was a nail biter, and as you saw it slipping what because all of a sudden sophie had three and four and five and you're looking over at her going oh, my god. did you know a million dollars was slipping away? >> hell yeah. sophie is-- she is amazing. i mean, she is incredibly, incredibly intelligence intel and i knew the only one who could possibly beat me at a challenge-- no offense, guys-- was sophie. she is physically powerful and mentally she is-- she's one of the the smartest people that i think has played this game. and -- >> here's the question i have, and this isn't to take anything away from sophie's win. but you dominate, dominate, dominate, dominate. you're out on redemption. you dominated this game challenge-wise, as well as anybody, and then a puzzle comes up. your bread and butter, is there any-- is there any part of you that was either exhausted or just sabotaged yourself or did you just get beat by somebody who was better that day? >> you know, i had a-- you can't

quite tell, but i had a pretty huge lead. >> and really believe it's either a subconscious thing or i just eye beat myself. you know. i didn't focus in the time i needed to. it was something that just slipped away. i-- i went completely blank, and it was-- it was like i was having an out-of-body experence. and i just have to take it for what it is, and i really believe-- if i had won the money and i might-- you guys might never see me again. i might end up living on a deserted island somewhere with that money. but now i have to work hard. i've got it keep doing what i'm ago and i've got to keep, you know, living my life in the way that i love to do it. you know, it really isn't about the money. for me it never really has been about the money. it's been about just going out there and play as good a game as i ever could play. the fear for me is something that i had when i first started "survivor." i knew that i was a good player. but i still was afraid of nature. i still was afraid. and i realized that you really

don't need to be afraid. for all the kids out there, one of the biggest lessons that i've ever learned-- and i learned in from skateboarding of all things-- is how to fall down and how to get back up. if you can learn how to fall down in a graceful and humble bel way, you can get back up and do it again. for me, trust me, falling down in front of millions and millions and millions of people, when i have that pressure-- i know everybody here is going to give me the money if i can make it there. i know everybody out there-- not everybody. i'm sure there are a lot of people not rooting for me-- but a lot of people rooting for me and that weight on me was just too much. >> jeff: one guy who wasn't rooting for you was cochran in the sweater vest. any regrets about how that played out? that was, obviously, a major turning point in the game. >> it was. i mean, the only rebrett i could possibly have had is maybe just not giving cochran the idol at that point. i really feel like-- i really feel like i did everything i possibly could have done besides

giving him that idol. i think not having the idol is maybe what made you afraid of drawing the rocks. and i just-- i just wanted to play, this being my last time, i wanted it to be the craziest game i played. that's why i was willing to give the idol up. that's why i was willing to go to redemption. that's why i was willing to put my life on the line. i wanted to win. i didn't want to play for second, third. >> jeff: i'm going to where you want intrupt you for a second-- ( applause ) yeah, give him a round of applause. one the of the most common questions that was asked this season by me when i was-- would be out and people would come up to me is the one that you asked me a few hours ago when we were talking before the show. you had a question for ozzy. >> i was wondering how you do it, like, how you climb the trees and hold your breath underwater for that long? it just sooms physically impossible. >> jeff: that is the question that everybody says is. does he really get to the top of a tree? is he really underwater for three or four minutes?

nobody's ever done that like you and 400 people have played this game over 23 seasons. is it a natural thing? >> you know, i think what it is is just not being afraid. not being afraid. you're at the perfect age. for all the kids out there, you guys. you can do whatever you want. just figure out what it is you want to do. and don't be afraid to fall down. don't be afraid to fail because you can do it. you really can. just go out there and do it. you're at the right age. >> jeff: thanks, answer your question. >> yes. >> if if you are small and fall down, it doesn't hurt as much. >> jeff: some see him as a likable underdog, others, a despicable villain. either way, from day one, when he asked me to call him by his last name, cochran want out to make a name for himself. >> my achilles' heel is crippling insecurity and anxiety. i'm starting to get concerned about my fate. >> jeff: cochran, you can't camp a break. >> i came to play "survivor." "survivor" is about big moves.

