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When it comes to rotten luck in the temple, Rock Carlson’s turn takes the cake on Deal or No Deal Island. In Tuesday night’s episode, the corrections officer (who cosplayed as a landscaper) faced the banker and took three of the million-plus-dollar cases off the board right away by choosing numbers associated with his beloved family members. He later told aftershow host Boston Rob Mariano that this was actually a good thing for him, but ultimately, it did mean that he was given lowball offers that were far less than the $1.325 million case he had in his proverbial pocket.
This was the second time Rock was on the bottom after a challenge — last time, he was partnered with Sydnee Peck, who also went home after putting on an emotional fireworks show — but, like others before him, facing the banker meant controlling his fate. So how does he feel about how it all went down in the end? TV Insider caught up with Rock Carlson to find out.
In the second challenge, you were paired with Sydnee Peck, and she had an emotional episode, to say the least. Do you think that having those outbursts might have put a target on your back with her behavior?
Rock Carlson: I think it put a target on my back because of her being a shield and [others] keeping her. I don’t think there was any other reason besides that, let me tell you… You’re gonna ask me questions about that thing that transpired or anything like that, but I’ll just tell you, that was the reason why I didn’t want to play the banker with her because the poor thing was just not in the right mind, let me tell you. And I was like, “No way. I mean, how you can make a decision?” I just didn’t see it. And the other thing was, on our map, I gotta tell you, I think she was a little at first upset because she felt that David [Genat] burned her because he picked Dickson [Wong to be his partner]…. That’s kind of when it started, the poor thing. And I think that that’s when it escalated. But she had our map, and she was like, “Here, look at mine,” and I was like, “S**t, show me yours, I’ll show you mine!” … I mean, what’s going on? Come on. But anyway, it was tough. It was really tough. And I hope everything’s good for her.
You told Boston Rob in the after show that you knew who Parvati [Shallow] was right away. What went into your decision to conceal that you knew?
Well, first of all, you don’t let them out of the bag, and you don’t know who to goddang trust. I mean, seriously, like I was saying before, you step on that goddang island, it’s like jumping into the Jungle Book. I mean, you see all this s**t all over you, and not only does everything in the jungle wanna kill you, goddang all the casts wanna kill you, too. So look, I had my age, I said it was 59, I’m nearly 65 — I’m 66 now — I told him about landscapers, so I tried to low-key all that. So I didn’t need another target on my back because automatically that’s what you’re gonna do. And I wanted to also see who knew or who didn’t know and how they were gonna pair up and who was in whose car. So I didn’t want to out it … I saw her from the airport all the way. And when Dr. Will [Kirby] popped her, I was like, “Oh God, here it comes.” I’m like, “Now the drama is gonna [start,] and I can kick back and watch.
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Did you also know who David was?
Not a clue. Not a clue about David. I knew he was something because of the fact he said he modeled and all this other stuff, but just the way he walked around on the island, where he stood before the competitions, carrying his sandals and stuff. I mean, David’s a great guy. Don’t get me wrong. I mean, but he was just one that I couldn’t quite put any type of anything on. I couldn’t figure it out. But that was why I came in low — I mean, real low — under the radar because my whole thing, even in real life, I watch everything. I analyze everything, and I gotta be correct before I take a shot because you miss, you’re gone ,and unlike other game shows, you don’t get voted out. You don’t get picked to do something. It’s you’re all in this group with Lady Luck on your side. So, I didn’t really want to get involved with anybody until I really could figure anybody out.
What do you think the strategy was for CK [a.k.a. Courtney Kim] in targeting you and Alexis Lete?
I think Parvati wanted me out to keep a bigger shield, which was Sydnee. And then I think she got ousted by the fact that CK [talked to her]. Well, what I did was … I thought everything was cool, right? And Parvati told me, “Hey, I’m really sorry that I split your case, blah, blah, blah.” And CK, I saw her in her ear all the time. So, the other thing, though, right before this… I could see something was going. The other side of me was, “They’re gonna split me because you got two of the girls next to me,” Seychelle [Cordero] and La Shell [Wooten], and if either one of them play the banker, my big old mulligan’s gonna walk without every playing the banker, look like a complete dump truck on that show. So, I thought I was in cahoots, but I wasn’t sure. And in all reality, I didn’t give a rat’s a**. Hey, you got a target on your back, it’s a game show, do what you gotta do… I was getting ready to walk over to jump into that conversation, but I didn’t know if it was specifically about me. I kind of thought it was, but then Joe [Manganiello, host] says, “Parvati, let’s go. Who you gonna split?” So that’s how it happened.
