Survivor Gabon: Interview with Kelly - "He's Slimy!"

[Mariner]

Kelly Czarnecki, a twenty-two year old from Illinois, ended up on a reshuffled Fang tribe with members of her former Kota tribe who didn’t hold her in much respect. She managed to make it farther in the game than she might have if the reshuffle hadn’t happened but she ended up making an exit from the game in the sixth episode after the original Fang members who had kept her around turned on her. We were lucky enough to participate in an interview with Kelly where she shared her thoughts.

Unfortunately, I forgot to record the first question which was about Kelly’s strategy going into the game. She shared that her plan had been to make an alliance with one person and then each of them would bring a second person in to the alliance and the four of them would add a fifth person who was an outsider. She also shared that she never implemented her plan.

[Before the tribal switch happened] it looked like you were going to be the next one to go. Were you aware of that?

Yeah, I definitely knew I was going to be the next one to go if anything because in tribal I kind of just spoke my mind to Ace and I kind of bashed him and then I was there without Paloma so I was like oh no I need a miracle so the next day the miracle happened and I switched tribes.

And what were your thoughts when Jeff said you were switching tribes?

I was like “Yes!” Like either way, I was like the same Kota or Fang it’s like we’re still going to be mixed up, you know? I was scared but at the same time I was so happy. Like I was just glowing. I like couldn’t believe that we were switching tribes. Miracle!



So then after you did switch what was your strategy at that point?

My strategy was just get with the Fang members forget your old Kota members. They’re not going to do anything. Clearly they don’t see anything in you. They’re rating you the least valuable. So, I went with the Fang people and that helped me, and I was myself.

Who were you primarily strongest with?

I was really, really strong with Crystal. Crystal and Kenny I was good with in the beginning.

Really? You were strong with Crystal?

Yeah, Crystal and Kenny in the beginning like when I was with Jacquie and GC. When we had both of them.

So then what happened with you and Crystal?

All hell broke loose, didn’t it? Yeah, tribal was definitely really intense for me. I remember how intense it was. But, I was just being myself and letting everybody know like the truth of what’s going on. Crystal, I’m sorry honey, I never called you weak and things like that. So she just was making the assumption that I called her weak. When, hello, I was in your alliance! Ace is just trying to further himself in the game and you know what he did just that by making up lies he’s furthering himself and he voted me off last night.

Everybody voted you off.

Yeah, everybody did! But that’s okay.

And, did you know that was coming?

I definitely knew it was coming because the day’s so funny like nobody talks to you. They’re all staring at you. It’s just like you guys it’s so obvious. I even told them “It’s obvious!” I just wish they came up to me. Just like Fang. They didn’t have any communication skills.

So what happened with your relationship with Crystal at the end? How come you guys fell apart?

The thing at the end. Me and Crystal were really tight but Ace started getting into our way by lying and saying things like, “Okay, Kelly wants to vote you out. Kelly’s calling you weak.” And, you know what? It really took a toll on her mind and she started believing Ace. Crystal, I didn’t say this. I don’t think that. You crying all the time, like after seeing the episodes, she really is weak and that’s the thing she assumed that I was calling her weak and was going behind her back when I really wasn’t doing that.

How would you describe Ace?

Ace. In the game Ace is . . . you can tell. You know how Ace is in the game. He’s slimy. He’s just furthering himself in the game and he’s doing things for himself. He’s doing a good job, but he’s just a mean person.

Is he a nice guy but he’s playing a game or is he truly a mean person?

In the game, Ace is truly a mean person. I am sure he means well but by the way he’s talking to people and downsizing everyone he’s playing an evil game. He just thinks of himself which he should be because it’s a million dollar game but he just does it in the wrong way.

Personally, do you like him? Is he a nice guy outside the game? Would you even know?

I don’t think I can comment on that. But everybody’s different in the game than out of the game. You’re playing for a million dollars.

I assume there are times when you are strategizing and sneaking off in the bushes and trying to backstab people but there’s got to be other times when people are just hanging out and talking about back home and . . .

