Steve Fishman is a highly accomplished journalist, that has been at the center of some critical stories. His current project is The Burden: Empire on Blood, a podcast that chronicles how Steve dove into an uneven and fascinating criminal case from the 1990s, and we had the distinct honor of sitting down with Steve to discuss this incredible journey.
 
John Betancourt: I'd love to start by getting to know what it was specifically that stood out about Calvin's case that really ignited the desire in you to pursue this truth.
 
Steve Fishman: What gets me started is somehow talking to Calvin through a guy I know in prison with him, calls me up cold, starts running off the facts of the case. You know, very emotional, and then, you know, expecting me to evaluate and jump on board, and I'm, frankly, kind of put off. But it gets to the moment. Maybe it's his energy, his aura, some kind of feeling he communicates. I know he's talking to me from a pay phone in the yard of a prison. I know he's desperate. He's like the only guy in his corner, and I just, in my way, imagined what it must be like to be that alone and that powerless. And I said, “Send me the transcripts.” And I read those transcripts, and it's just amazing when you get into the courtroom scene and maybe this was particular to the 90s, but the courtrooms in in the Bronx, you start to think, “Is this possible?” You know, there's all, all kinds of deals, and it's so obvious that the prosecutor’s running the courtroom and cheating and lying, and people walk in having gotten deals to walk free. And so, you know, but once I got in that door and sat down with the material, I was hooked. And frankly, I was hooked for seven years, which was not good, not good for my career. (Laughter) And you know, John, I really did not have an opinion on whether he was guilty or not. And there were times where I really thought, you know, six witnesses testify against you? I mean, how many of them are lying? Did you really do this?
 
John Betancourt: Something that I really noticed as I was listening, is that not only is this, you know, so emotional in some respects, because there are some parts that really are very deeply, deeply moving. But you present such an amazing two-sided piece here, because you really do point out the fact, correctly, that, Calvin did commit crimes, but he's still a person. But also, you know, the justice system has its laws, but it also has its flaws. And I'm very curious, how you manage to keep this so incredibly objective when you were so close to it.
 
Steve Fishman: That's a really good question. And, you know, I think some people might see it as a flaw frankly, you know, but I really go in and I find myself kind of exercising empathy, like the person I'm with, I'm trying to understand the world from their point of view. And I don't think it's like necessarily something I sit down to decide to do. It's almost like it's a weakness, you know, like some kind of lack of strength in my personality that somehow is, you know, kind of taken in by this person who's telling me something that, on one hand, I know may not be true. On the other hand, I believe that they believe it, which gives it some kind of interesting credibility. I mean, I'll give you an example. So, I'm with Turtle Man. You know, can you believe that the prosecutor's nickname is Turtle Man?
 
You know, it's a Law and Order topic, but, we're in Coen Brothers territory, so, you know, and there's literally 20 turtles in his two story house, and one of them clomping down stairs as we're talking. And so, you know, there's this guy whose life is rescuing turtles and, as he would say, putting bad guys away. Now I asked him, I said to him, “Well, have you ever been wrong? Have you ever had a conviction reversed?” And he said, “No, never.” I knew he had a conviction reversed. I read the decision a judge really did it, but I sat, and I thought about I said, you know, this is like part of his worldview that he saw. He’s a good guy going after bad guys, making the streets safer. And somehow for me, you know, I feel like that was what I wanted to communicate. It wasn't that this guy got caught in a lie, it was that this guy's conception of himself was as a good guy who was cleaning up the streets for decent citizens, you know. And it's the same with Father Frank. I mean, can you believe the detective has a nickname, Father Frank?
 
I mean, he, you know, is a guy who didn't know who Martin Luther King was, in 1965, I mean, you could get stuck on that and start to think, you know, who is this guy to go out and police neighborhoods that are largely filled with black people? I mean, but you know, like for me it was, you know, this is New York. This is this guy. This is a cop who also thinks he wants to do good. But I think, and I've covered cops enough, and, you know, done another series recently about cops, but the trap that they seem to fall into is that they feel like somehow, in their gut, they know how the world works, and they know who's lying, and they know who's not lying. And so, the kind of cognitive dissonance of coming from a background, in this case of, you know, Italian kids growing up, all of them going into civil service, and, you know, dealing with people from a rougher background who you think you can understand, you know, that doesn't, that doesn't necessarily register for them. And you know, I'm just going to pre associate here a minute. But one of the things, one of the reasons that we did this director's cut, this re-release, is that the lives of our characters in six years had just moved on, and they moved on in, like, real ways, substantive ways. I mean, Cal gets out and he starts a business. He starts a business called Ryderz Van Service.
 
He's researched, like, seven business plans in prison, right? He actually takes one of them. And, you know, don't forget, like the guy's a drug kingpin, that's essentially a businessman. So, you know, he was running a pretty successful street level business, and he gets out and he applies it. He figures, you know, all these families need transportation to their loved ones in prison. So, he says, “I'm starting the Uber of prison transport.” Now it's not like Uber says I'm starting the “Prison Riders”, Van commuting, but Cal does start this business that takes off. And I mean, I talked to him the other day, he's got like five Mercedes busses that are running passengers back and forth. And then he's actually got a really nice, big house in Houston too, but, but then you know, to get back to Father Frank. Father Frank is, you may remember in the series, moves in and gets Dwight Robinson not to confess which is his specialty, but to unconfess, a related skill, clearly, Dwight unconfessess, Cal goes back to Prison. Fast forward five years, Father Frank's comportment, his behavior with people he's trying to get, confessed or unconfessed, is called in question, and in fact, three of the people who he solicited elicited confessions from have their convictions overturned because of the techniques he used.
 
So, Father Frank, who kind of emerges as this unblemished detective with, in some ways, a golden gut, you know, rescues the case for the prosecution, but of course, who, in the end, gets the Calvin case wrong, or certainly at odds with the judge, he becomes a guy who is suspected kind of at the most fundamental level. He believes his skill is talking to people and getting them to confess and District Attorney investigates it and says, “I'm reopening 31 of your cases where you got confessions, because I really don't know if they're going to stand up.” So, here's a guy who's, like famous within his police corps, and really moves to a public infamy. So anyhow, the re-release kind of is able to kind of capture these lives after these, this kind of very concentrated, moment in their lives, you know, peak moment, headline moment. But, you know, lives go on.
 
John Betancourt: You know, you spent seven years on this. What kind of challenges did you run into and putting this whole sweeping story together?
 
Steve Fishman: Well, one of the challenges was, I was working at New York Magazine as a staff writer at the time, and I, I couldn't get them to do a story, you know? I kept thinking, “Oh, my God, I got this great story.” And they kept saying, “Drug dealer might be a murderer. Come on.” (Laughter) So I, you know, I spent time with this on an ongoing basis, and, you know, it wasn't helping New York Magazine. So, in kind of, just in terms of a challenge, you know, the challenge was finding the time and the motivation to do it when it was definitely against my self-interest to pursue this. I mean, reporting wise, you know, it was, it was really, finally, finally getting to that person who was an eyewitness to the crime. I mean, it was, you know… I went down with the private investigator. And so, with him, I was the first person to talk to this woman who, as a pregnant, 16-year-old, sat on the stoop a few feet away from the actual shooting and saw who did it. And for me, that was just, I mean, it was momentous. I'd spent at that point… I'd probably spent six years thinking about this crime, going back and forth. You know, Cal’s story about himself was that he was never violent, but, you know, he carried a gun. He lived in an extraordinarily violent world, in an extraordinarily kind of like -- alongside all kinds of perpetrators of violence, some of that violence directed at him.
 
So, it became a little hard to believe that Cal was not a guy who would use a gun. So, I kind of was contending with that on one hand and on the other hand, this idea that the judicial system, the justice system, had kind of rammed through a conviction of this guy in an unfair way. And then finally, you know, I get to sit down, sit down with this woman, Nakia, nicknamed Evelina, if you can believe that. There's one for Law and Order. They ripped off my stories before. (Laughter) Evelina sits down and she tells me in detail how she saw and then who she saw commit the crime, which actually sends a shiver on my spine, because this is a guy that I've been talking to now for years. He's in prison for a different murder. But the guy she names is somebody that I've become quite friendly with. I mean, he's somebody that, you know, I send stuff to in prison. He wants Sudoku, because he tells me that it's going to keep him sharp in old age. He's dying to get Timberlands because that is apparently the most sought-after shoe in prison, though we later learned, the problem with getting Tim's in prison is that they're two tone, and because of gang activity, you're not allowed to wear anything two tone in prison. So, he shut down.
 
Anyhow, the point of this, being that this is the guy who's named, and I then need to go to prison, and I need to tell him that he's been named as a killer. And I remember that moment really well, because in prison, they let me sit -- it's almost a conference room, you know, with bars on the windows, beat up chairs, beat up table. But he and I are sitting across from one another, so about four feet from one another, and I got my little favorite tape recorder running. For some reason they forgot to put a guard in there that day. So, it was just me, and, you know, I know him, and I kind of like him, but you know, I've also heard him, even on the phone, go into like, another mode where, he'll say something like, “I'm just gonna, I'm just gonna beat that guy up. I just got to do it,” so I'm not entirely, you know, convinced that this is like interview protocol here entirely, and I'm about to tell the guy, listen, I know you killed this guy because this eyewitness said so. I… a Lieutenant comes into the room, notices that there's nobody there, no guard is there, no corrections officer, and says, “What the hell's going on? “And puts one in there, which point I go to the restroom for a few minutes, and I leave my tape recorder on. I always use my tape recorder, and I catch the conversation that Dwight has with the corrections officer, where they start joking about how… Dwight could have killed me.
 