Monty Brinton / NBC
So when Parvati apologized, you didn’t believe any of that, right?
No, I thought she was covering it up because of the fact that she wanted to — everybody wants to [have] — a big target to stay in front of [them], a shield. So I thought about it — and by the way, me wiping my face and all that s**t was that godd**n humidity. I mean, I haven’t experienced anything like that before. But yeah, I really thought it was a cover up. And then later on, I mean, CK and her talking and then she flipped the script back to CK. So, yeah.
It doesn’t matter. I love them both. They’re great competitors, and I love everybody on the cast. I mean, like I said, they all talk so much godd**n s**t I didn’t know whether to pass out breath mints or toilet paper to keep the s**t from coming onto their chest, man — including myself! But anyway.
That’s so funny. Who would you have eliminated if you did win in the temple?
Well, first, let me say, I wasn’t gonna tell anybody goddang nothing because I didn’t know — watching reality TV, you never know if you’re gonna bring your happy a** back in after you all of a sudden start flapping on your s**, right? So, I wasn’t gonna say nothing to nobody, and I really didn’t know. Truthfully, Parvati was safe, OK? I would have probably tried to take a stab because I knew Dr. Will. I thought maybe I’d come back in and play with Dr. Will. So I think it was probably gonna be Seychelle because of the fact that I never really talked to her, except for one time when she was showing me all about these little crabs, but they didn’t show it. She knew everything about these d**n crabs, man, and was giving me this one on the crabs. It was probably one of the only times that I really talked to her… Like she says, “You know, I should have talked to Yosemite Sam.” Baby girl, come on, man. Simpleton my a**, she just doesn’t know me. But the thing was, was afterwards, it was like, “What did you guys talk about?” I said, “Oh, it was all she schooled me down on all about these crabs.” But I said, “I don’t want to know nothing about crabs.” I mean, I had enough of that s**t back in college days. I don’t want nothing to do with them crabs.
How sure were you that you had the big money in the case, and do you wish you would have just ignored the others and made the decision you wanted to?
OK, first of all, the others never had any influence over me at all. Nobody could pressure Rock Dog. Nothing. Believe me. I mean, I’m a shark. I do my own thing. I don’t swim in a school of fish, man. One turns, they all go, that’s not me, man. So I had no problem with it, but I will tell you this. There were three numbers left, okay? And number 11 was for my brother, he passed away in November. 7:57: I look at the stars, I’m outside. It was my game. Plus with the 75 percent statistics to do it… but the other two numbers were like my mom and dad, so that group is still lit. So I couldn’t have lived with myself and the way I love my family more than anything in the world, to do something to try and put money on the board or take me another step further. There’s no freaking way. I’m not doing that. Now, you can say, “You freaking p***y” or whatever this s**t, “You play a horrible game.” I don’t give a rat’s a** what they say. It was my game and I knew I had it, and that’s why I said, “Im gonna take one for the team,” because I knew. And also in my interviewing, I told him, “Anybody ain’t putting money up on the board, they need to go home.” So I put money on the board, kept my dignity, played my game. Took my happy ass out of there…. And I’m not doing Naked and Afraid. That was just what I threw out to to get a laugh, man.
How did you know that was my next question was, “Have you had any bites on the next reality endeavor?”
Oh, here we come, you know. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Hey, I’m a skinny dipper and all that other s**t, but “Free Willy?” I don’t know about that s**t. But anyway, yeah, I can’t count it out because I don’t like any closed doors at all. Never, never, never no closed doors. And that was one thing I was trying to be: an inspiration to others, no matter your age or anybody else telling you, “You can’t do it, you can’t do it.” It makes you want to do it even more.
Deal or No Deal Island, Tuesdays, 9/8c, NBC
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