Survivor Heroes vs Villains Interview with James Clement

Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.

After a one week hiatus, probably due to the NCAA basketball tournament, Survivor is back with a very special episode. No it wasn't a recap but the first double elimination of the season! Those are always exciting and even more so for me since that means I get two interviews to do! My second interview was with the gravedigger himself James Clement!

The Movie Encyclopedia: Thanks for taking time to talk with me.

James: It's nice to meet you sir and thank YOU for having ME.

TME: Thanks. I got to ask-how is the leg holding up?

James: It's coming along but it doesn't seem to be healing right. I pulled my ACL and my meniscus and they went in and did surgery on it but I must have gotten some sort of jungle rot or something so they have to do surgery on it again. It's funny since I went 32 years without going into the hospital and now I seem to get injured all the time. I'm too old to be falling apart like this!

TME: Do you think it was smart that they kept you around another week over Tom on account of your busted leg?

James: I'm glad they kept me and I think that I was still an important part of the team and the rest of the tribe seemed to agree with that. I have nothing personal against Tom but I think I was the better player for the team.

TME: Do you think you were ultimately voted off BECAUSE of your leg though or was it because of your social game?

James: I think that because I lost the race, I wasn't competing at 100% and wasn't doing my best ALONG with my bum knee I think that is what sent me home. I told my team that my leg wasn't going to heal anytime soon and that it would be the most beneficial to the team to vote me out. Colby is stronger and I think at that point he would be better for the team then I could be. I told them to do what they thought was right and honestly I'm glad they voted me out.

Before, when Tom was still in the game, I thought my leg was fine. There was no swelling, no pain and really I just couldn't walk all that well. I told them last week too that if they thought Tom was better for the team that they should vote me off. But I told them my leg wasn't that bad and I guess they took that as a cue to vote Tom off. As the night and the morning went on though my leg got worse and by that tribal council I knew that it would be better to keep Colby.

As for my social game I think I DID come as a bully. But that's not true! Take the Stephenie incident for example. I was trying to give a speech on teamwork and working together so we could be a better team but the editors LOVE to pick and choose bits and pieces and piece it together to look like I'm a bully. I realize I DO have tone issues, meaning I sound aggressive or mean when I'm really saying something calm, but I'm also an adult and will stand up for myself. I do not apologize. If I am treated aggressively I will treat you the same way. If you were to listen to that speech over again and CAREFULLY listen to my words than you would know I am not trying to be mean and I certainly wasn't being mean to Stephenie. I mean me and Stephenie are never going to be friends and if she WAS offended I refuse to apologize but I'm not the guy you want to get in a shouting contest with and I always finish what I started.

TME: Well what about calling Colby "superman in a girdle" or throwing the bag at Randy?

James: Look, Colby was one of my heroes on Survivor. When I played Survivor the first time I wanted to be just like him. He was my idol and who I looked up to and strived to be. I thought he was the best example of how you should play if you go on Survivor. But he just didn't care this time. He was too busy "embracing nature" staring at the water or the trees half the time. He wasn't pulling his weight and he couldn't hold his own. He was just so passive aggressive and that just enraged me. It was like seeing Superman again except this time his girdle had burst and all that was left was a wimpy, passive ball of mush.

As for Randy I thought I was being funny. It was supposed to be a joke but then when he threw mud in my face I got kind of pissed. I realize I am a big guy but I have met older guys who could take me out on any given occasion. Shoot my sister used to beat me up all the time and girls used to beat me up all the time. So I never take anyone's age, gender or race for granted. I thought Randy was going to be more of a challenge and I didn't want to take any chances. I will admit I was kind of aggressive towards him but I was having fun. I was worked up and pumped! We won! I didn't NEED to throw the bag at him but I meant it as a joke. Randy doesn't seem to have a sense of humor.

TME: Who did you get along with the best? Who are you rooting for?

James: I got along great with JT, Rupert and Amanda. Amanda is my favorite Survivor of all time now. She is one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. She is a great women, she is going to be a great doctor and she is doing quite well with her life. I didn't talk to him that much but when I did I thought Russell was a pretty good guy. He comes off as a snake but he's good people. He's always very level headed and calm and he is a Louisiana native so we got that in common too. As for who I'd like to see win? Probably Amanda, Rob or Russell. Amanda because she deserves it, Rob because he is the smartest and has the most heart and Russell because I always love to see some Louisiana pride (laughs). I will say this though: I would love to see Pavarti win too though if nothing else than to piss everyone off (laughs hard).

TME: I have to ask-how do you stay in such great shape? I mean your biceps are larger than your thighs!

James: I get it from hard work. I still work at the graveyard and I'm still digging graves and really that's what keeps me in such great shape. I never really exercise all that much so all my muscles are from digging. As for my biceps size, yeah I am pretty sure that they are bigger than my thighs. Once again thanks to digging graves (laughs).

TME: Do you think with your history of injuries now that you will play the game again if you were asked to?

James: Any opportunity to play the game and potentially win the million dollars? I'm down for that. I'm still healthy and this leg WILL heal up eventually so of course I'd love to play again when and if the time is right. I'd go on any reality show though. Probably the two I'd love to do most are the Bachelor and Big Brother. The social element of Big Brother has always been interesting and what guy wouldn't want 25 girls after him. That would be such a humbling experience.

TME: So what did you do with the money you won?
James: Simple: I invested it. I invested it in my business and in my family. The only thing I ever BOUGHT with the money was a truck but that was about it.

TME: I was about to eat a banana but it seems I am all out. Do YOU have any bananas?

James: Get your own bananas! If you are hungry and you need something to eat, get up and get your own dang bananas. Now if I did have any bananas I would be more than happy to offer you one because that is the politically correct way of handling bananas. But I only have one so I will give you a piece. We share bananas here in a politically correct world. In all seriousness though I think the "banana etiquette" situation was pretty funny and I laugh every time I see those little bananas at Ralph's.

TME: Any final thoughts?
James: I'd like to apologize to my fans for getting injured and I'm sorry if I came off as a bully. Hopefully I'll be back for another season and can win back your trust if I lost it. I really appreciate all the support you've given me over the years and for voting me fan favorite and I hope to see you soon. Have a great weekend!