With only minor editing of a few of the questions you guys wanted Evelyn to answer, here is what she's had to say: [CENTER][url=http://vevmo.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=11495][img]http://vevmo.com/imagehosting/1174e54d0cf0e104.jpg[/img][/url] [SIZE="1"] Evelyn Smith, Rivals, (c) MTV[/SIZE][/CENTER] [B] Q. Did you get along with Johnny Bananas on Rivals?[/B] A. Yes, I did. When he’s not perpetually harassing me, I get along with him scary well, which is why I’m so perplexed by the attitude he sometimes has towards me. I genuinely was cheering for him against CT on Rivals, at a point when the match-up meant absolutely nothing to my status in the game, only to hear since returning home that he’s been saying XYZ about me on Twitter and podcasts all over again. I’ve given up trying to understand. I’m going to the VMAs with him on Sunday and expect to have an outstanding time. But I wouldn’t for a second be surprised if the next time I saw him on a challenge he tried to make my life hell for the month, pushed me, threw a stick at me, sent me into elimination against my best friend, or –OK you get it!-… He can be a ridiculously cool, clever person when he wants to be (the guy’s got a friggin brilliance to him at times, I can’t deny it)…but he can also be my worst f****** nightmare. Nothing surprises me anymore and as heinous as it gets it’s gotten to the point where I just laugh about the whole situation. It’s so f****** bizarre. Then the guy calls me a transvestite on the internet 50 thousand times after famously grabbing me and forcing a French kiss on national television… only to then go back on the same network and boast about making it to first base with me on the Aftershow -- and then voice disgust to everyone over -- only to drunkenly kiss me again in front of the whole cast (it ended up off-camera) in Argentina*… and then -AGAIN, you get what I’m saying! In the weirdest way he’s become a friend to me, it’s just a really f***ed up friendship that I cannot for the life of me understand. Have I shed any light at all on the situation? Did I just create Merriam-Webster’s first official definition for “Frenemy”? * And for the record, we were all beyond f***ed up and had totally lost our minds by the time of the Argentina kiss. That was also the night of Wes and Cara Maria’s war, Laurel’s attack on Paula, and our creepy drunk wrestling food fight upstairs. I’ve been asked about a certain injury I sustained during filming and why I was still able to laugh and get slammed around that night…here’s the thing- because of said injury, I was on a whole laundry list of painkillers…and I was drinking…and me + painkillers + vodka. Ask V1Man about Evelyn on painkillers after a fairly serious allergic reaction sent me to a Los Angeles hospital one beautiful afternoon. They pumped me full of pain meds, cortisone, and antihistamines, and he was my caretaker in the ER. And…I mean…gosh, suffice it to say that 10 am to 10 pm of that day is a gaping black hole in my mind’s eye. Apparently me on painkillers = awesome. And that is why that happened the way it did in Argentina. [I] [editor’s note: This was the only time I’ve ever seen Evelyn not be competitive. One of the staff asked me if she was a stand-up comic because everything she said to them in the ER had them all in stitches.][/I] [B]Q. Who from the challenges do you trust?[/B] A. Cara Maria’s the only one I have complete, 100% trust in, which can apply to all aspects inside and outside of the challenge. There are others who are very high up but she’s the only one who’s never given me a shred of reason to doubt her. [B]Q. Do you still talk to Brooke?[/B] A. Yes, we’re good friends. I just spent last Sunday with her in Hollywood. [B]Q. Would you like to have an elimination round one-on-one vs. Laurel because everyone wants to see once and for all who the best girl is? And are you confident that you would win? [/B] A. I would love it, although I wish it could just be an exhibition round so the two of us could stay and continue to hang out on the challenge afterwards! Having her around breathes new life into the game for me. She’s the one girl who I believe has a decent shot at sending me home in a fair fight (i.e. not relying on a fluke or silly DQ to beat me). I’m confident I would win, she’s confident she would win. I think it would be an awesome fight…and if there’s a Duel 3, I could easily see that being the final Duel of the season. Well, assuming BMP brushes up on the definition of “Duel” before the season starts. How the hell can you have a Duel that A) has three guys and three girls in the final and B) forces them into guy/girl teams? The whole concept is that it’s supposed to be one on one!!! Madness. [B]Q. Which challenge season was the most fun to film? Which one did you enjoy watching the most? [/B] A. Most fun was either Inferno 3, Gauntlet 3, or Rivals…all were great times. I enjoyed watching G3 the most, of the seasons I’ve done (even though the editing was a little unfair at times). [B]Q. Do you think the JEK alliance ruined what these challenges could be?