Murtzcellanious: Murtz Jaffer Interviews Survivor: Fiji Winner Earl Cole

My interview with Survivor: Fiji winner Earl Cole was exactly what I thought it would be when I met him at the finale last week. An opus. I quizzed him on his strategy, asked him who the hottest girl was and wanted him to detail why he voted off Yau Man. Considering this was Earl’s only major Canadian interview, I wanted to make sure that I got it all in there and some of his answers are pretty surprising. It’s quite clear that he has a way with words and it’s now easy for me to see how he was able to coast to the end of the game. The champion took out a lot of time for this chat and I really think it answers just about every question you might have about Survivor‘s 14th winner.

Murtz Jaffer: Hey Earl, it’s Murtz.

Earl Cole: Hey, how are you?

MJ: Not too bad. Are you ready for the greatest interview of all-time?

EC: I am ready for it!

MJ: It was great meeting you and congratulations on winning. For the next little while at least, you are going to be known as Earl… the winner of Survivor Fiji. I want to know about Earl before Fiji. Most of the Survivor winners of the past have all led interesting lives, so is there anything specifically you did before the show that helped you to win it?

EC: I have been through a lot in my life. I guess I was already kind of a Survivor. A lot of articles came out about how I was disabled as a kid. Learned a lot of patience. Learned how to deal with people. Learned a lot about depravation. A lot of things I didn’t have. I guess that’s pretty much training for Survivor. To do without things and be patient with people. But yeah, I guess I have got a pretty good story that helped out.

MJ: Nice, nice. People might not know that you were originally supposed to be on the Amazing Race. How glad are you that you were on Survivor instead?

EC: (Laughs). Well, I won Survivor! So I am definitely glad I was on Survivor. I felt like you have a bit more control when you go on Survivor than you when you go on Amazing Race. I didn’t have to depend on one other person as well and dragging them along. It was based on my abilities and how I read people and how I dealt with people. And just making the right move and it just worked out. You’re sleeping in the dirt and not eating, I was totally ready for that.

MJ: Who would you have done The Amazing Race with if you did get on that show?

EC: Well, there was someone I was dating at the time when they recruited me for The Amazing Race but she did not want to do the show. So if I was to do it now? It would be and Yau all the way.

MJ: (Laughs). When we talked in New York, I joked to you about how the million dollar winner was walking alone when Survivor is clearly a game about making friends. From the show, which people are you still close with and do you still walk alone?

EC: I am pretty much cool with everyone, you know? I legitimately got along with everyone on the show. That’s why I didn’t piss anybody off and I guess that helped me of course get a unanimous vote. I am cool with everyone. The only person I really didn’t know that well was Lisi because we were never on the same tribe, ever. That’s the only person I didn’t really know.

MJ: I have seen many of the interviews you have done and in a lot of them you say that you weren’t really a big fan of the show before you went on it. Do you think this was an advantage in terms of how you planned your game?

EC: I think it was half and half. I think it helped because I went in with an open mind, as opposed to this particular winner used this strategy to win. It’s like I didn’t have that kind of pressure. I really went in open-minded and at the same time, it also caused me to be kind of naive at the beginning. I don’t know if that was good or bad but it helped me kind of take a backseat and observe what everyone was doing and really take it all in and start formulating my own strategy.

MJ: I think you got one of the best winner edits in Survivor history. Were you happy with the way that you were portrayed because I think I could easily poll one million people and they would all say that wanted you to win over Dreamz and Cassandra.

EC: Yeah, I was edited well. I gave the producers myself. I didn’t change anything up as far as me. I was pretty complex through the whole show. Sometimes I was good and though I had my moments of frustration and I might say something negative at times, but I am pretty much an optimistic guy. A great motivator. And I think it came across pretty well and all those mountain top shots, that was really me exploring the island all the time.

MJ: And once again, walking alone to the top of the mountain.

EC: (Laughs). Walking alone!

MJ: (Laughs). What was your strategy going in?

EC: My strategy, like I said, was just to take a step back and watch. It’s about people. And I learned just from being there that people are the ones that make all the moves and make everything happen. If I don’t piss anyone off and if I can just lead by example and understand the situation… where I understood that Mookie and Rocky, the type of people they are, they want to be in charge. And they want to feel like they are in charge. So I let them do that. I didn’t want to bump any heads, I didn’t want to do anything to cause any friction which helped me creep along and then bring other strong players in a secret alliance like Yau and Michelle. They didn’t even know that was going on.

MJ: You have said that Dreamz was a weapon for you and it must have been great having him do the dirty work of basically eliminating Yau Man for you and giving you all the info about the Horsemen. My question is that if Dreamz was your weapon, were you the one who was pulling the trigger?

EC: I was (laughs) definitely firing a few shots here and there.

MJ: (Laughs).

EC: (Dreamz was) definitely a loose cannon at times. I mean he’s pretty unpredictable, but I understood him. I understood the way he worked, the way he operated and I was okay with that. He backstabbed a lot of people but as long as he wasn’t backstabbing me, I was okay.

