A Reality Check With ... Sean Twomey (CBS's "Pirate Master")

Sean Twomey is originally from Pensacola, FL, but moved around a lot because his father was a captain in the United States Navy. In high school, he participated in varsity football, wrestling, backyard boxing, and theater. His mother died suddenly when he was 20 years old, which still impacts him today. He once lived in New York, pursuing acting, and appeared in many off- Broadway shows. He is currently a bartender. On last week's Pirate Master, Sean was voted out for going back on his word to the pirates. He sits down with RealityCheckByGina to give the REAL reason he thinks he was cut adrift.

RC: What drew you to the show Pirate Master?

Sean: It’s a good question but a long story I’ll try to make short. I applied for it on a whim. My father gave me an old edition of “Treasure Island” & I try to read it once a year. It’s one of my favorite books. I came home one night after drinking too much rum & saw the application online & between my hiccups, decided I’d give it a shot. It was very whimsical, I had no idea it would go as far as it did.

RC: Did you prepare for the physical aspect of the show (the work, the challenges, etc)?
Sean: I did nothing BUT prepare. I’m naturally athletic in my everyday life. I’m a jogger, surfer, swimmer, and a few other things. I put myself through a really grueling exercise routine. I didn’t have a 9-5 job so I had the luxury of training, studying maps & pirate lore, etc.

RC: Which captain did you think did the best job while you were aboard the ship?

Sean: Well, you know, I think Joe Don gets a lot of flack that’s undeserved. In his defense, he was the first captain. None of us knew the rules or what you could or couldn’t do. It was explained to us as we went along. He was a little arrogant and drunk a lot of times. I wouldn’t say he’s my favorite captain … I’d say Louie was. He’s just one of my favorite pirates – an amazing man, hard worker, always jovial. Azmyth was just a flake!

RC: I notice Azmyth didn’t use the accent so much the 2nd time around as captain.
Sean: I, myself, being trained as an actor being trained in dialects … look, if you’re going to do an accent, do it right! It was a terrible accent. I didn’t know why he was doing it.

RC: Of all the pirates, who did you really connect & form friendships with?

Sean: While on the ship, obviously, people are going to feign relationships. I had no plan to make real friends because this was a game. Ironically, after I got off the ship, that’s when some friendships did blossom. That’s when you can look at people and say, “We had this experience & now we’re not competing … who are you?” That has spawned a few good relationships. Probably my favorite friend has been Ben. He’s just a great guy. Honestly, I’m friends with all of them … except Jay. He’s just a dirtbag in real life. I have no interest in seeing that guy again. Everyone else – they’re really good people.

RC: Is Jay running the show?

Sean: As much as I hate to admit it, I think you’re right on the dot with that one. Jay’s a total pr---, pardon my French. He’s playing 10 different sides, 10 different ways. Nothing that comes out of his mouth is true. I came there to compete & I guess my main downfall was honesty. Jay’s got a lot of dirty little fingers in a lot of dirty little pots.

RC: What was your issue with Nessa? What didn’t her flirtations work on you?
Sean: I told myself, “You’re going in, it’s a competition. Don’t get sidetracked by immense lies or by a female’s ability to flirt.” I knew there would be the staple flirt. It is a great attribute to have because a lot of men fall subject to that. To be honest, I didn’t find any of the women attractive. Not to toot my own horn, but I can get women off the boat. I do okay in my every day life so I wasn’t gonna fall victim.

RC: Were you surprised Nessa wasn’t given a black spot?

Sean: Actually, I was. I remember, that day, she paid out of her ass to get that pardon because she thought she was going. I think it boiled down to Jay who had a bad taste in his mouth with me. Also, Jay was trying to get rid of the strongest players – Christian, I mean, the guy was an NFL running back.

RC: Do you think Azmyth, Jay, & Ben used the fact that you switched votes as an excuse to get rid of a really strong player & competitor?

Sean: Oh completely! Honestly, I didn’t catch this episode yet but I remember it. I know why I left. These challenges require physical traits you need to succeed. You kind of want the strongest people to be on your team but if you get there first, you have more time to think. To get there first, you need to be the strongest & fastest. I didn’t see any reason to get rid of Cheryl & I burned some bridges with Nessa & Jay. They used that against me. The stronger people go first, that’s just how it is.

RC: What are your future plans?

Sean: I’m more of a theater actor which is my one true love. I did a lot of theater in New York. I know reality people think it’s a jump off point as an acting career when, in reality, it kills your acting career. A lot of my friends are successful actors & I was at one point in New York. I knew doing a reality show could only hurt my career. I’ll always be known as that pirate guy. I’m going back to school for my business degree & getting into a different line of work & grow up a bit.

Pirate Master airs Thursday nights on CBS at 8pm EST

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