh my God! JT was throwing those things so hard. And the first few I didn’t catch because it’s a learning experience. And, ceramic pigs that are heavy and awkward with tails and noses that would cut up my hands? I think I still have a scar from one of the pigs. It was a fun challenge, I think I pulled through for my team.

Gordon: Years from now you can point to that scar and say, “See this? Ceramic pig.”

Sydney: It’s funny because pigs are my favorite animal. So, it was my challenge going into it.

Gordon: So it probably broke your heart to see those little guys get shattered.

Sydney: (Laughs) It was also kind of odd that it was pigs, is that a Brazilian thing?

Gordon: I think they were playing with your emotions.

Sydney: They knew!

Gordon: OK, word association time. I’ll give you a tribe member, you say the first thing that comes to mind. JT?

Sydney: Country folk, great guy but a little bit manipulative. He’s got those big eyes he can bat and get whatever he wants.

Gordon: Joe?

Sydney: Spoiled, genuine, great guy. Has a lot of talent.

Gordon: Taj?

Sydney: Sweet woman, loves her family, she definitely played the game harder than I thought she would’ve.

Gordon: Did you know she was part of SWV?

Sydney: I didn’t until day seventeen. It came out very late in the game. It was like, “What? I love that song!”

Gordon: You’re old enough to know SWV?

Sydney: Yeah! (starts singing) I get so weak in the knees I can hardly speak…

Gordon: OK, back to my list. You’re distracting me. Sandy?

Sydney: There’s a lot I can say about Sandy. Crazy is the key word. I think she may be on prescription drugs. She’s kindhearted and she means well.

Gordon: Stephen?

Sydney: Goofy…clumsy, he looks like the guy from “Ratatouille.”

Gordon: He does.

Sydney: He’s a little lair, too!

Gordon: I love the game he’s playing.

Sydney: I love Stephen.

Gordon: I know Coach wasn’t on your tribe, but what do you think of him?

Sydney: Oh, who doesn’t like Coach? He’s full of himself, that’s everything that everyone has ever said about Coach, except for Jeff Probst, he loves Coach.

Gordon: I love Coach.

Sydney: And Gordon. But I don’t want to judge him before I meet him.

Gordon: What do you take from your time in Brazil?

Sydney: I met some interesting people. I’ve met past Survivors. I’ve made friends, and I have the bad memories of my time on the show.

http://www.fancast.com/blogs/survivor/survivor-castaway-interview-sydney-wheeler/

marigold:
and more

Sydney's unable to sneak by on Survivor: Tocantins

Losing multiple challenges in a row destroyed the moral inside the Jalapao tribe. "As much as we tried to hype each other up, we knew we were down in numbers. It didn't help to know that the other tribe was thriving," Sydney Wheeler tells In Touch. After more than a dozen days of struggling in the Brazilian highlands, the model feared her tribe was turning on her. "I knew going to Tribal Council that I was going to be the next to go," admits Sydney. She was right. On the 18th day, she became the latest contestant to have her torch extinguished on Survivor: Tocantins.

What was your first impression of Brazil?
Sydney: I loved it. Granted, Tocantins was a little harsh, but it was just so magically to be somewhere new. It was a big adventure for me and it was really amazing. Brazil was gorgeous.

I know that you were worried about going home, but did you end up blindsided by the vote?
Sydney: I knew going into Tribal Council that I was going to be the next to go. I could just feel it. And every time I went to Tribal Council it was scary. But this time was different.

Do you think Taj deserved to go home instead?
Sydney: No. I don't. As much as I hate that I went home, I think Taj is playing a brilliant game. She deserves to be there.

Before you watched the episode, did you have any idea that Taj had the immunity idol and also made a fake one?
Sydney: I had no idea. I feel stupid just watching it! She is just so smart. She came back from Exile Island and she's just talking about how harsh the climate and conditions were. And all we cared about were all the bug bites on her, when in actuality she's living it up because she knows she's safe for a long time. She did a pretty good job of covering it up.

What was the hardest part about surviving for 18 days?
Sydney: Don't get me wrong — the conditions and the extreme environment was just trying to adapt and survive around people you've never met before. They're judging you and plotting against you. It was a really weird dynamic and is very, very strange.

That was even harder than not eating?
Sydney: Oh, yeah. I mean honestly, physically the hardest part was the lack of water. The thirst and dehydration were rough. Hunger pains never really set in for me, I don't know why. But it was really the feeling of needing water, ugh. I never want to feel that again.

Who would you like to see make it to the end?
Sydney: Again, I love Taj. Her and I bonded, which they didn't show on the show, but we bonded on a female level. She's a great woman and I really appreciate her and I like her. I think she's playing a smart game. She's not just sitting back; she's doing what I wanted to do and taking the initiative. And also, I really like Tyson because he's super-sarcastic and even though he comes across kind of rude and mean, I don't think he means to be. I think it might be the edit, so it should be interesting to meet him and see what he's really like.