YEAH! Definitely, like you have so much downtime. We would always talk about home and most of the time we all got along, you know? And, I’m just so sad that CBS doesn’t show what’s really going on in Survivor. We are starving and we do have other lives besides the conniving and the manipulating and the evilness. There’s nice things that go on. We talk about home, we talk about what we want to eat when we get home, and we play games, and we really get to know each other. So we think.

What are you most surprised about now looking back, watching the television show and how they edited it?

Probably watching the game seeing how everybody is when they’re in their confession and seeing how evil that these people really could be and it shows you that you can’t trust anybody. Don’t listen to what people say and you know what? It’s tv. It’s a reality tv show. You need to have fun with it when you watch it. And, when I was watching myself, I liked it. I laughed about it. I wasn’t going to be sad and mad about it. Do you know? I’m happy about how they portrayed me. It’s funny. It was a game. I had a great time.

Were you surprised by anybody’s position?

Surprised by anybody’s position?

Surprised by anybody’s confession. Something that they said that you didn’t know at the time maybe?

Yeah I really didn’t know about the alliance that Corrine and Marcus and all of them had. That was interesting. I knew they were always together but we always had this thing like we are on our honeymoon. We’re winning all these challenges. We’re just going to wait to see what comes and not going to worry about it ‘til we get there so yeah that would probably be surprising for me.

Describe Matty. He started out really quiet and I thought he was going to be gone right away because he was so quiet but he’s really seeming to step up to the plate. What kind of a guy is Matty?

Matty is awesome. Matty is exactly what they show on tv. They have Matty to a tee. He’s like this surfer dude that doesn’t really care about things and he’s just like really optimistic and more so, he’s just getting everybody on the same page and he’s just trusting everybody. You can’t trust everybody in this game. And, he’s taking things as they come. I don’t really know if he knows what he’s doing but he’s just got that attitude like there’s really nothing to hate about him or dislike about him. He probably just stood up and say I seem to have control. These people are going to listen to me. Let’s go!

You think he’ll do fine? Will he go far in the game?

I think if he still keeps the same attitude and he speaks his mind and he gets the tribe. He’s the only positive person on the tribe besides me. He’s the one that’s going to keep the tribe alive I believe.

Tell me about Kenny?

Kenny, ooh, he’s so soft inside but Kenny you know he can’t really stick up for himself and he’s just kind of attached to Crystal. Crystal had him as her little muppet. Kenny would say or do whatever Crystal said because Crystal didn’t have anybody else to control so she took part of Kenny so the thing is Kenny’s so sweet to your face and then you have these conversations but behind the scenes as I’m watching he was actually really mean! It was like he was just trying to get on everybody’s side so like everybody felt like okay Kenny’s on our side he’s not going to do anything to me so like let’s keep Kenny.

What did you think of him in his confessional saying I’m going to keep you around just for your hotness?

Kenny’s funny. Oh, it’s funny. I like that Kenny said that but Kenny’s Kenny. I don’t think he’s ever had a girlfriend before so he’s just having fun with it.

And, then Sugar? What’s Sugar like? Sugar and Ace seemed to be pretty well hooked up and that seemed pretty obvious.

Yeah.

Is she nice? She seems like she’s really nice but then she seems like she’s conniving?

The thing is me and Sugar really didn’t get along in the game. Sugar is a nice person but in the game we didn’t like each other but she has multi personalities but now that we know she’s an actress and she was really emotional about like everything like she always cried and she wasn’t a good athlete but that’s okay. She definitely surprised me with getting the idol and things like that. But, yeah, she’s tricky.



What’s your predictions for who is going to make it to the end?

Who is going to win? I really hope that Kenny wins just because he really impressed me with last night’s episode and pulling out with Matty which is really hard because Matty is a personal trainer and awesome at all the challenges and he’s physically fit and Kenny is not. So I hope he like goes far and the way he is playing the game seems like he has pretty much control of everything.


