The Cambodia champ says he doesnt think a jury of winners would reward someone from the Edge.
But Jeremy was lured back yet again.
Lured back by the chance to be part of the most epic season inSurvivorhistory.
Lured back by a chance to go against the best of the best.
Lured back to become just the second two-time winner ever.
(And, yes, lured back by abigger financial guarantee.
)But there was one thing Jeremy wasnotlooking forward to: the Edge of Extinction.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What’s going on, Jeremy?JEREMY COLLINS:What’s going on, brother?
How’re you doing?
First question: Who’s the best fantasy football player you’ve ever met?Oh, snap!
Who is it?Alright, you got it, totally got it.
But listen, that was my win.
How so?Because I was the number one… Well, no, I wasn’t.
You were number one ranked.
I had most points.You did, you did.
But going into the finals…
Keep talking.I had it.
You didn’t even watch the Monday night game!
Listen, I had to get up early to do early morning radio.
Because you were convincing people to make the worst deals for themselves, and they were doing it!
In any event, give everyone the update: What’s been going on?
Your family’s bigger.Yeah, the family’s bigger.
I went from two kids to four kids since the last time I played.
I had two daughters, and now I have two sons.
Remy is 3 and Lennox will be 2 in a couple of weeks.
So how the hell did you get Val to let you come out here and do this?
How does that work?Last time was so successful.
That helped?I come in, I give her a check for a million dollars.
So why come do this again?
You’ve won the game so that itch has been scratched.
You’ve done it, you’ve scratched it, you won.
Why are you here?So I didn’t have the itch, I was done.
Cambodia broke me, it was too much.
The gameplay, the weather, everything.
And I said I was done to everybody, for years.
Could be an all-winner season, it could be this, it could be that.
And I’m like, “You know what?
It would kill me to be sitting home and watching it.
I’ll give it another shot, see how it goes.”
Listen, there are a few big numbers or big seasons.
Twenty anniversary season,Heroes vs. Villains.
This is season 40.
It’s going to be big, and I know that you want to be a part of that.
Right, he’s the key!He’s the key!
So I said, “Thanks, Fish, I appreciate the support.”
So no hesitation about coming back?There was hesitation.
I was done, I was really done.
But they didn’t have to do a lot to pull my leg to come back.
You’ve seen the group here, you’ve got nine other men, all winners here.
I’m sure you have your suspicions about other people that may be here.
What do you think of them?
The biggest threat out there is Boston Rob.
I would love to sit behind his big head and let everyone take a stab at take him out.
I like Tony Vlachos.
It’d be cool to sit with him a little bit and work with him.
But again, I’m doing the meat shield, but also the voting blocs.
So I’m going to be moving around.
I found that, my last season, when I did that, it works out.
And three days later go to another group.
Let me bring that up as many times as possible.You deserve it, go for it!
What was it like in terms of talking to people and how much can you trust those things?
And it stopped right around the time when all the rumblings for this season started.
So I will say we respect the game enough to leave our personal out of it.
And we didn’t talk about it.
I don’t believe you.I’m telling you!
I don’t believe you.I’m telling you.
I have had conversations, well… not conversations.
People have reached out to me.
That’s what everyone says, Jeremy.
Everyone says, “People reached out to me and I didn’t respond.”
C’mon.Well, that’s not my game, I don’t respond.
So that’s what I’m doing again.
Did you notice a shift from your first time playing against all newbies?
I think it will get into it this time because people are closer in this season.
I’ve just got to be ready to strike before I get hit.
How do you think other players see you?
Not how youwantthem to see you, but you have your book on everyone.
I think they see me as someone that they shouldn’t take to the end.
But I think that they look at me as…
I will play an idol for you.
If you’re on my side, I will ride with you.
I think that’s good for the short-term of the game.
And you remind them of that?
You’re like, “Yeah, well, when I played an idol on Fishbach.”
Do you use that?I probably will, but not so blatantly.
What’s your biggest weakness?
You’re a very well-rounded player, but everyone’s got an Achilles' heel.
Spencer and Tasha were telling me, “She’s coming.
She’s coming.”
I have to look at people through their eyes.
I kinda look at them and say, “Why would they do that?”
It doesn’t make sense to me, but it might make sense to somebody else.
That’s my only thing.
I looked at Kimmi and I said “Why would Kimmi do it?
It doesn’t make any sense.”
But it did to her.
I look at John Misch and I said, “Why would he venture to take me out?
That doesn’t make any sense.”
And he took me out.
Do you think the fact that you were already on a returning-players season helps you out?
I guess we have to credit Tony for going back and forth a lot, and ping-ponging inCagayan.
That started with Tony, but the super-accelerated overall gameplay I feel was from 31 on.
You got a taste of that.
How do you feel about the really old school players that haven’t played from then on?
How do you deal with that?
And how do you deal with them not having that experience?
Does that give you an advantage?
I had some success with Savage, and Savage played that game.
You have to be careful with them though because Kimmi is that game and Kimmi came back after me.
Put them on an island, see how it goes."
And you’re not really playing the game, you know what I mean?
That’s a lot of time off, and your mind is a lot clearer.
This is going to be an epic season.
For season 40, we want a great winner.
Do you know what I mean?
They have bragging rights over everything.
Right, it’s a question of juries can react very differently to different things.
At least I hope it doesn’t.
I want the winner of this season to be me, first of all.
That’s an awesome winner.
I’m so glad that they won this season.
Season 40’s so epic and it couldn’t have happened to a better firefighter."
