John Cochran

ciriefan

Insider odcinek 3:

Glad Semhar is Gone

Since Semhar tried to get Cochran voted out, he is not sad to see her leave the game

"Ozzy and Elyse came back from the duel."

(cut)

"The cockles of my heart were warmed by the news that Semhar is officially out of the game of Survivor South Pacific. She wanted to get me out. She was saying some pretty nasty things about me in Tribal Council, that I'm not intelligent, I hesitate too much, I don't get anything done, basically that I'm a liability and a drain around camp. That sort of negative attention getting put on me, it's good that the one person who is spouting that nonsense get eliminated from the game entirely. If she had returned to the game later on she probably would have been gunning after me or had some sort of vendetta against me. I'm thrilled to know Semhar, or whatever her name is - apparently I'll never get it right, Semhar, or Semhair, or Sapphire, Smore, whatever it is, she's gone, and I'm living on. Life is good for the time being."

(cut)

"On the other hand, it is interesting to know Christine was the first person kicked out of Upolu, and apparently she succeeded in the duel and she will be continuing forward. I was hoping it would be one of the stronger members of Upolu who ended up at Redemption Island, just because that would mean we have a better shot at beating them in future challenges, but Christine looked like a tough cookie, so that would mean the other tribe may be hurting somewhat in her absence."

ciriefan

Insider odcinek 4:

Big Power Move

Cochran is eager to work with Jim to get an unexpected tribe mate out of the game.

"The first few boots have been relatively easy. There hasn't been a lot of strategy involved. Getting rid of Semhar was straightforward. Getting rid of Papa Bear was straightforward. For somebody like me who thrives on big strategic moves and loves seeing that in a game like Survivor, I've been dying to see that in Survivor. Now that Dawn and I have been scrambling for a place in our tribe, and seeing that Jim might have the same feeling, this is a perfect opportunity to finally make a big move we've all been wanting to make. Taking out Elyse is going to put a big group in the model group, the 90210 group that is I guess dominating the group in terms of morale and sleeping arrangements and everything. We're eager to do something. Getting rid of Elyse is going to devastate Ozzy, first off, and it might make the rest of the pretty people feel less secure. The less secure they feel the more likely they are to be willing to make a switch. I think this is finally going to be the time the Savaii tribe makes a move that changes the course of the game and it's going to surprise a lot of pretty people."

(cut)

"The whole alliance between Jim and me kind of happened out of the blue. We both have a mutual love of this game that is not necessarily shared by all our tribemates. We love this game, we know it well, we want to play as hard as possible. We're very interested in making big power moves. The other Savaii tribemates are focused on playing it safe, keeping the tribe strong, whatever that means, going into the merge. So Jim and I talked a lot about the game, and that kind of developed into a possible alliance."

(cut)

"I'm really willing to work with anybody at this point. Jim having some confidence in me and some trust in me meant a lot. I think we're going to be a good partnership moving forward."

ciriefan

Insider odcinek 5:

Feisty Redemption Duel

Cochran gives the details of what he learned about the Redemption duel

"Whitney and Dawn were sent to Redemption Island duel between Christine and whoever was kicked out at the previous Tribal Council. It ended up being Stacey, which actually surprised me quite a bit, because I thought Stacey was a really, really strong competitor for her tribe in the last challenge. I was surprised that's who they kicked off. It turns out it was a pretty feisty Redemption Island duel and the aftermath was pretty exciting. Apparently Stacey went off on her tribe, saying they're all mindless followers of Coach. Stacey even refused to refer to him as Coach, and called him Benjamin, which is the ultimate insult to somebody like Coach, who is all about fostering this reputation and image. I'd like to hear there is some sort of dissent or division going on at the Upolu tribe, focused around Coach. It sounds like Coach is right now in control of Upolu, but the fact that there's a 4-4, now 4-3 split means they're going to be weaker going into challenges, less unified morale, and we have a better shot at beating them. To hear that Christine stuck around and got through another duel was also interesting. I envisioned her as a pretty strong woman but not necessarily someone who can steamroll through a competition like that. I'm hoping that if Christine re-enters the game at some point, she feels comfortable re-aligning herself not with her old tribe, but with Savaii. Apparently there's a lot of bad blood between herself and I guess the Coach guild on Upolu. It sounds like it was a really good Redemption Island duel, and I wish I could have been there."

ciriefan

Insider odcinek 6:

Cochran explains how important the challenge win was for Savaii.