[/B] A. Everyone else ruined it. Season after season the sheep gift-wrap the game for them and serve it up on a silver platter, then cry foul when they lose. I blame my idiot cast mates. [B]Q. Are there any girls who you would have trepidations about going into an elimination round against?[/B] A. No. I welcome the competition and the elimination rounds are such a rush, that the tougher the opponent, the more excited I’d be for it. To get to the meat of the question though, Laurel would have the best shot at taking me out in an elimination round. [B]Q. Are there any challenges you didn’t do that you would have liked to?[/B] A. The Duel [B]Q. Do you think you would have won the Duel had you not been forced to decline due to illness?[/B] A. Honestly…yeah. It changed the entire game. [B]Q. What’s your opinion about the newbies on Rivals? (Jasmine, Jonna, Mike, Leroy)[/B] A. I love ‘em all, to be perfectly honest. Jasmine, Jonna, and Cara Maria were my girls on this season, and watching them have to go against each other truly sucked. I really feel like the four of us bonded the most out of all of the girls on this season. Mike and Leroy are just awesome guys and such a breath of fresh air on this program. [B]Q. What’s with the Evelyn / Derrick’s animosity toward each other?[/B] A. That one’s entirely a one-way street. I’ve never said or done anything to the man, and don’t plan to. In the interim, he’s betrayed me in pretty feckless fashion on two consecutive challenges and apparently drags my name through the mud on his radio show. This statement is actually the first slightly antagonistic remark I’ve ever made regarding him. [B]Q. Why did you not like Veronica before “The Ruins” and why did your opinion change after doing that?[/B] A. I was friends with Veronica before the Ruins, and I continue to like and respect her. [B]Q. Do you have any type of relationship with Danny anymore?[/B] A. Did I ever? [B]Q. Why does Robin have beef with you? Evidently Robin told Derrick on a podcast that you were the one who orchestrated her and Aneesa going into the first Jungle. [/B] A. Robin has beef with me? I agreed to do her radio show next week, so I guess I’ll have to ask her about that. [CENTER][url=http://vevmo.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=11496][img]http://vevmo.com/imagehosting/1174e54d950b615f.jpg[/img][/url][/CENTER] [SIZE="1"][CENTER] Paula Meronek & Evelyn Smith, Rivals (c)MTV[/CENTER][/SIZE] [B]Q. What did you think when you heard you would be with Paula?[/B] A. I was thrilled. Honestly. [B]Q. Who are, in your opinion, the top 5 female challengers you have competed against physically?[/B] A. Laurel, Cara Maria, Paula, Tori, and Chanda. [B]Q. If Fresh Meat were done similarly to Rivals, which girl would you want from FM and FM 2?[/B] A. Chanda or Diem if I’d been able to choose a Fresh Meater, but since I’d have to choose an alum, Tonya. From FM 2, I would have chosen Cara Maria. [B] Q. If Rivals had been guy/girl teams do you think you would have had Johnny? Do you think you would have had a good shot at winning? Or could you think of a team that would have a better shot at beating you Rivals wise?[/B] A. Obviously I would have had Johnny…I can’t think of a better team, although I suppose you could do Laurel/Abram if Eric didn’t show…they would have had a good shot at beating us. [B]Q. If there was another Battle of the Seasons, who would you want as a partner? What season do you feel has the best winning potential?[/B] A. I would want Kenny, hands down. For all our bull**** over the years, we still work better together than any guy/girl pair I’ve ever seen. Best winning potential? I believe we would win, but Darrell/Rachel, Evan/Diem, or Paula/Johnny (or Tyler) would be tough competition. [B]Q. If there was another Battle of the Sexes format, do you think people would keep you because of your almost perfect challenge performances, or do you think they would eliminate you to make the finals with their friends?[/B] A. It could go either way. It would depend entirely on the rules of the game. Shoot, just look at this challenge: if the rules were even slightly different, this could have easily boiled over into me vs. Johnny, Kenny, and Evan all over again. Instead, the rules forced us into a very tight alliance. [B]Q. Did you ever feel like you carried Paula in Rivals? Did you ever feel like she carried you? Did you prefer her over players like Coral, Susie, or Brooke?