{alltv} Survivor's Chase Says He Drove Himself Crazy with Wishy-Washy Game Play

With his Southern charm and strapping body, Chase Rice was one of Survivor: Nicaragua's players to watch. The only thing standing in his way? Himself. Although he surrounded himself with manipulative allies like Brenda Lowe and Sash Lenahan, Chase was far from skilled when it came to strategizing and became known for his constant wavering and indecisiveness. One minute he was with Brenda, the next he was voting her out. One minute he picked Jane Bright over Sash to go on a reward, then spent most of the day kicking himself for the decision. However, his genuinely close relationships with many players helped him come in second in the final tribal council. The 24-year-old pro race car jackman spoke with TVGuide.com about Marty Piombo's jury comments, the truth about his relationship with Brenda and how he drove himself crazy.

TVGuide.com: How does it feel to be one vote away from winning the game?
Chase Rice: It hurts, but I feel like I almost won it instead of lost it. Going into the final Tribal Council, I didn't have a chance, but I brought it and picked up some votes here and there. So it still went to Fabio and I didn't take enough, but that's OK.

TVGuide.com: So were you surprised with how many votes you received in the end?
Chase: No, I thought it was 5-4. I was exactly right about who I thought everyone voted for. Even when I was up 4-2, I was like this doesn't make sense, he's got to come back, and he did.

TVGuide.com: You were perceived as someone who was wishy-washy and broke a lot of promises so why do you think you still received so many votes?
Chase: Because ... I don't know. I was wishy-washy, and it drove me crazy. But I'll be the first to admit I'm not the best player in the game. It's a game where you lie, cheat and steal to get to the end, so if I'm bad at it, I take it as a compliment. I just think my honesty in my tribal and the lack of Fabio knowing what was going on sometimes helped me. That was my biggest thing.

TVGuide.com: At various points in the game, you were frustrated with moves you made, but do you think you got better at the game by the end?
Chase: I was there so I had to start playing the game. I did my best. It's a hard game. But hey, I got second in a game that I'm not even good at.

TVGuide.com: Is there any particular move that stands out as something you should have done differently?
Chase: No, not really, just because I finished strong. I regret being as crazy as I was in the head, but that's the way that it happened so I'm not going to look back and wonder what the heck I could have done.

TVGuide.com: During the reunion, Jeff Probst asked about your relationship with Brenda. Are you surprised how much focus has been placed on that friendship?
Chase: We were close ... but it was never more than just being friends. They tried to play it up to be more than it was, but we didn't give them much. We were never doing anything we weren't supposed to be doing. Nah, Brenda and I are just friends.

TVGuide.com: It was also mentioned during the reunion show that you're now pursuing a career in country music. What did you learn from Survivor that can be applied to the music industry?
Chase: Anyone who knows anything about Nashville, Tenn., knows it's a crazy, crazy town. There are a lot of people there who just want to take your money — there's a lot of snakes in that town. Going through Survivor was tough, but it taught me I'm bad at lying and everything, so in Nashville, I want to be around people I can trust.