"Today Savaii kicked ass at challenge. I was worried we'd mess it up and end up even further down in numbers at Tribal.We managed to really pull it out the last minute, work together. I don't think I contributed that much to our victory, just untied a few knots, but I think our tribe did extremely well. This was a crucial win, not only for our stake in the game, but for morale, and our stake around camp."

(cut)

"Jeff announced at the challenge that it would be both an immunity and reward challenge. The reward was the winning tribe would go to this beautiful waterfall and slippery-stone alcove in the South Pacific."

(cut)

"I'm generally not one to be in awe of nature, or take in my surroundings, but even I can't deny the beauty of this place. These natural waterslides where you slide down these mossy rocks, into a giant pool of fresh water. You feel refreshed as soon as you touch the water. What's more, we got to eat at this amazing picnic with mangos and strawberries and sandwiches and then brownies. It's been a dream come true. The reward is by far the best we've experienced in the game so far."

(cut)

"It was a real breath of fresh air and gave you the sort of motivation I need to get through the next 3 days, or the next 25 days, or <laughs> 23 days."

ciriefan

Insider odcinek 7 - 3 filmiki:

It Felt Horrible

Cochran admits to being ostracized after messing up in the challenge.

"At the immunity/reward challenge, I was given the task of clipping and unclipping the blindfolded obstacle course runners when they returned and left the station where the callers were standing, which were Jim and me. At one point in the challenge, Dawn and Keith returned with their puzzle masks, and they were kind of tangled up around the next. Dawn was on one side, Keith was on the other. I was in the weird position of having to first kind of reorient them before I was able to unclip them. But reorienting them meant I had to lift Dawn over the net or lift Keith over the net, and I wasn't confident in my ability to do that. I kind of panicked for a second, gestured Jim to have Jim help me out in untangling them. By that point Dawn and Keith had gotten so tangled, it was really a mess, it was unclear what Dawn and Keith had to do. Dawn and Keith can't see anything because they're blindfolded. It was down to Jim and me."

(cut)

"There was a lot of anxiety about how to get them untangled from the net. In the process, when they finally were untangled..."

(cut)

"We had a lead going into that leg of the challenge, but when they came back, we lost, unfortunately. I felt horrible, because it clearly came down to some issue with the rope. Even though I wasn't physically the person who latched on the clip improperly, that was my responsibility, and the blame fell on me. People were cursing at me, they were screaming at me, they turned away from me. I was terrified."

(cut)

"I went into my flight mode, retreated into my shell, and waited for the whole ordeal to be over."

(cut)

"I've always felt like an outcast on my tribe, but this was a new level of ostracism. No one would look at me. They were all patting each other on the back, 'Look Dawn, you did a great job.' 'Whitney, you did an awesome job.' 'Keith and Ozzy, fantastic job.' 'Jim, great job calling.' Still kind of angry, but, I didn't even exist at that point. I was standing behind them, clearly upset. It wasn't like I was not remorseful for my actions, or my mistake, but I was nonexistent at that point. It felt horrible. Even though I am kind of a nerdy outcast, I've always prided myself on being able to fit in with everybody and get along with everybody. This was the first time that I felt like I was legitimately hated by everybody on my tribe. They didn't want to look at me or acknowledge my existence. It felt horrible. I really did feel like crying. But I stayed as strong as I could and put up with it."

Ozzy Better Win

Cochran is so grateful to Ozzy for volunteering to go to Redemption Island

"If Ozzy does go through with this and really saves me - he would be saving me - I don't see myself backstabbing him anytime soon, unless he does something absolutely insane in the future. I really do sincerely appreciate him doing this. I know it's not for me, I know it's for the tribe, but it does directly benefit me. I'll probably, at least for the next several votes, vote however he wants. I'll feed him any information he wants. I'll be a good guy. I'm not that sinister. I love this game, but I'm not going to play an evil game. When someone respects me and helps me out, I'm more than happy to reciprocate."

