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00:00 I'm a little upset to see you this early in the season,
00:03 but it's okay.
00:03 (laughs)
00:05 - Trust me, the feeling's mutual.
00:06 I'm very upset to be talking to people
00:08 this early in the season.
00:09 - Yeah.
00:10 (laughs)
00:11 It was a good elimination.
00:13 You put up a good fight.
00:14 And it was your first time back after a few seasons away.
00:16 So why was now kind of the right time for you to come back?
00:19 - There was a lot of things that played into it.
00:24 Timing wise, it was the perfect time.
00:28 In the time off, I mean, obviously,
00:29 it's been four years, right?
00:31 But like with four seasons, four years,
00:33 however you want to cut it.
00:35 But with that, there was COVID,
00:37 which spread out the filming processes and everything.
00:41 And in that time, I started building a business.
00:46 I built that business.
00:48 I tried out for the Winter Olympics.
00:50 So from a timing standpoint, it didn't really work out,
00:53 I would say, on the latter part of the four years.
00:56 So like the past two years,
00:57 it's kind of been more of like a scheduling thing.
01:01 Those first two years,
01:02 a little bit of like me having to take a little bit
01:05 of a break in terms of some things that I did to myself,
01:10 essentially, to get myself removed
01:13 from "Total Madness" and "Double Agents."
01:15 And then factor in the whole COVID spreading out those.
01:20 So instead of only having like a one-year break,
01:23 it's like one season film per year.
01:25 And then the latter two years were just craziness.
01:28 But I finally was able to get everything settled
01:30 and be able to kind of come back to this.
01:32 And I was really excited for it.
01:34 It's been a long time coming.
01:35 And the support when my name got announced was amazing.
01:38 I was so disappointed that I wasn't able to kind of
01:41 go further with how much everybody
01:42 was wanting to see me succeed.
01:45 But the good news is I'll be back
01:47 and we'll definitely run it back at some point.
01:51 And I can hopefully erase this early exit from my memory.
01:55 - Well, this was such an interesting way
01:56 for you to come back because you obviously
01:58 were on the CBS side of it with the big brother,
02:01 but then you know the vets so well
02:03 from playing with them so many times.
02:04 So where was your loyalty lying more when you came in?
02:08 - Honestly, I kind of was like seeing
02:12 where all the chips fell, if I'm being honest,
02:14 'cause I didn't really know the people on the CBS side.
02:18 I've spoken to a couple of them.
02:21 I knew the vets, but I wasn't allies with them
02:26 on previous seasons that we played.
02:27 So I think when I came in, I was trying to ride the middle
02:32 for as long as I could.
02:33 But obviously, I guess the CBS people were looking at me
02:36 as a competitor, rightfully so.
02:39 The vets were looking at me as a competitor,
02:41 but it seemed like they needed me a little bit more,
02:46 which is why I started leaning that way.
02:48 Whereas in the beginning, I was having conversations
02:51 with everybody and just kind of seeing
02:53 where everybody's heads were at.
02:55 And I had my alliances on the CBS side
02:58 that I wanted to kind of keep and keep them protected.
03:01 And then I wanted to pull in the vets
03:03 to try and kind of create, I think what we've seen
03:08 after this past episode on Sunday
03:09 is kind of starting to all happen here.
03:13 So it was scary, man, coming back.
03:17 Like I had no ties.
03:18 It's not like I was back there
03:19 with people who I've worked with in the past, right?
03:22 Car wasn't there.
03:23 Cam wasn't there.
03:25 You know, Rogan, Joss, Ninja, Ashley,
03:29 all these people who I've worked with in the past,
03:31 not there.
03:32 Turbo, not there.
03:33 You know what I mean?
03:34 So I was there kind of on an island alone.
03:37 You know, Kaylee, not there.
03:38 So it's like all these people
03:40 that I've done seasons with, gone.
03:42 But it was good, it was challenging.
03:45 And I liked that challenge
03:47 because it teaches you something about your gameplay.
03:49 And to be honest, if it wasn't for the hopper,
03:51 I mean, I was sitting in a pretty good spot.
03:53 I mean, three votes out of an entire house
03:57 and not even being considered once
03:58 to kind of be the nomination, to be the person down there.
04:01 You know, if it wasn't for that twist,
04:04 which, you know, TJ loves his twists,
04:06 I think I could have really made a run.
04:09 - Yeah, they're always coming up with new ways
04:10 to keep you on your toes, that's for sure.