Would you do it all over again?
Sydney: In a heartbeat.

What are you doing now?
Sydney: Now, I'm just modeling. There's no market for interior design right now, so I'm about to move out to LA and continue my career as a model. Hopefully, Survivor takes me places.

http://www.intouchweekly.com/2009/04/sydneys_unable_to_sneak_by_on.php

Snooky:
When Pigs Can't Fly with Sydney Wheeler of Survivor Tocantins
By Troy Rogers

As the Timbira and Jalapao tribes head into the merge this week on Survivor Tocantins, some survivors may have their tribal lives extended longer than they would have if they were still scheming solo. The simmering tension boiling underneath the tribal surface was heightened last week when 24 year old North Carolina model, Sydney Wheeler, became the most recent survivor to have her torch extinguished from Survivor Tocantins when her Jalapao tribe mates were divided over who would be leaving the game in Brazil. After an awkward but difficult Tocantins ceramic pig-toss reward challenge and a Survivor sling-shot immunity throwdown that saw J.T. get stymied, the voting numbers weren't on Sydney's side when three of her Jalapao tribe members - J.T., Stephen, and Taj - solidified their Tocantins trio to send Sydney Wheeler packing from Brazil.

The next morning, we climbed out of our own rainforest (actually just really big fake plants around the office) to hop on the phone with the now ex-Survivor Tocantins player, Sydney Wheeler, to get the scoop on her favorite challenge, why ceramic pigs hurt so much, how she feels she was portrayed on TV, and what she thinks about Coach from the Timbira tribe.

THE DEADBOLT: Even though Joe said he had your back, were you surprised that he didn’t give you a heads up that they were thinking about voting you off?

SYDNEY WHEELER: Yeah. That’s a good question. He definitely tried to, I think, a little bit in his own way without blatantly telling me. But yeah, I wish maybe he had a little bit more. But I think it was one of those things where he knew I knew that it was kind of my time to go. It was either me or him. And he was going to stay loyal to our alliance, but he wasn’t going to tell me straight up. There’s always that very last second where J.T. could’ve voted for Taj and she would’ve pulled out her immunity idol. So there’s always that last chance that I think everybody waits for. I mean even, last night I was still sitting on the edge of my seat hoping it wasn’t going to be me when I knew the outcome.

THE DEADBOLT: How did you feel with the way you were portrayed on TV? The edits kind of steered you towards what Sandy was saying about you.

SYDNEY: Yeah. I think it was funny, because they played up my only strategy, which was flirting, and if you know me - my personality is very friendly, open to people - I’m very touchy, like I don’t hold back. So for them to play it up as flirting, I can understand. It’s probably better than my strategic way of making an alliance with the alpha dog, like Joe and Spencer, and then against them. So I had other strategic qualities, but maybe they just weren’t interesting.

THE DEADBOLT: What was your favorite challenge?

SYDNEY: Oh, that’s a good one. I’d say I really liked the one where we got to wrestle in the water. That one was so much fun because we were all just pumping with adrenaline. Out there, all you wanted to do was strangle them at that point because they’re your enemy. So it was just really fun to just take Sierra and smash her into the water. She’s kind of like my rival. you know? She’s a model from California, a blonde model, and it’s really strange to me that they cast two blonde models. But she was kind of like my rival and it was fun to smash her [laughs].

THE DEADBOLT: With the ceramic pig toss challenge, it looked like they hurt. Were they heavy or were they sharp? What was it about them that hurt?

SYDNEY: Well, yeah. Good question, again. Those pigs sucked! I mean, first of all, J.T. was chucking them at me at like 40 m.p.h., and they’re ceramic and they’re heavy pigs. They’re pigs - they have ears, noses, little stubby legs and a tail. So these appendages that were coming off of them were sharper than you would think and they broke really easily, and they were just very awkward things. And when you have them coming at you super fast, and you have to catch them, that’s your job to catch it, you’re going to dive for it if you have to. It hurts. I mean, I still have a scar from the cut I got from them. They definitely hurt. Then you have frigging Jeff [Probst] blaring in your ear, ‘Oh, Sydney dropped the pig.’ It like never goes your way.

THE DEADBOLT: What did you think of Coach?

SYDNEY: That’s a good question. Coach? Well, I can only judge him from the way they are portraying him, so I hate to be judging. But everyone seems to hate Coach, except for Jeff Probst, so maybe there’s something special about him. But, I don’t know, I think he is pretty selfish. I think he’s full of himself and I always think he could be a good guy, too. I think he understands where other people are coming from, or he tries to.

-- Troy Rogers

http://www.thedeadbolt.com/news/105602/survivorsydney_interviews.php

RealityFreakWill:
Secret Scene: Sydney


Posted by CBS

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