Todd Herzog grew up watching Survivor since he was 14 years old and last night, lived out his dream when he became the winner of Survivor: China.  The 22 year old flight attendant from Utah surrounded himself with a good, loyal people who helped him win it all.  Though his friend Amanda Kimmel thought many times about blindsiding him, she ultimately decided to stick with him and see the season through to the end after forming a bond with him on the very first day.  Todd also sat beside his other friend, Courtney Yates, who he formed an alliance with on day 6 or 7.  He has said many times that this experience has been a dream come true and he's proud to call himself a member of the Survivor family.  Today, Todd spoke to BuddyTV about his victory and what it's like to be a winner of Survivor!

Below, you will find the complete transcript and mp3 of the interview.
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Hey everybody, this is Gina from BuddyTV and today, I'm talking to Todd, the winner of Survivor: China. First of all, congratulations. We had a lot of BuddyTV readers who were pulling for you the whole season.

Awesome, thank you so much.


What's it like to be a superfan of the show, then be on it and win it? I know you said last night it's like a dream come true.

That's exactly it. This is all still so surreal to me. I still look at the Survivor: China logo and I'm like wow, that's like, my logo. You know, it's just crazy, this is so a dream come true.


Did you have the moment when you arrived in China, you're standing in front of Jeff Probst, and you're thinking there's no way this can be real?

I remember the second that we got off the dumptruck and we walked up all of those stairs, and Jeff was up at the top of the Buddhist temple. I just remember thinking this is it, this is the real deal. As soon as we put our buffs on, it hit me really quick like a ton of bricks. I went in the jungle, I started playing this game, and after we won the first immunity I was like, "I'm not the first one voted off, that's fantastic". That's when I realized: I'm going all the way, I'm doing this.


Now did you have a strategy going in, or did you change it as you met the people there and got into the game?

I knew that, ultimately, I'd have to see what my surroundings were and adapt to them, but my goal was to align myself with people that I needed, personally, to get one step further. I knew I needed someone strong, I knew I needed someone to trust, and I knew I needed someone smaller than me. So, I found that with Courtney as the small one, Amanda to trust, and Aaron originally as the strong one, but when he was voted out by Zhan Hu it started to change. I used them all to my advantage to get myself as far as possible.


When you saw that Aaron had been voted out, how were you feeling? Were you worried at that point, or did you know you could immediately pull in James instead?

Well as soon as I saw Aaron gone, that was exactly when I was hit with the oh my gosh, pull James over for reward, get the clue, get the idol, earn his trust by giving him the idol, rolling the dice, I'd have the strongest man on my team, I still have my numbers, I'm gonna go far and dump him I don't need him.


You're a Survivor fan. When you look at James and you see he didn't play these two idols, can you imagine a worse move than that?

No, if that was me, I would regret every second of it. I tell myself I don't have any regrets, but that right there, oh, I'd be so upset with myself.


When it got down to final four and you guys wanted to get rid of Denise, were you really worried that you wouldn't be able to beat her in the end?

No, I wasn't really worried about Denise. I basically made these bonds with Courtney and Amanda throughout the game, and I had done so much lying and backstabbing that I knew if I continued to do more, it would really take a toll on me personally. I had to be honest and say, "Look, these are the girls that I'm taking," and it worked.


How is your friendship with Courtney? In that episode where your sister came to visit, Courtney said some pretty harsh things about you. I was wondering if you two had addressed it and worked it out.

Oh, we definitely worked out everything. The thing is, Courtney and I were like best friends throughout the entire season, and they don't show very much on the show. But we got along so well, and I think that's why we were able to argue and able to pick at each other, because we understood each other. When that incident happened she apologized to me out there, but also called me up and said, "Look, tonight is not going to be a fun episode and I want to apologize to you and your family for what I say."


Do you feel like you've maintained good relationships with all the people you played the game with?

I do. These are friends I'm going to have for the rest of my life.


Are you hoping that you're going to start doing things like previous Survivors, where you're out meeting fans and at charity events? Is this something you want to keep going?

You know, I'm going to be ... I'm a Survivor contestant. That's what I've always wanted to be, so I'm more than happy to be part of Survivor charity events and Survivor get-togethers. I don't need to show up to absolutely everything just to hope and need that Survivor fame, but this has been an experience I'll never forget. I'm part of the Survivor family now, and I'm really grateful for that.


Last night, when they debuted the footage for next season, fans versus favorites, was there any part of you that wished you could have played against some great Survivor players of the past?

Oh, every part of me would love to play against great Survivor contestants. I would do anything to be back in the game, but I do know that even if I ever had a second shot, that it would never compare to my experience in China.


How does winning Survivor: China change life for you now?

It hasn't hit me yet. I got my check this morning and it looks like Monopoly money, you know? I won't know probably for another week or so, when I'm starting to see what I can do with my life after Survivor.


Well we just wanted to wish you the best. We're so happy for you, and there were so many people pulling for you. You made a lot of BuddyTV readers happy last night.

Thank you so much, that means the world to me.


- Gina Scarpa, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Image courtesy of CBS)