Solitary 3.0's 'Pod 5′ Talks About Her Time on the Show

We here at Reality Rehash have a chance to interview a few members of the Solitary 3.0 cast this season and our first interview is with the now exited Pod 5. Her real name is Maureen and as many know she was last seen trying her hardest to drink milk and eat cookies. It's harder then you think but she tried! Maureen was a fan favorite and many are sad to see her go but she's now in high spirits and we thank her very much for answering our questions!

How did you get involved with the show and were you a fan before going into Pod 5?

I saw a casting call posting on RealityWanted.com and applied. I am a fan of the show. I couldn't wait for Val's next treatment. I'd watch and think these people are insane for going through the treatments. Next thing I know, here I am, one of those very insane people, competing on the show!

What were your thoughts when taking off your blindfold and seeing someone else with you in the pod? Did you think you would be playing as a pair?

I was very confused when I saw someone else in the pod. After all, the show is called Solitary. My mind started to race with questions and concerns. Will we have to be playing as a pair? Will we compete against each other? He looks stronger than me physically. Oh, boy. I hope during the first round, I don't have to compete against him. Man, it's going to get crowded in this room.

You went into your pod with a strategy to quit when you believed someone had dropped out to save energy for the future. How well do you believe this strategy worked for you? Did you think of changing it at all?

I love my strategy to quit just before I believe someone had pushed the red button. I needed to conserve my energy, thinking I would GO ALL THE WAY to the end. I didn't want to burn out. We don't get much sleep. I'm someone who functions well on eight hours and Val wasn't going to let that happen.

The strategy was carefully executed with the exception of the eating challenge. If I had to redo that challenge over by using the "saving my energy" approach, I would not have eaten the junk food. I didn't have a chance to overstuff and eat the most in any given round. I knew that. I should've just waited to drink the milk during the penalty rounds, making more room for my tummy. Perhaps, I could have lasted a few more rounds. Maybe another contestant would've puked before me.

What is it really like in the pod? We see that many of the contestants go a bit insane from the boredom and the lack of time and the outside world, how did you take it?

I love being in the pod. My life is so busy from working, to auditioning, charity work, exercising, hanging out with friends, to writing a memoir. Sometimes, I do all of that in just one day. Seriously! So when I had lots of downtime, I was reminded about how important it is to embrace the moment and be able to hear myself think.

Which task was most easy for you and which one was the worst and why?

My favorite task was sleeping. I was so exhausted that when it was bedtime, I fell asleep before my head hit the pillow or the carpet. Trying not to fall asleep was the worse with Val saying wake up number 5.

As you get your instructions from "Val" does it start to grow on you that Val is real and not just a voice behind a mirror? The idea of just communicating with a computerized voice is very interesting, what does the idea of Val add to the game? Does it make you more insane or calm you down as you are able to talk to "something"?

I seriously love Val. I never saw her as a person, but she had human characteristics. She was everything to me in the pod: my friend, my counselor, my life coach, you name it. It sucked she didn't give massages.

I like the fact that I couldn't see Val as human because it reminded me that I truly was all alone in the pod. I couldn't depend on someone to win the treatments for me, but me.

While in your pod you do not get to see any of your competition. Who did you feel was your biggest competition and who did you feel was the weakest during the game? Were you surprised to see what any of the players looked like/really were after the show wrapped?

I felt like my biggest competition was #2. He kept winning the challenges. So when he went home after the smelly treatment, it gave me a boost of confidence. I believed all along that I was going to win Solitary 3.0, but since he went home BEFORE me, that was truly a moment I felt like I could REALLY win this game.

My weakest competition I thought was #9. I thought there would be more endurance challenges, like sitting on a bowling ball, and I would without a doubt, last longer than him. Turns out, I end up going home before him because he just had better memory than me. It gave him immunity from participating in the food eating treatment. I had no idea milk would end my Solitary career.

I was surprised to find out #9 was funny. He appeared to be a bully, especially since he made sure I was handicapped in a treatment and gave me the gift of sitting on the bowling ball again. But after watching #9, you could tell, underneath it all was a BIG TEDDY BEAR.

Our last question has to be about the smelling task. Just how bad were those smells and ultimately the taste of the horseradish?

When I watched the show, I could literally relive the smell of each vial, especially liquid ass. It was stinky.

The shot of horseradish taste exactly like horseradish. It made my tummy burn. It wasn't as bad as the shot of cow intestines, which I couldn't finish.

Thanks again for taking thetime to answer our questions Maureen and best of luck in the future!