[/B] A. We carried each other. That’s what this challenge was all about for the teams to be successful, with very few exceptions. She would have been my number one choice for a teammate, so yes I preferred her over all of those players. [B] Q. Are you a gold star lesbian? Are you the only one on the show that is?[/B] A. Yes and yes. [B] Q. Do you still keep and breed any reptiles? If so, which ones?[/B] A. Haha, yes I do. Varanus acanthurus and Varanus flavirufus…love ‘em. [B]Q. Do you have any post-challenge life plans in mind?[/B] A. Since I’d already taken the spring semester off of school to do the Challenge, I enrolled in cosmetology school. I’d always secretly wanted to, and finally went for it since I needed to stay busy anyway- have ended up loving it and am completing that this fall. I’ll be taking the LSAT this winter and finishing my undergrad in 2012, while also working as a full-time stylist in San Diego and Hollywood. Depending on my LSAT score, I may or may not pursue law school thereafter. [I][Editor’s note: a score of 172/173 is my prediction.][/I] [B]Q. Cara Maria hinted that there may have been some shady business behind Jenn and Mandi’s win in the kayaking challenge. Do you have anything to say about this, or any possible hand that production may play in determining the outcome of certain challenges?[/B] A. The rules stated you could not rest your kayak against the bamboo rods at the sides of the starting gate. Jenn and Mandi lodged theirs up against it for almost their entire run up at the starting zone, and it’s the only reason they won. That should have gotten them a game-losing penalty. Paula and I won that challenge. Watch the Final and tell me you honestly believe that Jenn and Mandi beat every girl’s team at a kayaking challenge. It’s comical. [B]Q. Do you think the alliance you headed with Wes on FM 2 was doomed from the start, simply because of Landon’s distrust/dislike for Wes?[/B] A. Quite possibly. I hate crying over spilled milk but Landon was itching to stab him in the back for a while. I remember many conversations I had with him and CJ trying to talk me into teaming with them and betraying Wes. That in addition to them agreeing to lie to us about CJ’s first exile, and floating deals to Kenny long before the ultimate move was made…I don’t understand why Landon couldn’t be content with saving beating Wes for the finals (we all knew he’d never win it), but as rocky as the foundation was for the move it ended up winning him the game. He accidentally made a move that won him the game. Landon and Carley both told me our Exile was harder than the final challenge, and it was a course that favored their team in every conceivable way: they had done it before (CJ threw it for them so they could learn it backwards and forwards), the weights clearly played to a larger team’s advantage, we were doing it in the dark so I was especially clueless, and Luke and I were totally exhausted, having just finished our Exile against Wes and Mandi 24 hours earlier and going for our second one in two days…even then, with every single possible advantage going their way, they only beat us by a mere 2 minutes off of a puzzle, in a 2 hour Exile. I came MUCH closer to beating Landon in that Exile, at his own game, than anyone else did on the Final, a neutral playing field. I knew that season was mine for the taking if we could just survive that elimination. I did my part and I still believe we could have very easily won that Exile…and as such it remains a source of extreme resentment for me to this day. The editing was flipped to an extent that season that continues to absolutely baffle me…If viewers could have seen the reality of that season I think they would have been far more sympathetic to my position…as it is Fresh Meat 2 exists as a Challenge netherworld in which I was a nefarious, dishonest, backstabbing, whiny, weak, unfair little brat…sandwiched between three seasons in which I’ve been (fairly) depicted as one of the most loyal and fair-minded players in the game. It would be an understatement to call it an editing screw-job and I love that it was the poorest rated season in the history of the franchise…sorry but it serves BMP right. I’m still VERY bitter about the whole experience. I wrote a lengthy piece about it last year but had to take it down on account of “trade secrets.” I call bull**** but I’m unable to elaborate. [B]Q. If you could come up with a challenge teaming theme like they usually set up what would you like to see them do?[/B] A. Good vs. Bad…but not “Good Guys” and “Bad *****,” more like a straight up good vs. evil…ironically I think many of the “Good Guys” of I3 are no-brainers for an evil squad. [B]Q. If you could pick your fantasy team made of 5 guys and 5 girls who would you choose?