Interesting. When you went over there what were you surprised by most of the whole Survivor experience?

I was actually surprised at how tough it really is. Watching on tv they don’t show half of the stuff that you are actually going through as a person. And it really takes a toll on you but it’s sort of a good thing it teaches you a lot about yourself. You’ve just got to look at it like that was an opportunity of a lifetime and you had an awesome time. It was like a great experience.

What was the hardest part of it all?

The hardest part was probably the toll that it took on you emotionally, mentally, and physically and you think of things outside of Survivor and what’s going on and you just have to dig deep and look for confidence.

Is Ace’s accent real or fake?

That’s the best question! Because and I’ve been telling everybody I remember me and Ace had talked when we did have our downtime he told me he only lived in the UK for about a few years and he has a sister she has an American accent and sometimes his accent would go in and out and sometimes it would be more intense than others but it’s like his accent worked out perfect for his character. He was slimy and the way he said things it like enhanced what he was trying to say so sometimes you were like what is this guy saying!

Yeah, so you think it’s real though?

I don’t know. I think it’s fake.

Is there anything else you want to tell us about? Like any future projects you’re working on?

Future projects? I’m still working. I still want to open up my own denim store but I’m looking into more of fitness which I think is a big part of my life and I can definitely see me doing something with that in the future.

Jacquie said that she tried to make an alliance with you after the tribal reshuffle. Did you consider taking her up on her offer?

It’s funny because Jacquie still thinks she’s in the game and you know what? She never even said that to me. I wish maybe she came up to me and said that because I could have helped her out but I was manipulating everybody into voting her out telling them that she was really close to the Kota tribe members and as soon as the merge happened she was going to go straight to them. I let her know that the whole time. She did come up to me once and was like Kelly let’s vote out Kenny and get Ace and let’s try and get somebody else. I was like okay Jacquie you go talk to Ace and get back to me but the whole time I knew we were blindsiding her. So it was interesting for her to say that.

What do you think of Jacquie outside of the game?

In the game we weren’t really friends. Soon as we got to Fang she like tried to be friends with me and I was like no, no honey I’m not a fake person I’m playing this game as myself and I’m not going to let somebody try and like talk me into something that I’m not going to do so Jacquie as a player was . . . She really had no personality she was just kind of like low key and a dud and . . . . But, out of the game, she was a cool person. I got to know her a lot more and I like her.

Do you regret calling out other tribe members at both the tribal councils where Paloma and Jacquie got voted out?

You know what? That’s me. I always speak my mind and I always defend myself and in cases where I don’t think I’m wrong at all so I definitely wish I wasn’t so honest because it probably could have got me farther in the game but I was being myself and I’m honest and I’m loyal and it definitely showed.

When did you learn that Sugar had the hidden immunity idol?

It’s funny because me and Paloma knew that right when she came back because from that one episode where we were going down the slip ‘n slide. She brought like these weird things back from Exile Island. She had things wrapped up and she went to the bathroom five times as soon as we got back to our hut and I was like okay something’s going on because a) she just went to the bathroom and b) she was just in the jungle like doing something so I knew . . . I had a feeling she had it because she was trying to hide it.

Did you tell anyone else you thought she had it?

Yeah, definitely. As soon as I got on to Fang I was like you know what I think she has the idol and she’s going to play it so we need to somehow blindside her to get her out of this game and then Crystal went through her bag and we really knew.

Was there anyone on the original Kota that you got along with after Paloma left?

Yeah, me and Bob were tight. I always slept with Bob at night and he kept me warm because it was so cold at night and I got along with Charlie. You know what? I got along with everybody.

What do you think of Bob?

I love Bob. Bob’s funny. He’s a good guy. He was always helping out the tribe. He was always building things for us and making us feel at home. He’d tell a lot of stories but that’s Bob.

What was the best part of your experience?

The best part of my experience was being out in Africa and just learning a lot of things about myself and the experience that I got to experience. That’s going to be with me the rest of my life. Definitely the best part of the experience is just being able to do that.

