Survivor: The Amazon - First Impressions

Butch - Seems to be this season's Jake, taking charge without being obnoxious about it. At first, he reminded me more of B.B., but caught himself taking over and smartly toned it down. In fact, Rob commented on how much he liked Butch. Hopefully, the middle school principal won't start talking to his tribemates like they're his students, lest he be sent to permanent detention. His banner, by the way, was a great move, not so much for psychological reasons, but for those of shelter, as we could see by the second episode previews.

Ryan - Obviously Ryan's hope was to get in a tribe made up of both men and women, like those in the past. It would have at least been interesting to see how he'd end up on a tribe with Jenna to see which one could manipulate the other more. But instead, how prophetic was he when he talked about how his previous strategy, whatever it was, was now null and void. He ended up with an all-male tribe he described as a "sausage-fest," and was soon chopped up like sausage. He's the one who said if they lost to the women it would be rough, although he didn't just HOW rough it would be at tribal council. Roger said that Ryan and Daniel were digging their own graves by not contributing, and he was at least half right. Rob, meanwhile, called him loud, abrasive, and self-centered, three terms that seemed to apply to previous Robs in Survivor. But to Ryan's credit, he showed a lot of maturity in his closing comments. I honestly expected him to go off about how undeserved his ousting was, but it didn't happen.

Daniel - How bad, and how silly, was his claim that there was no way the women were beating the men at anything, physical, mental, or whatever? Well, the first challenge must've not fallen under any of those three categories, because not only did they lose, but Daniel was a primary cause of it. Despite a stint as a pro wrestler trainee, and being an amateur bodybuilder, it isn't always strength that's need to win challenges. Sometimes, balance helps as well, and that was something he and Ryan seemed to lack. He's already got one vote. Are more on the way?

Dave - At first, I thought his speech chewing out his tribemates wasn't exactly a smart move. Even if everything he said was right (and it was), putting yourself out there like that can often be fatal. But, to his credit, received not a single vote in tribal council, so obviously he made the right decision. Now, while his desire to play the game with integrity is laudable, it might also backfire, as people like Rob use that to their own advantage.

Roger - Roger, I've seen Rodger Bingham, and you are no Rodger Bingham. In fact I remember him saying that if he felt some in his tribe weren't pulling their weight, he would forego screaming at them, instead opting to put their name up for the camera. But watching Amazon Roger was enough to make you wonder if he'd ever watched the show. The ex-Marine at times sounded like a drill sergeant barking orders, and it got him three votes. Somehow, I don't think he'll be barking them much longer.

Rob - He's already shown that he's as vocal as his two namesakes from previous editions of the show. The difference is that he may be smarter about it, albeit in a sneaky way. He helped oust Ryan, whom he called abrasive, loud, and self-centered. But he needs to tone down the "Magic 8-Ball" talk. When he started laying down rules for it, I wanted to say, "It's a toy, and one you're taking way too seriously. " On the other hand, Rob does seem to have watched past editions of the show, and seems to know what he's doing. Most telling was his "yes Roger, no Roger" comment regarding the ex-Marine's bossiness. I think he may be around awhile, if for no other reason than smarts.

Matthew - My pick to be the mens' final two representative, so far he's kept under the radar, at least as far as we've seen. Didn't hear to much from or about him. Hopefully he'll keep it that way for awhile.

Alex - One writer claimed that early on he was giving orders and taking charge, but if that was true, it must've been edited out. Not only did he not seem to give any orders, no one seemed to be accusing him of giving them either. Count on him staying around awhile.

Ken can be reached with any comments, criticisms, or money orders at YourNextOfKen@aol.com.

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