AG: In your intro video, you talked about how your outdoors upbringing in Minnesota would benefit you on the show. How did that play out?
KT: It did benefit me, but with Ozzy as the leader, it wasn’t really showcased. Ozzy and I and Jim were fisherman, and Ozzy is one of the most amazing fisherman that has been on this show ever. I would go out with them, and I would catch about half of what he did, so it wasn’t showcased, but it was very nice to help contribute to the tribe. There was one day that I caught six sharks with the net that they didn’t show that. It was nice that people realized that we all were relying on each other, and we were all contributing to the survival of the tribe.
AG: What is the toughest part of being on Survivor?
KT: Besides the actual survivor part, it’s the day-to-day dealing with everyone’s emotions and personalities. You really have to be very understanding. If you get fed up, you are going to be voted off. That was the toughest part. I was a competitor, and when I lost, I was very vocal about it. That’s when you need to be your most humble and keep your thoughts and feelings to yourself because it’s very dangerous to be so outspoken.
AG: What about the surviving elements were the most challenging?
KT: It doesn’t come across in the show as much, [that] it’s 24 hours of literally surviving. We would go to tribal [council], and then it cuts to commercial for next week, but we would have to walk all the way back to camp. It’s pitch black and we have absolutely no lights. People might think that we have these things, but we don’t. Our fire might be out, so we have to start that because it’s cold. You sleep maybe two hours and then I would wake up—and people slept at different times—to tend the fire and then you would hand it off. You would have to do that the whole night. There are certain things like that that you have to plan before the sun goes down. Once the sun comes up, you have to wake up and go fish. You stand up and you get dizzy, but you have to go out there to get food. It’s completely a survival show.
AG: How did that match your expectations?
KT: I think I was prepared mentally. I knew that I was going to struggle. There was definitely a point where everyone struggles. It was surprising because that was day 10 for me. In that first week, there is a wall that everyone hits. You have to push through it. Where you go, ‘Wow, this is really hard.’ Maybe to the point where your body says it isn’t getting enough nourishment, but I took solace in the fact that if I saw other people struggling maybe a little bit more than me, it would push me harder to want to go to the final three, to the end.
AG: What did you do to prepare? Did you change your diet? Workouts?
KT: I struggled with the idea of gaining weight or losing weight. Not only for the fact that I knew that millions of people would be watching me and I wanted to look good, but the longer you are out there, the more weight you need on your body. I kind of kept the regimen that I had because I knew that if I changed my body maybe too much, it would affect me out there. I did P90X, worked out, ran. I went surfing. I lived in San Diego at the time. I just kept the same things that I was doing at the time. I wish that I would’ve done more forearm or upper bodywork because that was the challenge that I lost to basically end my game on Survivor.
AG: Survivor is a competition, but you were able to find someone that you are compatible with in Whitney. Can you tell us how that came to be and how that’s going?
KT: We had a very close alliance from day one. From the minute I saw her, I thought that I could trust her. Obviously, she is a very beautiful girl, so it’s understandable why anyone would want to hang with her. I really do feel like I met the love of my life out there. I thought that I was put on the island to win a million dollars. I didn’t realize that wasn’t the case, and maybe my reason wasn’t to win a million, but to meet Whitney. We are both living in Nashville, and I couldn’t be happier.
AG: What else goes on behind the scenes? How remote are you? Are there signs of civilization? Do you get a break from being in front of the cameras?
KT: You never really get a break from being in front of the camera. …There are no moments because anyone can make or break an alliance or say something that they want, so if there aren’t cameras around, you are not allowed to speak—which is understandable because if you say something or make an alliance, they will want to catch that. You really get used to the cameras. … You are very, very secluded. There are no signs of civilization, and that’s because if you could see that, it could mess with your psyche and pull you out of the game and say, ‘Maybe I can’t do this.’ It would bring you mentally to a different place and you might want to quit. … They keep you in the survival game the entire time.
AG: When Cochrane defected and the alliance with Ozzy was going downhill, did you have any regrets on how it was being played or sticking with Ozzy?
KT: I had a lot of regrets. Hindsight is a very hard thing to deal with. My biggest mistake was being very vocal about wanting Cochrane out when Ozzy went to redemption before him. As soon as that didn’t happen, then Cochrane thought he was on the outs. Cochrane needed to go, as soon as he didn’t, I knew that I was on the chopping block. I felt like we were never as solid as we thought we were. Another big mistake was listening to Ozzy for leadership when came up with the double agent plan of sending Cochrane to infiltrate their tribe. That was the stupidest thing. We never should have done that. We should have stayed six strong and never defected or had a chance to defect by being united.
AG: Tell us about the process of getting on the show and what type of reaction you had when you were selected?
KT: The process is very grueling. I made a video and then I started talking to the casting people. I was on the phone with them for quite a while. It was always a run around. ‘We like you, but we want more.’ Then you go to casting, and for me, I drove from San Diego to L.A., and they said, ‘You are going to stay for a week.’ I was there for a day and drove back to San Diego. I guess I’m done, I thought. They called the next day and said, ‘Why don’t you come back to L.A.’ I was like, ‘OK.’ Then when I was told I was on, it was, ‘We like you. Congratulations, but it might change.’ It was always the run around. That is why my family was very unsure of why I wasn’t excited. I said, ‘Well, I probably won’t be excited until I’m on the plane.’ … They said, ‘You’re on the plane, but if you say something or talk to another cast member before we start there are alternates there and they might take your place.’ You are grateful that you made it that far, but you are always a little scared.
AG: What about your past in Edina helped you? Did your congenital heart issue come into play?
KT: Growing up in Edina, I’m so thankful for that. I love the city. I can’t imagine a better place to grow up. We have amazing sports teams, and I think that helped when I was on the show. Talking about playing sports and being competitive. They want people that are competitive people. They really push for that.
Also, growing up with the heart problem, it showed that I was able to overcome some sort of physical ailment, and it didn’t hold me back. It actually made me stronger. Surprisingly, the pacemaker wasn’t an issue on the show. I thought it was going to be talked about a lot more. I was unsure of how to play it because there had been people in the past that had been voted out because of impairment. One girl had a prosthetic leg, and she got voted off because people were concerned that she would get sympathy votes from the jury. There was probably more to it, but that was their excuse at the time.
Being such a competitor and playing sports in Edina was definitely my driving force out there. There was the million dollar prize, but I just wanted to be the sole survivor. I wanted to be No. 1.
AG: Would you want to play again?
KT: That’s funny. Everyone would play again, but everyone is very coy about it. They say then would never play again because they want to be asked. … I would love to play again. I think it’s one of the greatest games. You play for one million dollars. I love being out there in the elements, in a very beautiful environment, fishing. It’s the experience of a lifetime. When so many people want to play, I think I’m lucky that I got a chance to play.