(cut)

"One scenario that's running through my mind and making me worry is that even if Ozzy does go through with this plan and agree to be sent to Redemption Island, in the unlikely event he does lose, I know my tribe's going to hate my guts. Even though I had nothing to do with this plan, I didn't suggest it, I didn't even encourage him that strongly, I know for whatever reason they're going to be furious because they're going to view me as the reason Ozzy was kicked off, because I couldn't fasten the clip properly. So there's only one possible good way this could end, which is Ozzy winning the challenge. If he loses, Savaii's gonna hate my guts. If I get sent to Redemption Island, I'm gonna lose and go home, and Savaii's gonna lose, so that would be horrible. Ozzy better just win tomorrow or else I'm going to feel even more ostracized probably than even after losing that last challenge."

Fingers Crossed

Cochran hopes that Ozzy will be true to his word

(Ozzy cooks)

Cochran: I want you to be happy with the decision.

Ozzy: I am. I came out here to do something special; this is it. Let's face it - I've got a huge target on my back. If I don't do something big, if I don't do something bold, then it's gonna be hard for me to make it to the end, and even if I do, people are gonna have a hard time voting for me.

Cochran: I'm 100% committed.

Cochran (solo): I'm hoping against hope that Ozzy does what he says he's going to do, and that tonight at Tribal he says to everybody, "Look, I'm willing to sacrifice myself for the good of the tribe because I have a better shot at winning against Christine than Cochran does." If he does that, I don't really care whether he wins and comes back, I just want to survive another night. But it would be fantastic if he did come back, and the Savaii 6 remained strong, and went to the merge, which is hopefully tomorrow or sometime soon, with even numbers. I've just gotta keep my fingers crossed, that all goes as I hope it will.

ciriefan

Insider odcinek 8 - 3 filmiki:

Member of the Family

Cochran explains how he felt sitting out of the Bow Diddley challenge.

"The Upolu tribe and myself all kind of thought..."

(cut)

"It would be the most symbolic, kind of grandest gesture if we decided to sit out and leave the challenge entirely up to Whitney, Dawn, and Jim. I actually wouldn't have minded participating; I probably wouldn't have won, but I feel kind of silly after making this big bold move and saying I'm taking control of my fate in this game, and then almost immediately sitting out of the first challenge afterwards. It was a little bit emasculating to watch Dawn, Jim, and Whitney really just taking control of the game, or their game. I wasn't completely onboard with the idea, but at this point, I still have to ingratiate myself with my new tribe alliance, so I wasn't going to be the one to stand out by saying, 'I want to fight for myself.' At this point I need to become a member of the family, and not - no pun intended - the redheaded stepchild."

Coach's Jacket

Cochran explains what it meant to wear Coach's jacket.

"There was no real malicious intent behind wearing Coach's jacket to Tribal Council. It was a symbolic gesture, it showed the Opolu tribe...Coach specifically was really inviting me into the fold. He was lending me his iconic jacket into the most iconic moment in Survivor history, Tribal Council. It was kind of just a symbol of the fact that I have fully ingratiated myself into the Opolu tribe. Beyond that, I like Coach, and I like the myth that surrounds him. I can feel his Dragonslayer spirit entering my pores and flowing into my bloodstream just after putting on that jacket. It reinvigorated me in a sort of way in this game. The sweater vest is nice, but it hasn't really gotten me anywhere; it's gotten me ridiculed. To kind of take on this new persona, this bad-ass in the black jacket with a white floral print, I think it did me some good and made me a lot more confident going into Tribal."

Mixed Emotions

Cochran explains why he has mixed emotions about voting out Ozzy.

"Today's immunity challenge, I didn't even get past the first round, so I had no opportunity to really participate in the challenge. I had the opportunity to throw a couple of coconuts, miss every shot, and then sit out for the remainder of the challenge. It was kind of a bummer. I would like to do at least some extent in an individual immunity challenge. In the last challenge I was also out in the first round, and I didn't really get to the meat of the challenge. It's a little disappointing as a Survivor fan and enthusiast that I'm not really getting to participate. But at least several other people were eliminated at the same time as me; it wasn't like I was obviously the worst coconut thrower of the bunch."

