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BlankWillWin
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Dr. Sean
« on: Oct 7th, 2003, 4:59pm »		 Quote Quote Modify Modify
http://www.realitynewsonline.com/cgi-bin/ae.pl?mode=4&article=articl e3691.art&page=1
The Doctor Is Still In: An Interview with Sean Kenniff of the Original Survivor  
by Andrea Shuman -- 10/06/2003  
 
 
Have you ever wondered what happened to Dr. Sean from the first Survivor? Well, now you can find out about his job at the CBS affiliate in Miami, how Survivor has affected him, who he likes on the current series, how he thinks players from his series will do on an All-Star show, and more!  
 
 
 
Ever wonder what the inventor of the alphabet voting strategy and the Superpole 2000 is up to these days? Turns out that Dr. Sean is the chief medical reporter for the CBS affiliate WFOR in Miami. And if you’re looking for the typical angst and bitterness of a reality TV show participant after his fifteen minutes of fame are up, skip this article. Here is a guy truly happy with who he is and where his life is heading.
 
Andrea: Sean, thanks for talking to us at RealityNewsOnline today.  
 
Sean: You’re welcome. I’m more than happy to do it.
 
Andrea: Please bring us up to date with you. What are you doing and how did you get there?
 
Sean: Well, it’s an interesting story. After Survivor was over, I was practicing medicine just like before, when I was approached by Extra, the TV magazine show. Seems they were expanding the show’s format and going from merely entertainment reporting to including health news as well. They wanted me to be their medical reporter. While the show eventually reverted back to all info-taiment, I was with them long enough to get some good experience at TV journalism. I got an agent, worked hard, and eventually ended up here in Miami at WFOR.
 
Andrea: So, being connected with CBS because of Survivor really helped you then, didn’t it?
 
Sean: You’d think so, but that’s not the reality of the situation. Being connected with CBS works against a former Survivor cast member if they want to get into the industry.
 
Andrea: Why is that?
 
Sean: CBS is in the business of putting on hit shows, not building careers. So, while the current season of Survivor is running, sure… CBS will help promote you and do things to make you more visible. But, if you are STILL visible when the next season of Survivor rolls around, then you are a liability. You are taking away press time from the current crop of cast members and the network will do what it can to make people think of you as “yesterday’s news.” Because, to them, you are yesterday’s news.
 
I’m not dumping on the network, because they’re only doing their jobs. But this is the reality of the situation. If you aren’t on a current show, then a former reality show contestant is a pain in the neck to a network.  
 
Andrea: But you’re at a CBS affiliate now!
 
Sean: Yes, but that had less to do with the network and more to do with the affiliate itself. Because I was associated with the number one show in the country, I’m sure it tipped the scales in my favor when WFOR decided to hire me. It wasn’t the network’s doing in any way.  
 
However, things have really worked out for the best. I do stories that are picked up by CBS network news and I’m writing for the Miami Herald and local magazines. I love my job and my co-workers are great, too. What more could I ask for?
 
But you have to keep in mind that this started because of Extra, not because of any contacts I made at CBS while being on Survivor. Back then, I was just “Sean.” It was Extra that made me “Dr.” Sean. No one called me “Dr.” Sean while I was on Survivor.
 
Also, being a medical reporter has helped distance me from the lunacy of reality TV. I’m very proud of the work I’m doing now. I have an ability to affect people’s lives. It’s taken a lot to beat back the reality TV identification.
 
Andrea: Well, I hope we don’t ruin all the good work you’ve done in creating a new TV identity for yourself, but since this is RealityNewsOnline, I really do have to ask you about reality television.
 
Sean: (laughing) I understand! Go right ahead!
 
Andrea: What do you watch on TV these days?
 
Sean: In all honesty, I’m a big, big fan of… reality TV. I think scripted shows just seem so fake in comparison. I really enjoy The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, and I liked the first season of American Idol.
 
