Amanda (China) - Micronesia

[sekretskwirl 39]

I agree Amanda was luke warm at the final TC. She should have massaged Cerie's fragile ego. Cerie summed it up in her 'sorry mama I can't seem to win' statement. She's the penultimate runner up in life. All Amanda had to do was make her sound worthy of the million and therefore there was no way she could take her to the final 2.

I swear I thought it was going to be a 7 to 1 blowout in favor of Amanda...huh did I miss something? Don't people respect true game players any more? It used to be snakes were despised and disposed of. Now they are 'players' according to Survivor Micronesia. The fans set the precedent with their in tribe sqaubling and breakdown.

Amanda played the kind of game most would say is a sure win. Straight up and winning challenges.... up until TC.

Too bad the jury has to be so bitter and superficial. I mean sure Amanda seemed lack luster and frazzled at the final TC but who wouldn't be after 2 straight tough Survivors and top 3's. You have to respect that kind of strength from anyone especially a woman. In my mind she is the ultimate Survivor AND what the game is all about.

[Google]

 

[karalott]

Originally Posted by nikkidancer

Another smart move - if you know for sure the winner will take you to the end. For Amanda that wouldn't have worked if Cirie had won, as Cirie would have taken Parv to final 2.

But yes, the thought had entered my mind that if you're sure you'll get taken to final 2 anyway, that's very smart to 'lose' and not be the lone bad guy who was directly responsible for removing you from the game when you could practically taste the million.

Remember Rich Hatch did that in the very first Survivor. He knew he was going to the final 2 anyway so he left Kelly and Rudy up there to battle it out. Kelly had a better chance of winning against him, as did Rudy, but he and Rudy made a final 2 pact. During last week's IC Parvati didn't look like she was trying very hard to win. Amanda also mentioned in one of the web videos when Parvati went to EI she didn't think she'd look for the idol because she knew she was going to the final 3 no matter what. Parvati says she found it, but they didn't show it. Someone asked in the discussion thread what the stats are when it comes to the last person going to the jury voting for the person who essentially voted them out (before they had a final 3, now there can be 3 fall guys or girls).

[Sydney Bristow]

Where Amanda lost was in her inability to package the goods.

She has the goods, I don't doubt it for a second. She just doesn't know how to sell it.

The bitter-jury was already set in their ways. We already knew that Ozzy and James were a solid vote for Amanda. Same as Alexis and Natalie. Alexis and Amanda may cry up a river telling us how they don't have any anamosity towards eachother but its plain as day that they dislike something about eachother. It started with Ozzy being buddy buddy with Alexis and ended up being a personality clash in the end. Since Alexis and Natalie share a brain and a hip they were always going to vote together. And if it wasn't for Parvati's girl-power alliance they would've never survived this far anyways. They had no numbers or great strategic moves that we saw. They were just good lackeys.

Cerie's recent interview states that had Amanda answered her question at Final Tribal with a much desirable, "Parvati is here instead of you because I can't beat a mother of three." There was still a slim chance she would've given Amanda her vote because the bitter exit was too fresh in her mind.

The only votes up for grabs then were of Erik: Whom all the girls can share the blame of duping, Jason: Who is too full of himself and can't see beyond beating Ozzy in every aspect of the game, and Eliza: Who hated Parvati but is a flake.

It was really Eliza's vote that lost her the game. Why? Because Jason's question pretty much told me that he'd never do anything that could give Ozzy even a distant win over himself. Even in his final thoughts during the torch burning ceremony he was still bent on comparing himself with Ozzy and how he is just as great. Blah. She wasn't going to get that vote simply because Jason is a ****** and can't look beyond personal feelings. Ironically the reason she lost Jason's vote is I suspect the same reason she got Erik's. Erik is full of Ozzy!love so I am not surprised that he caved. Because lets face it, if there is one person Amanda really ripped into without remorse, its Erik. And the kid still gave her his vote. It was all Ozzy's tenure.

That only leaves Eliza. I felt had Amanda reminded Eliza how Parvati had wanted to kick her out since day one, that vote was hers to tie.

Amanda said in a post show interview that Jeff had a white envolope with him in the event of a tie but they never got to see what was in it. Possibly some sort of tie breaker assignment?

---

And I agree with whoever said that there is something about this Ozzy/Amanda romance that doesn't jive. They are too careful. After all this time? Either they are over or it was scripted for tv. It really pains me to say that because I was mush after I saw Ozzy's confession and more recently the "Last Call at Ponderosa" video.