04:13 - Yeah.
04:14 - I feel like as much as like the competition
04:16 was obviously important to you this season,
04:18 it seemed very important to you
04:19 to want to like mend fences with Josh and Bananas
04:21 and whoever else maybe you weren't on such good terms with.
04:24 So why was that at the forefront of your mind so much?
04:27 - You know, I just feel like it's been like,
04:31 it's been, like I said, four years, four seasons off.
04:34 And even though there was a lot of animosity
04:36 and there was a lot of hatred,
04:37 it's almost like one of those things
04:38 where it's like you come in, it's a fresh start.
04:41 Us being put on a team, us being in a room together
04:44 definitely helped mend those.
04:47 But you don't really want to be that person
04:48 that's holding on to too many things
04:50 and it's kind of clouding you
04:50 from like that ultimate goal of yours, right?
04:52 And like my ultimate goal is to just win, you know?
04:55 So if I'm focusing on them, I'm not focusing on winning.
04:58 And I think that because I came in with that mindset,
05:01 I was able to kind of be in that middle position
05:05 and like kind of understand like where people were lying
05:07 and being able to pick up things faster
05:08 than I maybe would have if I came in just focusing on,
05:11 oh my God, are Johnny and Josh trying to get me out?
05:14 You know what I mean?
05:15 Because then I would have missed certain things
05:16 and I wouldn't have been paying attention
05:17 to certain conversations that I was paying attention to,
05:20 'cause my guard would have been down,
05:23 but my guard was up with everybody.
05:24 So I think that that helps.
05:27 And even moving forward, it's one of those things.
05:30 Like, I can't say if I would mend things
05:33 with all people that I had rivalries with,
05:36 but after four years, it's almost like
05:39 I feel like new rivalries will pop up out of nowhere.
05:42 I had no problem getting everybody to be a rival of mine
05:45 when I played the first three times around, I'm sure.
05:47 You know, you have me keep coming back,
05:49 like people will pop up out of the woodwork
05:50 season after season.
05:51 That may not be the old rivalries,
05:54 but there'll definitely be the new rivalries.
05:56 - Right, right.
05:57 It's hard to avoid it on this show, that's for sure.
05:59 - Yeah.
05:59 - When you saw what the elimination was gonna be
06:01 and that you were going up against Johnny,
06:03 how did you think of, like,
06:04 what did you think your chances were?
06:06 How were you feeling going into it?
06:07 - Well, I mean, I have a lot of belief in myself,
06:10 so I always believed that I could win no matter what.
06:14 You know, I knew it was gonna be tough,
06:15 so like from a mental aspect,
06:18 I just kind of like groomed my mind to be like,
06:20 your arm has to stay up for eight hours.
06:22 'Cause like last time he did something like this,
06:24 his arm was up for like seven hours.
06:26 So I was like, eight hours,
06:28 just start killing all these nerves right here.
06:31 Like they don't exist.
06:32 You're not gonna feel anything.
06:33 You know, let's just, this is all dead.
06:35 Like, just kind of go.
06:37 I was nervous about the throwing aspect.
06:39 You know, I'm not a,
06:40 I've never done a sport with throwing.
06:41 I was a wrestler and a soccer player.
06:44 So, you know, I was shocked at how well I did
06:46 with hitting the target.
06:47 And yeah, I mean, I could go over all like things
06:51 in my head, like, oh man, I wish it was physical.
06:53 I wish it was this.
06:54 I wish it was a puzzle.
06:54 I wish I got to use my agility,
06:56 but you know, that's the beauty of the challenge
06:58 is you never know what's gonna be down there in the sand
07:00 and you just have to roll with it.
07:02 And if you wanna be good,
07:02 you have to kind of be able to pull wins like that
07:04 out of your ass.
07:06 But unfortunately I was not able to do that against,
07:08 you know, the seven time champ.
07:11 - Not, it's not, it's not very easy, that's for sure.
07:13 - Yeah, it makes it a little bit harder that he,
07:15 you know, that he's got that much experience.
07:17 - Exactly, exactly.
07:19 Well, obviously on top of all this,
07:21 you had that great conversation with Tori
07:23 where you came out and you were just like
07:24 very raw, vulnerable.
07:26 Were you expecting for that to kind of make air?
07:31 Like, were you even expecting to come in
07:33 and have a conversation like that so publicly?
07:34 Like, where did that come from?
