Survivor China: Interview with Ashley - "I kicked out of a sickness."

[hepcat]

Second to leave the competition is Ashley Massaro, the WWE Diva with an established fan base. Ashley has graced the cover of Playboy and delivered many a Smackdown, so how did she end up slogging through the mud in fishnet stockings for CBS? We caught up with Ashley for a few minutes as she was between planes at the airport. She’s a fast talker, so we covered a lot of ground before her battery died. I hope you made your plane, Ashley!

Hello Ashley, I hear you have a bad connection?

I’m in the airport, so I’m trying to get through this before my battery clunks out.

Okay, we’ll go fast. You have a career on the WWE –

(Excitedly) Yes! I’m a WWE Diva. I wrestle and do all kinds of stuff for WWE. I love it and I can’t wait to get back. Survivor was a really great experience and I’m so glad I did it, but I’m anxious to get back in the ring.

How did you come to be on Survivor? Is that something you sought out?

I let it be known that I was interested in doing it in the beginning. We found out they were casting, and they called WWE, and…well, they didn’t want me to do it right off the bat, because I would be off for a while – a long while, actually. (laughing) But then they were like, (stern WWE producer voice) “I don’t know, she’s just had a Wrestlemania match, is this the right time to do something like this?” and I was like, “Come on, let’s do it!” They ended up letting me do it, so that was great.

What about your clothes – how did you end up in fishnets and boots? Why weren’t you wearing those zip-off cargo pants and rain gear all the time just in case?

Oh my gosh. Of course! They give you an outfit and you have to wear it. Everybody’s screwed. Stillettos – I would never wear that outside. (laughing) I would never wear a pair of bra and panties that don’t match! (mock outrage) “What? Who gave me these? These are awful.” But no, I think maybe they looked at my character on WWE and thought, she’s always wearing fishnets, let’s put her in them. I’m like, nuh-uh. (laughing) There were other girls worse off than me. Jaime didn’t have a bra on. She didn’t even get a bra. That’s kind of crazy.

I would be miserable.

Tell me about it. We were freezing cold, that’s what I was more worried about. I was so worried about the cold. No one had outfits and every time it would rain, we were freezing – and it rained a lot. It was monsooning. So we were all huddled up like penguins trying to keep warm.

What did you do to prepare for the experience of being on Survivor?

Oh my gosh, I did all kinds of wacky stuff to prepare. I went outside a lot, I went kayaking, I did anything I could. All kinds of weird things. You have a very short time to prepare, because you don’t even know you’re going until a week beforehand. I’m running around doing everything. I bought about twenty books from Barnes and Noble about China, about survival, then I’m swimming lakes, I’m in kayaks, I’m sitting outside in the rain – which, I didn’t have a clue that it was going to rain the whole time and it was nothing like sitting outside in my backyard in the rain for ten minutes. We’re sleeping outside in the rain every single day, and it was insane. The rain was a huge problem for us. That was one of the hardest things, and we expected it, but not the whole time.

When I interviewed Chicken, he said your job was more about entertainment than being in good physical shape. Is that true?

(Outraged) What? I would love to have a match against Chicken. Put him in the ring for five seconds. Or go on the treadmill against me and let’s see what’s going on. (laughing) It’s so funny because I actually was saying, “Chicken should stay because he’s got manpower,” but they wanted to get rid of him because he was annoying. Me, I wanted people that can help us build a structure and do things that are important, not that we could get along with. But the fact that it was Chicken that said that is hilarious. I’d love to be in some sort of physical competition with him. Everybody was complaining that he was slowest person. He’s probably strong, but he’s slow. He can lift bamboo, but he could never outrun me, outwrestle me. I think he’s basing it on me being sick for one day. The whole tribe was complaining that he was on the end and he was slowing everyone down.

Do you think you being sick affected you in the Chinese Dragon challenge?

I was sick for one day, but I kicked out of it, came to the challenge and kicked butt in the challenge. Peih-Gee’s shoes fell off in the competition and there’s no way she should still be in it. Her shoes fell off. She screwed up, she fell down during this Chinese dragon thing, and then she’s crying about it, and it’s like, “Listen: we need to get rid of the physically weak people.” I kicked out of a sickness. I’m never going to give up during competition, ever. And Dave stopped working in that last competition. I could have never seen that happening with myself. Maybe if he had listened to me and boiled the rice instead of making that gigantic ridiculous barbecue pit.

