Alumni Interviews

[Jeff Probst]

One thing I tell new players to always be cautious of, is to not fall into the trap of assuming you are the mastermind of your alliance. Last season, I told all of the new players this ahead of the game, and still a majority of them fell into this trap. So I’ll try this once again… New players seem to believe that they are the mastermind of their alliance, when in actuality they are just going along for the ride. There is always a perceived leader of an alliance that everyone in the opposing alliance believes is the leader. New players assume, that if they make it to the final 3, they will be able to explain to a jury that they were really the mastermind. This is rarely the case. Even if it’s true, jurors only vote for what they can see as fact. Perception is reality.

Assuming that you can change the minds of all of the jurors who have viewed you as a follower the entire game in the 11th hour is arrogant. You have to be able to prove your game by having a viable résumé that players have witnessed.

How do you know if you are only ‘going along for the ride’? well, the best indication is if you are the one suggesting who gets voted off and if that’s being heard. If you aren’t that person, you are playing someone else’s game.

Another trap new players fall into all too often is that they get nervous about wanting to make it far and assume that staying in an alliance is the only way to do that. They end up playing it safe and regretting not having made a move earlier. There is more than one way to skin a cat. That is why it’s important to get to know all of the players so that you have options.

Sidebar: You don't actually have to be like the representative you are assigned, you're merely taking on their name, not their personality. You can do whatever you want with the identity ie: Making Rupert be a complete backstabbing asshole, or Russell Hantz a completely loyal angel.

The final bit of advice I’ll give you is to have fun. The worst thing in the world is to talk to players after the game and they tell me “Aw, I should’ve played a more fun game, I wish I had just played crazy and fought with people and made a lot of alliances and gone out in a blaze of glory” The fact of the matter is, the worst thing you can do is waste your opportunity. People assume this means being voted out. I disagree… I think wasting your opportunity is to play it safe, make it very far, and lose. Trust me, you would rather go out early and make a huge impact on the season and have a lot of fun doing it, than make it to the final 3 and lose to a better player who had fun and didn’t play it safe.

[Jeff Probst]

1. What is the one thing you wish someone had told you and what advice would you have given yourself going into the game?

There are really two things that I wish I would have been told going in to my first season of stranded. First off, make sure that you keep connections open with everyone, whether you mesh with their personalities or not because you never know when they might become useful. Second, and most important is to not sit on your ass and wait to make the right move. If you see a move that you think helps you have to go for it, being too complacent gets you nowhere besides an early boot that you'll have nothing to say for. Definitely, if you see an opportunity, take it.

Don't be some overly trusting/naïve. People are going to lie about the smallest things they can, such as how experienced they are in these things, so take everything with a grain of salt. If you trust someone, you don't need to second guess them as much, but you have to keep in the back of your mind that everyone is trying to win, and they'll do whatever they can to do so. Also, be flexible. Things can change by the minute, and you can't have just one linear plan to follow. Be ready to change things at the drop of a hat.

How crucial the social aspect is. It seems like that’d be obvious, but it’s more about the how than the why. Being able to hold a legitimate conversation and actually making an effort to get to know people will get you so much farther than forcing a conversation for the sake of saying you were social.

Take it easy and don't get too worked up about things! It's a game and it's supposed to be fun! If you're not having fun here you're doing something wrong, and you'll need to fix it. And while you might want to really REALLY REALLY want to win this game, don't take things too seriously. AS I said before, it's just a silly online survivor game and you don't even win anything if you do win.

I was an ORG noob at the time, so I wish someone would have told me to keep an eye out for Day 1 alliances that didn't include myself. I also wish I didn't act in the character of Jenna LOL. Stranded is by far my worst performance ever, but I still loved every second of it.

I wish someone told me that you need to talk more strategy, I talked a lot of life,music,videogames,tv shows. and people will like you if you do that but you need to talk strategy even if it's with the other alliance leader and you're feeding eachother bullshit.

How much time I would be spending just messaging back and forth with people and how stressful it can be when you take it seriously.

I wish someone had told me just how realistic this game is. I was expecting a mediocre set up with players who thought they knew how to play but really didn't. It was the complete opposite. This game is very demanding, but in a good way especially if you're a huge fan of Survivor. The only part missing is the elements. But you do face mental exhaustion trying to keep up with everything and everyone and the game itself. The people who play want to play, so don't underestimate ANYBODY. If I could go back and give myself advice before I played, I'd tell myself to act like I was a newbie playing alongside Cirie's and Parvati's. You have to take the game into your own hands or someone else will use you as a puppet.

