Pod Friends

The Tribe & Nicole Cesternino Have Spoken | Pod Friends This week on the season finale of Pod Friends, Matt Scott (@MattScottGW) sits down with Nicole Cesternino (@nicolecesternino) for a heartfelt conversation about family, grief, parenthood, identity, and the remarkable journey behind one of reality TV’s most beloved communities. Nicole reflects on growing up on Long Island, her years as a NICU...

Annabel Fidler Doesn't Hold Back | Pod Friends This week on Pod Friends, Matt Scott (@MattScottGW) sits down with Annabel Fidler, one of the breakout stars of The Traitors Australia, for a funny, vulnerable, and deeply moving conversation about survival, healing, identity, and finding your voice. Annabel reflects on her unconventional childhood growing up in caravan parks across Australia, the tra...

Star Toomey Refuses to Be Invisible | Pod Friends This week on Pod Friends, Matt Scott (@MattScottGW) sits down with Star Toomey (@StarToomey) for a raw and inspiring conversation about Survivor 50, grief, identity, resilience, and learning to bet on yourself. Star reflects on her journey from Liberia to the Survivor beach, the emotional highs and lows of playing the game, and the moments that sha...

Aysha Welch & Sarah Menzel Share Killer Stories | Pod Friends This week on Pod Friends, Matt Scott (@MattScottGW) sits down with Aysha Welch (@ayshalikeasia) and Sarah Menzel (@shearedbysarah) for a heartfelt conversation about Survivor, queer identity, grief, relationships, podcasting, and the surprising stories people carry with them. Aysha reflects on her Survivor 47 experience, the emotional a...

Josh Wilder & Alex Phillips Leave No Crumbs! (Survivor, 100 Cooks) | Pod FriendsThis week on Pod Friends, Matt Scott (@MattScottGW) sits down with Josh Wilder (@lets_get_wilder) and Alex Phillips (@aphill44) for a heartfelt conversation about love, resilience, reality TV, and building a joyful life together. Josh reflects on his experiences as a Survivor 44 castaway, physician, kidney transplant r...

Brandon Donlon Shows His Ass – Proverbially | Pod Friends  This week on Pod Friends, host Matt Scott (@MattScottGW) sits down with guest Brandon Donlon (@BrandonDonlon) for a funny, vulnerable conversation about Survivor 45, RHAP, failure, friendship, and finding meaning after disappointment. Skip ahead on YouTube: 1:38 - Dee Valladares3:47 - Scott, Laura J, and Demi Burnett9:46 - Interview with B...

50+ Stories About How Survivor’s Changed Lives | Pod Friends In celebration of Survivor 50, Matt Scott (@MattScottGW) set an audacious goal: collect 50 stories from Survivor community members answering one simple question: How has Survivor changed your life for the better? This special season finale features 50+ powerful, funny, and deeply human stories from across the Survivor universe, from supe...

Peih-Gee Law (Survivor): The Game of Life | Pod Friends This week on Pod Friends, Matt Scott (@MattScottGW) is joined by Peih-Gee Law, co-host of Reality Escape Pod and host of PG’s Playhouse, for a thoughtful and energizing conversation about reality TV, resilience, games, and building a life filled with curiosity and joy. Peih-Gee reflects on her experiences in the Survivor world, what reality t...

Andy Rueda: A Love Letter to RHAP | Pod Friends This week on Pod Friends, Matt Scott (@MattScottGW) is joined by Survivor 47’s Andy Rueda (@andydrueda) for a thoughtful and funny conversation about fandom, anxiety, identity, and what it means to go from RHAP listener to Survivor player. Andy reflects on growing up in Buffalo, building a life in Brooklyn, and spending years in the Survivor communit...

Omar Zaheer (Survivor, Traitors Canada): Let It Suck | Pod Friends This week on Pod Friends, Matt Scott (@MattScottGW) sits down with Omar Zaheer (Survivor 42, The Traitors Canada) for an honest conversation about identity, belonging, grief, and the subtle ways we learn to make ourselves smaller just to feel safe. Omar reflects on growing up Muslim and Indian, becoming a chronic people-pleaser, an...

Mark Levy: Stories Squid Game Should’ve Shown | Pod Friends This week’s Pod Friends featured guest is Mark Levy (@MarkLevy85 on Instagram), best known as Player 100 from Squid Game: The Challenge season 2. Joining Matt Scott (@MattScottGW), Mark opens up about resilience after bullying, growing up feeling different, and what it means to move through the world as someone who’s always been “weird” —...

Sai Hughley: "Villain", Vision, & Staying Ready | Pod Friends This week’s Pod Friends guest is Sai Hughley (@BeyonSai_ on Instagram), one of the most dynamic and debated personalities from Survivor 48. Joining Matt Scott (@MattScottGW), Sai opens up about navigating life in the public eye, being labeled a “villain,” and what it really means to own your story when the internet has already decided w...

