Jeremy Bradley- John Salley, basketball champ and man no longer afraid of creepy crawly bugs is joining us on the line right now. John, I guess I should ask first, have you kicked the fear? Some of those things were scary in the Costa Rican jungle.

John Salley- Jeremy, let me tell you something: I am no longer afraid. And, I learned how to say the word (tarantula). I used to be so afraid of it and I couldn't say it. It's called a tarantula. If I see one in my house, I'm not going to be happy but, let me tell you something, brother, I am not afraid. I know how they work. You gotta live amongst them. It's like living next to a neighbour you may not know. Just give it a chance to get to know them and you'll be fine.

JB- I should ask you then: What is the secret? Just being out with them and get over it? What did you do?

JS- Yeah. You're with them and you watch them and you just keep… you know, I used to tell Stephen Baldwin, who used to go crazy about getting bitten, I said, "Stephen, we're in their house." (laughing) That's what they do. If you had a big alien come down and laid on what used to be a bed, you're going to put together an army and you're going to go bite 'em. (laughing) I watch the movies! They're being invaded. That's what we did. We invaded their jungle. So, you have to learn to live with them once you learn to live amongst them. When you respect them they see you respecting them and remember, it's a living orgasm… organism, I'm sorry! (laughing)

JB- (laughing)

JS- I haven't had one of those in a while, so… (laughing)

JB- (laughing)

JS- You have to, seriously, just find out what it is. I know the females are the bigger spiders, and

the males are the ones usually biting us and don't move as much. They just feel really tingly on you. Snakes go away from you. Rattlesnakes rattle when they get nervous. The best thing about it is it is raining season and you don't know rain. I don't care if you're in Seattle, you don't know rain. Anybody that thinks they know rain… they don't know rain! Rain is… I was in a bucket. I lived in a bucket for 24 straight days. And, wet underwear, wet socks, wet clothes, wet body. I'm telling you. Then they had the nerve to give us wet boots, I said for what? Everything I got is wet. I couldn't get a clean, dry pair of underwear. I was living in dirt. So, I just seriously learned the big tarantulas are in hibernation during the rainy season. The ones they had were the nice ones so I was cool with that. I let them crawl on my arm. Snakes - I don't care what kind of snake it is, I got respect for them. I saw them catch a huge snake one night because I was awake. I was awake a lot of nights. Then, I just became one with it and accepted it. If I want to win, I just gotta accept that I'm in the jungle and this is real and at the end of the month I won't be in the jungle. That's how I overcame it.

JB- Going into this, aside from missing loved ones, what did you think the toughest thing would be for you?

JS- Spiders. I've been arachnophobia since I was four-years-old. And, I mean really bad. I used to have bad dreams about them and I passed it onto my daughters so they're afraid of spiders as I used to be. I had to prove to them that you don't have to be afraid of these things. I don't have to fear something I don't know anything (or) what it would do to me. I can hold one in my hand or put it on my shoulder and let it crawl around me, and before, the sight of it… if you just showed me a television show and they flashed a spider, I'd turn my head. That's how much I was in fear of spiders. I got one tattooed on my body. They said if you got used to seeing 'em it would work. I had to be all around them. Not 'em all jumping on you, that right there is kind of far-fetched what Lou (Diamond Phillips) was doing (in a challenge on the show), but that was close enough for me, to the point where they don't bother me.

JB- Speaking of pests -- John, I know we're out of time, but very quickly -- how many times did you want to throw Spencer (Pratt) in the water?

JS- None. And, let me tell you, the kid is the most brilliant celebrity I've ever met. He is the most famous in the world. P. Diddy now has to take the hat off. Everybody who thought they were hot and thought they knew how to work the media, has nothing on this kid… nothing. I was like, yo man, you could be bigger than Donald Trump. He has the mirror of Donald Trump. This dude is like three black people and one white person all wrapped up in one! (laughing)

JB- John Salley, NBA legend and jungle survivor, thanks for joining us today and congratulations.

JS- Alright, man. See you later.