Survivor Second Chance: Alicia Calaway Talks Jeff Varner

Alicia Calaway chats to us about her former tribemate Jeff Varner.

Alicia Calaway is one of old school Survivor’s most memorable characters, having competed on both Survivor: The Australian Outback and Survivor: All-Stars. On the Australian Outback, she was a member of the popular Kucha tribe, where she quickly became an asset to her tribe due to her work ethic and strong challenge performances. She is best remembered for her confrontations with Kimmi Kappenberg and her now infamous finger-wagging.

From very early on she bonded with Jeff Varner and the two became close allies, and are still friends to this day. Unfortunately, Alicia wasn’t able to keep her friend and ally safe, and at the merge Jeff was voted out in the tie-breaker, allowing Ogakor to take the advantage. Alicia was voted out next because she was seen as the biggest physical threat, and she became the first member of the jury.

Since her seventh place finish on Survivor: All-Stars, Alicia has distanced herself from the Survivor world and never talks publicly about the show. Until now. With her good friend Jeff returning for his second chance, Inside Survivor has been able to pull Alicia out of hiding to get her thoughts on Jeff’s comeback. Alicia Calaway talks Jeff Varner and his chances on Survivor: Cambodia.

“What was your overall perception of Jeff’s game in Australian Outback? Pros and Cons?”

Jeff definitely listened more than he spoke, which could be both good and bad. In paying close attention to what people had to say and watching how they interacted with others, he was able to discover their strengths and weaknesses, ultimately using that against them. However, by flying too far under the radar I’m not sure he was perceived as a strong player, or maybe it was that he was seen as being too calculating.

“How do you think Jeff will change his game on Survivor: Cambodia – Second Chance?”

I think Jeff will player a similar game to how he played it in Australian Outback, but I think this time he’ll allow more of his personality to shine through. He can be very witty and entertaining!

“Do you think with Jeff being an old school player it will be an advantage or a disadvantage?”

It may be a disadvantage. He’s probably been watching the show every season and analyzing people’s strategies. It’s easy to figure out how things could have played out differently from the comfort of your couch at home; it’s a whole different story when you’re out there! But Jeff is a smart guy. I’m sure he knows that he’s going to have to be willing to be as flexible as possible. If he goes out there with a set strategy and is not willing to alter it when necessary – he’s in trouble!

“What kind of person will Jeff want to align with? (quiet person, brash person, fellow strategist etc)”

I’m not sure, but I bet he’s thought about that. I don’t see him aligning with a quiet person. A brash person might be more likely because that’s someone he can hide behind. As long as the focus is on them, no one will notice what Jeff is doing, and he will have no trouble voting that brash person off in the end. However, Jeff is competitive! He might be most likely to align with with a strategist to get himself to the end and then beat them at their own game. That would be a very satisfying victory for him.

“What is the major thing Jeff needs to avoid this time around?”

Jeff needs to avoid aligning with the wrong person (or people), and annoying everyone around him – LOL.

“Do you think Jeff and Kimmi will be able to work together this time? Or will there still be animosity from Australian Outback?”

I don’t think there is any animosity between Jeff and Kimmi, but Kimmi tends to complain a lot and can rub people the wrong way. She’s also not very physically strong, so that could hurt her early in the game. I don’t think working with her would be a good idea.

“What is Jeff’s secret weapon to win?”

I wish I knew!! All I know is that he seemed really confident about his chances this time around. I’d love to see my boy win this thing!!


Written by

Martin Holmes

Martin is a freelance writer from England. He’s represented by Berlin Associates for comedy writing and writes about TV and entertainment, currently for TV Insider and Vulture, previously Digital Spy, ET Canada, and Yahoo. A finalist for the Shortlist Sitcom Search in 2012 for “Siblings,” Martin received his BA in English with Creative Writing from The University of Hull. Martin is the owner and editor-in-chief of Insider Survivor.


2 responses to “Survivor Second Chance: Alicia Calaway Talks Jeff Varner”

  1. Alicia Calaway needs to do a full interview. I’d love to hear the inside scoop of what went down her seasons.

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