I recently had the chance to interview Tammy Leitner from Survivor Marquesas. Tammy made it to the merge in her season, and knows most of the players playing in the All-Stars. Tammy spoke candidly about many subjects, including the quitting incidents, the lack of passion by some players, and her season as well.

Rich Glanzer: Do you feel you should have been selected as an All Star? Why do you think you weren't selected?
Tammy Leitner: I work as a TV crime reporter for a CBS affiliate here in Phoenix (KPHO-TV), so I was ineligible to be compete on a CBS game show because that would violate game show laws. I would have had to quit my job to be considered and I am not willing to do that. To be honest, competing on Survivor: Marquesas was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and you can't duplicate a once-in-a-lifetime experience. So I'm happy where I'm at in life.

Rich: Before this season started but when the selections came out, who do you feel didn't deserve to be on, and what All Stars should have replaced them?
Tammy: You could make a case for just about every one of the 112 people who have been on Survivor. Either they got a bad break and didn't get to show what they could do or got voted off too early to show what they were capable of. So everybody that was picked deserved to get picked for one reason or another. But I would have liked to see Sean Rector out there again because he's so damned funny and would have liked to see Mike Skupin, Helen Glover and Kelly Goldsmith get another chance because I really think they all had a shot at winning and were backstabbed or had bad luck. I would have liked to see Rob DeCanio get another shot, too, because I don't think the producers showed what a funny guy and great competitor he is the first time out.

Rich: Now that two have quit, does that bother you, that you could have been on instead of them?
Tammy:It bothers me in that the show is called Survivor. You're supposed to be able to survive anything. You're not supposed to quit. And I know there are plenty of former cast members who would have killed for another chance to play the game and they never would have quit. So, if you're casting "types," I guess I would have rather had Helen or T-Bird in there instead of Sue as the fortysomething woman and Kelly Goldsmith or Neleh Dennis in there instead of Jenna Morasca as the twentysomething woman.

Rich: How do you think Boston Rob is playing this game? Does it surprise you how athletically gifted he is?
Tammy:Rob is playing well. It doesn't surprise me a bit to see how athletic he is. He's a great athlete, he was just too busy scheming on Marquesas to show what he could do in challenges.

Rich:Are you friends with any Survivors from your season? Specifically Boston Rob, Neleh, and Vecepia. Do you hold any grudges against anyone?
Tammy: No grudges at all. I talk to Boston Rob often. And I just visited with Vecepia, Neleh, Sean and Sarah last month. Rob DeCanio, Hunter, Gabe, Kathy and I still talk all the time. Almost the entire cast came to my wedding. We'll all always be close and connected because we shared an amazing experience.

Rich:I felt you gave possibly the best/harshest speech ever at Tribal Council for the two finalists. But for some reason it never caught on. A couple of questions on that.

Rich: Everyone makes mistakes and has regrets in life. What are your Survivor regrets?
Tammy: That we didn't have a strong fifth person in our alliance.

Rich: How did Survivor help you as a TV reporter? Would you like to reach a top market? Do you think Survivor can help you in that aspect? I know Dr. Sean from the first season said CBS has been a hindrance and not a help.
Tammy: Survivor helped me move from newspaper reporting to TV reporting. That's the biggest impact. And sometimes people will talk to me for a story just because they want to ask me about Survivor. But my education and newspaper reporting background influence my TV reporting more than Survivor does. I really love working at KPHO in Phoenix and it is one of the top markets in the country, but of course I'd like to land a job on a show like "48 Hours" or "Dateline" some day. But it will be my reporting that gets me there, not the fact that I was on Survivor. I agree with Dr. Sean in that you have to work twice as hard to prove yourself to peers who think you got the job because of reality TV. But that's part of the challenge. And you know me, I love a challenge.

Rich: Out of all the women on all the Survivors, you seemed to be one of the most competitive. While the women won the majority of the challenges against the men in the Amazon, do you in a way wish you were on that show?
Tammy: It would have been fun to kick the men's butts on that show. And I think Deena and I would have formed a powerful alliance because of our similar backgrounds, but my experience on Marquesas was great and wouldn't trade it for anything.

Rich: How much interaction do you have with Survivors from previous seasons? Has anyone ever talked about a pre All-Star Survivor alliance? Now that there are genuine friends playing the game with each other...how does that affect things?
Tammy: I've met most of them. I think it does impact the game and make it a different game when you know the people before the game starts. It's harder to write someone's name on that paper when you've had dinner with them, drank beer with them and know their parents and children. It's going to cloud your game playing, no doubt.

Rich: If you had to pick one person to win right now...who would it be? Who do you want to win? Are you surprised about the quitting incidents? Do you think there is as much passion on this show as there have been on previous editions?
Tammy: There is plenty of passion on the parts of some players. Lex, Alicia and Kathy all seem very focused on winning. To be honest, I don't think Richard seemed as hungry to win as he was the first time. A million dollars will do that to you. It made him soft.
If I had to pick one person to win right now, it would probably be Boston Rob if he makes it to the merge. He's very strong physically and he could dominate the challenges. If he stays loyal to that alliance with Jenna, Amber and Ru pert, he could take it. I would LOVE to see Kathy or Lex win. They both should have won the first time around. Jenna Lewis is playing a smart game, too. I wouldn't mind seeing her win because she's a great person.

Rich: Do you understand how Sue feels? did she overreact? Would you have quit?
Tammy: I'm not in her position, so I can't say. I've covered enough sexual assault cases as a crime reporter that I know it has a HUGE emotional impact on a person, regardless of the severity. It's too bad it had to happen.

Rich: If you were on, what would your strategy be? Would it differ from the original game? Who do you think has played a great game, and who has played worse than expected.
Tammy: My strategy would be the same. Align myself with three other strong players and bring along a fifth so we'd have the numbers. Then, once you make it to the final 4, it's gloves off and every player for herself.
Rupert is playing well. He learned his lessons in the Pearl Islands and has laid back enough that he hasn't made himself a target. Plus, he fessed up when he made a mistake. That was a key to him staying in the game. I think Boston Rob has played a great game, too. He's used his strengths to keep the tribe happy. And he's led his team to some key victories.
I thought Richard played a horrible game. Too cocky. I would have expected a more intelligent strategy from the master of the game.

Rich: Does Kathy look more in tune with the game this time around?
Tammy: Absolutely. The only thing that's going to hurt her is the knowledge that the other players have that she could have won last time if it wasn't for the "boob" incident. So they know she's a threat to go all the way. And people LOVE Kathy. She'll get the votes if she makes it to the final 2.

Rich: Thank you for your time, and I wish you all the best in the television industry.

Questions and Feedback, Rich can be reached at rich@survivorskills.com