MJ: Were you ever concerned that Yau Man would carry a grudge against you for your vote against him, because I think you are just as responsible as Dreamz is for his exit.

EC: Yau Man does not have a grudge against me. He said that he would have done the same thing to me. He was kind of concerned about taking me to the end as well.

MJ: Right, right. You were never in danger during the show. Why do you think everyone allowed you to coast?

EC: You know, I tried to figure that out and I think it was based on various different types of alliances I had. I think people respected me. I was that guy that you trust. Like in one of those challenges, they said that they trusted me with their lives. If you trust somebody with your life, if you respect them that much, why would you even want to cast a vote against them? I mean, yeah people could gang up against me but I don’t know… they just didn’t. Maybe it was a Jedi mind trick I used, I don’t know. (Laughs).

MJ: (Laughs). Jedi mind trick. Nice! The twist that sent Michelle home is something that I want to ask you about. How much did that affect your plan because it seemed like you were easily able to replace her vote with Stacy’s.

EC: It definitely affected my plan with her being gone. We had the numbers. When I saw Stacy come around that corner, I was like ‘oh, no!’

MJ: (Laughs).

EC: The whole game just… we really would have been on easy street for awhile. It just really would have been an order of who we were voting off before the cannibalization begun. I knew at that point that I had to switch things around and recruit somebody in her place. I knew Boo was kind of a lone wolf and he didn’t really have anybody so I talked to Boo and we talked and then I was able to bring Stacy as well! So basically I had to get two people to replace Michelle.

MJ: I know you are tight with Michelle and I am really trying to win some points with her. Do you think you could put in a good word and hook a Murtz up?

EC: I could hook a Murtz up. She’s a fantastic person and her and I got along great!

MJ: Why do you think Boo and Stacy were so willing to jump to your alliance and basically just accept fifth and sixth place?

EC: Well, they didn’t have a home. And Stacy was in an emotional position. I mean when I learned about Stacy, that she’s kind of emotional with that Q & A challenge and she got just the worst wrath of everybody… she was vulnerable at that point and so I had a long talk with her and explained to her why people felt like that. And I think that helped bring her along. I talked to her. Cassandra talked to her as well and I don’t know. She needed that nurturing at that time and that made her trust us and so she was on our side.

MJ: How much of a factor was race this season? You, Dreamz and Cassandra seemed to really have a bond despite the fact that you started on different teams?

EC: I think race was just a minor part of it. I know there were things like you’d hear about Latin alliances, Asian alliances, Black alliances… I mean you’d hear those types of things but really it just comes down to who do I have something in common with?

MJ: Right.

EC: And that’s how you end up trusting. Like me and Yau are… you know we’re different ages and we’re different races but I had things in common with him and that’s how we bonded. And I had things in common with Dreamz as far as a hard upbringing. And Cassandra reminded me of my sister. And so it was different things. I know there was a little talk of the whole Latin alliance, which I understand. They all spoke Spanish and they had this Latin background, so of course, that has a little to do with it but it still comes down to ‘hey, can I trust these people or are they good players in the game to keep on my team.’ But if you have four people from the same race and they are all idiots, do you really want to be in that alliance?

MJ: (Laughs). Was Anthony ever a part of your plan?

EC: Anthony, I bonded with him as well. He was definitely part of my plan and I kept him in as long as I could but he was rubbing Rocky the wrong way. I think it would have been a different game for Anthony if Rocky didn’t exist (laughs).

MJ: (Laughs). I think he’d say the same thing. One of the arguments that you didn’t use during the final tribal council was the fact that you were the only original Ravu member standing and you came from the camp with nothing. I guess you didn’t need to since you won unanimously right?

EC: I didn’t need to say that, but actually Michelle made a point. She asked a question about suffering and I was sitting up there with Moto people and I know I suffered more than anyone since I was part of that old Ravu. People at that old Ravu suffered more than anyone plus I was at Exile Island for seven days.

MJ: Right, so maybe Michelle was setting you up with that question?

EC: Could have been. Alliance doesn’t end until the game is completely done.

MJ: Speaking of winning unanimously, which vote for you to win surprised you the most?

EC: Lisi.

MJ: Really? You didn’t think she was going to vote for you?

EC: Because I didn’t really know her. It was definitely a big surprise. And also the surprise was from Stacy. Because I really thought she might go for the whole sympathy thing.

MJ: Yeah, but this is the same girl who didn’t show Cassandra or Dreamz how to make coffee.

EC: Yeah (laughs). Exactly. Funny how people forget…

MJ: I want to ask you about Mookie and Rocky. They thought they were calling the shots at Ravu when everyone now knows that it was you. What was camp life with them like?

EC: Like a cartoon. They were pretty lazy. I was always gone. Like you never saw shots of me laying around doing nothing. I was always going around trying to find food. Just trying to catch food. Everything. And those guys didn’t want to do that. They just wanted to sit around the camp and sunbathe and complain or something but I didn’t mind. I knew that me going out to get food, I was going to get the respect from the other tribemembers and that’s how I was going to be able to build alliances without them even knowing.

MJ: Is it true that Mookie wanted to quit very early on?

