Survivorfest Interview with our very own Mike Bonham!

Mike, a long-time Survivorfest player and former grand champion, has graciously agreed to reflect on his experiences in meeting with some of the cast of Survivor.  Here is an excerpt from our discussion:

Tony:  How did you meet the Survivors? Was it a special event or are you a stalker or some kind?


Mike:  I volunteer for AIDS Resource Center of Ohio and we were making a video production of the importance and prevalence of AIDS in our society. We came up with “The Rainbow Challenge” which is a Survivor like competition but consisting of members of the gay community (those still highly impacted by the disease). Within the shows (found here http://www.youtube.com/user/TheRainbowChallenge) we put in the public service announcements of The Amazing Race and Survivor contestants as educational announcements. All the service announcements can been seen off the youtube site. The Rainbow Challenge (although hard to hear in parts…hey, we’re not professional) is also a good show to see to get pumped for the next season of Survivor!

The Survivor’s/Racer’s were at a fundraiser for Kentucky/Indiana Firefighters and Police Officers at an event held in Louisville back in June. We were invited as special guests so we could make the PSA’s. I didn’t want to be rude and take pictures with everyone I met, so I just took the few on the nights we went out with the cast members. There were probably about 50 or so “celebrities” from Survivor, Amazing Race, American Idol, that pirate show on CBS that was cancelled (I didn’t know them), Project Runway, Real World, and a few other shows I hadn’t heard of. The vast majority of celebrities there were from Survivor. Including Jenn from Survivor Palau who just passed away after her battle with cancer.

Tony:  Which Survivors did you like the best and why?

Mike:  Rupert was my favorite since I loved him on both Survivor seasons he was on. I went to shake his hand and he said he doesn’t shake, but gave me a huge bear hug. He will a little all up in my bubble, but hey, it’s Rupert. I talked to him for a while because he was so interested in how similar our last names were. His is Boneham and mine Bonham. He said he thinks we’re related…I don’t know about that lol. I also really liked Eliza since I hung out with her at the club the most. Sugar was also pretty amazing, but she was a bit intoxicated every time we talked. Oh, the joys of hanging out with “B-listers”. JT was just a nice country boy just like he was on the show.

Tony:  Which Survivors did you dislike and why?

Mike:  I didn’t really dislike any of them. There were obviously a few I didn’t get to talk to since they didn’t go out with us, like Bob from Survivor Gabon (he was wearing his bowtie), but I liked them all. Crazy Sandy from Tocantines was pretty crazy. She was a little overwhelming, but fun.

Tony:  Did any of them share any special stories about their experiences?

Mike:  Unfortunately since we had to film and they were there for a fundraiser, we didn’t talk much about their experiences on the show. I wanted to get some questions in, but then going out at night was basically a time to have fun. We also took a lot of time on the PSAs since people kept messing up their lines.

Tony:  Is there something about the way they put together the show that you found surprising, interesting or insightful?

Mike:  Well I heard about things I already knew. Like the fact that tribal council actually films for a few hours since they ask a ton of questions and after they vote (when Jeff goes to “tally the votes”) producers take away the voting slips for a good amount of time. They reorder them and decide which ones they’re going to show. I also found it interesting that many of the Survivors said the hardest thing about the show was the boredom. Sometimes there’s 2 days between challenges with nothing to do but sit at camp.

Tony:  Was there any Survivor that you met and thought "wow. how did this idiot win/almost win a million bucks?"

Mike:  Actually, Coach. He was the exact same in person as he was on the show. However, I also think that’s all an act. He was acting like he was on the show since he was around people who loved who he was on the show.

Tony:  Have any of them had particular issues with their new "fame"? Are any of them enjoying the fame "a little too much"?

Mike:  I think Courtney aka Skelator from China loved the attention as did Sugar. But the people that were there obviously like the fame since they agreed to the fundraiser. Rupert has used his fame for his Rupert’s Kids Foundation…an excellent way to use your fame.

Tony:  What's the deal with Sugar and Eliza staying with you?

Mike:  One of my best friends is Andrew Hyde. He was on Amazing Race 3 with his dad. If anyone remembers, they were the team that WON the fast-forward in leg 3 and were still eliminated. Yeah, they were that good lol. Anyway, Andrew does a lot of this type of stuff with reality stars so they’re coming to his wedding in May. Sugar and Eliza will be staying with me since the wedding is in Centerville.

Tony:  Do you think any of the Survivors would be interested in getting in on the action for Survivorfest 6? :-)

Mike:  Lol, I could probably ask around, but some of the ones I know are on the next Survivor, so they’d win! We don’t want that.

Tony:  Thanks for doing this!

Survivorfest 6! Bios and pre-season analysis is complete

Bios and pre-season analysis:  http://www.woltermanns.com/Survivorfest/survivorfest.6.bios.htm

Survivorfest 6 rules: http://www.woltermanns.com/Survivorfest/Survivorfest.6.rules.doc

Survivorfest 6 gamesheets:  http://www.woltermanns.com/Survivorfest/survivorfest.6.entry.sheet.xls

Season 20 of Survivor promises to be the best yet!  Don't miss out on the only way to enjoy the show...Survivorfest!

Survivorfest 6!

Survivorfest 6! Here we come!