TV Guide Online: Was the softer Jerri just a game plan?
Jerri Manthey: It definitely was part of my strategy to keep my mouth shut. Basically, it was coming from the way I was perceived [on Outback] and the harsh feedback I got from the public. But because of that experience, a lot of things in my life changed. I was kind of a controlling person and I definitely was lacking patience. But those are all things I have focused and worked on throughout the last three years.

TVGO: You had a little relapse after Colby got cut...
Jerri: I equate that to going to the state championships and playing the best team in the league and losing. Then a year later you get to play them again and you win. You are going to take the time and the energy to revel in that victory.

TVGO: So we don't have try and get the two of you to couples therapy?
Jerri: No! I have absolutely nothing against Colby. That's why I was kind of shocked at the weird negative stuff he was saying. I really never got that directly from him, so to hear it on the show was a total shock to me.

TVGO: Do you think that your team made a good strategic decision in voting you off?
Jerri: I don't know what happened after I left, so I can't really say. But of course I would have liked to have seen Amber go instead of me.

TVGO: Were you aware of the whole Amber-Boston Rob romance?
Jerri: I kind of sensed there was something going on there, but I had no idea that it was as intense as it was. Romance is just so out of place, especially in the context of this game. It is a risky move.

TVGO: Shii Ann and Kathy made some disparaging comments about you not pulling your weight. Do you think they were justified?
Jerri: There was absolutely no truth in that whole weird conversation that [Shii Ann] had with the camera. Nobody ever said anything to me about having a problem with my work ethic. I'm a very hard worker and I get very involved in projects that need to be done.

TVGO: They often showed you complaining about the harsh living conditions. Were you happy to finally leave?
Jerri: Not at all. That was another moment where I was really bummed. I didn't say anything that anybody else wasn't saying. That thing that we slept on every night we called the rack. People would wake up in the morning going, "Oh, my arm fell asleep," "My leg hurts," "My back is killing me." Every morning, everybody woke up talking about what pain they were in. They just chose to cut to me saying it that particular morning. Again, I was just like, "Why are they picking on me?" Whoever edited that show does not like me. It was that simple.

TVGO: When you got voted off, you said the first thing you were going to do was eat chocolate. Did you, and what kind did you have?
Jerri: Yeah, I totally got chocolate. It was the first thing that I ate when I walked off that little platform. I can't remember what kind. It was a local chocolate, and I ate it so fast I didn't even look at the wrapper.

TVGO: What is your favorite kind of chocolate?
Jerri: I'm a total Snickers whore. It is the world's most-perfect candy bar.

TVGO: Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?
Jerri: No. I don't think I could have done anything differently to have made my stay out there any longer. I am very proud of the way I played the game and I think I did everything in my power. I feel very lucky to have lasted as long as I did, given that I went to more tribal councils than anybody else in the entire game. I seemed to always be on the losing tribe. It was pretty depressing.

TVGO: Reading over your bio, it says you are writing, acting, doing speaking engagements, volunteering with several charities, working as a chef and running your own production company. Phew. I'm tired just reading that.
Jerri: I just recently joined a band as well.

TVGO: What kind of band?
Jerri: It's called the Mutaytor. We are a 30-person group, like Stomp meets Blue Man Group meets Cirque du Soleil. We've got like 50 drums, fire performers, arial artists, hula-hoopers, mutant freaks and costumed crazy folks. We just have a blast onstage. Everybody that goes to see this show says the same thing: "You guys don't perform, you throw a party."

TVGO: What's your role?
Jerri: I'm drumming. That's why I took a drum with me to Australia, because I actually do play the drums.

TVGO: Would you ever go back for another Survivor?
Jerri: Hell no! But the funny thing is that I said that last time. I would go back if the prize was $5 million.

If what he says is true, and he has only seen a handful of episodes of ABC's The Bachelor, then New York Giants quarterback Jesse Palmer is, scarily, a natural to succeed kissing bandit Bob Guiney in the reality-TV "rose bowl" (starting tomorrow at 9 pm/ET). "There are a couple of hot-tub scenes," the muscle-bound 25-year-old readily admits. "I'll probably get a couple [of phone calls about them from my mother... but] I'm not going to ask for her opinion, I'll tell you that!"

Luckily, the affable hunk, who lists a nice rump among the qualities he most admires in a woman, didn't need Mom's input on his selection of a mate. This go-round, a close friend of his is pulling a Jennifer Garner in the ladies' house. "As soon as the idea came up [to employ a spy], I jumped all over it. I thought it was a great idea," he says. "I think it really, really helped me with some of the tougher decisions."

Isn't that romantic. Naturally, Palmer won't reveal his and his chosen one's wedding date — or confirm that there is (or isn't) one. But he certainly sounds confident that he has scored a keeper. "We've been sneaking under the CIA radar [communicating as much as we can] on secret walkie-talkies," he chuckles. And whether their relationship proves to have all the staying power of Aaron and Helene's, he'll remain proud of his place in the pop-culture Jacuzzi. "I was honored that [the producers] considered me to do it... and it didn't conflict with football season."

Brace yourselves: Another Simpson is about to get the MTV-reality treatment. As previously reported, Jessica's 19-year-old actress sis, Ashlee — who plays Cecilia on WB's 7th Heaven — has landed a six-episode series that will chronicle the writing and recording of her as-yet-untitled debut rock album.

Premiering in June, Ashlee was pitched to MTV by manager dad Joe Simpson, who saw it as an opportunity for the actress-singer to break out of her famous older sister's shadow. "I knew people were going to say she got her record deal just because she's Jessica's sister," he says. "I wanted people to see Ashlee's the real deal."

While the cable network bit, Ashlee herself proved a tougher sell. "I was sort of anti-reality because my sister has her show," the younger Simpson admits. "But it's cool because it's the first time people will really get to see the real me."

So, who is the real Ashlee Simpson? Well, musically speaking, she's not Jessica. While the Newlyweds star can't resist a good frothy ballad, Ashlee — who co-wrote each track on her forthcoming CD (due in July) — counts Courtney Love and Alanis Morissette as influences.

"I get p---ed off," says Ashlee, whose voice is a surprisingly soulful rasp that complements her music's harder-edged sound. "And writing a song helps me get over it." To wit, one of the disc's tracks, "Autobiography," is "basically a response to people assuming I'm a Jessica clone. It's like, 'If you wanna know me, just ask me!'"

Or just watch Ashlee, which, like Newlyweds, will focus on both the star's professional and personal lives. "You'll see my heart completely break," says Ashlee, who split with her boyfriend of two years during the course of filming. "It could be scary to go public, but I don't have anything to hide. I want people to connect to my music. And I think they will if they can connect to me."