EC: He had his moments where he was just sick of everything. ‘Cause you know when you start losing like that, it definitely damages your psyche and motivation and I think it was just getting to him and he was like ‘You know what? I want a burger. I want fries. I want to go.’ You start doubting yourself and I think he just vocalized it and people heard it. I don’t think he would have quit though in actuality. I don’t.

MJ: Did you ever feel bad about voting him off since you started the game with him (because you kind of voted him off without a second thought)?

EC: Well, I never trusted Mookie. Mookie’s a good guy but he proved to not be trustworthy. Totally switched alliances ’cause what you don’t see on TV is he came to me and said ‘hey, I want to be with my old Ravu members.’ He came to me and said that once the merge happened. I said ‘mmmmmmmm, I don’t know.’ I wasn’t sure. Even Dreamz said that you can trust this guy Mookie and I said ‘I don’t think so!’

MJ: (Laughs). This season was strange because going to Exile Island or should I say Earl Island was actually more of an advantage than a disadvantage. How important were your constant trips there to your actual strategy?

EC: It was important getting clues of course but it gave me a chance to be away from everyone. Even though it is bad to be away from everyone because you don’t get to strategize…

MJ: Right, that’s exactly what I was going to ask you.

EC: You get a chance to be by yourself. I was able to feed myself, I didn’t have to split my food with anyone. And I was able to just sit there and be tranquil and have some thoughts where I was thinking totally toward the end of the game. Like ‘okay, what chess pieces do I have to move the right way at the right time to get to the end.’

MJ: Strategically, what was your best and worst move?

EC: My worst move strategically… I don’t know! Seemed like I made all the right moves!

MJ: (Laughs). That’s right! I just wanted to hear you say it.

EC: (Laughs). I think I made all the right moves. I think I got pretty lucky. I mean definitely with the tribal switch and I ended up on Moto and I was able to start winning ’cause I was eating and resting better than, so I definitely got lucky with that. My best move of course will always be that I had to set aside friendships for ‘okay, it’s about winning,’ and I had to vote out Yau Man. ‘Cause I could have easily been emotional and said ‘you know what? I carried this guy all this time and him and I have been good friends through all this and him and we were going to get each other to the end’ but that would have been not smart. To take that kind of chance and go against him.

MJ: In addition to yourself, who in your mind, were the 5 best strategic players out there?

EC: I would say Alex. Michelle. Yau.

MJ: You got two more.

EC: Dreamz.

MJ: I wanted to hear Dreamz. Nice.

EC: Dreamz, definitely. And… who else could it be?

MJ: Cassandra?

EC: Yeah, I guess Cassandra, yeah.

MJ: I know we talked about what you were going to do with the money, so is investing still the plan?

EC: That is definitely my plan. Just be smart. Pay the taxes. I have various ideas. You know, a million dollars is not a lot of money where you can just say ‘I quit my job and I am moving to the Caribbean.’ It’s not that type of money. You need to have a plan. So I am just really weighing my options to see what I want to do. But I want to make the money grow.

MJ: You know what’s funny? Every winner that I have talked to after Richard Hatch, the first thing they all say ‘I’m going to pay my taxes.’

EC: Yup, you have to. They are going to get it some kind of way. You don’t want to go to jail and they get it. You don’t want them to garnish something. Just go ahead and give it to them upfront. Like ‘hey, here you go. You got me.’

MJ: Finally, I was shocked to learn that you were single. I know you joked about marrying Erica, but now that the game is over… I want you to be straight with me and tell me which girl out there you think was the hottest.

EC: (Sighs). Good question!

MJ: Lay it on the line. Only one.

EC: One?

MJ: Just one. I think I know what you’re going to say but I want to make sure.

EC: (Sighs). That’s wrong! (Laughs). I can’t answer that question.

MJ: Aw, come on. You’re the winner now, there’s no game.

EC: I’ll say Michelle.

MJ: Nice. What’s next for you Earl?

EC: What’s next for me? I haven’t been back to work yet, but I am going back to work in the morning. And I want to keep interviewing and talking about the game and the play. Just anything to help promote the show. I definitely want to promote the show and for all those people who say ‘oh, he never watched the show.’ No, I didn’t watch TV! Never mind just Survivor. But now that I have watched it, I have so many other people hooked on it as well. So hopefully the fanbase can just keep growing and growing and we can go on until Survivor 25!

MJ: Awesome, thank you so much and don’t forget about that good word with Michelle.

EC: I will definitely put in a word for you.

MJ: Thanks dude. Take it easy.

EC: Bye.

Originally from Kansas City, Kansas, Earl Cole attended business school at the University of Washington in Seattle and received a National Scholastic Achievement Award before moving to Southern California. He is currently a Senior Advertising Executive who creates and manages new media strategies, brand marketing and advertising budgets for major accounts. He formerly worked as a marketing manager at a cable company, a sales analyst for a film company and a writer’s assistant for a television comedy series.

– Survivor: Fiji airs on CBS on Thursday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

– Survivor: Fiji airs on the Global network in Canada on Thursday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

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