Former Survivor castaway Amanda Kimmel competed on three seasons (Heroes vs. Villains, China, and Micronesia), played for over a hundred days without getting voted out, and reached Tribal Council twice. She had a killer strategic play, command of major alliances, and an undisputed grasp of the game. Anyone who watched her in the show respected her.
However, despite her impressive approach and style, Kimmel never snatched a single Sole Survivor title.
Battle History
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The former Miss Montana USA was just 22 when she first joined Survivor in 2007 in China, and she didn’t waste any time to impress everyone with her play. She was the very first castaway to successfully flush an idol (which, if you remember, gives its holder immunity).
Not only that, but she was also the master orchestrator in blindsiding James Clement. At the time, Clement had two idols in his pocket.
She made it to the Tribal Council along with her allies Todd Herzog and Courtney Yates but, unfortunately, only secured a single vote from the jury, namely Erik Huffman. Todd won the season with a vote of 4-2-1.
Three months after Amanda’s first season, she was invited to return for Micronesia – Fans vs. Favorites. She became a member of the famed Black Widow Brigade and made off-the-chart moves, earning her a spot once again to prove herself in front of the Tribal Council. It led to her being the first person to do so in the history of the whole show.
Sadly and disappointingly, the vote came in 5-3 in favor of Parvati Shallow. According to fans, Amanda’s poor performance in front of the jury cost her the title, which was the same as her first loss.
A few seasons later, Amanda joined her third season with Heroes vs. Villains. Even though she held authority in Heroes, she couldn’t keep her power when the merge happened. On Day 30, the strong alliance of the Villains pushed her out of the game, marking the very first time she was voted out.
They said that the third time was believed to be the charm, but it clearly wasn’t the case for Kimmel as she ended up exiting early instead.
Retiring from Survivor
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In Amanda’s interviews following her exit from Heroes vs. Villains, she said she would never play Survivor again. However, it wasn’t just the physical and mental exhaustion from the three seasons that pushed her to a decision never to put herself through the show again. It was also fellow castaway Russell Hantz.
“Russell [Hantz] has changed the game in a way I’m not interested in either. The show isn’t pure on any level anymore,” she said.
As her story went, Russell was always actively trying to get into everyone’s heads and turn everyone in the tribe. There was even a point when she wondered if he even slept a single wink the entire time because it was just complete chaos every time and everywhere. When their tribe won rewards or had to vote for anything, they had to think so far ahead, and she was just seriously exhausted.
Moving Forward
Amanda Kimmel Grinning At Tribal Council pic.twitter.com/b4qPdjJmjV
— Queen Stays Queen! (zen era) (@tallythosevotes) April 18, 2022
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When she finally left, she said, “Good riddance.” She was just glad to be done with him. “I have other things going on in my life. I’m coming out with my own organic fragrance called Wild, and then I want to move into a skincare line. I’m excited to get that going.”
Amanda Kimmel had never thought that she would do something like Survivor ever in her life. And she certainly didn’t have to be a winner to cement her reputation in the show as one of its best players – ever.