(cut)

"Voting out Ozzy tonight, if that's the decision I make, will kind of be accompanied by mixed emotions. On the one hand, he's a gigantic threat in this game, and the longer he stays the more of a chance he's gonna win more challenges, find more immunity idols, and possibly oust me for having betrayed him by switching sides to Opolu."

(cut)

"On the other hand, Ozzy was someone I guess indirectly benefited me by agreeing to go to Redemption Island."

(cut)

"He did spare me certain elimination at the hands of Christine at Redemption Island. I do have some sympathy for his plight, and initially, he didn't blow up at me after I betrayed the Savaii 6, Savaii 5. He calmly came up to me and said he felt hurt, felt betrayed, and then kind of went into a series of lies about how much he wanted to work with me. He didn't blow up at me. He didn't curse at me like Jim and Whitney did. I did take notice of that. I am somewhat reluctant to vote him tonight."

(cut)

"This is a very important decision for - I guess I'm gonna call it our tribe, even though I literally just joined Upolu less than 18 hours ago."

ciriefan

Insider odcinek 10:

Tai Chi With Coach

Cochran explains why he is thrilled to have done tai chi with Coach.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAtsR55-1l8

"Practicing Coach Chi with Coach is like making a phone call to Alexander Graham Bell. It's kind of surreal. You feel like you're part of history, really, or entering some sort of pantheon of historic Survivor moments. I was thrilled to be a part of it. Physically it involves tensing your muscles, while releasing spiritual and emotional obstacles that are kind of floating around in your head. It's this weird dichotomy between physical exertion and mental release. It was great doing it with Coach, because I'm an eager student, not only in this game, but experiences associated with this game. The opportunity to practice Coach Chi with its creator was one of a number of surreal and indescribable moments out here."

(cut)

"I tend to have a nervous mind. I'm always thinking of worst case scenarios, and insecurities, and self-consciousness. Something like Coach Chi, if harnessed properly, erases all that. It just leaves your body, and all you're focused on is sensorial perceptions around you, and just kind of making sure your posture's correct and you're breathing's right. Even though I may not do the warrior pose or the shaolin growl Coach was teaching me, I can see myself borrowing at least some of the fundamental elements of it and carrying it into my everyday life."

ciriefan

Insider odcinek 11 - 2 filmiki:

Love This Chair

Cochran has found his throne in the South Pacific

"There are very few comfortable places for me on this island in the South Pacific. Usually I'm sleeping on this uncomfortable bed of bamboo, I'm crouched on a log, or I'm kind of waist-deep in sand with termites and crap all over me. This chair is the one place I can go and think, ponder, and just enjoy myself. It's super-comfortable, it has this great arm-rest, this great back-rest. The seat itself is very cushy. I'm surprised that more people haven't taken advantage of it. This is really nature's Lazy-Boy. I just can't get enough of it. Any chance I get I sit in this chair. I consider this my chair. It's my thinking seat, my throne, anything I want it to be, really. With your imagination, the possibilities are endless. Right now, I think of it as my throne. But if I kind of recline, a little bit, like so (positions his body to where his legs are upright over the arm) it's like a futon with a little footrest or something. I just love this chair, futon, whatever you want to call it. If I'm voted out, this is what I'll miss more than any of my tribemates. Just this chair and what it represents to me and represents to me, represents my place in this game, my one sanctuary, my one solitary place where I feel comfortable in myself and just happy to be here. I hope I can bring it home with me but it probably goes against some natural law or something about nature, I don't know. I just love this chair so much, and it's so functional, so comfortable, so spiritually rejuvenating, I just can't get enough of it. I hope this isn't the last time I'm sitting in this chair, but the memory of sitting in it, reclining in it, and just reveling in its glory will live with me for a long, long time."

Debt Collector

Cochran is ready to collect from the remaining Upolu members for saving them.

