After Mason's tribemates voted him off the island in the latest episode, Arts & Living correspondent Evelyn Auyeung tracked him down to discuss "Survivor," recall his days at Amherst and what the "Bob Dawg" likes to do in his downtime.
"Survivor"? Why on earth?
I'm an extremely competitive person and it had been a long time since I had been in a real competition-other than the competition with the other associates at my law firm to see who could could get the fattest the quickest (it was close but I won). At some level I was burning to compete and beer league softball and XBox wasn't getting it done.
When the "Survivor" opportunity arose I jumped at it, figuring you only live once and I didn't want to hit 40 or 50 and wonder why I never did anything cool in my 30s. I was a fan of the show but never really watched it consistently because I never had time given my job as an attorney, but I liked the "game" part of it-the strategy and the interpersonal politics side of it-and I figured my skills as an attorney would make me a perfect candidate.
I wasn't in as good as shape as I would have liked to have been but the "Survivor diet" is better than Atkins. I dropped 19 pounds in two weeks and I've managed to keep it off.
What'd you think about being ditched?
I wasn't surprised at all. For some reason Danielle and Shane took an instant dislike to me, probably because they are both 120-pound weaklings with mullets and they were intimidated by the might of Mr. Bob Dawg.
Even though I am as competitive as I am, I was actually a little bit relieved to get out of there because it was getting harder and harder to keep my personality in check while I tried to fly under the radar until I could get myself into a position of power.
I was surprised that the people in my tribe actually weren't cool people to be around ... I was with a bunch of insecure little weaklings and I think they were so scared they weren't able to have fun with it. It was just a matter of time before I was given the boot, so i figured I'd go out with my guns blazing (and my throat guzzling) ...
You played baseball while at Amherst. What kind of guys in sports have you a thing for?
Reggie Jackson, Muhammad Ali and the greatest of them all, Hulk Hogan. I've always liked the guys that talk the talk then walk the walk, then hit a few poses after they've smashed you.
If you watch the episodes of "Survivor" again (or go to the Web site), you'll see me hit a few of my signature poses like "the king's ransom," "the double dragon" and "the warrior's honor." Every good superhero in training should have a few poses in the arsenal, so tell your readers to start working on them.
Val v. Exile Island.
On the Island I ate sea snails, a few ants, some termites, some minnows, some coconut and later, some raw cod. It wasn't exactly "Antonio's," but when you're starving a few creepy crawlies can really hit the spot. Maybe Antonio's will make a slice with some of the above critters on it and call it the "Bob Dawg ."
That might not sound tasty but it would be better than all that weird broccoli-fruschetta-spinach-eggplant-cantaloupe surprise stuff they always have there, and it would get some protein in you-plus you could bring your own toppings and save some money. I figured that eating at Val was like being on "Fear Factor" some days, so "Survivor" [was] a breeze ...
Amherst, Stanford Law, successful attorney, you're quite da man. What's in your tank?
The thing about me is that although I walk around saying stuff like "I'm Bob Dawg, the mightiest being ever to walk the earth," I really don't take myself very seriously. I don't really get too impressed with myself and I never take things for granted. Which causes me to give it my all in everything I do.
People that go to Amherst are bright enough to coast and still make it and I certainly did my share of that-college is supposed to be fun. But when it was really time to hit it, I buckled down and gave it everything I had, as if nothing was guaranteed and as if nothing I had done previously mattered. I think it's important not to get too pleased with yourself and to always operate as if you're just a little bit short and have to work just a little bit harder to keep up, even if you have to trick yourself into thinking that. And of course, like the Hulkster said: "Say your prayers, don't do drugs and eat your vitamins."
How do you figure yourself a "modern-day caveman?"
I'm a red meat, whiskey and baggy Levi's kind of guy, and that's just how it is. You won't catch me drinking tea with my pinky sticking out, and I won't be ordering a "caffe latte non-fat low-sugar soy caramel machiatto peppermint ambrosia colombo-infusion with whipped cream and I want a tall but put it in a venti cup."
If I go to Starbucks, I say "Hey you, drink boy. Get over here and gimme coffee. What? I don't care what flavor, just make it big and make it hot." That's how a caveman would do it ...
Reality TV shows (I understand you were on an episode of "Blind Date") and working aside, what're you up to?
I spend a lot of time with friends. I always said I wouldn't be the guy that falls out of touch with people but it happened to me, too. I don't do too much fancy stuff, I just sit around and play Risk, Magic: the Gathering, XBox and I watch movies-stuff I used to watch in college.
A day in the life of "Bob Dawg" Mason.
I stay up late watching Discovery Channel and I get up early to work out then head to work. A few times a week I catch up with friends for happy hour, but most of the time I spend my evenings helping my brother out with his digital production company, 44 Dawgs Corporation.
I'm 32 and it's a good age. I always thought I would feel old at 30-plus (I thought I'd feel old at 25!) But trust me, you guys all have a lot of life to live and it's not over once college is over. I think the 20s are when you explore and experiment, learn the ropes, do some good things and generally just get used to being yourself ... As long as the mistakes you make aren't mistakes that you can't recover from you will be perfectly situated to enjoy your 30s which is when you actually capitalize on all the work you did in your 20s.
I still wear my Amherst "issue shirts" from the training room and still sit around talking about the old days like they just happened. It goes quick so don't let any of the time go. These are going to be some of your favorite years of your life so enjoy! There will be other great things that happen to you, but nothing is quite like college.