up to this point, my fate has been handed to other people. >> jeff: ozzy, the tribe has spoken. >> first you get the egomaniac and then the million dollars. i'm so close. ( applause ) >> jeff: cochran, i want to spend a little more time with you, but right out of the gate, i want to know what's been the reaction on the street because you polarized people. some people love you. other people hate haight you. young people seem to love you, adults think you made a terrible move. >> on the street, people are generally not going to approach you. and i go to the internet like an obsessive freak and everybody hates me. >> jeff: we'll talk to cochran when we come back, and also, brandon, his "survivor" experience brought out the best and the worst. it was as he said a battle of good versus evil. plus, uncle russell hantz is

here to talk about his opinion. we'll be right back. ( applause )

>> jeff: so cochran, a lot of people might not know this about you, but at harvard you actually wrote a paper on the "survivor" jury system and compared it to our american judicial jury system. so you had a lot of theory about how "survivor" was played. playing the game, though, actually being out there, is very different. what was the biggest shock? >> the biggest shock is that my knowledge of the theory and having watched every single episode didn't mean anything once you get out there because it all depends on who you're put with. and i get out there, i immediately feel insecure. i hear my name being float around in the first three days and for somebody who has been obsessed with the show for 11 years, that's terrifying. it's pet riifying. i got in this defensive posture that basically lasted the entire game which isn't a healthy way

to play the game if you're trying to establish trust and reporwith people it's not going to be freaking out all the time. i quickly learned that but i didn't remedy it. >> jeff: what's it been like for you because as we talked about before you break, some people love you, others hate you. some of the people who didn't like you are sitting next to you, on either side of you, because you were part of their being ousted. was that hard ow? you're a real person but you become a character on this show. >> yeah, yeah. i'm like a character in real life, too. i mean-- ( laughter ) it's hard it-- i can't play an under-the-radar game because i'm perpetually over the radar freaking out all the time. >> jeff: so emotionally was it hard for you? >> yeah, it's difficult. because i think-- i fancied myself a "survivor" expert. i kind of come in and the react iraqis is who is this joke and we had high hopes for him. i feel like i disappointed a lot of people, including myself. i didn't really play the game like some strategic mastermind like i thought i would. having negative reactions

whether online or tribemates eye love everybody now by the way. it's water under the bridge. it was difficult because i like to be liked. that's the perverted thing. at the time time i'm thinking i'm playing the greatest social game of all time. everybody adores me. and then i see sophie envisioning my head on a branch chopping with a machete saying i'm the most annoying freak in the universe. so it was -- >> how did this game change you? >> i mean tchanged me probably in more ways than i'm aware of but one i'm very aware of, obviously i'm a socially anxious guy. seven months ago, going to a bar or party i get nervous. i freak out, on the verge of a panic attack. but now i put myself through the most socially uncomfortable, psychologically unpleasant experience you can imagine and it's being broadcast to millions of people who can make fun of you and ridicule you. it makes real-world interactions seem like nothing. ( laughter ). ( applause ) yes or no--

( applause ) one last question just a yes or no answer because i want to get to brandon. i said to you when it was over, i said i know you're not dating now but you're going to be. are you dating, yes or no? >> no. >> jeff: wait a minute! nobody? >> no, nobody. just come at me. ( laughter ) come at me. >> jeff: all right, well on the other end of the spectrum is brandon. and, brandon, you kind of said it yourself best. you said-- i mean it was rivetting to watch you good-each, good-evil, good-evil. what is that about? what is the evil? what was tormenting you out there? >> oh, man, i lived a pretty rough past. and i've always, like i said, i grew up in the church, and my dad's taught me to do the right things, and i'm straight off from that. and, you know, i have a wife and kids and i've-- i made a decision that i'm going to start doing the right thing. and it was kind of hard because i kept on, i guess, being reminded of the things i used to

do and i wanted to make sure that i never was that person again. and especially in front of so many people. i didn't want nobody ton who i used too-- who i was. and it's-- you know -- >> it's tough on a game like "survivor." so what's the reaction when you get back home, when your uncle, russell, the most notorious villain ever, as you said, destroyed our family name, you get home, are they happy with how you played? >> it was, unfortunately, not everybody is happy. ( laughter ) especially russell. so no, i mean, i-- i've always wanted to-- ( applause ) i've always, honestly, wanted to -- >> cut to it, brandon. what was the reaction when you got home? >> it sucked, bro. it was bad. i-- i-- nobody really accepted me the way wanted to. >> jeff: nobody from your family. >> nobody from my family. i mean, i -- >> is anybody here from your family? >> no, no, sir. >> jeff: nobody's here from your family? >> no, sir. >> we love you, brandon!

