'Redneck Island': Catching Up With Margaret
Whether you loved her or loved to hate her, no one can deny that Redneck Island: Season 4 would not have been the same with out the one and only Margaret Wood. She’s beautiful, she’s dramatic, she knows how to get what she wants and nothing and no one stands in her way. Not if she has anything to say about it, anyway. ?
As soon as we got wind that Margaret was coming back for season five, we had to sit down with her and ask all of our burning questions. ?
So tell us, what have you been up to since we last saw you on Season 4?
Since the show last year, I’ve had a lot of fun. I’ve done a lot of traveling and modeling. I did a lot of work out of L.A., but I just recently came back home to try to finish up school and focus on doing more around Nashville.
When we interviewed some of your past castmates last year, Josh mentioned the two of you dated after the season ended. Are you and Josh still together?
Josh and I did date for a while after the show for about six months. We are currently not together, but we are still good friends. I think if it were up to him, we would definitely still be together, but we just kind of went in different directions. I still think the world of him, and I know he thinks the same of me.
Do you keep in touch with anyone else from last season?
It was tough because of my personality last year. After the show, everyone kind of let bygones be bygones, and most people apologized. I'd hear from Tank every once in awhile, and obviously I kept in touch with Josh since we dated. I talked to Becky some, and Sarah, Parigi and Rocky. I stayed in touch with Riley a little two, he and I are friends. Just, you know, everybody is so busy with their own lives, so it’s tough.
We all loved watching you on last season. What was it like for you to watch everything unfold all over again on TV?
There were definitely some difficult times to watch. It was kind of hard to relive some of what happened, because it took me right back there. At times it was very stressful and emotional, and I’m dramatic anyway, so watching it unfold on TV after going through it once was hard, but also really fun. It’s crazy, though, you don’t know at all what to expect until it’s on.
The competitions last season were crazy! How do you feel physically after the challenges or competing in The Pit?
It’s just so exhausting. Some of the stuff seems so simple, and on a normal day it would be, but because you’re running on no sleep, stressed out, dealing with drama and going nonstop, it’s really tough. People don’t understand that. I hear so many of my friends saying “Oh, that looks easy, I could do that.” And I tell them, “Yeah, you could do that today, but try being there for however many weeks, getting four hours of sleep, and having a hangover, or dealing with your partner who has a hangover, it’s not easy!” It really does come down to the wire, because The Pit is anyone’s game. It’s definitely a workout, but I think it’s the stress of it that gets people the most. You wake up, and your mind is racing. You’re thinking, “Oh gosh, I don’t want to go home today. I could go home today. What’s the challenge going to be? I just can’t come in last, but I really want to come in first…” It’s crazy.
What about the partying element of the show? How do you decide between resting up at night for the next day’s challenges and getting rowdy with your friends in the house?
I think it’s different for everybody. I’m not a big drinker, I’m more of a social drinker. When I finish with a challenge, my first thought isn’t “Let’s get wasted!” Mine is, “Where’s the shower?” So, it wasn’t as difficult for me. But then there are people like Cowboy, I mean he was my partner for the majority of last season, and he lived each day like it was his last in the house. And that worked for him, so I think it really just depends on the person.
Looking back on Season 4, would you do anything differently?
Honestly, I think I would do it exactly the same. I learned a lot, and it was difficult because a lot of people kind of ganged up on me. However, I don’t have any regrets from last season. Maybe I would get to know people a little more, but I wasn’t there to get to know people. I was there to win money, and I think it bothered people the most that I didn’t care. Sometimes, deep down, I would want to go cry in the closet, but I wasn’t going to let them know that. So, I think I was really pleased with how it played out. All in all, it was a good experience.
When did you become aware you were coming back for Season 5, and when did you find out who else was coming back with you?
After Season 4, they told me to keep my end of summer open. I didn’t know for sure if I was coming back, or if anyone else was coming back too. Once we figured out who of us was returning, we still had no idea how many newbies were coming. We had no idea what the concept of the show was going to be, if it would it be old versus new, if we were going to pair up with somebody again, or if it was going to be guys and guy and girls and girls, etc. We had no idea.
Once you found out you were coming back, did you start to train for the season?
To be honest, I had so much anxiety about going back because of the way I was treated in the past season. But I knew it was a really good opportunity, because how many people can say they’ve had the opportunity to win $100,000? And how many people can say they’ve gotten it twice? So, I knew I was going to go back because I would’ve regretted it if I didn’t, but I was still so nervous. I was dreading it, but at the same time, it was exciting because it was a new chance. I thought, “It’s a new season, it’s going to be different. I’m going to make it different.” I hoped everyone wouldn’t hate me, but I also told myself I wasn’t going to do anything differently. I planned to just lay low.
Speaking of laying low, did you plan out a new strategy this time?
I kind of just made it up as I went. After we figured out we had to pair up with the rookies, I knew that people would target me because I was one of the better girls from last season, which is another reason I wanted lay low, other than avoiding drama. I never wanted to come in last, but also hoped not to come in first. It was tough because Riley was my partner last time, and he was all about coming in first, and that didn’t turn out well for him because it got him sent home.
And lastly, what can we expect from you this season?
Margaret is definitely back! You’ve got a lot of stuff to look forward to. My fans are going to be really pleased, I think. There are a lot of emotions this season, just because Josh is there and because there’s $100,000 on the line. I also have to face some fears in this season, and I think America is going to be hopefully cheering me on. They probably won’t understand why I get so scared at one point, but I hope they can bear with me. It was very, very tough. This season was ten times tougher than last season, and those rookies are definitely there to bring it.
That's all for now, y'all! For more Margaret, like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter and Instagram. Don't miss the premiere of Redneck Island: Season 5 this Thursday (Jan. 28) at 10 p.m. ET/PT. And for exclusive news and video, photo galleries and more, head over to CMT.com, the CMT app, the official Redneck Island Facebook page and Twitter using #RedneckIsland.
