AE: Who were you closest to on the tribe?
BV: On the Raro tribe, I thought I was in tight with Nate and Adam, so it threw me for a loop when Nate was talking behind my back. But it's okay. It is what it is.
AE: Who did you like the least?
BV: Jenny. Hands down, Jenny. The reason I say Jenny is, I think she's a great mom and a nice person, but on the island, she was a bit conniving. I didn't really get along with her on Puka, just because of my initial gut feeling about this girl. It wasn't a good gut feeling, and I like to go with my gut. So we didn't get along. I think her true colors shined when we were at Tribal Council with Christina, when Christina got voted off. She was really rude, and what you didn't see was Jenny going off on how annoying she was, and how much no one really liked her, and how all she ever talked about was herself. And I just thought, it's not a good picture. You're kind of a bitch. That's why I lied then. It was the only time in the whole game that I lied, when I said, "Oh, no Jenny, I didn't vote for you."
AE: Nate also came across as rather mean and manipulative. Would you say that's accurate or is he just the victim of editing?
BV: Nate did a good job of providing for the tribe. I think a lot of the conniving aspects of Nate's character were a balance of how he really is and how he is in the game. I don't know. I kind of have mixed emotions about Nate. He's a good guy, but would I hang out with him? Probably not. Although, he did text me last night apologizing.
AE: Well, I guess that was nice of him.
BV: Yeah. As did Parvarti. [laughs]
AE: There have been rumors floating around that you and JP are dating. Any truth to them?
BV: [laughs] Um, it's all about timing in life. I can't answer that. JP is a great guy. You'll have to wait for the finale.
AE: I had the opportunity to interview both your brother Chet and your friend Mike a few weeks ago.
BV: That was a great article! Thank you for doing that.
AE: Thank you. I asked both of them if they thought the game would be tougher on you emotionally or physically. Chet thought physically and Mike said emotionally. So which was it? Who knows you better?
BV: I'm going to take the easy road out on this. They were both right. It was the hardest thing I've ever had to endure in my life. I live in LA, I work in fashion, and here I am stranded on a desert island, sh**ting in a hole, and wiping my ass with a hibiscus leaf. [laughs] It doesn't get any more humbling than that. And then from an emotional aspect, I missed my family and my friends. I talk to my mom two or three times a day, and I didn't have the opportunity to speak to her, and she's not getting any younger, so that was kind of tough from an emotional standpoint. I'm really close to my parents.
AE: So would you do it again, given the opportunity?
BV: I would not do Survivor again in a million years. No. I'd do Amazing Race or Dancing with the Stars, but not Survivor.
AE: So what's next for you? Will you return to your job at Lucky Brand Jeans, or do you have any plans to try and use this as an opportunity to springboard into something else?
BV: I flew into LA on August 7th and was back in my office on August 9th. I really haven't had a chance to step back and reflect because I've been working on holiday of '07. So I am still at Lucky Brand and things are going smooth. The collection looks amazing, we're evolving as a men's division, the product looks great. As far as a plateau to jump into something else, I'm not interested in acting. I'd love to do a fashion segment or a guest appearance on whatever, talking about fashion, which is what I love. But that's it. I'm just living life. Surfing.
AE: One last question: who do you think will win?
BV: Isn't it obvious who the smartest person on that freaking island is? That's all I'm going to say.
AE: Thanks a lot for taking the time to talk to us at AfterElton.
BV: My pleasure. Any time!
