Survivor Exit Interview: Not so angry Artis

If you’ve been watching this season of Survivor, you might not have noticed Artis Silvester. The quietest member of Tandang seemed to disappear behind the stronger personalities on his tribe. But that didn’t stop him from going out with a bang and causing even more trouble months after his elmination.

A lot of your previous interviews have focused on your tense relationship with Skupin on the island. Have you been reading those interviews?
Artis: I try not to. Because, I’m not going to let my distaste for Mike ruin my great time that I had out there.

Are you able to separate what happens in a game and how it affects your personal life?
Artis: Mike and I will never ever see each other again and that’s a good thing. I really don’t give it a second thought. I don’t live my life in front of a TV camera or computer screen, so I don’t need everybody to like me. I didn’t go on Survivor to try and turn myself into some kind of celebrity. It was really easy to get back into my normal life. Mike knows what he did, Mike knows that I confronted him about it and I’ll leave it at that.

And you still won’t talk about what happened?
Artis: I can’t right now. It’s only because I’m not the type of person to talk about someone behind their back…unlike others.

Are you happy with how “Artis” was portrayed on television?
Artis: Actually, no! I’m just being honest. I know that they are producing a TV show and that’s what they need to do, so there’s nothing I can do about it.

What was particularly inaccurate?
Artis: That I was angry and a villain out there. I had the time of my life, I really did. I had an incredible time out there, despite Mike.

When you were watching this season on TV, did your opinion about anybody change?
Artis: Yes! Miss Denise. I love Denise and I never though that she spearheaded my departure. When I saw that, all I could do is clap. It was a great move.

How surprising is Lisa’s performance this season?
Artis: Lisa went through some things, she had a hard go in the game. But when it was all said and done, although I didn’t like everything that she did, she’s was going to play the game she wanted to play. I wish she had confided in me what she was going to do. Lisa was truly dedicated to keeping Tandang together. It was hard for me to watch people jump on Lisa like they did.

Did you know who Lisa was?
Artis: No, I didn’t know. At the time that show (The Facts of Life) was being aired, I was busy trying to get home without beating someone up…or getting beat up.

You guys were really focused on getting the returning players out, if you knew Lisa was a celebrity, would you have tried to get her out quickly?
Artis: I don’t know. The thing about this game is that if you’re not threatening in any way, shape or form, you can pretty much go unnoticed, even if you tried not to.

How much of Survivor is luck?
Artis: I’d say it’s a good 50/50 mix, just like my departure. It’s a crap shoot. You just really don’t know where people lay. You hitch yourself to a horse at some point in the game and you just hope you’re on the right horse.