The one really weird thing that I wanted to throw out there for discussion was how Jeff, Ozzy, Amanda, and everyone affiliated with CBS kept saying how there was a camera hidden at camp that caught them "in action" but if you see the mentioned video you'll see that its shot from at least two angles. That means, they knew they were being filmed. I just loved the prospect of "two really different people against all odds" bit so much that I never bothered to analyze it at all. Now I am starting to think it was all scripted? They were just odd at the finale. I can't quite put my finger on it.

[CrossingGuard]

That was a good post Sydney Bristow.

That white envelope thing... I'm so curious as to what could have been inside it. My best speculation: the players who were voted off before the jury all made one vote as to who they thought should win. That was the tie-breaker.

It was kind of a shock to me when I saw last night's episode and to find the jury so bitter. And not bitter about Parvati, but bitter about Amanda! I seriously thought Parvati had pissed more people off than Amanda did, but no, I got that wrong. Amanda's "I played nicely" gameplay pissed off the jury, which is a big "wow" to me personally. In retrospect, I can see why they were so livid towards her.

Also, Amanda did unfortunately pale in comparison to Parvati in the FTC, just like she did last season to Courtney and Todd. It's just disappointing that Amanda can't in fact stand up for her own opinion, because 4 out of 5 times, that's what the jury respects most: a person who owns up to what they did in the game.

She is obviously a great player, making to the final twice. Losing both times though just seriously sucks.

Lastly, when JP asking how Amanda felt after losing another time. Her response was, "It sucks!" I was seriously hoping she would say, "I'm livid!" for her response. If anyone else lurks on other Survivor sites, then you would totally understand what I'm saying.

[SkateMom]

I couldn't figure out why Amanda didn't fight more for herself. If she would have brought it to the jurors attention that she won more Individual Immunities on her own and because she had to be the decision maker, she gets all of the blame. I wouldn't doubt that Alexis was jealous of Amanda and Ozzy's relationship and voted purely out of jealousy.

And, if Amanda could have said something to Cirie on the lines of, "I was certain as much as you that it was going to be a Final 3, and when I won the real final immunity I had to stay true to the alliance I was with the longest, Parvati....and by turning my back on Parvati would have looked like I gave up on my original alliance of Ozzy, James, and Parvati." or as said before, state that she couldn't beat a wife and mother.

I was a bit bored by both speeches of "I stayed true to myself, and I outwit, outplayed, outlast"....think of something original already.

[Sydney Bristow]

Okay there is something wrong with this site or my computer. I keep getting booted?

Thank you CrossingGuard. We both seem to love Amanda so I seeked out and enjoyed your insights on her game as well.

As you say, it all came down to the FTC in the end. And as with China, she didn't want to own up to her scheming. I know she didn't do anything drastic but maybe she didn't even realize that she wasn't completely blameless for some of the things. For instance, keeping from Cirie that Ozzy got the idol. Then again it was smart of her to keep all her allies from being at eachother's throat. She is a pacifier and I saw her appease the hotheads at least twice in the early episodes. I.e. When Ozzy was bent that they should vote out Eliza and Cerie wanted to vote out Yau Man.

Sure she lost the million but she is one of the most beloved survivor of all time. Thats gotta count for something right? And she still got 100,000 + Ozzy. Not a bad consolation price at all.

[Sydney Bristow]

Originally Posted by SkateMom

I couldn't figure out why Amanda didn't fight more for herself.

The girl's been out for 78 days. And while I would never use that as a granted excuse, I really think she's being honest when she says she'd had it at that time.

I was a bit bored by both speeches of "I stayed true to myself, and I outwit, outplayed, outlast"....think of something original already.

That was the problem. Those answers can only do so much for a bitter jury. And if they are redundant they just seem wishy washy.

I think Amanda is a geniunely nice person but she tries too hard sometimes. And she is definitely a bit naive and inexperienced too. JMO

[sekretskwirl 39]

yep say goodbye to one of the alltime best players in Amanda. I love her to death and I hope the Ozzy thing works out. She is a credit to the female gender. I salute her

It's a shame that the jury has to be so superficial, nit picky and jealous. They really have too much power this time around. I bet they stewed day and nite over at the Ponderosa waiting for the FTC.. I could see Natalie and Eliza runnin' their mouths about some stupid thing about Amanda they didn't like...and the young guys nodding in agreement. That's the part of the game no one ever thinks about. the jury discusions pre FTC. Natalie and Eliza really are true bitches through and through.

The only stand up jury members were male. James, Oz and Eric. I respect them but not the others

[Sydney Bristow]

Someone at another board I lurk at made a very interesting point (or was it this one? ) Note that Amanda has never received a female vote in two FTCs now!

[sekretskwirl 39]

^hmm. Interesting. Def' sounds like a bit of jealously might be going on.