"Knowing my name was probably gonna be written down by a lot of people at the next Tribal Council, I decided to pull aside all the remaining Upolu members, except Edna, and basically stated my case for why I deserve to stay in this game at least one night longer. I portrayed it in terms of debt collection. I said, look, a lot of you have said you're indebted to me for my move that really saved the entire tribe. I don't think that's an overstatement. If I hadn't made this move, we would have drawn rocks, and one of them probably would have gone home, and Savaii would have plucked them off one by one. I made the move I did and it ensured their safety and ensured them the final 7. Now that I've made that mode there doesn't seem to be any, I'm not getting any positive feedback, or reinforcement. I'm not reaping any gain as a result of my move. I basically said, look, you said you're in debt to me, what's going on? Just give me one more night. I'll consider the debt completely paid off if you don't vote me out at the next Tribal Council."

(cut)

"I plead my case. Upolu bases their entire alliance on some weird verbal promise they made to each other on day 1. I think my move, my action, speaks a lot louder than some stupid promise they made when they didn't even know each other's true motives. I tried to convey that to them, but they don't listen to reason, and they don't care about this game."

(cut)

"I thought I made some valid points in my argument, but I don't think they're willing to listen. Coach and Albert are savvy game-players who recognize a good deed when it happens to them. The rest of Upolu, I don't think it works on them, but I'm going to try my hardest to plant a few more seeds, at least some guilt in them, to make them feel like, what did I make this for, to get voted out 7th? I have a few more tricks up my sleeve, but I don't know how effective they're going to be against this weird cult called Upolu."

ciriefan

Insider odcinek 12 - 3 filmiki:

Secret Scene: Cochran

Cochran prepares to beat Ozzy in the Redemption Island duel

(Cochran stares at the fire remnants as Ozzy walks up to him)

Ozzy: Wanna get treemail?

Cochran: Yeah?

Ozzy: Yeah.

(at Treemail)

Ozzy: Would you like to do the honors, sir?

Cochran: I would.

Follow the path to the arena
Where you'll compete in a duel
Win the duel and you will continue to live on Redemption Island and await your next opponent.
Lose the duel and you will leave the arena
Immediately and become a member of the jury.

Ozzy: Duel or die.

Cochran: I really like living with you. I didn't want to send you to jury this soon.

Cochran (solo): Today, Ozzy and I went to treemail and found out we're going to be facing each other in a duel today. Of all the people to be facing in a Redemption Island duel, Ozzy is probably the last person I would want to face. I've been trying to psych him out and act like I'm gonna completely whoop him in the challenge.

Cochran: Are you gonna cry when I beat you?

Ozzy: Probably. Are you?

Cochran: When I beat you?

Ozzy (laughing): Yeah.

(Cochran on the beach)

Cochran (solo): Back when I was in the game, Coach taught me the art of Coach-chi. I decided before today's duel that I was going to practice one more session of Coach-chi. I told Ozzy that, to give me some alone, to get centered. Ozzy did the same thing, except he climbed up a tree, which is his form of meditation, kind of contemplating the coconut tree. I think Coach-chi is probably the better art of meditation, so I might have the upper hand in terms of being in a zen-state. I think there is a chance I could beat Ozzy, but it's definitely a David vs Goliath scenario. Ozzy is this huge challenge monster who up to this point nobody has been able to take down. I'm this little pipsqueak who has been a disaster in every challenge, so I'm definitely David, Ozzy's definitely Goliath. I have a stone in my back pocket, a slingshot ready to fire. I'm gonna aim for the middle of his eyes and hopefully take him out.

Didn't Go How I Wanted

Cochran is disappointed at being voted out of the game by Upolu

"Tribal Council didn't go how I wanted it to, and I was kind of insulted by the outcome of Tribal Council. I did save Upolu. Had it not been for my flip, they probably would have drawn the wrong-colored rock and been destroyed by the remaining Savaii members. I did make that move. I did guarantee them final seven spots. Being repaid by getting voted out at the earliest opportunity hurt my feelings and hurt my pride a little bit. I thought I made this big grand move and grand gesture in this game, and it came back to bite me. The great thing about this game now is there is Redemption Island, that being voted out in such an upsetting fashion isn't necessarily the end of my game. Even if I don't have complete faith in my ability to perform well in challenges on Redemption Island, I do at least have the opportunity. I'm really going to put my all into it, and hopefully I can return to the game and really play it well, not drink the Kool-Aid quite as much as I was earlier, in terms of following Upolu."