Derek Stusynski: From Weird Kid to Community Builder | Pod Friends This week’s Pod Friends guest is Derek Stusynski @DerekStusynski), a force behind the Rob Has a Podcast Patreon community and one of the quietly impactful people making RHAP possible. Joining Matt Scott (@MattScottGW), Derek shares how growing up feeling weird and out of place became the very thing that taught him how to build belo...

Shannon & Peter Guss: Pregnancy, Podcasting, & What’s Next | Pod Friends This week’s Pod Friends season premiere guests are Shannon Guss (@shannongaitz) and her husband Peter Guss, the hosts of Gussin’ Around, joining Matt Scott (@MattScottGW) live in San Francisco to talk about love, self-worth, community, and the biggest chapter of their lives yet: becoming parents. Shannon, host of Survivor Glo...

Dash Katz & YOU: Listeners Join the Show | Pod Friends This week’s Pod Friends guest is Dash Katz (@dashkatz)—actor, model, host, and reality TV superfan. Best known from Netflix’s Squid Game: The Challenge, Dash steps beyond the game to share their journey of resilience, identity, and community. In this heartfelt and fiery conversation with Matt Scott (@MattScottGW), Dash opens up about navigatin...

Josh Wigler: A Wiggle Through Time | Pod Friends This week’s Pod Friends guest is the legendary Josh Wigler (@roundhoward)—journalist, podcaster, and RHAP’s executive editor. In this heartfelt and hilarious conversation with host Matt Scott (@MattScottGW), Josh gets real about his journey through the highs and lows of life, podcasting, and personal growth. Listen as Josh opens up about vulnerabili...

James Jones: Survivor, Life, & Playing To Win | Pod Friends This week’s Pod Friends guest is the one and only James Jones (@J2daJones), the ‘Godfather’ of Survivor 43, but there’s so much more to his story than the game. In this conversation with host Matt Scott (@MattScottGW), James reveals sides of himself you might not expect—his work in maternal health, his journey through ADHD and anxiety, an...

Sharon Tharp: The Reality of Entertainment Journalism | Pod Friends This week’s Pod Friends guest is the talented Sharon Tharp (@SharonTharp), a leading entertainment journalist and host of The Exclusive podcast. In this insightful conversation with host Matt Scott (@MattScottGW), Sharon shares her journey covering reality TV for nearly 20 years, from writing for top magazines to navigating the ev...

Carolyn Wiger: Bird Set Free | Pod Friends This week’s Pod Friends guest is the iconic Carolyn Wiger (@car0lynr0se), fan-favorite from Survivor 44, The Traitors 3, and co-host of the Let’s Get Tribal podcast. In this deeply heartfelt conversation with host Matt Scott (@MattScottGW), Carolyn opens up about her incredible journey as a single mother, drug counselor, and life coach, and how she’s navi...

Pooya: Securing Insecurity | Pod Friends This week’s Pod Friends guest is the incomparable Pooya (@Pooyaism), a cornerstone of the RHAP community and a beloved podcaster known for his insightful takes on shows like 90 Day Fiancé, The Masked Singer, The Traitors, and more. In this candid conversation with host Matt Scott (@MattScottGW), Pooya opens up about his journey to becoming one of RHAP’s mos...

Sam More: Behind the Scenes | Pod Friends This week’s Pod Friends guest is part of the glue that holds RHAP together! You may not often hear his voice on podcasts, but you’ve undoubtedly seen his impact across RHAP’s live events, community initiatives, and behind-the-scenes operations. In this interview with host Matt Scott (@MattScottGW), Sam More (@SamMoreRHAP) gives a rare glimpse into his jour...

Kellyn Bechtold: Do It Scared | Pod Friends This week on Pod Friends, Kellyn Bechtold (@thekellynb) shares her journey of resilience, transformation, and connection. You may know Kellyn from Survivor: Ghost Island, but in this heartfelt interview with host Matt Scott (@MattScottGW), you’ll discover so much more about her path to self-discovery and career reinvention. Hear Kellyn open up about her...

This week’s Pod Friends season finale guest has interviewed President Jimmy Carter, Cory Booker, Madeleine Albright, Colin Powell, Condoleeza Rice, Usher, Soledad O’Brien and so many others – and most of that was before the age of 13! You know Dwight Moore Jr. (@DwightMoore_Jr) from the mark he left on Survivor 43, but in this interview with host Matt Scott (@MattScottGW) you’ll get to know Dwight...

Frannie Marin (@HailTheVail) and Matt Scott (@MattScottGW) sat down for a conversation to, in Frannie’s words, untangle the threads of her life. You probably know Frannie from Survivor 44 and her role as a challenge beast and fan favorite, but did you know Frannie is also a queer person in STEM and in a hetero-presenting relationship, a mindfulness researcher, a former nail salon employee, a cook,...

You might know RHAP podcaster Jacob Jones, but do you know Heir (@heir_sounds)? Watch as Jacob joins Matt Scott on Pod Friends to discuss his new career in music (including the song Caught Up In U), how he decided to “go for it”, the lessons that others can learn about just getting started, and a very wacky, empowered, zany, motivational, ASMR-heavy, nasty, nonstop conversation. If you don’t strea...