Dave felt pretty smug and vindicated about that when it flooded, don’t you think?

Yeah. When we came back after he had screwed up at the challenge, he says, “At least my barbecue pit stayed saved the fire.” (irritably) No, it didn’t. Everything was wet. Our wood was wet. Our tinder was wet. It took us like six more hours to get the fire going, and at that point, rice wasn’t as important as it was before the challenge. And that’s why you passed out, you d – (pause) you dork. (laughing)

Can you give me a few words or sentences about your fellow tribemates?

I really got along with Sherea and Jaime, they were great. We actually started to form an alliance right off the bat, even when I was sick. They came to me and were like, “We want to vote off somebody with you together.” But unfortunately, they wanted to vote off Chicken, even though I tried to convince them not to. Apparently they had a lot of beefs with Chicken. He was being creepy; apparently he was trying to snuggle with Jaime, and she was really pissed about it. (laughing) So I couldn’t convince her. I told her, “That really is a personal issue and I can’t tell you what to do over something like that. That’s your deal.”

And yet, they both voted to evict you.

Yeah, I honestly don’t blame them. I see how that happened. They were scared to vote Dave off, but they were very tentative about that vote. Nobody is sure what they want to do, and I have a feeling you are going to see just how tentative they were in this next episode. I know how they felt about Dave. Trust me. They may not have shown it, but you’ll see what I’m talking about.

What about Peih-Gee?

Peih-Gee seems like she’s crying all the time. She wants to be the leader, but then she’s crying. You don’t be a leader then cry, or your whole tribe will be falling apart. She’s not capable of being the leader.

We haven’t seen much of Erik, what’s he like?

Erik is awesome. He’s really quiet and he’s really sweet. I have a feeling that he might go really far in the competition. Maybe Jaime, too, because she’s the same way. Sherea was too, but she was really tired. I felt so bad for her. She was a workhouse. In that challenge, she was working her butt off. All of the tribe members came through in the ball competition where you had to push through the mud. Everybody was working their butts off – I was really proud of those girls. I mean, they should all be WWE Divas.

Do you think that competition was a nod to you being there, like, “we have someone from the WWE here, so let’s make it a wrestling type of competition”?

I don’t know! (laughing) Perhaps. I was wondering that myself. I don’t wrestle in the mud or tear people’s tops off, though.

I didn’t mean to say you were a mud wrestler.

(both laughing)

Well, no, but I keep saying that in every interview. I would rather clothesline someone than pull their top down because I know that a clothesline will take them down more.

Unfortunately, the cell phone gods claimed Ashley’s connection at this point. Just like her time on Survivor, she was gone too soon. See you in the ring, Ashley!

[Google]

 

[waywyrd]

So they gave them those ridiculous outfits to wear? That makes more sense than people being stupid enough to wear heels and no bras.

Too bad her phone died, hep - that was a great interview!

[PK...]

Great interview...

Thanks!

I miss her, but I don't miss her lip piercings! I kept feeling they were 'fangs'...

;0))

[canuckinchile]

Thanks Hep! Too bad you got cut off! That makes more sense about the clothes now. Sounded like you had a pretty upbeat interview with her.

[Brooks]

Good one, hepcat! Thanks!

[Lucy]

I had no idea they forced people to wear certain clothes. And that irritates me, because I don't see any of the men being forced out into the wilderness in uncomfortable clothing, like high heels, or without underwear (bras) or whatever.

Good interview, Hep!

[Leo]

Originally Posted by waywyrd

So they gave them those ridiculous outfits to wear? That makes more sense than people being stupid enough to wear heels and no bras.

I agree. It's completely manufactured drama... which I don't think the show needs. Boo for CBS.

Thanks for the interview hep.

[echo226]

Thanks hep ! Wish she could have stayed longer. Two "colorful" characters in a row get the boot. Bah !

[RealityDiva]

She didn't do much better on Survivor than she does in the WWE ring...

[Jewelsy]

Great interview,hep.
I would've loved to hear more of what she had to say (darn cell phone batteries. ). I love all the juicy insider tidbits.