2. How would you describe the pacing of the game and what you learned about Survivor?

Stranded is pretty fast paced, but I would equate it to how the actual show is in it's speed. Not too fast or too slow seeing as it's played on around by round basis, exactly like survivor. As far as learning about survivor, I realized that having a strategy going in to the game will only get you so far, and you have to be really fluid. It also showed me how to pick up on some cues from people for if they were lying to me and showed me that a lot of shit that I thought would work didn't, and some that I didn't think would work did.

Things go quick, real quick, and minor details make the difference between being a target and being safe. Don't dawdle when talking to/responding to other players, they'll take your silence as you not wanting to work with them, therefore setting you up as a target early and often. Also, be social, but don't overdo it, Get to know as many people as you can, but don't rely on the social butterfly card too much, it won't do you any good if no one wants to talk game with you at all.

Very fast, but it’ll seem like more time has gone by than it actually has. It’ll kind of blow your mind a little when you’re about a week in and you think back to the first boot and go like “Wow, was that really only a week ago?”

You'll be surprised how fast 24 hours go by when playing. The weekdays, Monday-Thursday fly by filled with strategy or just fun in general, but then Friday-Sunday morning isn't slow, but much longer. There's a lot of time to plan out things over the weekend, and if you have a "solid" plan going into Friday, odds are it won't be a "solid" plan by Sunday.

The pacing was really good, and I learned that the bonds you form at the start of the game are CRUCIAL. Make sure you can really trust your allies.

I learnt that survivor is way harder than you think it is. and that everyone is there to win in some way or another, some people have different ways of "winning" some people want to be FF and some people want to make cover [banner for the season with 6 most influential players], then some want to win! you should be trying to win! and the pacing seems to randomly jump from slow to fast to fast faster yadda yadda you get the picture

It went just about as quickly as I expected it too. the breaks on the weekends made it drag a little bit and it got a little tedious toward the end of the season but overall it was a fine pace.

The pacing of the game is very fast. You have to keep up or don't even bother. This game taught me how exhausting the social aspect is and how tough playing with strangers is. You don't know them but you have to keep conversations going in order to build relationships and most of the time they're boring and annoying but you gotta push through.

3. What can they expect in terms of personalities in the game and how should they approach them?

Most people in stranded are level headed, but you will come across some crazies as well. Jeff does a good job trying toget different kinds of people to fill his spots so you'll be dealing with a lot of different people, some you'll love, some you'll hate but they definitely will all have personality.

You're going to get volatile/irrational personalities anywhere. If you can get on their good side, suck it up and put up with them, it'll make them want to keep you around if they feel they can relate to you. If you're on their bad side, don't be afraid to cut them off, they'll be a lot more harm than good at that stage, and you can use that to possibly get in closer with others who don't like or don't trust that person. With hardcore strategists/gamebots, best you can do is shoot straight with them. Don't let them in on any plans that you have unless theirs line up with yours, but be logical, straightforward, and show them that you know what you're doing and want to play the game with you. With the more laid back/social types, just be yourself, make friends/allies with them, and don't overdo it with the game talk. If they just want to kick back, relax, and shoot the shit, don't freak out and overload them with plans, match their pace and strategize when you feel the time is right.

A mish-mash of veritably everything. There’s no way to expect what kind of people you’ll be playing with. Your best bet is to be prepared for any type of person and hope you’re good at acting if you don’t like them.

There will be a myriad of personalities in the game. That's how the game gets exciting after all! If you're on a tribe full of crazy people it's likely that everyone was put on tribes for a specific reason in terms of personalities so keep that in mind. Just find a way to get to know everyone...

The personalities you'll run into in Stranded are both hilarious and blunt. It's always fun playing games on the subreddit Jeff created and correcting everyone's incorrect opinions.

You're going to get really annoying and boring people. boring people are the hardest since you don't want to reply to their pms. just reply and get it over with. I tried to pm everyone at least 3 times a day. i didn't do so everyday tbh.

Expect every type of personality and pretend that type of person is your favorite type of person, even if you can't stand them. and if you can't, bond with other people about how much you hate them.

There are going to be people who you can tell believe they run shit and you're just a piece to their puzzle. Feed into these egos and then slice their head off. You have to play this game for yourself, make sure you're looking out for yourself and not just going with the flow.

