Interview With Professor Andy of The Real Gilligan's Island by Grant
Hi Andy - thanks for taking the time to speak with us. Were you a fan of the original TV series?
Yes, indeed. Like many in my generation, I grew up watching way too many cheesy sitcoms.
How did you find out about this show?
It all started with an email - the casting people had approached another professor who couldn't do it, and he sent on the ad to a listserve for environmental engineering professionals. Quite a few jokes went around at the time about how someone should just do it - the result is that now my professional peers think it's doubly funny that I'm actually on the show. The next conference should be interesting.
What made you want to try out?
Mainly because thought it would be a fun experience, and I was right - it was an amazing little adventure. I also wanted to see if I could get out a little environmental advocacy, since that's my field. It's been a nice surprise that this has actually worked out - nothing made it through editing on the show, but I've had a few articles published in local papers and an Op Ed piece on global warming printed in a few papers around the country. A modest pool, but maybe I made a few more people think about these issues.
Zac and Mandy informed us that the whole love triangle between the three of you was mostly for camera time, but eventually Mandy did end up having genuine romantic feelings for you. What's your take on this? At the time of filming you had a girlfriend, is that still the case? Any chance of a romance between you and Mandy in the future?
That pretty much sums it up - Zac was very savvy about getting air time, and he had a great motivation to do so with his Mom being sick . The three of us were hanging out a lot - we were a fearsome threesome, and I really wish we could have seen what would have happened had we made it into the final 7. I think we would have been tough. But we were 0 for 3! I do still have a girlfriend, and we've been having a lot of fun watching the show, tho I did have to explain the editing a bit. It really was all very on the up and up with Mary Ann out there - I was very up front with her. Mandy and I keep in touch and I consider her to be a very dear friend.
You ended up losing your safety challenge to Professor Tiy-E. What happened that gave him the edge over your team? You seemed to have had a huge lead up until the very end when they (almost out of nowhere) hit their submarine. Did you get any ribbing once everyone saw that the engineer lost out to the "love doctor"?
When we came down to the beach and saw the competition, I was really psyched - I'm very good with plans and building things, and I suspected this might not be Tiy-e's forte. But then came the bad news - the Orange team selected which of my team members would sit it out, so they kicked off Charlie and Zac, but I still wasn't worried - our girls were tough! Much worse, we couldn't begin firing at the submarine until both teams had put the catapults together. When I found this out, I knew we had no advantage at all - even tho we did get our trebuchet together and figured out how to operate it much more quickly, this didn't make any difference in the actual competition, as you saw. And yes, I have received a lot of ribbing about losing, tho to be honest the main response I've been getting has been "Man, you were robbed!" But those were the rules, and Orange won fair and square - I still feel very fortunate to have made it out there in the first place. (At least Shawn didn't come over and interfere with our catapult!)
What's your favorite memory from the entire experience?
Just getting to know the other Castaways - it really was a diverse group, and it was a little like summer camp sitting around a fire bonding with a bunch of strangers (tho having the cameras around was a strange twist). Zac, Mandy, and I really had a great time together - we were always working on little projects or we were out catching fish (well, scaring fish, mostly).
How do you feel about the way you were edited? Was there anything not shown that you wish they had? Anything you wish they'd have left out?
Overall, I was pretty happy with the way things were edited - for the most part I came out with my integrity intact. One small exception was the "night cam" scene with Mary Anne in my hut. The graininess of the whole thing made it seem a little sleezy, I thought, though it could just have easily been shown with a regular camera. I think they didn't bring one in because they were hoping something would happen between us, tho at one point I noticed a guy filming through the window. The room was very brightly lit with 2000 watt fluorescent lights, and we were aware that we were fully miked. The gist of our conversation was "look, you're fantastic, but nothing is going to happen because I have a girlfriend at home", but only the "you're fantastic" part made it in.
That said, they probably could have been much more ruthless and really made me look bad, so overall I'm pretty happy - they need to create drama, and I signed up for it. I do wish they had shown more with Zac, Mandy, and I playing around - it was really lighthearted, and in the spirit of the original GI.
Who did you get along with the most? The least? What were your first impressions of the other castaways?
I got along with everyone really well - even Tiy-e, tho at first I was put off by his trash talking. Randi could be a little negative, but it was a new scene for her and I think that's just how she responded to being uncomfortable. First impressions were interesting - meeting my own team at first, I thought I would be competing with them right off the bat, so while I liked them, I was also sizing them up a bit. It was really a relief to find there was another team - I'd much rather have Crazy Charlie on my team than be going head to head with him!
You had most of the ladies this season swooning -- any chance of a modeling or acting career after this? Are you looking to break into the entertainment field or are you planning on staying with what you're doing?
That's very nice of you ... While the lure of such things is certainly there, I'm aware that the success rate in the entertainment industry is extremely low, and at the moment I have one of the best jobs in the world. I get to help people, to be intellectually challenged, to work with students, to travel around the world, and to be surrounded by some of the smartest people I've ever met. And I get to work in the environmental field, which I'm passionate about.
Many or most of the other Castaways obtained agents, I think, but I haven't bothered. If something interesting came along, I'd probably consider it, but I'm not pursuing anything - I count my blessings every day with my current setup.
Now that you've seen how everything played out on tv, Ginger or
Mary Ann?
Let's stick with team Green - I really like Erika and the way she's carrying herself on the show, and Mandy and I remain really good friends ... I'm going to stick with my original Mary Ann choice.
Where can fans go to contact you?
My email is aschuler@duke.edu, and my website is http://schuler.pratt.duke.edu/ . It's been nice getting the occasional
fan mail, and even some questions on global warming. Part of the whole 15 minutes experience.
Thanks again for your time Andy, and best of luck with your future endeavors!
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