“I could have killed him.” “Yeah, right.” “He's not dead, is he?” And, like, for me, that was, like, a very big moment, because, you know, I entered into this as like a reporter, you know, college educated, all those kind of typical things. Unlike these guys who seem very much, you know, conversational, relatable, and at some level, you know, you get brought up against the fact that they come from a different world. They would say that to me, “I come from a different world than you.” But in terms of, like, the hardest challenge, I think it was, it was getting the information that finally relieved me of the burden of “is he or isn't he,” I finally was able to feel wholeheartedly he didn't do this, and that just made me feel fantastic because independently, I liked Cal and wanted to believe he wasn't guilty. And finally, I'd gotten to this woman in North Carolina, 800 miles away, who'd seen this incident in the Bronx, 30 years earlier.
 
John Betancourt: Last question that I have for you today, obviously, this couldn't have come out at a better time, I think, with the climate as it as it stands, with how we feel about the justice system and how people feel about wrongful incarceration. And I'm very curious, what you hope audiences take away from this story of flaws and wins and sorrow.
 
Steve Fishman: You know, the first thing that I want people to experience is, I want them to be immersed in the experience of the criminal justice system. I mean, I want them to be entertained, but I want them to be enthralled. I want them to feel like after they listen to this, that they know how things work. You know, not in every case, but certainly in some cases. I want them to understand the power relationships and the loneliness and what it takes to win against the system. I mean, one of the things that I came away with was this incredible respect for the unbelievable determination of a guy like Calvin over a period of 20 years. And as you know, his lawyer that he believes in and loves dies, and Calvin has two weeks, and then he recovers. But you know, like in a grander way, I think, you know, we wrestle, we being society, voters, citizens. We wrestle with what we should do with people who commit crimes or people who are accused of crimes. And you know, we go up and down right, like in the Giuliani era, even in Dinkins era.
 
So, this is the early 90s when crime was off the charts. We, I mean, the taxpayers, the voters. We wanted crime solved. We didn't care how it got done. So, I want... I want people to understand that we can't let the wrong people go to prison, but I want them to understand too, that this isn't a distant story about what some cops did and what some prosecutors did. This is a story about who you put in office, what you expect from them, and how you treat the public dialogue around punishment. I mean, you know, as you said, Cal was a bad dude. Yeah, I mean, there's, it's possible to say, especially in 1995 when he goes to prison, when there's 2000 murders a year, and when a lot of them are around the crack trade. It's possible to say, you know, “The guy's a drug dealer, who cares,” you know, throw him in prison, let someone else sort it out. And that's kind of a rational view in the midst of a crime wave. But you can't then, 20 or 30 years later, say, “Oh, my God. How did this happen? Who are these rogue cops, who are these delinquent prosecutors who go out and do this, you know?”
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

Christopher Chung is a supremely talented and accomplished actor that has earned his way into our hearts via his portrayal of the sometimes loveable, sometimes frustrating Roddy Ho in the Apple TV+ series, Slow Horses, and with season four underway, we were able to sit down with Christopher to discuss his time on the show.
​
John Betancourt: I would love to know what it means to you an actor to be back for a fourth and epic season.
 
Christopher Chung: I mean, I think with the way that streaming is now, like, you're lucky to get past the first two seasons, so the fact that we've managed to get to Season Four is a godsend, in some ways, and to be able to do it on a show that's been so well received and loved by the audiences is a bonus. So, it's a very exciting season. I think it's one of the best seasons that was done.
 
John Betancourt: I have to agree, and you actually bring me right to my next question, the fact that fans just cannot get enough of this show. And I'm very curious, what you think allows for this show to resonate so well with audiences.
 
Christopher Chung: I think it's… they're just, they're very relatable characters. You know, it is a spy thriller, but it's not in the James Bond world. It's not sleek, it's not sexy. It's very much driven from a place of reality and truth. And I think when people fantasize about what it's like to be a spy… it makes it a little bit more touchable and accessible, because all of the characters are forward. And I think that's what people really enjoy about the Slow Horses and, you know, being invited into Slough House to see to see us all in our fuckery. (Laughter from Christopher and John)
 
John Betancourt: That also leads me to my next question. Because you bring up a really good point about the realism of the show, and that applies to the characters, and I’m very curious how you as an actor have made Roddy so real and so dynamic, because he's someone that we instantly can just think of in our own workplaces.
 
Christopher Chung: Yeah, I think you know, someone asked me that question the other day, if Roddy was based on any one person in particular that I knew. And I'm surprised by how many people come up to me nowadays and say, “I know someone exactly like your character,” and it kind of flabbergasted me, because I've kind of made him an amalgamation of, like, some of the worst bits of some of the worst people that I know, but also some of the like…. I've tried to make him very well… I've tried to make him likable in what he does. I think the thing that the trick with Roddy is, is that he sits on the edge of being an absolute prick that you don't want to see any more of. So, making sure that everything that I play with him is coming from a place that's not malicious, you know.
 
John Betancourt: I get that. Kind of just that, there's an innocence, but also a purpose behind his madness.
 
Christopher Chung: Correct.
 
John Betancourt: Out of curiosity, just as a quick follow up to that one, because I'm always curious with actors that get a play character that are so not them. Does Roddy ever come home with you mentally, or is he somebody that stays at work?
 
Christopher Chung: (Laughs) What's funny is, like, I've never lived with a character for as long as Roddy. And he's, he is everywhere in my head. Now, you know, I was in New York with my wife a few months ago, and we were shopping, and I saw a t-shirt that completely resonated with him, and I had to buy it. You know, I look at -- whenever you're out in the world, because you're always trying to, like, think of new ideas, or how would your character respond to certain things, he's always kind of there, narrating slightly like that.
 
John Betancourt: Now this show is, obviously, an actor's paradise. You each get to do such incredible work, week in and week out, that obviously leaves us in awe. And I'm curious what it means to you as an actor to work on a series that really does give you so much to work with.
 
Christopher Chung: It's a… it's a gift, isn't it? I mean, I think every actor has been in a situation where, you know, the material is not great, or your costars are not great, or the conditions that you're working under are not great. And you know for the last four years that we've been making the show, all of those boxes have been ticked in in an excellent way like that. It's an absolute dream of a job to have. So, I feel extremely lucky every time I step on set, you know, to get to work with Gary (Oldman), with Saskia (Reeves), Jack (Lowden), Kristen (Scott Thomas), you know, we are like, in so many ways, like a small kind of dysfunctional family, but it's great fun. So, it's excellent.
 
John Betancourt: I am curious, without spoiling, what you're looking forward to audiences experiencing in the next five, six weeks, without any spoilers of course.
 
Christopher Chung: I think, um, there's the big twists that come. I think you know, especially from episode one, it has left so many questions open. You know, is River really dead? What slow horse is in like… in jeopardy? There's so many threads that need to be tied up within the next five episodes. It's really difficult to choose one that you would focus on. So. Yeah, we'll go with the twists.
 
John Betancourt: The last question that I have for you today, over the course last four years, what have you been most proud of thus far when it comes to your work on the show.
 
Christopher Chung: At the end of season one, there's a line when River tells Roddy why he's in Slough House, and he says to River at the end, “They tried to cage me up, but you can't cage a dragon.” And James Hawes, our director of season one, had just left the camera running, and that is something that just kind of fell out of my mouth with any preparation. It was just a bit of improv, but it made it into the cut, and I feel like it was a moment for me where I’m like… I hadn't thought about that line. It kind of came out of nowhere, and it just really meant that I had found Roddy at the end of by season one. So, I think that's that was probably one of my proudest moments.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

This week’s episode of The Anonymous on USA Network saw another surprise elimination take place. Since Jack was quick to send home one of the newcomers, in Wayne. Whom we all thought might last a little longer given his natural attachment to the guile required for this competition. But alas, it wasn’t meant to me and to properly bid Wayne farewell, we sat down with him to discuss his experiences on the show.

John Betancourt: I would love to start with… all of you have an amazing journey as to how you came onto the show. Yours is obviously one of the more amazing ones, because you were a surprise contestant. How did that come to be?
 
Wayne Nichols: Well, you know, I wasn't aware of that component until we arrived on location, and, you know, they let me know then that it was looking more likely that I would be a surprise house guest. So, you know, I was obviously hoping at that point that I would have entered the house initially with the other house guests. But, you know, I was certainly thrilled to still be on the show and have an opportunity. I think the biggest challenge for me was just, you know, how does my approach differ now that I'm coming in a little bit later in the game, so I had to kind of decide, right, like, how aggressive… or do I play it cool? Initially, that was the balancing act that I really tried to find, you know, when I entered the home.
 
John Betancourt: I do want to talk a bit about your strategy today, because your strategy was very, very bold. I would definitely say one of the most impactful things about your time on the show is how well you shook it up. All of my friends that watched it last week, were texting me about how exciting and intense that Face-Off was, and I'm curious what brought to life that strategy of trying to get everybody off their feet.
 
Wayne Nichols: Listen, my back was in the corner. I wish I could tell you, you know, I've got this master plan, and I'm, you know, curling my mustache here. The reality was, I knew I was in trouble. There was a vibe that I just felt in that house after I caught a vote, and I was obviously up for elimination. I knew, and I didn't want to leave that house with any regret. So, I didn't actually have a plan of what I was going to do in the Face-Off, and I'm so glad that in the Face-Off wasn't chosen to go first. I was so glad that I was actually able to go a little bit later so I could see how the process worked. After I did that, I'm like, “You know what? I'm going to go ahead and throw a truth grenade,” my truth grenade, right, as I call it, and see if I can shake things up. And I was, I was really happy, by far.
 
I'm glad that you mentioned how exciting it was to see that. I did not know the other players reactions or see the other players their facial reactions. It actually made my day to see Lilly and to see Jack, and to see everybody saying, “Oh my goodness,” right, and Victoria, it made me feel like a million dollars because, you know, I had to do something. I had to take a shot, and whether or not it's a failure or a success, on my part, it was something that there's no regret, like, I leave there and say, “All right, at least I tried everything I could to maybe shake the game up or get people to second guess their alliances.”
 