4. What was the best way you found to get acquainted with the rest of your tribemates?

Message everyone, make sure you are always talking with people. Normally the person who messages the most, or puts in the most effort in to making bonds with people is the best off. A good rule of thumb is to try and match the length of the message sent to you, and to always try to seem engaged in the conversation... even if you really aren't. If people think you like them, especially in a game with as much paranoia as survivor, they'll like you back and trust you.

Just be yourself. The first few days are the most crucial, and the best thing you can do is get acquainted with everyone that you can. The game talk will come in time, but before any of it starts, you need to make others feel comfortable talking to you in general, and there's no better way than just being yourself, getting to know them, and having a nice, long conversation about whatever comes up.

There’s always some common ground you can find. Favorite tv shows, books, hobbies, what you do for a living, what you’re going to school for. The list goes on and on. The important thing is to remember that these are actual people behind the reps so if you don’t seem interested in them then they won’t give a crap about you either.

...by reading into how they like to talk! Find a common ground whether it's Survivor, other favoite hobbies, or tribe pride. there's nothing wrong with trying to get to know everyone and make friends. Just remember that everyone there is there to win, including yourself.

Just crack some jokes and talk about something where everyone can join the conversation. It's always fun to throw shade at the hosts/PWs.

For me i asked questions about something I knew a lot about such as music. then i find out who likes the same thing i likeex.rap. then realy strength a bond with them!

Talking about seasons of survivor, movies, non-survivor topics and also bashing people in the game we didn't like very much.

Act nice and sweet at the beginning and talk about how much potential you see in your tribe and boost morale. Add this to you successfully completing challenges and making relationships and you should be golden until a swap/merge.

5. Talk about your personal experience in terms of what you thought would be a great strategy and what you think now is a better strategy?

I went in and tried to make a solid alliance of a majority of my tribe, and rode that out to the merge, once I got to the merge I got complacent and it ended up sending me home. The big thing I learned going in to my next two games is that keeping your options open is insanely important. Obviously getting in to a majority is a great idea but come merge time any strategy you had needs to change based on the new people you are talking to, how you interact with them and how you think you can BEAT people going in to the end game on top of that. The best strategy is to leave your options open and to not be afraid to switch things up, because if you are afraid it'll be too late.

The first time I played, I was way too trusting of others and had one mindset throughout the entire game, which ultimately was my downfall. I tried floating/laying low and using my social game to carry me through, which worked out for a little while, but wasn't nearly enough. Honestly, there's no strategy that sounds better than the others (to me, at least), because everything goes out the window once the game starts. The best thing you can do is keep your mind open to any possibility, no matter how crazy it may seem, because there's no telling what will happen.

In Nepal I was all about being social. I had a lot of connections and I tried my best to use them. I made some strategic moves too, but the problem was they were with my allies and I didn’t really have too much that I could attribute to just my game, so I came out looking like I hadn’t done much of anything. If I could go back and do it again I’d make more of an effort to make a few more self-serving moves. The moves I made were too safe. And safe is fine, but safe is also hard to present as a winning game. The way I see it now, playing safe can get you to the end but you probably won’t have anything to show for it. Taking risks can result in your getting voted out but if they pay off they’ll be worth it. The trick is knowing when to take those risks.

My first game I thought taht it would be smart to try to run my tribe since I figured I could easily do it. I did fine until the swap and then I tried to orchestrate things a bit too much and got myself voted out. The second time I played a much more UTR game, but I made allies. But in that game I was far too gullible and trusting, and I trusted the wrong people. And then I isolated myself to the point where no one wanted to work with me aside from one person, and I managed to snag the 2nd juror spot. I realize now that playing confident but not cocky is ultimately the best way to play an ORG. By being confident you're able to be sure of your moves, while not being too overconfident. It's a solid plan.

At the time, I thought all you had to do to be safe at the start was be likable. I now know that it's important to find reliable allies and be willing to go with the flow and not make waves. Always make sure you're not on the bottom of the pecking order.

I thought being a nice dude like fabio and just talking to people would be a good strategy and it is a good thing to do, but you ca't only rely on that. I made it to a finals and when you make it to the finals and you only talked to people you are seen as a goat. you need the do it all no matter how hard it seems, even the challenges.

the best strategy is to not have a strategy and to be prepared to adapt to everything. if you're at the bottom, sneak your way to the middle/top. if you're at the top, find a way to lower yourself to the middle/top so you are not public enemy #1. a good social game is a good strategic game.

