'Survivor' contestant Kimmel: 'I was done'

Former Kalispell resident Amanda Kimmel felt drained when she faced seven fellow "Survivor: China" contestants to convince them to vote her as the game's winner.

Isolated on an island in China's Zhelin Reservoir last summer, she had endured 39 days of close-to-the-vest plotting, skimpy food and grueling physical effort - with a $1 million prize at stake.

Kimmel and two opponents - Todd Herzog from Utah and Courtney Yates from New York City - had to face seven other players whom they voted off and sometimes betrayed.

Each had to convince those seven that he or she deserved to win $1 million.

Kimmel, 23, now of Los Angeles, tried her best, but not as well as she thought she could have to navigate the emotional signals from the seven.

"I didn't have the energy. I was done," Kimmel said in a Monday phone interview.

"You have to be solid with your answers," she said.

A live "Survivor" show on Sunday announced the final votes: Four for Herzog, two for Yates, one for Kimmel.

An aspiring fashion designer who wants to start a line of men's jeans, Kimmel grew up in Montana, including spending seventh grade at Whitefish's Central School.

Her mother, Peggy Small, and stepfather, Larry Small, moved around the state a lot because of their jobs. They now own a small business just north of Kalispell.

Kimmel moved back to Kalispell from 2003 to 2006. She worked as a waitress at Red's Wines & Blues, as a clerk at Herberger's, and as a hiking guide. In 2005, she became Miss Montana USA.

Kimmel went into the "Survivor" television game knowing that plotting and betrayal are key elements to winning.

But knowing that and actually doing it are different. Kimmel said she wasn't totally prepared for the intensity and cold-heartedness needed to master the gamesmanship portion.

"I grew up putting other people's feelings before my own," she said. "I found it generally hard to separate the social networking and the game aspects" in relating with the other players.

Her strategy of nudging, but not leading, worked. But it went against her natural personality.

"I like being in control," Kimmel said.

Her parents did notice something on the television show that numerous viewers cued on and talked about on the Internet and locally.

Almost every time that Kimmel's back was to the camera throughout the series, CBS blurred out the seat of her pants.

Kimmel didn't intend to provide a lot of work for the network censors.

She didn't know why her shorts hiked up so much. And she didn't think she showed that much skin, although she knew about the significant blurring of her backside.

"It's a family show," she speculated.

"My parents call me 'fuzz butt.'"

Reporter John Stang may be reached at 758-4429 or by e-mail at jstang@dailyinterlake.com