“I Never Wanted to Get Rid of Ozzy” – An Interview with Survivor: Micronesia’s Ami

When Ami was on Vanuatu, she was a very strong person who didn’t come off as particularly nice. This time around was a big change in many ways. So of course, I asked her about that. What does she have to say regarding the differences all around? And when was she being honest – with the Fans or at Tribal Council? Ami spills all, right here.

RealityNewsOnline: Hello, Ami, and thanks for taking the time to talk to RealityNewsOnline! Starting at the beginning, what was your strategy coming into the game?

Ami: My strategy was to connect with the players I knew would be loyal until the very end and to get to know everybody else. I really only knew two people going into this, while others knew three or four.

RNO: How did that strategy change as the game went on?

Ami: When Yau-Man was voted out, my strategy went straight to Hades and I had to rethink. I sat back and watched the game more to figure out where I fit in.

RNO: When watching this season compared to your original one, it seemed like we saw two very different Amis. Do you think you acted differently or were you just edited differently?

Ami: A little bit of both. I think in the first season I had a lot more going for me as far as alliances and support and people I really believed in. This time, there was already a solid four alliance of people, which became five, and I knew I couldn’t break it up. I was on the short end of the stick. In Vanuatu, I kept it in my favor for a long time.

RNO: Indeed, in Vanuatu, you controlled the voting through most of the game. When I interviewed you at the time, you told me you did so through logic. Why do you think you weren’t able to control the votes as well this time around?

Ami: It wasn’t logical for them to take me on board. They had their five-person alliance. It wasn’t logical for me to push anybody out. It was logical to keep me around instead of a Fan, but I didn’t really have a chance to plead that to Ozzy before Tribal Council.

RNO: Do you think your game was hurt by your portrayal the first time around?

Ami: I think my game was more hurt by what Jeff said about me the second time around. He said I would turn on you in the speed of a heartbeat. In the first game I was solid with my alliance. But Jeff saying I was deceitful the second time around gave me insecurity with myself and the other players.

RNO: Were there any repercussions from Vanuatu in your dealings with Eliza?

Ami: No, I love that girl. She and I knew we had each other’s back. We just had to be careful in how we supported each other, because we didn’t want a target on our backs as being a strong alliance.

RNO: Your speech at Tribal Council was very moving and seemed very honest. But we saw you doing all the attempted wheeling and dealing. Which part was true – what we saw or what you said about how you were just trying to make the Fans feel comfortable?

Ami: Come on, really, when the mix-up happened, if I was to vote against Ozzy, I had the numbers, the players, I would have done it. I didn’t want to vote Ozzy out ever. I never wanted to get rid of Ozzy.

RNO: So then describe to me what we saw on TV.

Ami: You saw me listening to the Fans. I would listen to their plan and the plan sounded intriguing. But it was to vote off Ozzy, I wouldn’t go with that. I wasn’t for voting off Ozzy. If it had been Amanda, I could have gone with that.

RNO: Did Cirie know you were the one who cast a vote against her back when Yau-Man was sent home?

Ami: Yes, she did. I talked to her about it the next day. We got it all worked out. We had a lot of fun crab hunting together every morning.

RNO: What was the most eye-opening thing you saw on TV that you didn’t know about while you were there?

Ami: How much Amanda and Ozzy didn’t really trust me. I really believed they did trust me. That’s why it was so shocking to me at Tribal Council when they were talking about writing my name down, because they said they never would.

RNO: After being voted out of Vanuatu, you memorably said you wanted to hold Twila’s head under water. Was there anybody who fell into that category this time around?

Ami: No, no. I still want to hold Twila’s head under water, but that’s neither here nor there. (laughing) Everybody’s really cool, I really liked all the players. Joel is one of the funniest guys, I could have had a pep talk with that guy, he needs to work a little harder around camp. He’s got so much to offer and he was just hanging around camp. This is one bad mamajama and he’s not even giving us half of what he’s capable of. I was used to hanging out with James, who is amazing.

RNO: I heard you’re on crutches. What happened?

Ami: I had knee surgery – I blew my knee out on one of the challenges, when Amanda and I were tied together [the same one when Jonathan was injured]. I blew out my ACL and meniscus. I’m in a straight leg brace for five weeks and a bending brace and PT for six months.

RNO: Do you have anything else you’d like to tell us about your time on Survivor?

Ami: I feel so lucky that I was invited back as a Favorite, that’s a really big honor. The fans are amazing for letting me be in that position. I really feel lucky.

RNO: Thanks again, Ami!

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out these other recent Survivor: Micronesia articles here on RealityNewsOnline:

David Bloomberg is the Editor of RealityNewsOnline and can be reached at RNO@pobox.com.

Be sure to sign up for our e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on the site! And take a look at the rest of the site. You can find all of our recaps and other info on this show at the Survivor: Micronesia page, and take a look at our Big Brother 9 page and our America’s Next Top Model page. You can even buy reality show stuff at our Reality TV Store!

For more news about Survivor, be sure to check out SirLinksALot: Survivor: Micronesia and Survivor Fever!