Tag Archives: spradlin

‘Survivor: One World’: How The Women Won

‘The guys — they had no unity,’ fourth-place finisher Christina Cha tells MTV News of scoring show’s first ever all-girl finale. By Josh Wigler Kim Spradlin Photo: MTV News Kim Spradlin isn’t the only “Survivor: One World” winner . OK, technically she is — that cool $1 million is firmly in her bank account — but the season’s four finalists can also take comfort in knowing that they made “Survivor” history together: For the first time in 24 seasons, there was not a single man left standing among the final five contestants. The feat is all the more impressive considering where the women began. At the outset of “One World,” the two tribes were separated on gender lines , with the men of Manono showcasing their clear physical advantage with two early immunity wins. It certainly didn’t help that the women of Salani were turning on each other , with in-fighting dominating much of their air time in the season’s earliest episodes. Eventually, the women pulled themselves together to stage one of the most impressive comebacks in “Survivor” history, knocking five men out in a row and cutting out the final male — the unforgettable Tarzan — one vote later. So after such a rocky start, how did Salani find the strength to rally together and get rid of the men? “I think it’s because we had a rocky start, I believe that’s why we ended up with five women at the end,” Kim told MTV News at the “One World” finale on Sunday night. “We had to learn to trust each other. We really had to get each other’s backs and become a group.” “There was a day when we all just stood around. We held each other’s hands. We were like, ‘You know what? We can do this,’ ” third-place finisher Chelsea Meissner said. “I think it was that first challenge we won against the guys, where they were really ahead of us and we came out of nowhere and won it. We all hugged and it was that moment where we realized, ‘We can do this. We can so do this.’ ” Christina Cha, who finished the season in fourth place, credited the women’s success to the men’s willingness to cannibalize each other. “That was what I noticed about the guys — they had no unity,” she said. “The guys weren’t united from day one.” Another factor, according to runner-up Sabrina Thompson: The men simply were not needed. “You don’t need a man in this game to come get [you] fire, to do this or do that,” she said. “Once we started winning challenges, we knew we could do this.” In a season dominated by precisely one person, one would think that the plan to get rid of all of the men stemmed from winner Kim. But one of her fellow finalists remembers things differently. “You know what? I’m going to take credit for this one Kim, OK?” fifth-place finisher Alicia Rosa weighed in, recalling the fall of the men with the same firecracker glee that made her such a memorable competitor all year long. “I [outlined] who the five girls were, from the beginning, and that we were going to wipe [the men] off the island. That, to me, was my biggest dream come true, to do that. I always said that on the island: ‘We have to do this. We have to do this. Do not play with those men. It is not going to happen! ‘” Not to say that the self-proclaimed mastermind of the men’s demise isn’t without some regrets. “I will say I wish Matt had used a little bit more of his Southern charm. Maybe he would’ve lasted a little bit longer,” Alicia laughed. “He was really nice to look at!” Previously On MTV News’ “Survivor” coverage :

Justin Bieber Finds Lonely Island’s ‘SNL’ Skit ‘Disgusting’

Pop star is featured in the trio’s 100th digital short alongside Usher, Natalie Portman, Justin Timberlake. By Jocelyn Vena Justin Bieber and Lonely Island in their 100th digital short Photo: NBC While Justin Timberlake has always been cool about putting his junk in a box, another Justin, with the last name Bieber , was less comfortable singing about his own stuff in a “Saturday Night Live” digital short. Playing the part of Lonely Islander Akiva Schaffer, alongside Jorma Taccone and Andy Samberg, the teen pop superstar helped the comedy trio celebrate their 100th digital short. The skit opens with the three guys, including Bieber, who confuses the name Akiva for the sound of a sneeze, introducing their A-lister-filled skit, complete with appearances from Timberlake, Michael Bolton, Usher, Jon Hamm, Will Ferrell and Natalie Portman, as well as character cameos from Shy Ronnie, Jack Sparrow and Sergio the Sax Man, to name a few. In tuxes, the three Lonely Island guys (with Akiva as imagined by Bieber) dance around congratulating themselves on the achievement, listing off all the ways they will celebrate (pilates included!). But, as it turns out Bieber, will do anything for love, but he won’t do that. And, what exactly is that? Well, you see the guys want to “suck our own d—s.” Bieber’s response? “That’s disgusting.” While Bieber stands as a highlight, so do the Timberlake and Postman cameos in the sketch. Timberlake was back, d—s in boxes and all. Meanwhile, Portman, holding a doll baby, got her gangster rapper on again, proclaiming, “Yeah I had a baby, but I’m still crazy.” As the short nears its wacky end, Bieber shares, “I was tricked into doing this. I don’t endorse this song. No, no, no, no.” Of course as he says this, Hamm as Sergio air humps around him. In the end, all of the characters get in a room and the guys (with Akiva now in for Akiva) once again share that they will celebrate the way they always intended: by sucking whatever it is they want to, 100 times. Saturday night’s episode was hosted by former “SNL” star Will Ferrell with musical guest (and Bieber’s mentor) Usher on hand. The finale airs this week with Rolling Stones leading man Mick Jagger hosting. What’s your favorite Lonely Island digital short? Leave your comment below! Related Artists Justin Bieber The Lonely Island