John Betancourt: Now you said something very interesting during your exit. That you didn't think you were going to win it all when you came in. I'm very curious as to why you didn't think that.  You're the first contestant I've talked to that didn't think that they were going to go all the way, that's not an insult mind you, but it's very pragmatic
 
Wayne Nichols: So yeah, I appreciate you saying that I'm a realist. I have a life goal of… and I always say, “small goals, big victories.” And I've been saying small goals, big victories for every aspect of my life, personally, professionally, in business, right? I like the idea of setting a small goal and not choosing too big of a goal, where you set yourself up for failure. So, for example, you know, if my goal is to lose… 20 pounds, right? We'll start with the first 5, right? Let's get to the first five, right? And I feel like when you have those small goals, they become big victories. Of course, I wanted to go to the very end, but I think I would have been setting myself up for failure if I said, “All right, it's a failure if I don't make it and go all the way.” So, I just wanted to be like you said, a little bit more pragmatic, and I wanted to be more realistic. It didn't mean I wasn't shooting for the stars. I just, you know, I had a more realistic approach.
 
John Betancourt: Now, since you and Bismah, and Victoria came into the competition a little later, how tough was it coming into it was already an intense dynamic?
 
Wayne Nichols: Now, as the new guy, very tough, more so when I saw the caliber of players that were in the house, obviously I had not met the three previous players. I'll throw out Xavier's name. When I saw Xavier that first night, immediately I was caught off guard, right? How could a player of his caliber having won the show that he's previously been on, how could he still be in this game after not one, not two, but three eliminations? Seeing him kind of caught me off guard. And, you know, I had to constantly assess, do I hit the ground running, or do I try to play it cool and just build potential alliances? It was really a balancing act. I don't know how I did, because I'm sitting here, but at the same time, it was still thrilling to have that challenge and to say, “All right, you know what? Let's go out make some lemonade, you know?” So that's what I tried to do.
 
John: Out of curiosity, since you had that more pragmatic understanding was it tough then to say goodbye or was it a little bit easier when you kind of have those expectations set a little bit.
 
Wayne Nichols: Great question, I told myself, no matter what happens, how far I get, let's, you know, not be dramatic, you know. Let's make sure everybody knows it's just a game. I had a fantastic time. I, you know, made it very clear, no hard feelings, of course, you know, I… you know what? I'll say, a roller coaster is the perfect analogy. Everybody talks about the ups and downs of a roller coaster, but everyone also says, “I wish it was a little bit longer.” And that's exactly what I wish my roller coaster ride was. Just a little bit longer, but it still was a roller coaster ride.
 
John Betancourt: With that in mind, since you’ve had a little time to reflect, what would you had done differently if you had a chance to do this again?
 
Wayne Nichols: Great question, and I have thought about it. The only thing, the only single thing I would have done differently, I would have voted for myself during that last chat session. I think that would have potentially given me a better chance of securing The Anonymous because, again, you watch it back, Dillian obviously had a very strong and correct gut instinct as to who Light Bulb was. I would be willing to bet, if I had voted for myself, it would have made some people second guess as to whether or not Light Bulb was really me.
 
John Betancourt: Obviously, this is a very cool experience to begin with, something that you know. So, if you get to do what are you going to miss the most about being on this show?
 
Wayne Nichols: I am going to miss, believe it or not, the production value. I'm a huge fan of reality shows. I'm a huge fan as to what goes into making them. Listen, it was the most fantastic experience, not just in front of the camera, but to see what goes on behind. Yeah, I'm just gonna miss that, because I took, took that in as a… sort of like a fan of how these shows are made and produced and everything. So, yeah, I don't think I will ever see anything with that level of production value ever again. So I really will miss that, but I will say, in this day and age, it's really nice that, you know, I'll be able to keep in touch, obviously, with fellow cast members. And I'm also excited about that too.
 
John Betancourt: Yeah, I've heard that a couple of times, and I think that's really cool, that all of you still stay in touch like that, because it speaks to the uniqueness of the show. And speaking of that, what did it mean to you to be part of a series that really is so original and so new.
 
Wayne Nichols: You're spot on. The original and the new. You know, just, let's talk about the concept, right? Like, you know, The Anonymous. You don't even know who held the power. You don't even know who is holding the power. And so, you think about other shows where players can say, “Oh, this person's holding the power this week. Let me go ahead and see if I can, you know, make some inroads with them. Or let me see if I can align myself with them.” You don't know who has that power, and that's really the magic part of the game, right? You never know if the person you're talking to is the person who saved you, and if that person did save you, they can't tell you, “Hey, by the way, Wayne, I could have voted you off when I was The Anonymous and I did or I didn't,” right? That part's really exciting, and that's a concept we've never seen. And again, I'm a huge fan of reality shows. That's what will make The Anonymous stand out, especially in this inaugural season.
 
John: I think we all learn a little something about ourselves and anything we knew that we try. And I'm curious, what you took away from this experience?
 
Wayne: Oh, you know, what I took away… going with my gut instinct, you know, the times that I felt that I was in trouble, guess what? I was in trouble, the time that I was, you know, forming a genuine connection. Those connections were genuine. There's always gameplay in the background. But yeah, I think for me, I'm just, I'm very happy with the game that I could play, with what I was given to play with. And yeah, I think going with my gut, sticking with my gut, is something that I’m glad I didn’t just go ‘eh’ with. I knew I was in trouble during the Face-Off, I was like, “Yeah, I need to make a move here, because I'm going to regret it if I don't.” So, I went with my gut on that one, too.
 
John: Last question that I have for you, we're almost proud of what you accomplished on this show.
 
Wayne Nichols: Ooh, I am really the most proud of nobody second guessing that I was a custodian or a janitor. I'm really glad that no one was like, “this is kind of weird,” right? I don't know what they'll show when my elimination episode airs, but I can tell you, having lived that moment… people appeared to be genuinely shocked when I told them what my former profession was. That was exciting for me, because I kind of, I really struggled with, do I tell people what I do? What's the profession that I tell them? And I chose the most, you know, boring profession. And I, I think what's most exciting is when I tell… I think it was Marcel. I tell Marcel that I'm a custodian or a janitor, and he just goes, “Oh, that's nice.” (Laughs) You can tell, like he did not want to ask me any more questions. So, it's a total, like, a compliment that he wasn't like, “so what do you really do?” And you know, it was, yeah, great that he was like, “Okay, move on to the next subject, because this guy is a custodian,” right? I don't know. I just loved that part of it. That was a great moment.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

Reece Ritchie and Richard Fleeshman are a pair of highly accomplished actors that happen to play a pair of highly beloved characters on their current project, The Ark, on SYFY. For these two have taken the geek world by storm with their incredible portrayals of Lieutenant Spencer Lane and Lieutenant James Brice and to celebrate their work and celebrate the remaining episodes in season two, we sat down with both gentlemen to discuss all things The Ark.
​
John Betancourt I would love to start off by getting to know what it means to each of you as actors be back for a second season.
 
Reece Ritchie: Oh, it's such a joy, like on a personal level, because you've already done the groundwork with meeting everyone, getting to know everybody, and you get to, you get to pick up at a very fun stage, you know, very fun point in the whole thing. And so, just for the show, it's really nice when you work really hard on something that is received in a nice way and that fans want more. I mean, that's every actor's dream. So, to go back, you know, we're very close to the crew as well. We spend an awful lot of time with the Serbian crew. So, it's just, there are no negatives, really. It's just so nice to be back around everybody and then to explore new territory with the show as well. A lot of fun.
 
Richard Fleeshman: Yeah, I mean, just adding to that, really, like it was, it was kind of a reach into the unknown, as any first season is. It's essentially an elongated pilot, you know, you hand out to the world and see if they're going to like it. So, for people to come back and say, “Yeah, we liked it enough to want to do a second season,” that means the absolute world. And again, you know, as Reece was saying, you kind of jump onto a moving train in season two, whereas season one, you're establishing who people are, what their motives are, there's a lot of explanation about backstories and things that kind of gets in the way of character building and narrative and stuff, because it's essential. But when you can arrive at season two going well, “we know you know who these people are, now we can just start to have fun.” So, we've definitely been given the opportunity in season two, some crazy, crazy stuff has happened, and some more crazy stuff is about to happen. So yeah, people are going to be very shocked, I think.
 
John Betancourt: This is, obviously, an absolutely beloved series, and I’m also wondering what the incredible fan response has meant to each of you.
 
Reece Ritchie: Well, you kind of have a recipe that you try and stick to, but you never know. You know, you can try your best and do everything. But ultimately, we're making a piece of entertainment for a fan base. Without the fans, the show wouldn't exist. So of course, it's pivotal that they, you know, when they respond positively, it's just great. It's, you know, it means it's a job well done. Also, I really like to read their guesses about what's going to happen, because they come up with these really weird and wonderful theories. And you think, oh, actually, some of them are really interesting as well. Some of them are right, some of them completely wrong. But that's a lot of fun, because you don't always know how things are coming across entirely, because we're on the inside, our view is kind of tainted with bias, but with them, they have a very kind of unencumbered view of the whole thing, and that's a lot of fun to witness and to read.
 
Richard Fleeshman: I was told ahead of time; how intense it can be in the sci fi world. I hadn't really done much sci fi before, and they weren't wrong, like the fans are, unlike anything else you can do. It's such, I don't know. It's like, a real deep feeling of togetherness with the show, and also a breadth of knowledge, like people will talk to me if they like the show, and then they'd be like, “this episode from this thing, and years ago, in 1978 and there was this thing.” I'm like, “Wow,” it's so impressive, and that's… how wonderful to have a fan base that's so passionate.
 
