Survivor: The Amazon - Advice for the Remaining 15

The Survivor Advisor has returned to provide another dose of advice for the fifteen contestants remaining in the game. Whose position is solid? Whose is precarious? But most of all, what should each of them do to continue in the game and perhaps claim the million dollar prize?

Women

What we have here is an inability to prioritize the needs of the tribe. Washing clothes should have taken a back seat to building fire and shelter. One of the overriding themes of the episode was how differently the men and women were coping with basic survival. The camera showed the men's shelter, with the logs and leaves and supports. Then it was cut to the female camp, with a couple of logs and almost nothing else. The men started fire almost immediately; the women took hours to build one. Shelter needs to be made the number one priority.

Christy. You need to take the initiative in forming some bonds. Your hearing may be a disability, but it should mean you need to make the extra efforts to communicate and bond. If you don't, you'll be considered an easy cut, not from any inherent problem with you, but from a simple lack of social interaction with the other players.

Janet. You need to immediately re-establish yourself as a healthy member of the tribe. Being sick is often an excuse used to eliminate players early in the game. With the burst of new mental energy from winning the challenge, you need to turn it into physical energy in building shelter or catching fish, otherwise you might still be regarded as the weakest member of the tribe.

Deena. Tone down the volume. You are right about what the tribe really needs in terms of camp priorities. However, you can't try to single-handedly direct the tribe without getting the image of being bossy. It's never worked before. If it means letting the tribe get drenched and miserable before they decide shelter is a priority, live with it.

Jenna. You got a break in being in an all-woman tribe, and simply don't know it yet. Attempts to manipulate men haven't worked very well in the past in Survivor, and just look what happened to Sarah from Survivor: Marquesses when she found herself in a tribe with Gina, Kathy, Neleh, and Paschal. You might want to form a bond with the other girls the men have described as "hotties" (Shawna and Heidi) to continue in the game.

JoAnna. Be careful about your cries of praise. Religion, like politics, can divide a tribe faster than anything else. Start working with your fishing buddies to form bonds that will escalate into a solid alliance.

Heidi. You've noted you haven't bonded with Christy. Well, unless she's already perceived as a weak link and one of the first to go at tribal council, you might want to reconsider her and make the effort to bond with her. You've showed enough athleticism to continue in the game for now, but long-term social bonds are what will carry you through the game.

Shawna. You had a rather unfortunate beginning to the game with your inability to untie the rope, but that is a pretty minor point. It wasn't a race to the camp. Now is the time to forge the bonds that will carry you further in the game.

Jeanne. Like the others, you need to figure out quickly which people you can work with to ally up and carry you in the game. You've been a bit under the radar, which is a plus at this point. Work to bond with a few and carry on from there.

Men

One thing you are doing right is prioritizing the camp work. You have a better shelter and better fire. You haven't caught any fish yet, but it really was more important to get shelter as you were provided with some food at the start. However, you lost the challenge, and with that fractured your tribe. While this isn't good, it's a normal and natural result of Survivor. The women may crack similarly when they are first tested by tribal council.

Roger. You got three votes, but your faction came out on top. You have the basis of your core alliance, and this is a good thing at this point in the game. You've also managed to engineer a good shelter. So far, so good.

Alex. You didn't have much camera time, but you're in solid with the older males in the tribe, without the direct heat Roger faced at tribal council. Keep yourself in your alliance and keep working hard. You have the foundation to go far in this game.

Butch. So far you have made yourself a popular member of the tribe, working hard, and have found your core alliance. You used your luxury item for great psychological effect. Things are looking good for you at this point of the game.

Rob. Of the four men who voted out Ryan, you have the most precarious position. You are younger than the core group, and your comments and use of the Magic 8-Ball (particularly regarding the women) might be seen as immature.

Dave. First, quit the lectures. You may have gotten stuff off your chest that was pissing you off, but it never makes sense to make waves in the tribe. Your throwaway vote of Daniel has put you outside both factions in the tribe. You might want to start looking at the mid-game, where you and some outcasts from the female tribe might band together to fight off any dominant tribal alliances.

Matthew. Your first vote put you at a disadvantage, unless you can successfully hide the fact you voted out Roger. You're in a minority right now, but are probably safe for the next vote at least. You might want to work with Dave to start planning a mid-game coup with other outcasts from the female tribe.

Daniel. You've got trouble. You were selected as both a lazy player and a hindrance to the challenge. This means you've got to work to change both perceptions and fast. Work harder, catch fish, get firewood, and start making bonds. Work extra hard in the challenges - if you can be seen as valuable in them, it might stave off your being voted out next.

Jeffrey Clinard lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, with his kittens, Lam and Princess. He can be reached at jclinard@earthlink.net.

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