SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for Beast Games Season 2, Episode 4.

Reality TV fans got a dream come true in Beast Games Season 2, Episode 4—most notably Ian Weber, who capitalized on the Prime Video series’ Survivor crossover to win himself a private island. Perhaps even more importantly, he delivered one of the most moving speeches ever to be heard on a reality-competition TV show.

In an interview with TVBrittanyF.com, Ian discussed how his Beast Games experience has differed from his appearances on American Ninja Warrior, and how that’s allowed him to showcase another one of his strengths. He also spoke about how his Survivor knowledge gave him the edge in Episode 4. Plus, how did it feel for him to be emotional not only at tribal council, but to a nationwide audience?

Brittany Frederick: Before we get into your victory, Episode 4 opens with the results of the Bribe Tower. What were your thoughts seeing JT hit that button and sacrifice his entire team?

Ian Weber: [In] the middle of Episode 3, when I chose Tyler, I knew that he would not take a bribe. That’s actually why I recruited him onto my team. And so when we put him up on the Bribe Tower, I was confident that I would be safe.

And to be honest with you, I was not so confident about JT’s team. So that’s the way it panned out. I feel bad for them; we had some good people over there, on that team. But at the end of the day it’s a game, and it is what it is.

Those kinds of personal dynamics were not something you had to navigate during American Ninja Warrior. What was that element of Beast Games like for you?

Ninja Warrior does not have the relationship-building, the strategic side of things, the alliance-building. And I have longed for an opportunity to do that, I feel like that is a strong suit of mine alongside my physicality. I’ve been watching Survivor for 25 years. I’ve always wanted to be on Survivor, which I talked about, and so Beast Games allowed me to explore that relationship-building and alliance-building. I’m really happy for that opportunity.

You could see that appreciation for Survivor in how you played the game throughout Episode 4. What was your reaction when you saw this was a crossover? Did you feel immediately confident?

I knew I had an advantage when we pulled up on the boat to the island and it’s [Survivor host] Jeff [Probst]—which, I was blown away. Had no idea, and it was a dream come true. But stepping on that beach, I knew that I was the Survivor expert going into this. Some of the other contestants had watched Survivor. I know Hannah was a big Survivor fan.

But when it came to alliances, I had already been doing that with everybody that was there. I’d already been making some deposits to each one of them personally. It’s genuine conversations, but I knew that they all liked me. And so as far as the alliance side of things, if there’s an opportunity for someone to be taken out, I don’t think that my team would take me out, because they know so much about me.

And then I feel like I had a really big advantage when it came to the challenges. I’ve watched Survivor forever. I knew all the challenges that we did. I was familiar with the puzzle. I was familiar with the table. I got that in one go; I didn’t drop the ball at all. I got strategic when I was picking my team. I picked Ethan for the the puzzle. I picked Nick for the shots. I picked Ty for the basketball. JC, I was more than confident he could do the spinner puzzle. Everything worked out perfectly for me to be able to win.

That last puzzle challenge touched on something interesting about reality-competition shows: hosts trying to talk to you while you’re in the middle of an objective. What was it like at that last station?

I vaguely remember the commentary as we’re trying to do the puzzle. And it’s a very intense moment. My life in this Survivor challenge rests [with] Ethan, and I know that I can help him, right? And so I’m trying to help him understand—you’ve got to flip the pieces and invert it. It’s the same puzzle on the back as at the front, but inverted. Very intense, very fun, very high-pressure situation. And I absolutely loved it.

Speaking of intense, you were very honest at the subsequent tribal council about what you’d been through before Beast Games. What was it like to not only be vulnerable in front of your fellow players, but to know it’ll be seen by the nationwide Prime Video audience?

My mom’s very emotional, and she passed that down to me. I’m an emotional person. I try to lock it in, but especially when I’m talking about my family, it just pours out of me. It was raw. It was real. I couldn’t hold back my emotion and how much it meant to me. It can be embarrassing, right, crying on national television, but I wouldn’t take it back in a heartbeat. I’m glad that people actually got to see who I am.

Everything lined up in my personal life for me to be able to go on the show. And at the time, I felt very, very nervous to leave my corporate job; very nervous for my family financially. It was a huge risk. It had been 14 years that I’d been working there, so for me to to leave that—because I would have never been able to go on this show otherwise.

In fact, I got an opportunity to compete on Ninja Warrior before I left that job, and they said no. They said Ian, no, you can’t go. And that’s when it was the wake up call of am I working to live, or am I living to work? [I’m] very blessed at the way everything in my life has turned out for me to be able to have this life-changing opportunity.

You mentioned to Jeff Probst that you wanted to be on Survivor. Any other reality shows that you’d be interested in after Beast Games?

I love competition. I love competition TV. I love reality TV, and I had applied for Survivor many times, and I didn’t get the opportunity. Big shout out to the Beast team—they saw in me what I have known I’ve had all along, which is I’m physical, but I’m also great at building relationships. I’m strategic. I’m very fortunate for the opportunity from Beast Games. And so I kind of loved the opportunity to tell Jeff, listen, Jeff, I could have been out here doing this.

I’ve had a couple conversations with Amazing Race. The thing is you need a really strong partner. My wife and I, we would go dominate, or my best friend and I would go dominate Amazing Race, but I’m not the biggest fan of flying, to be honest with you. That flight to Fiji to compete [in Beast Games Season 2], that was a rough one for me. I’m not a big flying guy.

Beast Games streams Wednesdays on Prime Video. Photo Credit: Prime Video/Courtesy of Metro Public Relations.

Article content is (c)2020-2026 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.