[/B] A. Landon, Frank, Alton, CT, Darrell, Laurel, Paula, Cara Maria, Tori, and Diem. [B]Q. Some of the guys show up for challenges looking like they put on a lot of muscle since we first saw them on their original seasons. Do you know if anyone has used steroids to train for the show?[/B] A. Yep and yep. [B]Q. Whose back would you have if Kelly Anne and Wes got into an argument on a future season? [/B] A. I’d stay out of that one entirely. [B]Q. What motivates Evelyn? [/B] A. I’m driven to succeed. It doesn’t matter what I’m doing- from the moment I wake up in the morning to the moment my head hits the pillow at night, I have to be busy and I have to be advancing myself. In school, when I get started on my term papers I usually work 30 hours straight without breaks for anything until the job’s done, and I’ll oftentimes get horribly sick by the end of finals because I can’t just work on and off. It’s actually a problem - I can’t give myself breaks and if I haven’t done a perfect job, or if I’ve left a work in progress, my mind races, I get anxious, and it MUST be done as flawlessly as possible before my mind can be at rest. I think I’m technically obsessive-compulsive about most things I do. I am an extremist and I have to give anything I apply myself to 110%. I’m always stressed, I’m always busy, and I always have to do a perfect job…but I’m also EXTREMELY happy and satisfied with my life, and that applies to everything. Victory, success, and achievement are my ecstasy. I get antsy if I’m anywhere for an extended period of time and have trouble spending an entire day doing nothing. In this respect, my father is a carbon copy of me and the reason I am the way I am- only he has not entirely applied his abilities to pursuits that bring him joy. He’s Yale-educated, a Manhattan lawyer, and at 63 he works harder than he ever has in his entire life because every deal he’s on has to be done best, and as he is the best in his field he doesn’t delegate many tasks to the infinite associates he has at his disposal because he knows they won’t do as good a job as he will. This has been the source of lots of stress and hardship for him, and while he totally doesn’t need to be doing every little task himself, he’s the same way I am. He can’t walk away from it, even though virtually anyone could see that some of these deals are totally insignificant in the broader scheme of things. If you want points of reference…Jeez, I remember I had an idea to re-do the backyard of the place I was renting two years ago. I SLAVED away at that thing all day everyday for a month perfecting it, only to have to move away the next month and see it all go to waste. I barely thought twice about it once the job was done. In the salon, I am the only stylist I know who can wrap a full foil highlight in mathematically perfect sections, with one hundred perfectly aligned foils in perfect order. I guarantee if you went in there with a ruler they’d match up perfectly. That logical part of my mind is my dominant side. It’s always operating and it’s why when I do things I have to do them perfectly. It’s also why I can pick apart one of these games with ease (the alliances, the numbers, the strategy). I typically figure out what the Challenge teams are months in advance (long before you guys or the other cast members do, I assure you). I can swear on my life, I would beat every single challenger at least 9 times out of 10 on any given mathematical or logic puzzle, were they to give me one on these challenges. That stuff is my bread and butter…I can do the “diabolical” Sudoku in the Times at will…yet I could not even match up two simple colored giraffes in South Africa five years ago. It’s an extremely unhealthy way to live, and I can tell you that the way I approach these challenges is totally unhealthy for me as well. From the second I show up in that house I am playing the game all the way through. This is an extremely successful approach, but it’s also very taxing, and I think takes a lot of fun out of the game that I might otherwise experience on these challenges. The thing is outside of these shows I actually have a ton of personality, I’m one of the most charismatic and adventurous people I know; but, once I start applying myself to something, I zone out and quite honestly am not all there emotionally, which I think is why I come off as occasionally brick-like on the Challenges. When I’m on the Challenge, I’m on a mission, and that’s my all for the month. I’m the most ambitious person I know, and when these two things are combined, the results are fantastic...but the reason this is possible is because in ways I’m seriously flawed. Did you know I count my syllables almost everytime I am talking to someone? I arrange them into numerical orders in my head based on the sounds, and if I’m walking