Survivor: China: Interview with Frosti - "They passed it up for a trip to McDonald's"

[Lucy]

Frosti, the youngest Survivor ever, got the boot last week after his tribe-mates skipped a challenge to eat cheeseburgers, allowing Peih Gee the chance to win immunity. Here, in an interview via email, Frosti talks about camp life, his relationship with Courtney, and his feelings about those cheeseburgers.


Hi, Frosti, thanks for answering our questions.

No problem, happy to do it.


How did you come to be on the show? Were you a fan? How did you prepare for it?

I have always thought that Survivor was the ultimate game, and a game that I could do well in, but my age has always restricted me from participating. But someone saw one of my videos of me doing parkour and thought it would be worth it for me to apply so I sent in a tape and did the whole process and I guess I did pretty well because there I was in China. I didn’t have a lot of time to prepare, but it didn’t really matter my parkour training already had me physically as fit as I was going to be.


What did you expect the experience of Survivor to be like, and how was the reality different?

I really expected it to be difficult, but I don’t think I was really aware of how it was going to be difficult, I mean it’s real, we really sat in the jungle all day being bored and hungry. That’s a rough life to live, and it gets to be overwhelming sometimes, but there’s nothing you can do about except keep a positive attitude and try to make the best of it.


What was your best moment and your worst moment?

My best moment came shortly after my worst moment. There’s a time for any Castaway who is out there on the island for a long period of time, when you just get down, you’re hungry, you’re upset, you basically just don’t want to wake up next to the same smelly annoying people you’ve seen everyday so far. And I felt sick and tired(literally) and I just wanted to leave, but then I got out of our cramped, uncomfortable bed, and I sat next to our unlit fireplace and watched the sun rising up over the lake in China and I felt really good about what I was doing.


You said, I think, that you had wanted to prove that a young person could do well on Survivor. Even though you’ve been eliminated, do you think you did that?

I do, I mean I competed out there, and I did well, and even though I didn’t win I proved that you don’t have to be old, and you don’t have to be big to be a mature, strong player. I’m proud of the way I played my game.


Describe your strategy – did you have an overarching plan for how to play the game, or were you more going with the flow? How do you feel about your gameplay?

I came in from the get go trying to make strong personal relationships. I wanted to be very social without being overbearing. I wanted to be that cool guy that everyone felt comfortable talking to and sharing information with. But it’s very important in this game to never get too comfortable and always be prepared to adapt to a new situation. I think I just got too comfortable with the moves I had made and I got careless.


When you were traded to Fei Long, did you think you’d be able to work your way into their alliance, or did you think you were a goner?

I knew I was in a bad spot with a big fat target on my back, and it didn’t help that they told me to my face that I was in a bad spot with a big fat target on my back. But I knew that if I could get close to them and gain their trust I could stay around long enough until something else would happen and I could solidify my place. The first step towards that was the finding of the idol.


When Todd and Amanda were trying to pry off that hidden immunity idol, and you popped in, did you have any idea what they were doing or what they’d found? How did witnessing that, which forced Todd to take you into his confidence, help you in the game?

My rule of thumb for Survivor was that anytime two or more people were doing anything I wanted to be there and in on what was going on. When I saw them working on doing something with the shingles I thought I ought to go over and be a part of that, use my “ninja skills” I suppose. It ended up getting me into the loop on what was going on, information is the most valuable thing you can have in this game. It’s better than cheeseburgers.


What was going on with you and Courtney? Was that a romantic relationship?

Courtney’s is an amazing girl and I care about her tons, but romance is a tricky thing in the jungle. I don’t think that’s what we were going for so much as just companionship. It was a time to get our heads out of the game and out of China for a little while. Guess I shouldn’t have let my mind wander so far off because I ended up letting it get on the block and I got chopped.


It seems like Courtney’s alliance doesn’t trust her, and that that is part of the reason why they voted you out, because you were friends with her. Why do you think they keep her around?

Well she isn’t trying to make any power moves, and she’s someone that they don’t see winning this game, which ironically is a good reason in this game to keep someone playing it.


Looking back now, do you think it was your relationship with her that got you voted out when you did? Had you expected to be safe until at least Peih Gee and Erik were voted out?

I was told PG and Erik were next and I suppose my relationship did play a part in getting voted out, but no matter what I knew that they knew I was a threat, so Frost was on thin ice for a while. (I can’t believe I just said that)


What’s your take on Todd as a leader at this point?

Todd knows this game better than anyone else, so from the beginning people were asking for his advice on what was happening and what to do, that makes him naturally a leader, he’s also very charismatic and because of his size he’s very non-threatening. But he’s undeniably a threat to win this game.


Do you feel like the old Fei Long alliance will continue to hold out, or are people – like, say, Denise – starting to think about what will happen if Peih Gee and Erik are gone, and the alliance has to turn on its own people?

I think it’s always on everyone’s mind, I mean obviously, JR is out and James was almost out. But I think that they are also very close so it’s hard to say, I don’t think Denise would switch, but she has fooled me before.


What’s your feeling about how Peih Gee is playing the game?

PG is very abrasive when it comes to gameplay, she’s in a tough spot and she knows it, and she’s willing to do anything to stay around. She’s naturally a cool person and a lot of fun to be around but she has a strong will to win and she’s going to fight.


And the same question about Erik? We don’t see a whole lot of Denise. What was she like in camp? Are we missing some sort of stealth player here?

Erik and Denise are not big strategic players, they both know that they are at the bottom of their respective totem poles, so they’re riding out the wave and trying to find a way in, but very non-aggressively.


Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently? Any move you made that you now think was a mistake?

I think if I knew now that I was going to get voted off I would have yelled at all the people who ate cheeseburgers. We were offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play the ultimate game and they passed it up for a trip to McDonalds. I wouldn’t change my game, I’m proud of how I did and how I represented myself and who I am.



Thanks again to Frosti for answering our questions!

[Google]

 

[ShrinkingViolet]

Excellent questions, Lucy. Thanks for bringing us a terrific interview! I think he gave a pretty good overview of what is happening in the game, and he has a sense of humor.

I loved this response of Frosti's:

Frost was on thin ice for a while. (I can’t believe I just said that)

[waywyrd]

Guess I shouldn’t have let my mind wander so far off because I ended up letting it get on the block and I got chopped.

Poor Frosti.

Great interview, Lucy. I wish he had stayed around a while longer, he seems like a great guy.

[Brooks]

What a well-spoken, mature young man. ;^)

Thanks for the great interview!

Frosti, do you read here? You played a great game.

[Nik]

I love Frosti! I want to take him home and spoon with him.