See the original post:
Justin Bieber Finds Lonely Island’s ‘SNL’ Skit ‘Disgusting’

‘Survivor One World’ Winner: ‘I Got Lucky’

‘I feel like people are giving me too much credit,’ Kim Spradlin tells MTV News about winning the latest season of ‘Survivor.’ By Josh Wigler Kim Spradlin Photo: MTV News NEW YORK — Thirty-nine days, 18 people, one Survivor … and it’s exactly who it should have been all along. Surprising nobody but relieving everybody, 29-year-old bridal shop owner Kim Spradlin won the million-dollar prize on “Survivor One World” on Sunday, and she deserves every penny. Blue-eyed Kim wasn’t just the best-liked person out on the beach, she was the strategic mastermind who engineered the complete collapse of the game’s men, a physical powerhouse with four immunity victories to her name, and a savvy enough player to sniff out a hidden immunity idol she never even had to use. Watching the season, it didn’t take an eagle-eyed “Survivor” fan to know that Kim had all the makings of a fantastic winner. But try telling that to Kim herself. Speaking with MTV News at the “Survivor One World” finale, the pride of Salani revealed that going into the evening, she honestly didn’t think she had a chance at taking home the grand prize. “Honestly, it was just starting to feel too obvious,” Spradlin said of watching herself on television this season. “I thought there’s no way [I’m winning]. Something’s up. Something’s wrong. When you’re out there on the island, you get really paranoid, and you carry that back into your life. So I feel like I came back concerned that I wasn’t getting [the win].” But it was a different story out on the island. Kim weaved her way through numerous alliances to secure a top spot at the end of the game, leaving more than a few bitter jurors behind in her wake. Though she initially feared their wrath going into the final tribal council, she ultimately walked away from that experience feeling encouraged. “At the very end of the final tribal council was the first time where I really thought I could win this,” she said. “Up until then, I hadn’t heard the jury speak. I had no idea how mad they were going to be. And [throughout the season], they looked really mad. I didn’t think I had that great of a chance until I heard them talk.” In the end, Kim credits her win to two things. “I really wanted to keep my options open. I said that a lot on the show. If something went wrong here — if Chelsea was med-evaced one day — I’d have other options. I never wanted to put all of my eggs in one basket,” she said. “But at the same time, I wanted to be this great presence that people trusted, that felt calming, that people liked having around. I wanted people to think that I was on their side, so that they’d keep me around for them.” Her strategy worked, and now, Kim’s already being talked about as one of the all-time great “Survivor” winners. Indeed, during a commercial break at the live finale, original “Survivor” winner Richard Hatch piped up from the back of the Ed Sullivan Theater to describe Kim as one of the best players to ever play the game. That’s pretty high praise within the “Survivor” community, to say the least. “Honestly, I’m shocked,” she said of people’s reactions to her game play. “I feel like people are giving me too much credit sometimes. It just came naturally to me. And I got lucky — I think that’s a big part of this game. I’ve heard people refer to the butterfly effect out there: If someone stumbles upon a little thing, everything could end up totally differently. I think that’s very true.” Luck is a factor, true, but there’s no doubting that Kim’s inherent understanding of the game of “Survivor” fueled her victory as well. Now, with whispers of all-star seasons coming up in the future — the next season, set in the Philippines, is already slated to bring three former players back into the mix — fans are already ready to see Kim return to the beach and walk all over her competition again. The question is: Is Kim up for another round of “Survivor” action? “How do you say no to playing ‘Survivor’?” she said with a grin, before adding, “But I’m glad I’m not leaving tomorrow!” Previously in MTV News’ “Survivor” coverage: