Interview with Hali

Gordon Holmes: So how does this work? Do you pour the whiskey directly on the ice cream?
Hali Ford: (Laughs) We put whiskey in everything at Ponderosa.
Holmes: I can respect that.
Holmes: You seemed shocked by last night’s vote. Was that because you thought they were targeting Jenn or Shirin or because you thought the Sierra alliance was going to pan out?
Ford: I thought that we at least had someone. I had so many plans going on. I thought the odds were good that at least one of them would keep me safe. The vote before? I thought I was going home. That was the only time I choked up in the whole game. By the time the next vote came around, I thought I’d established enough relationships that someone was going to take me along. Even if I was just going to be their groupie.
Holmes: What were some of these other options you’d been working on?
Ford: I was hoping Mike was going to pull through for me. We’d gone back and forth. Definitely Sierra. I thought she was on board. Will…I thought we were going to get Will back. And I’d been talking to Tyler. I didn’t think that I personally had Tyler, but I thought he considered me someone he could eventually pull onto his side.
Holmes: Let’s start with Will. Why was he so quick to leave the No Collars?
Ford: The only information that I have is that he was ready to play with grown-ups. That’s the only reason I’ve ever heard. It was surprising because there doesn’t seem like there was a reason. It wasn’t strategic. I’ve never heard a strategic reason.
Holmes: OK, this potential Mike alliance; how did that come about?
Ford: Mike and I went out on hunting expeditions and we got along well. He said he wanted to bring me along. I don’t know who else was a part of his big plan. But I knew I was on a sinking ship and I was trying to make whatever connections I could.
Holmes: When Jenn found the idol, she claimed that she used magic to find it. Why is production glossing over the fact that Jenn can do magic?
Ford: (Laughs) I think Jenn might be magic. When she said that, I believed her.
Holmes: How did she know that she was going to get the majority of the votes?
Ford: It was a crap shoot.
Holmes: That was a lucky guess?
Ford: She told me like five minutes before we went out that she had the idol. I told her to play it for herself, that’s her idol. The rumor was that I was going home. She went with her gut and that was right.
Holmes: Shirin is having a tough time out there. What is she doing that annoys people so much?
Ford: I understand that to some extent she did talk a lot. She’s an intelligent person. She seems to lack a social mirror in certain situations. On the other hand, I had no explanation for the level of venom that she elicited from so many people on this show. It blew me away and offended me. That’s why I was so drawn to her. In my mind, it offended my sense of justice because of how people were bullying her. It wasn’t warranted. She wasn’t that bad. Shirin is an intriguing, engaging person. She’s does have a lot of feminist ideas and voices them. Maybe we just have too much chauvinism on there to handle all of that.
Holmes: It was really uncomfortable watching Dan say that someone should slap Shirin. Is that something Dan keeps for his confessionals, or would you see some of that in his game?
Ford: Did you see the conversation he had with Sierra? His apology?
Holmes: “Apology.”
Ford: Dan…I didn’t spend a lot of time with Dan one on one, but his true colors leak in so many places.
Holmes: I visited the No Collar camp on day two of the game. There was a situation where I was in the woods with you and Vince and you were apologizing for the “Nina Incident.” Do you remember what that was?
Ford: (Laughs) Yeah…I told Nina that our loyalty to Vince was questionable and he got super paranoid.
Holmes: Alright, let’s do some word association. We’ll start with Joe.
Ford:  Golden boy.
Holmes: Jenn?
Ford: Bitchin’.
Holmes: Mike?
Ford: Merica!
Holmes: Will?
Ford: Sly dog.
Holmes: Carolyn?
Ford: Mm…I have such a conflicted opinion about Carolyn. Mama C.
Holmes: Cop out. Tyler?
Ford: Shoulda, coulda, woulda.
Holmes: Nina?
Ford: Deceived.
Holmes: Rodney?
Ford: Ride or die, but not really.
Holmes: Vince?
Ford: Chill out.
Holmes: Let’s finish with Sierra.
Ford: Flippers can win.
Holmes: Let’s talk about Rodney. If you watch the show, he seems like a nightmare. But, when you meet him he’s a very personable, likable guy. What was your experience with him?
Ford: I love Rodney. Rodney is hilarious. Some of my best laughs from the whole show are from Rodney. He told stories that…I can’t believe this is real life. I also underestimated his gameplay. I thought he was dumb, but he’s not.
Holmes: As you’re watching the episodes and are privy to things you didn’t know before, what has been the biggest surprise?
Ford: I guess how much people hated Shirin. I was aware of it at the No Collar camp, but it’s inexplicable to me.
Holmes: Are you impressed that I remember her name and pronounce it correctly.
Ford: (Laughs) I am. You’re better at it than everyone in my hometown.