Andrea: And what about Survivor? Have you been keeping up with it in all its incarnations?
 
Sean: I was a big fan of Survivor 1 (of course) and Survivor 2. I did managed to catch a bit of Survivor 3. But now, I’m back into this current season of Survivor: Pearl Islands in a big way. I’m loving it!
 
Andrea: Who’s your favorite cast member this season?
 
Sean: Rupert, without a doubt. He’s great; I’d describe him as a benevolent Richard Hatch.
 
Andrea: Speaking of Richard, do you keep in touch with him?
 
Sean: Of all my former castmates, Richard and I are the closest. We speak to each other at least once a month. He’s a really good guy, very honest and caring. He also can be annoying as hell, but at least he admits it.
 
Andrea: What’s he up to these days?
 
Sean: Richard is just looking for love, like the rest of us. Most of our conversations are about this very subject. But he also can be fairly secretive about what’s going on in his life. I know that he did mention “Super Survivor” the last time we talked.
 
Andrea: Is that confirmed? Will there be an All-Star Survivor and will Rich be on it?
 
Sean: He didn’t give me much info. I get the feeling he’s still in negotiations, but he’s quite interested in it. Like I said, he’s closed-mouthed when he wants to be.
 
Andrea: How do you think the cast of Survivor 1 would fare among the later casts?
 
Sean: Actually, I’d think we’d do very well. Keep in mind; during our time on the island, we were convinced no one would watch this show. We were all very naïve and raw. We had no clue that what we were doing would change the nature of TV programming forever. But that’s exactly what happened.
 
Now, all the casts are very self-aware, and sometimes they degenerate into vicious free-for-alls. I don’t think you could ever recreate that genuine sense of awe we had that first season. So, if you put all of us back out there now, we’d be just as competitive and vicious as the later casts.  
 
Andrea: Sean, I must ask… what was the deal with the Alphabet Voting Strategy? [Author’s note: During the show, Sean had announced to everyone on the island that at all tribal councils, he would vote off people in alphabetical order. To the viewing audience, this made no sense, thus turning Sean’s Alphabet Plan into an object of great derision.]
 
Sean: What people don’t understand was, I was trying to win! I needed the million dollars to pay off my student loans!
 
Andrea: How in the world would an alphabet strategy help you do that?
 
Sean: All right, let me try to explain. First, I realized that the only way I could win was to set up a Rich/Sean finale. I couldn’t win against Gervase, the guy with three kids. I couldn’t win against Jenna, the mom with two kids. I couldn’t win against truck driver Sue or veteran Rudy. I’m a doctor, so that means I supposedly didn’t need the money as much as these other guys did. I could only win against Rich.
 
Andrea: I’m with you so far.
 
Sean: Okay. So, if I let everyone know I was voting alphabetically, I could accomplish three things:
 
I could achieve an air of fairness and impartiality;  
I could let everyone know who I was going to vote for in advance, in case someone wanted to add their vote to mine; and  
I could target the guys from the OTHER tribe first. Rudy, Sue, and Rich all came at the end of the alphabet. Gervase, Colleen, Jenna and the other pretty young folk came first. Under my Alphabet Plan, Team Ugly – as we called ourselves – was spared.
In other words, I could be part of the alliance without being officially in the alliance, thus avoiding ticking off the jury at the final tribal council.
 
Andrea: This sounds far more sophisticated than we were led to believe. The show was edited so the idea seemed wimpy and dorky, and not part of a grand strategy.
 
Sean: That was also my doing. I knew that during the one-on-one interviews, the producers asked the cast questions derived from previous interviews. For example, if Sue said something negative about Gervase, they’d go and ask Gervase, “Do you really believe Sue’s a nice person?” I didn’t want to give the producers any clue as to what my thinking was, so they couldn’t give it away to the others.
 
Andrea: Ah ha! Clever!
 