>> not to say that-- that my family-- some people couldn't make it because of different situations, but i don't think a lot of people are very proud of me. you know. and it's okay. it's okay. because i have a wife and two kids of my own. >> jeff: who love you. >> who care about me. >> jeff: i want to go. let's go talk to the-- ( applause ) the most notorious villain in the history of "survivor." come on, stand up, hantz. ( applause ) get all movie star on me. you just-- you watched brandon play. and one of the things he said is i want to restore the hantz family name. do you think he did, did that? >> first of all, i want to say, i am uncle russell. that's a side of me that you know. but i'm also russell from "survivor." so i will sit down and shut up if you want me to sit down and shut up. if you want me to critique your game, i'm do that as well.

>> jeff: i want you to critique the game. you've got 30 seconds. go. >> i think he went out there to change something that-- that i brought to the game. i made greatness. i brought the game to a level that is-- you can't even comprehend. >> jeff: what did brandon do wrong? >> everything. he didn't do one thing right. he went out there ( audience booing ) he went out there to change the hantz name. to change what i did? how do you do that? i mean, that doesn't even make sense to me. >> jeff: i just got it. i know what next season is. let me know if you like this. russell on one tribe, brandon on the other ( cheers and applause ) up next, sprint is going to award $100,000 to the season's favorite castaway based on your votes. it's not you, sit down. we're also going to check in

with some of the others. it's the live show. we'll be right back. ( cheers and applause )

coming up tonight, prince george's police shoot and kill a 35-year-old man who they say was armed. his family disputes that. the last troops pull out of iraq. what's next? a center in new york. the redskins knock the giants out of first place.

>> jeff: wednesday, viewers have been texting and voting online for the sprint player of the season, the honor also including $100,000 cash prize. i'm guessing i don't even have to ask. who does the audience think it is? >> ozzy! >> jeff: by the biggest margible in the history of this award, cochran, you were second, and not even close to the winner, who was ozzy. ( cheers and applause ) congratulations. >> thank you. thank you. thank you. thank you. thank you. >> jeff: a little bit of redemption. i want to pop around a little bit. dawn, a lot of people talked to me during the season about you, mother of six, adopted kids, mormon family, out here.

you-- i know a lot about you. you transformed your body to be on this show. you did a lot of things to get on here. what's the thing you took away from it? >> how important it is to challenge yourself, no matter what age you are. ozzy talks a lot about kids. i think my experience on the tribe with ozzy taught me you've got to face challenges, big ones, and the bigger the better. i explained to you that "survivor" to me was just this big out-there dream goal and it was really too big. i had no right asking for that goal and i went for it anyway. and the kind of joy and growth that came from that made it all the better. so it's about challenging yourself. ( applause ) >> jeff: whitney and keith, i want to-- and i don't know if a lot of people know, you guys are a couple. it's been pub lisized if people haven't seen that. and, whitney, you were in a relationship when the show started, you were in another relationship. you come on to this. it's only 39 days. what is it about this show that can bring people together so quickly and have it last? >> well, like sophie said, it's

a life-changing experience. i mean, you're in such a stressful environment, and you have to trust stranger, and you become really close really quick. i mean, keith was in my first alliance with him and ozzy, and i trusted him 100% day one. >> jeff: if this were a dating show, this is a condensed-- >> this is the one. >> i'm just glad she chose me and not ozzy. >> jeff: and, edna, you said something to me during a commercial break they thought was really funny about how people change and how they see you differently when you came home. you said, "i came home and my husband saw me so differently that, what?" >> i became pregnant. >> jeff: he just couldn't wait to get his hands on you? >> you change not just yourself but your family, too, and you learn to appreciate to learn to be around people that love you and i guess he really missed me, too. >> jeff: and christine if you want cornering a lot of people rooted for you. you were out early. you promised that coach was a