Reece Ritchie: It’s been a bit a scary too, right? Because you don't want to mess it up.
 
Richard Fleeshman: Oh yeah! I'm like, “’78. Wait, what was that?” (Laughter from all)
 
Reece Ritchie: That's why Jonathan Glassner and Dean (Devlin) are so good. They both know the tropes of this genre, and they know that, you know, you can really step on a problem, if you go against something that's a well-established, established trope or convention in this genre. So, yeah, I think we've always been in very safe hands with them, with those two.
 
John Betancourt:  You guys have had some really amazing moments, each of you as actors this season, obviously the clone thing for Lane, a lot of what's going on with Brice, and I'm very curious what it means to you as actors to be able to work on a series that gives you that kind of meat to work with.
 
Richard Fleeshman: Well, that's what's nice, I guess, because first and foremost, we're on a sci fi show, so we know that there's going to be fights and starships and all that kind of stuff that goes with that. What I didn't realize was how much the writers were going to also really invest in character work and the pain and the joy, and the love and the fallouts and the tears and all that stuff that they have seemingly wanted to embrace just as much, which was a really nice treat, because you never know. On the way in, I only had read episode one when we joined the show, so you don't know what the plans are. It could have just been like, fight, fight, fight. Planet, planet, planet.
 
Reece Ritche: Aliens. (Laughs)
 
Richard Fleeshman: Aliens, aliens, aliens. So, it's been, it's been really lovely and how much the writers seem receptive to --- very often, if we've met them various dinners or wrap parties and things, and they've said, “Oh, we saw that thing with you, and Reece in that scene that time. And that sparked this idea that we thought…” that's a lovely place to be in where you feel that this actual real time feedback as an actor going back to the writers’ room, and they're feeding off what our brilliant cast are doing and taking it back. And so, no, it's been, it's been a real joy. Really has.
 
Reece Ritchie: They've kept us apart ever since. Richard.
 
Richard Fleeshman: Yeah, no more of that. (Laughter from all.)
 
Reece Ritchie: Brilliant, yeah, as well, like they, they trust us, which is great, because there's one thing, some of these turns are quite hard to do, you know, because sci fi throws some real kind of turns at you dramatically, and you have to make them work, and you have to make them stand up to an audience. And there's a lot of trust on the creator side, which doesn't go unnoticed. You know, we have, we have a little bit of artistic license too, you know, because we're with these characters day in and day out. So that's very cool to feel like the leadership trusts you with certain decisions and interpretations of certain things.
 
John Betancourt: Last question that I have you gentlemen today, without any spoilers, of course, what are you most looking forward to audiences experiencing in the final three episodes of the season.
 
Reece Ritchie: Shock and awe.
 
Richard Fleeshman: Yeah, there's going to be a lot of, I mean, just watch the, watch the Twitters. In the next three weeks, Twitter's going to go nuts. You'll see it's a big one. It's a big one coming.
 
Reece Ritchie: There's a few big ones coming.
 
Richard Fleeshman: There's a… we certainly didn't see them coming. And that was, that's a big deal, because, you would assume that we would, knowing the team and knowing the scripts and but I didn't see any of it coming, which is, yeah, and I guess what makes the rest of the season different to other shock and twists and turns that usual sci fi shows would take is that the ones that are on their way… kind of change the course of the show forever. They’re not like, “oh, well, next episode. It's back to normal,” as a lot of these are. And I think, it took, even as a cast, it took us a little while to go like, “Wow. These are bold, big decisions,” but I know myself when I'm watching a shown -- you know, why was The Sopranos so good? Because people used to just get randomly killed. It didn't matter who you were. Or, you know, suddenly there would be an explosion here, or there was a big bank robbery, and you'd be like, never saw this coming. So, no, it was just, it's lovely that they're brave enough to be like, let's just pull the rug out and see what happens.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

Another week, another surprise elimination on the USA Network series, The Anonymous. For after four weeks of navigating under the radar and doing her best to misdirect and use her poker skills to win the match, Robbi Jade Lew was sent home by Victoria and to properly bid farewell to Robbi, we here at NTG sat down with her to discuss her time on the show.
 
John Betancourt: I'm very curious to start with how you came to be involved in the show as a poker player.
 
Robbi Jade Lew: So, I don't know if you've noticed there's a lot of poker players on a lot of these reality type of, like, competition shows. They tend to love us. (Laughter from Robbi and John) This one was obviously a very good opportunity for poker player to get on there. It's a show about deception, about kind of being two faced. There was even a challenge called Face-Off, which unfortunately I didn't have the opportunity to play. It was like, one of the times that I was safe. But yeah, I just, like, I looked at what the show was all about. It made sense. They reached out. And I was like, “this is the one that I'm going to go with.” And it was just the perfect fit. I thought I was supposed to win it. Unfortunately, I just didn't get there, I will win the next one, I suppose. But yeah, that's really kind of what got me here. And a poker player schedule is very, very flexible, so these types of things are really easy to just kind of incorporate into your daily life, unless there's like a super big event going on.
 
John Betancourt: I do want to talk a lot about your poker skills today, because you were something of a unique competitor, because I’ve noticed that some really struggle with that dynamic in the house, having to play nice, but also keep secrets. You didn't seem to have that problem all that much. And I'm curious how much of your poker training you injected into that dynamic.
 
Robbie Jade Lew: A lot. So, I did have a really hard time for figuring out whether I was going to come out as being a poker player or not. And I remember wondering, like, “is anyone going to know me?” And that was, like, a really difficult kind of, like, aspect of the show where I was like, “How do I hide? I'm not going to,” so I felt I got away with it. I did. I remember meeting Marcel, being like, “Oh, shoot. He's a gamer,” and the gamer world is really closely associated with the poker playing world. So, I was like, “Oh gosh,” I tried to keep it very low key and kind of stay away from him. So, he didn't, like, somehow connect the dots. Luckily, he was in, like, the yellow room, when we were sleeping, arrangements were even separate. So, I thought that I was keeping myself pretty, like, separate from the two because, like, if I maybe say I'm a poker player, he can associate me with who I am. And so that was one of the things. And the other things that made me nervous was meeting Wayne and hearing that he was from Vegas, um, Henderson, which is, like, right outside of Vegas. And then I heard, he like, played poker. I was like, “Oh, what do you do out there? You gamble?” He was like, “Oh I’m not a gambler.” I was like, “Oh, awesome. So, he doesn't know what I am.” Then I felt really confident about it.
 
And I thought it was hilarious that I made my handle dice, because I did not think that I gave any dice vibes off, other than the fact that I was a little snarky in the chat, they kind of associated me with it a little bit. But ultimately, I think I did a really good job of making myself sound like Tyrenna. So, it was one of those things where I just thought that I had gotten away with it all up until the very end, the only thing that I think that really kind of threw me in for a loop, and I that I still am a little like, I don't get it. I don't get why… I was, like, considered the biggest threat in the house, outside of, like, winning the first challenge. I felt like I tried to kind of stay under the radar for the most part, but for whatever reason, I was considered a big threat all the way until the end. And depending on what your strategy is, when it comes to who you want to eliminate, should you have the opportunity to do so, you're either going to get rid of the threat, the biggest threat, or the weakest link, and unfortunately, I was the biggest threat at this time. So yeah, really interesting to see that I had only gotten one vote, and I was unfortunately eliminated. But that's the crazy, like, structure, right?
 
John Betancourt: Now obviously, you know, all gaming aside, I mean, you're in that house for several days, I can only imagine there had to be a little bit of pressure that came with, you know, the constant watching over your shoulder and the constant little chats and barrages. How did you navigate that dynamic, though, in such a calm and cool manner?
 
Robbi Jade Lew: I think I decided pretty earlier on who I wanted to be in alliance with. I really connected with Xavier. I felt like Chris was somebody that I could have on my side. They were very much aligned with my personality traits, so it was really easy to connect with them. And when we had started that kind of alliance process, I felt very confident that we would be the ones that were standing in the end, so long as like somebody that we were kind of rooting against -- which our strategy was really to get rid of the weakest players in the beginning, because we all collectively felt that we were doing a good job for contributing to the prize pool. And ultimately, that's the first angle that we wanted to take. And I know that at the end, we'd all be fighting with each other, but at the beginning, it was all about just like making sure that we keep the players who are contributing to the prize pool, and maybe strategize towards kind of removing the more of the weaker players.
 
But you know, with the three new players coming in, that really threw everything for a loop. I thought we were doing a very good job. Xavier was up as The Anonymous. So, you know, it worked. Our strategy was working, and unfortunately, it just -- everything changed, and three new people came in. And I just kind of knew when Andy was saved, I'm like, shoot the person tonight, that is going to, like, eliminate somebody, is going to eliminate a threat and not somebody on the weaker side. And I already knew that I was a huge target after Andy was saved.
 
John Betancourt: Obviously how winning was on your mind, and that's obviously the competitor in you. So, I’ve got a two-part question for you. How tough was it to say goodbye, and what were some of the toughest aspects you faced in this competition?
 
Robbi Jade Lew: Um, it was, it was really, really quiet. And I feel like there's like… that you don't want to be too secretive, because then it looks like you're hiding something, but you don't want to say too much. And I felt like, if I could do it over again, looking back at it, I wish I said less in the chat. It's really, Jack makes a point of saying, how do you defend yourself without adding your handle? It's just like he did a good job of that. And it's like, you just want to… just like… it's like one-word matters, like, even the punctuation mattered, like, exclamation made it seem like you might be one person over another, versus a period versus like, I love to use, like, the ellipses, the dot, dot, dot. But nobody, only people in the real world know that I like to use that.
 
