Secrets to Surviving Survivor

Tuesday August 31, 2004 06:00 AM EDT

Amber Brkich

Scott Gries/Getty

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Yahoo Buzz
• E-mail

The days are getting shorter, the air is cooling (well, in theory, anyway) ... as fall approaches, so does the new season of reality shows. As we get ready for the ninth installment of Survivor (on the South Pacific island of Vanuatu, beginning Sept. 16), we asked All-Stars winner Amber Brkich: Any advice for the new contestants? "My advice for them? Patience is one of the things that is going to get you to the end," says Brkich, who took the million-dollar All-Stars prize in May just after becoming engaged to fellow Survivor Rob Mariano on live TV. "That involves being able to hold your aggression and frustrations in and not get in fights with people. If you get into a fight with someone, that can be a reason to vote you off." Anything else? "Appreciate the fact that you're out there," she adds. "You beat out thousands of people who wanted to be there. The fact that you appreciate it will give you enough motivation to try even harder to win it. And let somebody else do the dirty work for you."

More Reality Wisdom
Kwame Jackson came in second place on the first season of The Apprentice, but he still has counsel to offer the new group of 18 hopefuls, who face Donald Trump beginning Sept. 9. "Be (your)selves, be accountable, don't switch stories in the board room, get as much sleep as you can because you're going to be working hard, and remember that the cameras are always running and that they don't lie. So there's no need to make up stories," says Jackson, who announced a multibillion-dollar real-estate development venture last week. "If you hold your head up high, conduct yourself with class and take the high road, everything else will work out. It's not about whether you win or lose, it's definitely about how you play the game."

Free Association
Depending on how old you are, you either know actor Robert Guillaume from his Soap and Benson days or from his wise-and-wise-cracking TV exec role on the beloved but short-lived series Sports Night. Most recently Guillaume put his abundant talents into voicing Rafiki, the Lion King's mystical baboon (which he describes as "one of the most creative and fulfilling projects I've ever been involved in"). With the special edition DVD of Lion King II hitting stores Tuesday, we asked Guillaume for his quick takes on a few hot topics.
• Republican National Convention in New York City: "Hmmm. Ho hum."
• Summer Olympics in Athens: "Very interesting, very exciting."
• Britney Spears as a bride: "Don't know anything about it."
• John Kerry's war record: "As a point of contention, I wish it would go away."
• Mary-Kate and Ashley going to college: "Great! (They're) good for role models."
• Favorite show on TV: "Everybody Loves Raymond."
• When I'm sad, I ...: "Well, I try not to get sad."
Next up for Guillaume: He's headed to Tennessee to direct a one-man play about a black employee at the White House during the 19th century, which he is "looking forward to with great anticipation."

More on AOL

• More on AOL

Caught in the Act
Spotted Recently:
• Actor Noah Emmerich (Miracle, Beautiful Girls), looking fresh from a workout, strolling down Broadway near New York's Union Square Sunday.

• By LIZA HAMM and MELODY SIMMONS