(cut)

"I absolutely feel used by Upolu. They pride themselves on being all about loyalty and devotion to each other. My act was probably the biggest sacrifice anyone could have made in saving Upolu. They did nothing to repay me. They gave me a few days of nice treatment. Albert gave me a nice massage reward. Beyond that, they used and abused me, and threw me out when they wanted to go back to their original 6. My image of Upolu has definitely changed, from kind of this united, completely honest group, to a group that is watching their own back and doesn't care about the good deeds other people do for them."

(cut)

"It's hard for me to wish I'd stayed with Savaii. Even though I'm clearly not happy with the outcome of my decision, I do stand by my decision. I was disrespected by my former tribe, or at least several of them. I felt like I was a second-class citizen, referred to as the weakest member of the tribe, indecisive, annoying, a drain around camp. Just that sort of atmosphere, it starts to become a self-fulfilling prophecy where I start to feel bad about myself. I couldn't imagine myself really working with them any longer, I probably would have been at the bottom of the totem pole. I'm proud of myself for standing up to that kind of treatment and forging my own path. Unfortunately that path led me to being voted out in seventh, which was not what I wanted, but I still stand by my decision, even though I was clearly unhappy with what the consequences were."

Reconnect With Ozzy

Cochran hopes to bond with Ozzy on Redemption Island

"Ozzy and I kind of had a weird relationship earlier in the game, in that we were kind of in an alliance, but then he was trying to vote me out, and I ended up voting him out. Arriving at Redemption Island, I wanted to throw all that away. I can draw the line at game and personal relationships. Ozzy and I are not going to both be re-entering the game together. I figured now was the time to make amends, bury the hatchet, and I think we did that. We're on good terms now. Maybe Ozzy's still a little bit hurt by my decision; I'm still a little bit hurt by him gunning for me. But I think that will subside over time; we can have a good relationship both in and outside of this game. I'm happy to have been able to kind of reconnect with Ozzy, and kind of put everything aside."

(cut)

"Of all the people to be facing in a Redemption Island duel, Ozzy is probably the last person I would want to face. I'm already horrible in challenges. I've never progressed past the first round in any multi-level challenge. Ozzy on the other hand has had 3 Survivor seasons of dominating challenges, including this current iteration, where he's been on a roll at Redemption Island. I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed that the challenge where I face Ozzy will be something that kind of works in my favor, and build on my skill set, which is admittedly pretty limited. I think there is a chance I can beat Ozzy, but it's definitely going to be an uphill battle. I think it would be great for me to stand atop Goliath at the end of this journey."

ciriefan

Wywiad z Cohranem:

R: Hello, John or Cochran or whatever you’d like me to call you

Cochran: Whichever you prefer – “John” is fine.

R: Thanks for taking the time to talk to us! Before we start, let me just say, as one Survivor super-fan to another, that I definitely enjoyed watching you and I’ve heard from many other people who say the same thing. Heck, I’m even wearing my first sweater-vest of the season in your honor today.

Cochran: (Laughs) Thank you, I’m honored.

R: Some people think you made the wrong decision in jumping ship, but I think a lot more are happy to have seen the move, even if it didn’t work out. Few people like the idea of watching players drawing rocks! So, jumping into your biggest move, what exactly were you promised by Coach and the others to come over and join Upolu?

Cochran: You can actually see the extra scene online – a final four deal with Albert, Sophie, and Coach. I jumped on it. Watching that clip, it’s pretty clear it wasn’t genuine. But that was the promise I was given. I probably should have been a little more skeptical in retrospect. I figured of course they’re going to want to take me to the end because I’m pissing off half the jury.