So, I remember thinking, well, they don't know how I write. And so, it's one of those things. And you had to tell DANI what to do and how to write. And they were very specific, you literally were like, “DANI question mark,” you know, because you had to really, like, make sure that you just didn't out yourself, even down to the just the punctuations. So, it was really, really, hard not to say too much, not to say too little. I just felt like I didn't want to be around those that I didn't think I had time to connect with right away, because I felt like the ones that were in alliance with me had my back. And one of the most comforting things, I think, even watching back on who eliminates me, is knowing that it wasn't somebody in my alliance. I--I'm not surprised Victoria did it. I can see why I would be the biggest threat. And it was probably a good angle on her end, because I probably would have won it.
 
John Betancourt: What did you take away from this experience?
 
Robbi Jade Lew: I'm a competitor by heart. And so that was, like, one of the really hard things is that I don't want to come off looking as too much of a competitor, because that was not my job. So, it was really, really, hard not to, like, want to really fight for it to look like I wasn't, like, a team player, but I am generally a team player, poker players, it's very much so like, a zero-sum kind of, kind of profession where it's like, you're the one man show you're like, you know, it's either you or nobody. There's no team proponent, but we try to make it a team component by having like, pieces of ourselves in tournaments and trying to kind of make it like that. But I've always been a team player. I've been like, raised in sports and everything, but this was “12 Perfect Strangers” in this house, and I knew that friendships would be made. I knew that was going to happen. I just have, like, a -- I know who I connect with immediately, and I'm very good with kind of, like first impression, type of things and intuition you have to be as a poker player.
 
And I already knew who I was going to connect with, but I also knew that ultimately there were going to have to be somebody that I might have to eliminate near the end. So, for me, the whole time, I'm thinking, it's just a game, and someone's gotta go. And that was a line that they used, obviously, in the advertisement, because we're still in a game, someone's gotta go. I can't be personally offended by how this game plays out. All I can possibly do is try not to be the biggest threat and try not to be the weakest one. But unfortunately, I wasn't able to kind of stay in the in the middle, like I think most winners are able to do, until the end, where they can really, like, hit hard. So, something I realized with other reality shows, reality game shows like this, is, like, it's always a person in the end that wasn't like, outshining everyone at the beginning that wins.
 
John Betancourt: Last question I have for you today, what did it mean to you to be part of a show that is this different in this dynamic?
 
Robbi Jade Lew: So, one of, like, the main reasons I wanted to come out to the show like this was like, I wanted an opportunity to kind of like, be in a competitive environment outside of this, like underground poker network, and just see what it's like, when I'm not competing with other poker players and I'm competing with, as you can see, contestants that are very, very different. All of us were so drastically different from each other. So, it's very cool to see that you can get along with people that are different personalities, but also band with them when you need to and see where your actual skill sets lie in this outside world, and really who out there is two faced.
 
It was just one of those cool, like, opportunities to really see what I can do when I'm not in like, the comfort and confinements of my poker industry. So, I had a very cool experience, and I would do it all over again if I absolutely could. And I think that if anyone ever gets the opportunity to kind of be in this, like reality game show in the middle of nowhere with people you absolutely do not know, disconnected from the outside world, that you should absolutely do it. It's one of those, like developmental opportunities that can only make you stronger. And for me, and I feel like I did develop personally and even professionally, just having that experience behind me.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

Last night’s episode of The Anonymous on USA Networks was filled to the brim with epic surprises and epic twists, none more shocking than the farewell of Tyrenna Tolbert. For she was sent home last night after doing a wonderful job of playing the game, and to properly bid her goodbye, we sat down with Tyrenna to discuss her experiences on the show.
 
John Betancourt: I would love to start today by asking, how you came to be involved in this unique series.
 
Tyrenna Tolbert: I was watching another reality show, and I was drinking a glass of wine, and I said, “I could do this,” and I applied, and I never thought that anybody would ever call me back. And so fast forward, when I didn't make the final cut for another show, they did follow up with another call and told me about The Anonymous and I immediately was like, “Absolutely, let's do it. I'm ready.” 
 
John Betancourt: I would say that you definitely were one of the more dynamic competitors in those first three episodes in that it seems like the unique dynamic didn't quite hammer you as hard as it did some others. And I'm curious how you mentally managed to navigate what seemed to be very difficult for folks. 
 
Tyrenna Tolbert: I think for me, I know that you know me, being a little bit more seasoned, I might have resonated with maybe being, you know, their mom's age, which, you know, for the exception of two, you know, I could have been any one of their parents. And I think my confidence level may be also mixed with a little bit of arrogance. So, I think they also knew better than to come at me too hard, you know, because I'm with all of the smoke, you know. So, I think that's how I was able to kind of manage through some of what was harder for some others. 
 
John Betancourt: Obviously, you had quite the bold strategy there in episode three to just kind of lean into the dice idea. I'm curious what motivated the strategies that you played over the course of the first three episodes. 
 
Tyrenna Tolbert: Well, for me, the ranking of -- we went up in ranking depending upon how many people got your character wrong. So, my intent was, if more people thought I was the dice, the more likely I could become The Anonymous. So, the more they kept thinking I was the dice, all you going to do is, baby, keep pushing me up. And if I become The Anonymous, I can save myself. So that was the strategy going in. 
 
John Betancourt: Which sadly, did not quite workout, unfortunately. But that does lead me to my next question. How hard was it then, to exit this series?
 
Tyrenna Tolbert: It's definitely hard, because at the end of the day, it's $100,000, right? You know too, John, who couldn't use $100,000, right? But for me, at the end of the day, it's a game, right? And so, it didn't make sense for me to overreact, because I just wanted to leave people with a seed of, you know, what things that they need to just pay attention to and be more mindful. But once I saw my name come up in the chat, I knew that I had to really do some hardcore navigating, and just the odds were not on my side. So, I kind of geared myself up just for anything that could happen. And although I fought the good fight, I just need to fight a little harder the next time. 
 
John Betancourt: That also leads me to my next question. If you had to do anything differently from a strategy standpoint, what would you have done differently on the show? 
 
Tyrenna Tolbert: I would have held my cards closer to my chest. Um, I definitely would have started day one out the gate with strategy and getting alliances. I was slow on the alliances. I didn't realize that soon as you start breathing, that you need to start with an alliance, right? So definitely hold my cards a little bit closer to the chest and getting the alliance out the gate right away. 
 
John Betancourt: Speaking of that, now, I'm very curious too, were you aware of the fact that there was that kind of just… titanic shift towards, let's go after you over anybody else.
 
Tyrenna Tolbert: You know? You go to the bathroom, and you come back, and everybody's like… a mutiny. They trying to all get rid of you, you know. So, I was really surprised, but I could see the energy, the emotional energy, had shifted and I knew probably was because I, you know, was with Lilly, and they knew that I was a protector of Lilly and building her confidence up. And they knew that I could be influential. So, if I can influence one, and if I can influence people to do things and make it think that it's their idea, I can keep pushing that, you know. So, there's been some very subtle ways that I was able to influence the group to do certain things, and I think some of the others picked up on it, and it was like, “she gotta go.” 
 
John Betancourt: Yeah. It really was an interesting vibe that you suddenly were this massive threat, which I thought was pretty intriguing as well, because it kind of just came out of the blue. I'm also curious too, since, since you were a little bit cooler and collected with that dynamic and kind of the intensity of it, what did you take away from that? 
 
Tyrenna Tolbert: What I've learned is, if I ever have another chance to be in a game like this, or any other strategy game, is, I'm going to be a savage from the gate. I'm going to burn the whole entire house down, and I'm going to take no take no prisoners (Laughter) But what I've learned is, you know, people you know, definitely have different personas, and I play too transparent. And I think it was scary for them, because I was very matter of factly and unafraid. So, my personality, I wouldn't change. Keeping things a little bit more close and doing more watching and picking up things quicker will definitely be something I would do, but I love them all. It was a fabulous time, not negative.
 
John Betancourt: I do appreciate the positive nature of the show as well, adds a very different feel to it. I was also curious, because something I noticed was that you took this game so quickly… how you navigated it with such mastery?  
 
Tyrenna Tolbert: Um, I think just because of life, right? I've been on this earth for more than a day, you know? So, you get things hurled at you, and you learn to pivot. And so, for me, you know, I said, “Well, I could even sit here and boo hoo and cry,” you know, when I know that's not my nature, or I can try and manage it as best as I could. And I knew that my limits were really, really tight. And so, it was important when I didn't play the stone game and didn't take the box from Marcel. I said, “all right, I gotta get The Anonymous.” And that was really the goal, get The Anonymous and hope that I was popular enough that whoever got The Anonymous, if it wasn't me, that they would choose me. 
 
John Betancourt: Now since you mentioned you had a great time, not a negative time. What are you going to miss the most by being on the show?
 
Tyrenna Tolbert: The view, my god, that was a beautiful view. You can't… listen it’s a postcard in the making. The lights. Um, even the people. I mean, you know, I have a 26-year-old daughter, you know, most of them were in that 26 to 30, you know, 30-year-old range. And just the smiles and the things that I mean, Dillian was just so funny. You just couldn't help but love him. You know, he has a big personality, Christopher and his abs, because he has, you know, six pack for days. (Laughter) You know, you had, Andy the dapper King, you know, Lilly. I always think of her as this beautiful little Rapunzel with her long blonde hair. So, every one of them had something so unique and so great about them, and what made sense and why we were all there together anyway. So just meeting them was just really something memorable. And who could say at 54 years old, how many of us can get on a reality show and do what I did? So, I'm proud of myself. 
 
John Betancourt: Obviously, this is a very unique experience that so few people get to do, and I'm wondering what you learned about yourself that you didn't know before, after coming through this competition.
 