short-timer, and you weren't right about that. but you did a great job on redemption. >> thanks. >> jeff: and it seemed to me that you formed a very unlikely friendship with stacey. and is that friendship still intact, stacey? >> yes, it is. we have a close bond. we call each other sissy or salt and pepper and we call each other each and every day. >> jeff: christine would you have ever met stacey otherwise? >> yes, i think so. >> yeah. >> jeff: your paths might have crossed? >> they possibly could have, yeah. >> jeff: brandon, i want to go back to you, because during the commercial break i was sitting here watching you, and i was thinking to myself i kind of glossed over it a little bit when i made this joke hey, maybe russell versus brandon would be fun-- which i think it might be fun. but if shah really how it is back home? is it truly that your family and russell think you did a bad job and now it's not good at home? >> i'm not going to say all my family, but a big portion. i've caught a lot of slack from these guys that i do call

family, the hantzs. and some of them were-- were-- were pretty much so disappointed that, you know, all they could talk about was how i didn't live up to the hantz-- hantz family name. and, you know, it's really disappointing that i can't do that-- i can't make my own family happy with me, even though i go out there and i go, man, my family's going to be proud of me, man. i'm going to change the way people look at this family. and i had the greatest intentions in the world, but it all just-- it-- you can't win for losing sometimes. >> jeff: are you proud of how you played? >> i'm-- i'm very proud of how i played. ( applause ) >> jeff: and as we go to the break, jim, really disappointed to see you voted out early. i think you're-- i have a sense that you're a very good player, and what would you do differently, other than, you know, cochran. what would you do differently in this game if you played again what's the advice? >> what's the advice? really trust somebody's motivations. like ozzy said, i was there to win. cochran was there-- he didn't

care about winning. you can't stab five people in the back and win the game. he said he's a student of the game and he's not a student in the game. or he can't count. you need five votes to win and he stabbed 52. >> jeff: you said trust his motivation. >> his motivation was to last longer and not to win. my mistake was assuming everybody was playing the game to win. >> jeff: after 23 seasons, 23 seasons! ( applause ) we're still going strong. find out what is in store for next season. plus i have sophie's check for a million dollars. i'll give it to you right after this. be right back.

( applause ). >> jeff: welcome back to the "survivor: south pacific" live reunion show. it's nice to have our composer s that do all the music on our show to have them here at the live show. guys, give me a little something for this check presentation. a little something-something. first time we've ever done this. i get to present a check for a million dollars well earned to sophie. congratulations. tear that baby open. there it is a million dollars. nice job. all right. a new adventure is about to begin. our 24th season is just around the corner, and there's a new twist. take a look. for 23 seasons, "survivor" has

traveled across the planet, treacherous oceans, mysterious jungles, and epic islands. as americans from all walks of life fight it out for the million dollar prize. and once again, "survivor" is changing things up. this time, two tribes will compete against each other while living together on one island. they'll have to decide whether to share their resources or leave the other tribe to fend for themselves. as they battle it out in the greatest adventure on televisi television. two tribes, one world, one survivor. coming in february. "survivor: one world." ( applause ) immediately following tonight's show, you can bid on one-of-a-kind memorabilia to benefit the charity operation smile. the web site is on the screen now. finally, if you think you have what it takes to do what they

did, put together a three-minute video, go to cbs.com for all the details. and i say it every season, thank you for your support. to use a coach phrase, it's because of you that we're still on the air. see you in february. good night. captioning brought to you by survivor productions, cbs, and ford. drive one. captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

>> this is 9 news now. >> we begin with breaking news tonight. north korea's state-run television reports that the country's supreme leader king jong-il has died. -- kim jong-il has died. news reports say that he died of a massive heart attack while traveling on a train visiting an area outside the capital. kim has been leader of the communist nation since his father's death back in 1984. now it's his son kitchen jong un has been named as the successor to lead north korea. reports say south korea had a put its military on alert. its national security council is convening for