Sean: Well, I thought so. Unfortunately, this meant the producers couldn’t give it away to the viewers, either. (Laughing)
 
Andrea: One last question, Sean. Whatever happened to The Superpole 2000?
 
Sean: Arrggh! The Superpole! Kelly and Rich burned it that last day, along with the rest of the camp!
 
Andrea: You’re kidding!
 
Sean: Seriously. And you know what? Planet Hollywood contacted me about that pole! Or I could’ve auctioned it off for charity! I still can’t believe that jerk Rich burned it!  
 
Andrea: But I thought he was your pal. Haven’t you forgiven him?
 
Sean: Oh, of course. Rich is a great guy, and it’s all over and done with. But still… when I think about the Superpole… [groaning in mock pain]
 
Andrea: Any last thoughts you’d like to leave our readers with?
 
Sean: When I went on Survivor, I had an idea it would be good for me, and it’s paid off in spades. I have a wonderful job, great friends, an awesome girlfriend, Esther; and my life is going very well. But if it all collapsed tomorrow, I’d at least be able to go back to neurology.  
 
So reality TV has been great for me. I’d say that if you have a built-in angle, like being a doctor or another skill like that, reality TV could open a lot of doors for you. However, if you’re just one more “wannabe” without another talent to fall back on, merely being a reality TV contestant isn’t going to do much for you in the end.
 
Andrea: Wise words. RealityNewsOnline thanks you for your time, Sean. It was wonderful talking to you.
 
Sean: My pleasure, Andrea. Thanks for your interest!
 
Eric.
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Re: Dr. Sean
« Reply #1 on: Oct 7th, 2003, 5:40pm »		 Quote Quote Modify Modify
on Oct 7th, 2003, 4:59pm, BlankWillWin wrote:

Andrea: Sean, I must ask… what was the deal with the Alphabet Voting Strategy? (Author’s note: During the show, Sean had announced to everyone on the island that at all tribal councils, he would vote off people in alphabetical order. To the viewing audience, this made no sense, thus turning Sean’s Alphabet Plan into an object of great derision.)
 
Sean: What people don’t understand was, I was trying to win! I needed the million dollars to pay off my student loans!
 
Andrea: How in the world would an alphabet strategy help you do that?
 
Sean: All right, let me try to explain. First, I realized that the only way I could win was to set up a Rich/Sean finale. I couldn’t win against Gervase, the guy with three kids. I couldn’t win against Jenna, the mom with two kids. I couldn’t win against truck driver Sue or veteran Rudy. I’m a doctor, so that means I supposedly didn’t need the money as much as these other guys did. I could only win against Rich.
 
Andrea: I’m with you so far.
 
Sean: Okay. So, if I let everyone know I was voting alphabetically, I could accomplish three things:
 
I could achieve an air of fairness and impartiality;  
I could let everyone know who I was going to vote for in advance, in case someone wanted to add their vote to mine; and I could target the guys from the OTHER tribe first. Rudy, Sue, and Rich all came at the end of the alphabet. Gervase, Colleen, Jenna and the other pretty young folk came first. Under my Alphabet Plan, Team Ugly – as we called ourselves – was spared.
 
In other words, I could be part of the alliance without being officially in the alliance, thus avoiding ticking off the jury at the final tribal council.
 
Andrea: This sounds far more sophisticated than we were led to believe. The show was edited so the idea seemed wimpy and dorky, and not part of a grand strategy.
 
Sean: That was also my doing. I knew that during the one-on-one interviews, the producers asked the cast questions derived from previous interviews. For example, if Sue said something negative about Gervase, they’d go and ask Gervase, “Do you really believe Sue’s a nice person?” I didn’t want to give the producers any clue as to what my thinking was, so they couldn’t give it away to the others.
 
Andrea: Ah ha! Clever!
 
Sean: Well, I thought so. Unfortunately, this meant the producers couldn’t give it away to the viewers, either. (Laughing)

 
I thought this part was pretty interesting.  I never thought about it that way.
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