Tyrenna Tolbert: I think… it wasn't something that I didn't know before, but it kind of just remains the same. I have always been fearless. I've always gone into things and taking a good risk and getting into good trouble. And why limit myself, right? And so, and I just want other people to know that. You know, not that it's ever been my aspiration to be on a reality show, but the opportunity presented itself, and why not, and that that was my thing. Instead of saying why I can't, I always say why I can. So, it just reinforces that I'm still fabulous and I'm still fierce. That’s all.
 
John Betancourt The last question that I have for you today, what does it mean to you to be part of something that was this new and this dynamic? 
 
Tyrenna Tolbert: It's great because I'm sure, like, if there's, another season, which I can't see why there wouldn't be? Because it was such a fabulous show that we got to really be the creators and help massage what that would look like and taking a chance on doing something different and being fluid with it. So that, in itself, is great to do something that hasn't been done before. I feel like the low-key astronaut, the astronaut of The Anonymous, if you will, right? So, I walked on The Anonymous. So yeah, that's pretty cool. 
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity. 

We wrap up our season one coverage of Time Bandits with not one, but two interviews with those incredible bandits. Courtesy of a grand discussion with two of the quirkier bandits in the bunch, Roger Jean Nsengiyumva & Tadhg Murphy, who played the absent-minded yet brilliant Widgit, and the time traveling thespian Alto, respectively.
 
John Betancourt: I like start by getting to know what it was that attracted you as actors to this opportunity.
 
Roger Jean Nsengiyumva: Taika Waititi. Jemaine Clement. Iain Morris. What? Monty Python What? Because I didn't even know Lisa (Kudrow) was on until I landed in New Zealand. So, I didn't, I didn't need any more of a pull. Actually, that's a lie. I didn't even know it was Monty Python, because it was a secret name at the pitching stage. So, yeah, just comedic legends.
 
Tadhg Murphy: Absolutely the same John, I was a huge fan of Time Bandits, and I recognized off the audition that it was Time Bandits, that it was going to be a reimagining of it. And I thought the idea of trying to reimagine an iconic piece under the helm of like, like heroes, Taika, Jermaine and Iain, like, I can't, it's hard to it's hard to fathom, because when it happens, part of you goes, “Of course, I was born with this.” And that's, that's the truth, I swear to God. So you go, like, “I'm supposed to be doing this. This is” -- I was saying to Rog the other day. I wrote down, you know, like, you know, people manifest and stuff like that. I 100% manifested this show, and the people around me in the show. And that's not saying that the show's about me, even though it is bit. (Laughter from everyone) But I absolutely ate up the chance. And this, it was… the cake that was offered was tastier, more beautiful, more surprising and more unimaginable than I could have even fathomed. So it was, clearly a no brainer, so I'm blessed that whoever refused the roles before me. It's great. (More Laughter)
 
John Betancourt: Now a question I posed to some of your co-actors earlier, is I am curious to know if there was any pressure in being part of a franchise that so iconic.
 
Roger Jean Nsengiyumva: I've got this pressure of everyday life. (Laughs) I was on a building site when my agent called me to tell me I got the job. So, I think that if there was that pressure, I don't think that I would have done a good job. I think how I felt on set from day one ‘till the last day was… I just felt so free. I think Monty Python comedy is so silly that it would -- for me anyway, it was definitely extremely helpful that I felt very comfortable with the group and with the crew and with the environment, to be able to just try things so I didn't feel any of that, any of that pressure.
 
Tadhg Murphy: I have a very… I don't know if it's healthy or unhealthy, but I've had this my whole acting career. I always think I'm about to get fired. (Laughs) I remember for the first, because, you know, it's in contracts as well. At the start, there's always the, if you’re doing a pilot of a new show, they can always replace you. And I've seen it happen to actors, and it's so soul crushing. So, part of you is going, “Am I good enough?” And then the other part's going, “Yes, of course, you are.” So, these two things are traveling at the same time, so you feel the pressure of that until you land into a space with people that are allowing you to be free, which is what it's all about. And they cast so well on this show, and they wrote so well on this show, that everything came together very, very fast, and you felt you were in something very special immediately, and that immediately popped the pressure off in that sense, and brought the new pressure of, I love it so much. I hope everyone else does.
 
John Betancourt: I think everyone does, and that does lead me to my next question. Because we’ve talked about its iconic nature, and I’m curious why you think this franchise resonates so well with audiences?
 
Roger Jean Nsengiyumva: I think, I think the duality of having jokes that you know, really young children can understand, whilst also older ages can also understand. I think that when we, when we were in the table reads, that's what I really got a sense of, because you'd have Kal-El (Tuck) and Kiera (Thompson) laugh at something, and then you'd, you know, you'd have me and Tadgh laugh at something, and I went, “Oh, wow. Okay, it universally age wise resonates.” I also think we're all so different as well the bandits, and I think that helps with people being able to connect. So yeah, Monty Python is so silly. Like, you know, “He's not the Messiah. He's a very naughty boy.” That is just that's hilarious to everyone, or to at least everyone who likes that kind of humor.
 
Tadhg Murphy: I would echo everything that that Roger has just said, and I'd add in I've never been in a show that's built entirely for family, for family viewing. And there's a great sense of heart in this show, and there's a great sense of, there's a sort of a love letter to joy in the show and like who, I mean I for me from loving the original so much, one of the… the “Narnia” moment of the doors opening and being able to travel through time like that. Fantasy is so alive in your youth, and you don't want it to disappear, and you want to hold on to it and for it to return to me as an adult in the literal sense of doing it, and to watch it in Kal-El’s eyes appear.
 
I think of it for my own sons as they grow that they watch this show, and hopefully they will feel that excitement as well. And the idea of, you know, possibility beyond the realms of what it is, because we all have, you know, we all have to live on Earth. We all have to live in reality. And this, what this show does so well, is it shows you the benefit of fantasy and the heart that sits inside of that, and that's something we can all enjoy together, especially sitting down in front of a television set to connect together, doing something that ostensibly seems like shutting off. In fact, you are connecting to everyone, because you can't experience the show and the joy without knowing love in your heart and for the people around you. And so, for me, that is a joy, and that the joy is within the silliness of that. Also, everything I just said was gold by the way! Just amazing! (Laughter from Everyone)
 
John Betancourt: I totally agree! Get all of that, put it on a poster. Put it on the DVD cover. (More laughter) The last question that I have for you gentlemen today, what are each of you most proud of when it comes to your work on this first season?
 
Roger Jean Nsengiyumva: Pride is a weird one for me. I struggle with being proud. I think, I think gratitude is quite a strong feeling that I have, being able to be involved, being able to have, like a really, I mean me and Tadhg were on the phone last week. We both, we both had children that are a week apart from each other. I've just had a three, three-week-old daughter and Tadgh, was it month and a little boy?
 
Tadhg Murphy: Yeah.
 
Roger Jean Nsengiyumva: So, I'm really grateful to now have that in my life. I'm really grateful to have made people laugh. I think that's so fun. I think that's such a great you know; I’ve played all kinds of characters. I think one of the first things that my fiancé’s dad said to me was about another show that he saw me on was, “Oh, you were really scary.” I was like, “this is a great first impression.” So, yeah, gratitude. Gratitude is the biggest feeling that I have about the show, just being able to make people laugh and being able to be in that environment.
 
Tadhg Murphy:  The thing. I'm most, obviously, most proud of my children. But apart from that, I'm very proud. I'm very proud to be in this in this show. I'm very proud to be part of a show whose sole reason to exist is to bring joy. That makes me proud, and I, like Roger, do struggle with pride, I have to say. But the very strong bonds within the cast, and from conversations that I've had, both individually, with Rune (Temte), with Lisa, with Kal-El, with Roger, Kira, that there is such camaraderie and such care within the group and with one another, that you can't help but know that you're a cog in that wheel, and because you are a cog in that wheel, you should be proud, because look at the people that are around you. So that's, I think we've all given that to one another, and so that's probably my proudest thing, is that I'm part of this show with these people.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.
​

There are a great many reasons that fans tuned into season one of Time Bandits on Apple TV+. For some, it’s the story and the chance to see history through a big budget reimaging of a classic. For others, it’s about seeing what Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement did with Terry Gilliam’s amazing story. But regardless of which reason you tuned in, we can all agree that the cast ended up being a big reason we enjoyed this show, since every actor turned in amazing work to sell this wild adventure. And to properly celebrate the work they’ve done, we sat down with Kal-El Tuck, and Rune Temte, who play Kevin Haddock and Bittelig on the show, to discuss their journey through time.
 
John Betancourt: I would love to start today off by getting to know, what it was that attracted you to these just dynamic characters that you play.
 
Rune Temte: Oh wow. Kal, what can we say? We were given a lot of confidence and a lot of freedom, weren't we?
 
Kal-El Tuck: Yeah, there was a lot of improvisation in many of our characters and different places. It was a very fun, very fun to play with our characters and just see how they would act without having to stick to the script sometimes.
 
Rune Temte: But I have to say Kal, we always so impressed when you came on set, and the amount of text you are handling, and you were handling, it was amazing. And then started to improvise, as well, as we went bananas. Of course, you got to know us after 20 seconds, and you know that this was going to be a bit crazy. But I'm really amazed, because it's not easy when you come in with so much concrete, great text, and then we start to do all the banter so well done, you.
 
John Betancourt: Wow. Well, that’s incredible because you cannot tell there was improvisation on the set, because everything feels so natural and your characters have such depth. So, I'm curious too, then to kind of know as actors, how did you find kind of that purity and that essence of your characters?
 
Rune Temte: Yeah, man, I have to say that, of course, it's a lot of improvisation. But on the other hand, as you see the series now, it's very well written, of course, and scripted with all the jokes from Iain (Morris) and Taika (Waititi) and Jemaine (Clement). And it is also following very much what we had on paper. But of course, sometimes we had the improvisation and maybe all the banter, what was going on, that is not actually in the series for different reasons. If not, I think Kal-el will agree. It will be one hour and 15 minutes each episode, right? But so, it's maybe that awesome atmosphere between us, and that's something that I'm very happy, that comes across as you say, there's something there, but of course, there's some skills you have to have, to do that kind of work, and to be dynamic and relaxed in the situation you have, of course, Lisa leads the whole gang, even though she's not the leader. (Laughter from everyone.)
 