07:36 - It was like so on the fence as to like whether I,
07:42 you know, 'cause like season after season I'd come in
07:45 and like, I had always been on the fence
07:48 about talking about it.
07:49 And I like recall on earlier seasons,
07:52 you know, producers would kind of be like,
07:55 why are you so, like,
07:58 where is this like, kind of like anger coming from?
08:00 Like, where's this chip on your shoulder coming from?
08:01 Like, why is it so,
08:03 why does it seem so like aggressive
08:06 and passionate and everything?
08:07 And it's always been like on the tip of my tongue,
08:09 but I always kind of like, you know,
08:11 worked around it just being like, oh, you know,
08:13 like growing up, like just, you know,
08:15 super competitive, getting picked on,
08:16 blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, all that stuff.
08:18 And I never really like hit the nail on the head.
08:20 And it was always just kind of like,
08:21 I just said what I needed to say to get the conversation
08:23 and not take place, you know,
08:25 in the confessional interviews.
08:28 And let alone have that conversation in the house where,
08:31 you know, I was trying to like break down the walls
08:35 of like coming from athletics.
08:36 And, you know, you just don't really talk about
08:37 those things, right?
08:38 'Cause you don't want people looking at you as weak
08:41 or finding a vulnerability to try and use against you,
08:43 try and get under your skin in a game.
08:46 So I think like all these years of therapy
08:47 kind of helped me just come to grips with like,
08:49 it's all right to have that conversation.
08:50 You can still be this, and you can still be a beast,
08:54 and you can still show this vulnerable side
08:55 because you're in control of whether you let, you know,
08:58 somebody use a vulnerability against you
09:00 at the end of the day.
09:02 So I think once I came to grips with that,
09:05 it was much easier for me to have that conversation.
09:07 But once again, I was like on the fence again.
09:08 And it was one of those things where it was like,
09:11 all right, rip the bandaid off.
09:12 I'm just gonna blurt it out.
09:13 This is what it is.
09:14 I'm just gonna blurt it out, and I'm gonna talk through it.
09:16 I don't know how it's gonna sound.
09:18 I don't know how it's gonna come across,
09:19 but I'm just gonna say it.
09:20 And if I come across as awkward, so be it.
09:23 If it comes out smooth, also so be it.
09:26 Hope for the best in this situation.
09:28 And it came out exactly the way that I wanted it to come out.
09:33 And it was delivered the way that I, you know,
09:35 wanted it delivered.
09:37 It was, my heart was pounding the whole time,
09:40 but it's out there now.
09:41 And now it's a weight lifted off of my back, so to speak.
09:45 And chest.
09:46 - I think that was definitely such a great moment.
09:48 I think it was so nice that you were able to share that
09:50 with Tori, and it kind of just felt like
09:52 you were only talking to her.
09:53 Like it didn't even feel like you knew
09:54 that the cameras were around.
09:55 So it was such a special moment for you to share for sure.
09:58 Well, now that this season's under your belt,
10:01 how would you feel about returning in the future?
10:03 And like, will we get to see you and Cara together
10:06 on the show again in the future?
10:07 Like where do you guys stand with that?
10:10 - Yeah, I mean, I'm ready.
10:11 We're ready.
10:12 Whether we're on season solo or together,
10:15 you know, we're just ready.
10:17 We're ready to come back.
10:18 We're ready to be dominant.
10:20 You know, we're ready to kind of pick up where we left off,
10:23 War of the Worlds I and War of the Worlds II
10:26 from a competitive, like dominance standpoint.
10:29 You know, and I think that we're also both in a place
10:32 where, you know, we're not looking to, you know,
10:36 let certain things be taken too personally on our side.
10:39 Like we're really focused on just securing ourself
10:42 as like one of the most,
10:44 two of the most dominant players to ever play the game,
10:46 but also from a couple standpoint,
10:48 like the most dominant couple to ever like
10:51 come from that show.
10:52 - Sure, sure.
10:53 Well, very excited for what the future holds
10:56 and I appreciate you having on here today
10:58 to chat about this.
11:00 - Yeah, no, thank you so much.
11:01 I appreciate you working with the schedule.
11:03 - Yeah, no, thank you.
11:04 I appreciate you doing it 'cause I wasn't here on Friday,
11:06 so this worked out well, so thank you so much.
11:08 - It's all good, it's all good.
11:10 - All right, thanks Pauly, bye.
11:11 - All right, no problem, bye.