TV Tattler: Celebrity Interviews

'Survivor: Guatemala' Winner Danni Boatwright and Runner-up Stephenie LaGrossa Tell All

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Dec. 13 -- After 39 days of jungle drama, Kansas City tomboy Danni Boatwright wrestled the $1 million 'Survivor' prize away from Jersey girl Stephenie LaGrossa. AOL Television editor Sandy Deane grilled both women about who really deserved to win, why the jury was so bitter and what's in store for them now that Guatemala is behind them.

So, what does it feel like to be the million dollar baby?
It's unbelievable. Being a fan of the show and watching it so many seasons and then you win, it's just unreal.

What are you going to do with your winnings?
Before I even went down to compete in the game, I said if I win, I certainly could bless a lot of my family with it. And then, this next summer, I'd like to start looking into the adoption process. I'd like to adopt a child, originally I thought from China, but after being in Guatemala I think that would be really cool.

Do you think you truly outplayed Stephenie?
Absolutely. The way the numbers were stacked against me, you know, that doesn't just happen by chance. You have to be a player; you have to be very strategic. I had to be careful about what I did and the timing of it. When we merged, some of the people thought it was OK to feast while some of the people competed for immunity. I knew my head wasn't on the chopping block but I competed anyway because I wanted to show respect to the guys in my alliance whose heads were on the block. And then when we had the auction, nobody bid on that immunity clue. That was a huge point. I won that immunity and then it helped me manipulate the situation to get Judd voted off. I can't believe Stephenie didn't talk to Judd about it.

If Rafe hadn't released you from your agreement to go to the final two, would you have taken him?
I definitely would have taken Stephenie and I don't think I stabbed him in the back because he never promised me anything. It's just like a relationship. I'm not going to be with a guy who isn't going to be committed to me, you know. He never promised me final two. Rafe and I are still good friends and he even said I made the right decision. But it did make it easier when he said he released me. If Rafe was a quarterback and we were in the Super Bowl, I'd sack his butt if I had the chance. I'd give him a hand and help him back up but that's just how you play a game.

What's next for you?
I'm going back home and take it all in. And I want to go back and do my sports radio. I'm ready to go talk sports.

Are you going to stay local, or take your sports radio national?
My passion is with my local teams, with the Chiefs and the Jayhawks and the Royals. But I've always wanted to do sideline reporting, and I love basketball. But we'll see what happens.

STEPHENIE LAGROSSA

Do you think Danni deserves the $1 million prize?
You know, I do. I mean anybody that goes through that and can make the 39 days definitely deserves the $1 million. I don't think I had a shot against her or even Rafe, or really anyone else.

You don't think you'd have had a better shot against Rafe in the final two?
I don't. Rafe and I made the same exact decisions; we played the same exact game. But the thing is, this was my second time around. This was the rest of the cast's first time around and a lot of them were very resentful that they even brought us back to begin with. And now I got to the end and they're sitting on the jury. A lot of anger came in to play. You know, you have two types of juries: there are bitter juries and respectful juries and they were all very bitter towards me.

Were you surprised by just how angry the men were?
Honestly, Katie took it a lot harder in Palau. I thought they were really going to let me have it and they didn't. I was really prepared, like bring it on because I played a great game and I'm here and you're not. But they didn't.

They voted emotionally, but did you think intellectually they'd concede that you played the best game?
When you come out of the game, you are emotionally a mess. People drink themselves into oblivion when they're on the jury, they just get crazy and they're just pissed off. They're just voting out of anger. Sometimes if you wait until the after show is completely done airing and maybe the votes are later, it could be a different story.

Do you think that if they'd held their votes until they got to watch the whole season that the result would have been different?
Yeah, I do. A few people, I heard through the grapevine, said "I regret the way I voted." But at the same time, Danni… played an amazing game. She never had to backstab and she waited for that one second to split our alliance up and she did it and got to the end. She pulled Rafe in; she made a smart move.

What about Judd's comment that Danni skated through the game?
I don't think that's true. Just because she's not in a leadership position doesn't mean she skated through the game. You know there's a winner and there's a loser, and that's 'Survivor' and I still never got voted out. I'll make my millions other ways.

You ditched Lydia for Danni in the final three, but you'd been voting off the strongest players until then. Why the switch in strategy at the most crucial stage of the game?
Rafe wasn't budging. The only chance I have to keep Lydia around is to tie at tribal council. Rafe really thought it was a better decision to take Danni and I said we're gonna look like idiots if she beats us in the final challenge and wins the whole thing. He's like "It's not gonna happen Steph, it's two against one." So we decided to be the best, go up against the best and she won.

What's your biggest regret? Do you have one?
No, I really don't. I feel sad that it came off that I stabbed Judd right in the back and that I planned on voting for him because that wasn't the way it went down.

Is there hope for you and Judd?
Well he called me two days after that episode and said "I'm not mad at you. I love you kid, you played a great game." And then we got to the finale and I think him seeing me in the final two kind of upset him all over again, plus his family was there and they're really bitter. But he's an awesome guy and I hope we can be friends.

Would you participate in another 'Survivor,' perhaps an All-Stars game?
I say no because I just went through two back-to-back and I don't think mentally or physically I could ever take it again. But if you gave me a year and then someone asked me, probably because I'm not going to turn down a competition.

Who would you like to compete against, in your dream All-Stars challenge?
Rupert, Boston Rob, Tom, bring Judd back and gotta throw Rafe in there.

Has your opinion of your fellow castaways changed at all since watching the series on TV?
No. A lot of them have said some not nice things about me on their press interviews and stuff. But a lot of it is just for that, for press. They're acting like they just came off the island. They all know who I am and they're all real nice people and my opinion hasn't change toward them in a bad way at all.

What's next for you?
I'm partnering with this new company, 2Bbrazil, it's actually a swimwear and sporting apparel company. It's like all the Brazilian trends, which are always two years ahead of the states in swimwear fashion and we're bringing them to the states. It's not as skimpy, we have all the different kinds of butts: full coverage, partial coverage. It's neat because I'm helping design a lot of the suits.