Survivor: The Amazon – Questions, Observations, Showers, and Power

What about Matthew? Why DID he keep sharpening the machete? And did he have any idea now much he was creeping out his tribemates? Yet, part of me saw the previews last week and wondered if that would be much ado about nothing. And considering he only got one vote, it pretty much was. But at the same time I'm kind of glad to be watching all this from the relative safety of my living room. Maybe he's trying to combat the perception that he's "not the sharpest tool in the drawer." He commented that he was trying to "MacGyver" his ruined shoes into sandals, and when he did, he would be a much happier person. Matt, something tells me your tribemates are on board with anything that makes you happier.

A few comments about the Amazon's first jury member, Dave are in order. When he cited Roger's ouster as a prime example that nobody really knows what's going on, how many viewers at home couldn't sustain a chuckle at his naiveté? And did he play smart by staying aligned with Roger? It's usually a good idea to stick with your alliances, but in this case he clearly got trumped by Rob. At least he was aware enough to know he was probably next, and worked the group as much as he could. But in the end, the die was cast. So much, in fact, that even Butch, his closest ally, turned on him.

Here's a question about Christy. More than once during the episode, she commented that Matthew was "Creepy." But apparently, not creepy enough to vote for him, like she said she was going to do. Or did she simply see which way the wind was blowing? Her disability is fading more and more into the background, and chances are she'll be around at least a few more weeks.

A few thoughts come to mind regarding Dave's reward win. First of all, should he have held back from winning, since he was already on the chopping block? Probably not. Even if he had, it most likely wasn't going to change anything, so at least he had a little nutritional enjoyment before getting the boot. Or course, he didn't do himself any favors by downplaying the extra grub to the others. That brings us to our next question:

Was it wrong for Dave and Deena for partake of the manioc and fish once they got back, or did Jenna just overreact? Honestly, I'm not sure I blame Dave and Deena, because the reward apparently wasn't that filling. But Deena's loud proclamation of hunger wasn't the best idea either. On the other hand, could Jenna have been any nastier? When she said, "Screw you, you fat pig," to the camera regarding Deena, it served as yet more evidence that Jenna is completely full of herself and her body.

Jenna also said that she thinks that since they got to eat ice cream, they shouldn't eat the fish and manioc. Does anyone really believe that if the situation were reversed, she would've abstained if she'd won the ice cream, or would we have heard, "It's not my fault I did great at the reward challenge. Get over it!"? Similarly, when she started carping about Dave getting another shower, did anyone else want to say to her, "It's not Dave's fault he got another shower. Get over it!"? Apparently, "Skeleton with an attitude," as RNO reader Toni continues to call her, conveniently overlooked that fact that she'd already gotten one more shower than most of the people left in the game.

When and if Jenna and Heidi saw the latest episode on the tube, did they seethe with jealousy at the shots of Deena and Dave in the tubs? After all, they had just missed out on yet another attempt to get naked on national television.

Finally, the immunity challenge arrived. Ironically, the last two people left, Heidi and Jenna, are probably the two who needed immunity the least. But did Jenna really have that much to do with her win? On further review, she missed the first two questions, although she got the last three right. The men in this challenge were their own worst enemies. Heidi was right when she commented in tribal council that the men took each other out, leaving the four women to compete.

Finally, a question about the overall series: Has anyone else thought this is one of the more enjoyable of the six Survivor seasons? Rob alone is a good reason for watching. And love or hate Heidi, Jenna, and Deena, they've all got strong personalities that are at the least interesting to watch in action. Plus, you've got the underdog in Christy, who in light of a couple of performances at challenges, maybe isn't such an underdog after all. Like the piranhas in the show's namesake river, this installment definitely has some bite.

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

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