Looking back is there anything you’d do differently in the game?

Like I said I probably wouldn’t speak my mind as much and I would keep it down a little bit and show people that I’m more funny. I do silly things sometimes and I just like to have a good time with it.

Why do you think Fang was so bad at challenges?

I think they were really bad at challenges because like there was no communication skills and they weren’t as positive and they didn’t have a positive outlook on the thing. They went in knowing that they were going to lose and I couldn’t take it. I was like you guys we can’t go into this game thinking we’re going to lose. Come on! I don’t think really anybody was an athlete on that team besides me, Matt, I don’t even know if Crystal was even an Olympic athlete.

Supposedly Crystal actually won a gold medal in the 4 x 400.

That was sarcasm.

Were you surprised to learn that I take it?

Yeah, I was definitely surprised. Some of the challenges I wish she either did better or had more fun and didn’t cry. You know like you’re going to lose sometimes. You’re going to win. And, you just need to work as a team. And, that’s okay.

[Google]

 

[canuckinchile]

Thanks Mariner. Wow she sure does not come off as likable at all, and she kept repeating the questions like she couldn't understand the words. I have to wonder about the casting department and what they were thinking when they put her on the show. It's one thing to be funny and sarcastic but you need some smarts to go along with that.

[DesertRose]

I like got through like one answer and I couldn't stand all the likes. Like, you know, I might try again, like when I'm more like patient.

[Brooks]

I counted like 53 likes. ;^)

[KeepItReal]

Exactly! The excessive "likes" were driving me up a wall. Also, she stated that only she and Matty were athletic, but she was no better than any of the other women. Then she says that Jacquie never tried to talk to her about an alliance. In the next sentence she says "She did come up to me once and was like Kelly let’s vote out Kenny and get Ace and let’s try and get somebody else. I was like okay Jacquie you go talk to Ace and get back to me but the whole time I knew we were blindsiding her. So it was interesting for her to say that." Well, that would be Jacquie trying to make an alliance and you declining. Somone needs to tell her that when one player approaches another player to blindside a third player, and then try to recruit yet another player to play alongside them, that would be considered, like, you know, an alliance.

[VelvetRed]

Someone needs to go back and repeat elementary school English classes.

[RoyaltyBuff]

Originally Posted by DesertRose

I like got through like one answer and I couldn't stand all the likes. Like, you know, I might try again, like when I'm more like patient.

The only good thing about all the likes, both in the interview and the show, was to show my kids how unprofessional and obnoxious it is!! She bugged me the whole time and I think she thinks more highly of herself that reality.....

[Mags225]

Originally Posted by KeepItReal

Exactly! The excessive "likes" were driving me up a wall. Also, she stated that only she and Matty were athletic, but she was no better than any of the other women. Then she says that Jacquie never tried to talk to her about an alliance. In the next sentence she says "She did come up to me once and was like Kelly let’s vote out Kenny and get Ace and let’s try and get somebody else. I was like okay Jacquie you go talk to Ace and get back to me but the whole time I knew we were blindsiding her. So it was interesting for her to say that." Well, that would be Jacquie trying to make an alliance and you declining. Somone needs to tell her that when one player approaches another player to blindside a third player, and then try to recruit yet another player to play alongside them, that would be considered, like, you know, an alliance.

I agree. In fact, I think she was worse than many of the other women. It's ridiculous that she sees herself as an athlete, but then she seems to be really clueless about a lot of things.

[ElizabethG]

Originally Posted by RoyaltyBuff

The only good thing about all the likes, both in the interview and the show, was to show my kids how unprofessional and obnoxious it is!! She bugged me the whole time and I think she thinks more highly of herself that reality.....

This girl is delusional! One of the more unlikeable, unremarkable and full of herself contestants we've seen in awhile. Glad she's gone.

[hepcat]

Thanks for the interview, Mariner! Wow, it's a long one - she's a talker without really saying too much. That's so weird that she says she was really tight with Crystal. Maybe she just doesn't read people too well.