I time them with my steps and eardrum clicks (I can click my eardrums at will, like popping them on a plane, because my jaw is slightly assymetrical). I always just assumed everyone did that kind of stuff, until I mentioned it at dinner with people a few months ago and got some very weird looks. Believe it or not, I have several family members who are worse. This is also why I went years not giving a damn about my appearance, the visor, etc. I focused on other things and so appearance was totally irrelevant to me. Now that I’ve chosen to apply myself to cosmetology, it’s become one of my pursuits and you will virtually never catch me without Barbie-doll curls and three(+)-toned eyeshadow. Again, I’m a (perhaps deeply) flawed person. But ultimately I’m going to be spectacularly successful. [B]Q. A number of cast members who've never been in an acting class seem to want to play characters on the challenges. How do you stay yourself and not succumb to the temptation to be over-the-top in front of the camera? [/B] A. I’m not capable of playing a role for the cameras, and don’t feel any desire to. This makes me a far more unique entity on that program than the would-be reality stars who ceaselessly attempt to court attention with their antics. I’m special for the simple fact that I don’t attempt to be special. I stand out because I don’t attempt to stand out. Ever. This especially applies amongst the women of the franchise, most of whom aren’t interesting enough to make it on their merits. I have no desire to get into acting or become famous off of this program. The Challenge is a game that I love; all I want to do is play it and win. [B]Q. Do you think fans are too intrusive in seemingly wanting to know things about the lives of the challenge cast members? Does it bother you that some "fans" don't understand that the shows are edited with a story line in mind? [/B] A. At times my mind is blown by how easily manipulated viewers are. I’ve learned not to get hung up on the negativity because viewers are often fickle. They’ll hate a cast member one season and love them the next, based on whatever the editing might be. If you’re going through a rough patch with the viewers, don’t worry about it because in a few months, most of them will flip all over again. The great thing about Vevmo is that hostility is generally kept at bay, or at the very least kept to a basic level of decency. I think most Vevmo readers are like little reality TV experts, and I love it, which is why this site remains the only one I have ever given my patronage to. I’d like to point one thing out though -maybe my only issue here- regarding the anti-Fresh Meat stance of a few Vevmo people (and this is not even based on my opinion of your overall position)- when you’re trying to bash us, the term should be spoiled meat. Not “stale” meat. I think that one started with the losers over at Speakreality five years ago and has somehow persisted to this day. Have you ever seen a steak go stale? Spoiled, rotten, rancid, decayed, rank…any one of these would work. If it’s a play on the entertainment being stale, then it’s a poor one because it’s not even applicable to the title. Quite honestly, any individual I’ve seen toss that one around over the years I have dismissed as a moron. Does it necessarily make one an idiot? Debatable…I guess I just put ‘em on the level of the “then/than” people. You know,[I] those[/I] people. [B]Q. In your last interview with us you said this about your perfect alliance for a team challenge: “Kelly Anne, Wes, Derrick and myself. I don't think I'd every have to worry about waking up with a knife in my back with those..." Would you like to correct the record today, with or without a reason attached? [/B] A. V1Man, you’re bad :wink2: [B]Q. Is there anyone from "Old School" MTV that you'd like to do a challenge with or again? [/B] I’ll just consider that everyone before my season, and yes. Theo, Timmy, Cara, Ruthie, Mark, Landon, Beth, Frank, Adam L, Adam K, CT, Abram, Alton, Beth, Brad, Katie, Robin, Aneesa, Veronica, and Rachel are all “Old School” folks I’ve enjoyed my time with and with whom I would happily go on a Challenge. I’ve never met Jodi or Kina but have heard great things from my friends, so I’d like to do one with them as well. ~~~~ [I][Editor's note: Thank you, Evelyn, agreeing to this repeat interview for vevmo. Thanks also to everyone who posted questions. In the beginning I thought about a more structured interview, but when Evelyn saw your raw questions, she just started answering them as they were, mostly in the order you posted them. Well done, team!. Hopefully, following tonight's final episode, we can convince Evelyn to answer a few more questions about the outcome. Please PM me any questions after tonight's episode.][/I]