Coming in, I thought any type of leadership twist was a horrible thing to accept. But as I was living through it I realized that you can take this role on by manipulating your tribe beforehand into thinking that leaders shouldn't be targets. Then you have nobody truly targeting you and you have whatever power being leader comes with. It's a win win.

6. What are the easy traps to fall into in the game and what ways did you find to avoid them?

Getting complacent is never good and it's a really easy trap to fall in to, always be on alert and you can avoid it. Theres a really fine line between being cautious and paranoid, but it's MUCH better to be paranoid and wrong than to be complacent and get blindsided.

As mentioned before, being overly trusting in people is an easy trap to fall into. These people are going to lie about small things, whether it's game experience, their personal lives, game moves they're planning, everything. Try to stay calm and look at things logically or how a neutral observer would view them, if possible. Also, always have a plan B in case of an immunity win. There's nothing worse than scrambling at the last minute, because it's complete chaos in a very short amount of time. Have a plan established well ahead of time (ideally before the challenge) and also lay out backup plans in case things need to change in a hurry.

Making alliances can be a tricky business. Especially right off the bat when you’re just jumping into the game. Some people make alliances with multiple people, so it’s hard to know when someone legitimately wants to work with you or if you’re just their backup plan. And they’re going to be feeling the same way about you if you approach them. So I’ve found that the best way to make good alliances is to establish a decent connection with a person first. It’s easier to work with someone if you click with them and you’ll feel much more at ease about it, as will they. Of course, they could still stab you in the back but there’s really no way to completely prevent that every time.

Getting comfy and overconfident. If you feel super duper comfy with all the moves you've made or positions you've found yourself in, you've already lost. Feeling comfy with your game shouldn't happen until you're in the final 3 with goats you KNOW you can beat. To avoid this trap a lot of time I'd more or less just, not, check in with people, but ask what others had heard. It shows loyalty and stuff. Its hard to avoid the traps of comfort, but you'll know when you're not in a trap.

Don't put your trust into someone 100%. Always be wary of even your closest allies. They're all playing just as hard as you, and they have their own agendas. I...didn't avoid these traps in Stranded lol. However, now that I'm a bit more seasoned, I'm doin' A LOT better in other ORGs.

It's very easy to get heartfucked/screwed by an ally. and it's very easy to not want to screw an ally when you really should. unless if you ahve the 10000% i don't like trusting most peple. unless f you find your cochran. but thsoe are rare.

taking the game too seriously is a big trap and you have to avoid that by remembering to have fun with it. another trap is thinking that other people can see the game you're playing (if you play an UTR game like me) and the way to avoid that is to try and see the game from other people's POV instead of only your own.

Easy traps to fall into for me is when somebody you get a good first impression from approaches you with a deal even though they're just manipulating you. You want to work with them but they're just using you without you realizing it. Avoid this by comparing notes with other players, whether they are people you already trust or people you have rarely talked to.

7. What is the most important thing to remember throughout the game?

Have fun and play HARD. You don't want to be sitting in the losers lounge thinkin "What if?", you need to put everything out there so you don't regret it.

Have fun and don't stress yourself out too much. This is a game, it's meant to be fun. Yes, it'll be great to win, but you shouldn't make that the end-all-be-all of this thing. This is as close as you can get to actually playing Survivor, and you're going to have a blast in the process. Other than that, just make sure to keep a level head, don't let others freak you out, eat your vegetables, take your vitamins, brush your teeth twice a day (and floss, can't forget that), and most importantly, have fun.

Try to have fun with it. If you’re not enjoying yourself in a game then what’s the point? Also, update your confessionals every now and again. We can’t root for you if you don’t tell us what you’re doing.

Confident, not cocky. It's just a game.

Always make sure you're not the biggest threat left in the game. Also, your social game is EXTREMELY important, as you can influence people to shift the vote in your favor down the road. Seriously, the importance of social bonds cannot be repeated enough.

Like in most things I think the most important thing to remeber is t ostay calm. if you freak out and let your emotions control you, most likely the outcome won't be what you wanted

have fun so when you lose you will be a loser who had fun instead of just a loser.

Remember that you are not there to play anybody else's game but your own, but that goes for everyone so don't expect anybody to play your game either. That's the beautiful part about this game. How do you get someone to do what you want even though it's not best for them? Don't ever be to stubborn and believe someone will do what you want even if it doesn't benefit them (this includes your own alliance members as well).