Watching the season, they’ve always been this bizarrely tight-knit group, but at the time I didn’t realize that. I thought these three were on the fringes and needed me. It seemed like a reasonable promise, although it didn’t work out.

R: Jim has suggested that one of the major reasons you wouldn’t draw rocks was that you weren’t really there to win, just to become popular and get as much TV time as possible. How do you respond to that?

Cochran: I like Jim, but I don’t agree with his assessment. Jim kind of contradicts himself in interviews. He says on one hand I was playing a perfect third place game because I’d never win. But he says on the other hand everyone on my tribe wanted to take me for third place. So I might as well take the chance on third where there isn’t a chance I will get eliminated in 12th place. I think there’s a lot of revisionism in these interviews.

Drawing rocks is exciting TV, arguably. It hasn’t happened since Marquesas. I did enough goofy things that needing to flip wasn’t one of them.

R: You talked about how much you love the game, and that certainly came through on TV – so do you think your actions were at all influenced by that love of the game as opposed to doing what you should do to best benefit your game?

Cochran: It’s all coming down to the flipping. I made errors after flipping that cost me my chance so winning. I probably would have made it further in my old tribe. But my final argument would be, “Hey look, I managed to not get voted out a lot and then I was so horrible at challenges that I got dragged to the end.”

I wasn’t in a good position to win either way. Staying in my old tribe, I had about a 1% chance; with flipping I thought I had about a 10% chance. Getting to the end, some Upolu members would have to betray their own and I might be able to lock up some Upolu votes. I may be delusional, but I think there’s a chance Dawn and even Ozzy would vote for me to win if I made it to the finals.

I don’t think flipping was fatal to my game. I got complacent after I flipped because I felt safe. I was in a hyper state of most of the game. Knowing my name was thrown around and receiving a vote at every pre-merge Tribal Council made me paranoid and anxious – and I was already anxious. I got complacent. For the first time, I could kind of breathe. But if you just jump to the bottom of a new tribe, you can’t take time to breathe. I would have liked to do the Dawn/Whitney/Albert/me and another person move – that would have been a game-changer. I don’t think flipping was a game-ending move. I ended my game in other ways.

R: Keith told me that you never used the word “bullying” until Coach brought it up. Do you feel you were bullied on Savaii?

Cochran: No, I don’t think I ever used the word “bullying” period. I think there was a certain level of condescension, but maybe I invited it because I’m self-deprecating. There wasn’t bullying. I think there was rudeness. I’m sure I annoyed people. But that wasn’t the reason for my flip, it wasn’t a revenge fantasy.

After the Jack & Jill challenge, where I was blamed and I took the blame – the whole clipping thing, that wasn’t my fault. They showed Ozzy kicking the wall but it was actually a lot worse than that. My entire tribe tells me they’re going to vote me off. Ozzy was volunteering to go to Redemption Island and Keith was saying no. Ozzy, the biggest threat in the game, is asking to be voted off and you’re hesitating, to vote me off? That was the turning point in the game. Even Dawn and Jim, my two closest allies, were talking about voting me off. They were wrapping it up in “You’re going to be reborn.” I didn’t buy that for a second, I wasn’t going to be reborn, I was going to lose.

There wasn’t any “I’ve got to get back at these bullies” – Coach kind of created that narrative. I was trying to protect myself and I thought it would be silly to be one of two people on my tribe drawing a rock for a tribe that just was going to vote me off.

R: I have so many more questions, but you’re a popular guy and I’m being told we are unfortunately out of time. Before we go, do you have anything else you’d like to tell our readers about your time on Survivor?

Cochran: it was an absolute thrill and an honor. I feel like I disappointed a lot of people. There was a pretty violent reaction online to me flipping. They saw me as the Survivor fan and thought, “He’s going to be the new Todd or Rob Cesternino or Stephen.” Then I’m a bumbling idiot who sucks at challenges and arguably made a horrible game move.

I hope you’re able to derive some enjoyment, even if at my expense. If you’re a big fan, you have to apply. Just apply, it takes a few minutes to do a video. It’s unreal. It’s perverted – it’s miserable and then you come back and you miss it. You become aware of why people do it again.

R: Thanks again, John!