John Betancourt: No, not the leader.
 
Rune Temte But it's, it's such a pleasure working with her, and I think Kal-El will agree that it was such an inspiration. And we watched her and she, she invited us all into her way of working, and she is very much organic and very much down to earth with how she deals with the text and the character. So that was a great thing for us.
 
Kal-El Tuck: Yeah, I would say just by going through the series and just seeing how he would act through different crazy situations and really show how the character acts. It's built up like at first you see that no one really likes him, but it's because he knows too much and people get annoyed with him, but he goes through the series and makes friends and meets new people and has a good time.
 
Rune Temte: John, could I just add? Because Kal just reminded me of, Bittelig, how I approached this character. Because for me, he's like he's a child in a good sense of the word. So, whenever he's confronted with something, it's with an open mind and open heart and “what is going on.” And from this, I think a lot of the character was created. That was my aim, to be as open as possible, as relaxed as possible. Um, actually, because I was born with two ears and one mouth, as most of us are, I want to listen more than I was talking. Maybe Kal-El will disagree, because I was talking a lot as well, but, but, you know, that was the approach. And I think as Kal says, as we were doing more, meeting more people, meeting more situations and time traveling. That's sort of how it developed.
 
John Betancourt: Now the original film is iconic in nature, and I’m curious was there any pressure for either of you, when it came to becoming a part of this franchise?
 
Rune Temte: Yeah, first of all, I'm happy that you say franchise, because that's means we're probably going again. So, thank you. That's a good thing to put out there. No, it's a franchise, obviously, very excited, very humbled to be sort of entering this world that was inspired by and so much influenced by an iconic movie, by an iconic director and an iconic group of people called Monty Pythos. So, no pressure. (Laughter)
 
Kal-El Tuck: Well, of course, there's got to be some. Like everyone there has been in so many things, so many good things. The actors are some of the best actors, best directors, but the franchise itself, it was exciting because who, who wouldn't want to go through time with a bunch of bandits and just have some fun?
 
John Betancourt: Now I love how this show has so much to it. It’s part history lesson, part adventure. It also has a lot of heart and depth, and I’m curious if there’s a deeper message you hope the audience takes away, what would that be?
 
Kal-El Tuck: One is, you're worth more than your level. You're probably better than you think you just keep yourself down too much, you can be better.
 
Rune Temte: Yeah, I totally agree, and because it's such a big heart in every scene in the whole series. I think this is what I want to take away, is that it's so much love in it, and it's coming across and the timing is perfect in our day and age. So that's great. And of course, it's a lot of humor, and the message also is to use your imagination, follow all of your innermost, if not dreams, at least your interests. I think that's a good thing. And, yeah, I think that's the main thing for me. It's so much love in this show… that's my thing.
 
John Betancourt: The last question that I have for you gentlemen today, what are you most proud of when it comes to your work in season one?
 
Rune Temte: Oh, my God, that's an interesting question. Oh, my God, I've been an actor for 32 years now, and it's very hard to say what I'm proud of, but I'm proud of… given from what I've seen from the episodes that I managed to, give Bittelig, different layers and different reactions to nearly everything that happens. He's not one thing. He can be so many things. And I think this is, in a way, the approaching a character like this. He doesn't die, he travels to time… “What is this?” So, in a way, he’s timeless and that's also why I try to do all the variations to go in and take in what was happening. So, I'm very proud of myself, and I'm very proud that I worked with these lovely people on this level, so many great actors coming in, Kal-El and crew. And I'm so proud that I could work on this level and I'm really proud of the result we got. It's a great result.
 
Kal-El Tuck: I'm proud that I could work with these actors. I could be on the same scene as them and work with them and improv with them and just be there, basically just doing the TV show.
 
Rune Temte: Big star, Kal-El. Fantastic job.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.
​

Last night’s premiere of The Anonymous on USA Network, saw not one, but two competitors be sent home. For shortly after Sydney was sent packing by Jack and his unique strategy, his second turn as The Anonymous prompted him to send Kacie home, and to properly bid Kacie farewell, we sat down with her to discuss her experiences on the show.
 
John Betancourt: I would love to know how you became involved with the show.
 
Kacie Mize: So, I had applied for another show, and I wasn't quite the right fit for that one, so casting reached back out to me about this show, and was like, “You’d be great for this show.” And I was like, yeah, no, let's do it, being the first season. I was kind of a little like, a little timid, because I knew I was going in blind, and I didn't know what to expect over all these other shows. But I was like, “Oh yeah, for sure. I know all the blah, blah, blah and all this,” but yeah, they just reached out to me for my personality… is what I guess it would be for.
 
John Betancourt: Now the dynamic in this show is downright fascinating, since you can’t quite be yourself, and have to keep so much to yourself to play the game, and I’m curious how hard it was to navigate that, and having people put you up for elimination.  
 
Kacie Mize: Yeah, not being myself is impossible. It's really, really hard. If I'm not allowed to be myself, I completely and totally, totally crumble, which I'm sure we all saw, you know, I get like, a little manic here and there, and then, as far as, like, you know, someone's coming for me and whatnot, I'm someone who I'm not, like, scared. And I don't think there's anything wrong with going up to a person and, you know, saying, you know what's going on. How can we get on the same page? You know, was something misconstrued? Did you misunderstand, like, what I was saying? Did it come off wrong? You know, that's not how I meant it. I'm really big at communicating, um, that will get you really far in life. And you know, you weren't really allowed to communicate so much, and then, you know, hiding my personality and everything, so I was really stripped of everything, like in the real world and in, like, another game that I think would like really work towards my benefit.
 
John Betancourt: I'm curious too, since obviously this was the first time a show like this has ever been assembled, how hard was it to create any kind of strategy, since you're in such a unique playing environment.
 
Kacie Mize: Well, my strategy was just like, going into, like any other show, like, okay, lay low, don't win, you know, the first like, competition or so, like, come, you know, in the middle, stay, like, a little quiet and whatnot. So that was my strategy. And I just kind of stuck to that even, like, when I walked in, I was like, “Oh, God, I don't know if this is going to so much work,” but yeah, you know, not being able to have a true alliance, you know, really hurt me too. I just, I like to connect with people and, like, form a bond, and then hopefully we have each other support from there. And so not being able to, like, really do that, I found super, super tough.
 
John Betancourt: Obviously, I have to ask the big question. How tough was it to exit the series? Because the frustration was very visible on your face.
 
Kacie Mize: So, I think I'm just like, I just, I have a lot of facial expressions and whatnot, and standing there, like waiting, I kind of like, knew, you know, it was me, and then, you know, it wasn't too bad I had kind of, like, accepted it. I was just more annoyed with the fact that I didn't get to, like, clear the air with, like, a conversation that I felt like, was taken, you know, the wrong way. I didn't get a chance to do that, and that really sucked for me. But, yeah, I was, you know, sad to go, but I don't think there was really anything I could have done differently not to go. I mean, I wasn't on the block the first time, so I knew I was definitely going to go up. I knew Marcel was going to be the one to do it, because he walked to me and Lilly and was like, “You guys are safe.” We're not safe. Definitely not safe now. So, I was happy that it was Jack that voted me out, actually, because I wasn't coming for Jack, I was friends with Jack, and so I would rather it be someone who, you know, I was friends with, rather than someone that I was like, oh, you know, like, I was coming for them, and they got me first.
 
I mean, you know, the first elimination, I was going back and forth between Marcel and Sydney to put up. Wouldn't have mattered who it was regardless. Marcel was up, Sydney was up. I had no control of who went home. Second elimination, I was going back and forth between Marcel and trying to cover up the whole Andy conversation. And, you know, Marcel was up, he didn't go home. So, if I went with my second option, which was Marcel, wouldn’t have mattered. I was going home. He didn't go home the first time. You know, it's kind of like out of my hands. I don't really know much more I could have done except look out for myself more than, you know, other people. I think I probably did too much of that, but that’s just kind of like, who I am, if I like you, like I'm gonna, you know, I'm gonna back you up all the way and to a fault, I guess.
 
John Betancourt: I'm really curious too, because I did talk to Sydney earlier today as well, and she had kind of mentioned that there was an interesting vibe once you guys’ kind of got out of the booths. Because you said things, they said things, now everyone has to be nice. How hard was it to navigate kind of that strange duality?
 
Kacie Mize: Oh, God, it was tough. Because I thought I was the only one that went after Sydney from our rooms. So, I was like, how am I going to do this? I knew I was, I kind of like the person that was more like, not with the group, like it was, it was clear, and I just kind of, like, felt very lonely and everything. But it turns out I wasn't the only one, so I probably went to, like, a little bit of a spiral about that. But, you know, the next day, I just woke up and was like, alright, well, that's over, you know, moving on. But you know, Dillian wouldn't really, like, look at me, and then he would, you know, say, “Oh, it's between, you know, like you and Robbie,” trying to figure it out. But then, you know, I had Christopher saying, “Oh, it was Dillian.” And then instead of being like, “Oh, yeah, it was definitely Dillian,” I said, “No, it's definitely not Dillian.”
 
Because I want to protect Dillian, because I like Dillian. I just at some point I had to look out for myself, and I just wasn't doing that. I was too concerned. But, yeah, it was definitely a weird vibe coming out. Being the first elimination, you know, she was sobbing. Lilly was sobbing. I was just kind of, like, walking around, like, not really sure what to do here. I feel like she definitely knows I voted for her. I would be shocked if she didn't know. Um, so, yeah, but I didn't really care. (Laughter) Like, you know, whatever. See you later. I don't know what to say about it, but yeah, there was definitely a weird vibe, she was definitely right about that.
 
John Betancourt: What are you going to miss the most about being on this show?
 
Kacie Mize: I mean, I was really bummed I didn't get to do more competitions. That was something I was really, really looking forward to more than anything. And I think coming out of that second elimination, if I would have made it, I felt like I was going to be good for like a minute, like everything would have died down. Everything else would have been forgotten about and whatnot. But, you know, I didn't, I didn't make it quite that far.
 
John Betancourt: What did you take away from this experience on a personal level.
 
Kacie Mize:  Um, I took away that not being surrounded by people that I already trust in my life is very hard. And, you know, I've worked, not worked really hard. I mean, it's been pretty natural. But, you know, coming out of, like, a small town, you know, you know, being a gay and whatnot, and really surrounding myself with queer, like-minded people and like, going in, like, I don't know that, you know, I was the only lesbian there, and I know there was other, like queer people there, but, you know, we're, we're different people. We're different generations, of gays and whatnot. So, it was just, it would have been nice to have, like, someone there that I already knew, like, we've gone through like, the same, like, experiences and whatnot, where we could just kind of, like, lock eyes and be like, “Okay, so like, we at least understand each other.” I know there's other people there from, like, the south and whatnot, but, you know, they're not a gay from the south. Like, we can't really, you know, all we have is, like, we're from the south together. But other than that, like, I'm not sure how much more you know, we have in common. Um, so it was hard to, you know, just walk in and just kind of be like the only gay person there. I missed my lesbian friends.
 
John Betancourt: Um, last question for you today, what did it mean to you personally to be part of something that is so new and so unique?
 
Kacie Mize: I mean, it's awesome. I hope I, like, made a small mark, and I hope, you know, people know, you know, I was relatively genuine, like, when I could be, I know, and, you know, the hideouts and whatnot, I was pretty, like, cutthroat and whatnot, and a bit manic. So that's just how I am. I talk out loud, and I talk in a bunch of different directions, and I'll say something, be like, oh, you know, not really, and then go back, and then who knows what's going to come out and whatnot. But, yeah, I hope people, you know, understand me as a person. It wouldn’t be the first time in my life where I have been, like, really misunderstood. I don't know. I feel like, are you either like, get me immediately, or like, you don't really get me at all, and like, if you don't get me at all, like, okay, well, byeeeee. (Laughs)
 
This Interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.
​

The new reality competition series, The Anonymous, on USA Network, kicked off with a bang last night. By introducing us to a new type of game and a bevy of new competitors to get to know. But sadly, as is the case with these types of competitions, someone has to be sent home and the first person off of the board was Sydney, and to properly bid her farewell, we sat down with Sydney to discuss her experiences on the show.
 
John Betancourt: I have to start with the tough question here, because you were the first one off of the board and, I'm very curious about what made the about what that exit process and the selection so emotional for you.
 
Sydney Dorsey: I don't know if it was me. You know, this was a dream come true for me. I'm from a very small town, I’m a small-town girl, and so this becoming a reality for somebody like me was huge. And I think I was just very, very sad that I was about to go home and didn't get to see the rest of my castmates. But at the same time, growing up, I dealt with rejection a lot. I was outcasted a lot because of my personality. So, to kind of be in that reality TV environment where big personalities were celebrated and really focused on was amazing. So, there was so many different things going through my head, like, did they not like me? This, this, and this. But in the end, it was a game, and you got to do what you got to do.
 
John Betancourt: What was very intriguing in all these episodes was the unique dynamic you had to navigate in keeping silent about what happened in the chat, while still playing nice and planning your next moves. How hard was that to navigate?
 
Sydney Dorsey: Oh my gosh, it was the hardest thing that I've ever done. We were given these iPads to kind of take notes on and who we thought was who. I was so mind boggled and confused, like you don't get the tone in these chats. You don't know who is who, and you have everybody trying to be somebody else. And it was just so crazy. And the majority of the time I was drawing the emojis on my iPad, and then just hopefully somebody, I would figure out somebody, I could write their name beside it. And it was really, really hard. And especially like you go back to -- it was hard to defend yourself, but also keep your identity, and then to go back and be face to face with everybody and conversate without also, again, defending yourself, giving up your identity. It was so incredibly hard. It's like, what do you conversate about now, like, we want to talk about the game and we want to form alliances, but it's hard because you could not… even to your allies. You couldn't give up anything.
 
John Betancourt: But you did have a strategy, what motivated you to come up with the strategy that you had in place.
 
Sydney Dorsey: So, interviewing for the show, I was single, um, had no idea that the love my life was going to come along. And, you know, funny enough, that's how the universe works. Um, but interviewing for the show, I had this strategy in place from the beginning, and it was just something that I wanted to go on, to be that relatable person or to flirt if I needed to. And I guess I'm using flirt, very loosely, because my definition is a little bit different from others. I mean just being out in public, maybe at a bar or something like that, just trying to have a conversation with a guy, just the way that I conversate, they probably would think that I'm flirting with them. I'm like, “No, I'm just a nice, pretty person. I'm like, don’t get the wrong idea.” (Laughs) But I, I don't think I necessarily was trying to flirt. But rather, conversate, and, you know the no offense but the idea of a guy, they're like, “Oh, this girl likes me.” So, you know, I was just, I was playing the game. I'm just hoping something worked out.
 
John Betancourt: Now, obviously, hindsight is always 2020, and you probably have had a little time to reflect upon the game and your strategy. What would you have done differently if given the chance?
 
Sydney Dorsey: So going into the game, you know, it's funny, because I told myself, I was like, I'm gonna go in. I'm gonna sit back and be very quiet. As soon as I got into that house, my mouth would not shut up, but that's just who I am. I'm very loud, and I love to conversate with people. I love to get to know people, especially from people all over the world, like, I want to know about people's lives. And so I think if I had the chance to go back and do it again, I would maybe sit back and be a little bit more observant, kind of listen to conversations, not do things that would put me at risk, such as, you know, taking a higher number in the game, and then, you know, not getting the cash prize, but somebody had to do it. So, you know, it was me. But, you know, there's a lot of things, what ifs that come up and arose in my head? But, you know, maybe one day I'll get the opportunity to play another game.
 
John Betancourt: But what other challenges outside of the main stuff did you run into in playing this game?
 
Sydney Dorsey: So, when we first got there, hadn't gone into our first chat yet. It was so happy and uplifting, and everybody was just trying to get to know everybody. We went into our first anonymous chat, and we chose our handles, and then we started communicating. And it was downhill from there. As we got out of those pods, the mood shift of everybody, nobody wanted to talk to anybody, but me? I was just put up at risk by six people, and I'm like, “Alright, somebody's about to speak up because I'm mad.” And so, it was just finding that that line of being able to conversate and keep yourself in the game without revealing your identity, without stirring up too much drama to get yourself put at risk. It was just so much going on that you had to keep up.
 
John Betancourt: What are you going to miss the most about being on this series?
 
Sydney Dorsey: Oh, my goodness, just the friendships that I made, um, which, luckily, we've stayed in contact, and we've gotten to know each and every person, and we've got to conversate a little bit more outside of the game. And it's so funny because, like, we'll see, like, when the promo clips first came out, we would send them in the chat, and we would laugh at each other, like, “Oh my gosh, I can't believe you said this,” but we knew in the end, like, we had to separate the “reality TV us” from “everyday life us,” and that we were playing a game for a huge sum of money, and so we had to do things that were a little bit, you know, not faithful of everyday personalities. But, you know, I'm just happy that I get to keep in contact with everybody and get to see everybody and maybe one day connect again, and hopefully there's a reunion. Who knows? I don't know but would love for that to happen. That would be fun.
 
John Betancourt: Wow, you don’t hear that often about reality television shows, everyone staying in touch like that. Speaking of personal moments in that vein, what did you take away from this experience on a personal level?
 
Sydney Dorsey: Goodness, I, you know, I had never experienced anything like this. You had former people on the show, like you had Xavier, who was on Big Brother, and Nina who was on Survivor. And then you had, like, a lot of other people who did a lot of public relations things, like Robbie was a poker player, was on TV a little bit, and just a lot of these personalities who experienced a little bit of something like this, but I'm a small-town girl from, you know, Georgia. I grew up going to dirt track races and competing in pageants and weird things like that. Never did I think I would see myself on a on a TV show. Um, so, I mean, it was just an incredible experience to be there and to take away everything I learned, and it was such a huge gift to me and a blessing to me, because I have struggled with anxiety so much, starting in middle school, and so when I was getting my physical for the show, my doctor, almost, believe it or not, didn't sign me off. She was like, “I don't know if you're going to be able to make it because of your anxiety,” but I was like, just have faith in me. And I got to travel across the world to film a reality show, little to no contact my family, and overcame one of the biggest, you know, obstacles in my life, and faced my anxiety. And so that alone was a big gift to me.
 
John Betancourt: Well, that is just incredible, and it does lead right into my last question, what does it mean to you then to have overcome all of that and still gone on and done this and now be in front of just a massive audience, regardless of the outcome.  
 
Sydney Dorsey: I have always just wanted to be somebody that people could look up to. And you know, growing up, I was… typically it's hard for people to believe when I say this, just, I guess, because of the way I look, but I was outcasted a lot because I had a huge, big personality and people where I'm from, just, I guess, didn't want to put up with that, or be around when I was annoying or just aggravating, and I didn't care. And I think, you know, going on this show and watching myself and my dreams come to life. If I could look back and tell little Sydney like to always be herself because she's about to premiere on a reality show… I just want little girls and little boys across the world to know like to always believe in their dreams. Never change who they are, because you will never know where you end up. And I'm about to end up on a reality show premiering.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.