The Amy Twieg Interview

“Nobody's kidding when they say the game changed their lives.”
-The Amy Twieg Interview

Christopher: Hi y’all...we’re nearing the end of the game...which means that you get access to more and more behind the scenes dirt, direct from the castaways themselves. The interviews are actually done live...not simply in a cut & paste question and answer format, so all of the answers are spontaneous!

Let’s cut to the chase and welcome Amy Twieg!

Amy was the center of the Sato universe, both pre- and post-twist. She was one of the tribe’s leaders, and was part of several alliances throughout the game. Amy was involved in a number of mini-drama’s throughout the game: Booting Elisabeth, her feud with Henry, her romance with David. her showdown with the sexy Christopher **wink**, Hogan’s betrayal...and quite a few more. Through it all, Amy’s primary loyalty was to the original Sato’s, and one by one she watched them get picked off until she was the last Sato left standing, and a member of the Final 3. Although Mike vowed not to take Isabella to the Final 2, he changed his mind and gave Amy a one-way ticket to the last seat on the jury.

Christopher: Welcome Amy...thanks for joining me. It's been a long time since we've had a heart to heart.

Amy: It has been, and it's about time.

Christopher: We've got A LOT to cover...you are after all, the last surviving member of Sato, and basically...the "heroine" of Okinawa - so let's delve into everything...and I mean EVERYTHING

Amy: Oh, boy... do we have to touch on *everything*?

Christopher: Well – almost. **winks** So...let's start with an easy one. You were a fan of Tonga, right?

Amy: Absolutely!

Christopher: Is that what led you to Okinawa?

Amy: Tonga was part of it, yes. Several things led me to apply for Okinawa...

Christopher: Well spill, sister...

Amy: I'm a big fan of the yarns that Mario's spun for us during Survivor downtimes, and as soon as I heard I'd have a chance to appear in one, I was instantly intrigued. I knew about Tonga from a couple of the cast members, and they had great things to say about their experiences, so I figured it couldn't hurt to try a Survivor game (I'd done a Mole game, but never Survivor, I didn't think I was cut out for it)... And the icing on the cake is something Mario's already mentioned... I went to the Tonga boards and blasted an aspect of his gameplay. *grin* Not only did he respect my opinion, but we struck up an understanding that led me to believe I could trust him to write me. The trust has to be there before the story can come out the way it should.

Christopher: You do have to trust yourself with Mario...and I think he did justice to each and every one of us. He can only work with what we gave him - anything you saw...we likely did...or at least inspired.

Amy: Exactly, and a lot of folks think that he really edited us heavily, but I think most of us are very well represented, good sides and bad.

Christopher: So here is your first big question - knowing some players from Tonga, and having been a fan yourself...was your experience in Okinawa what you expected it to be?

Amy: Okinawa was NOT what I expected. I'd been warned that it was intense, but I wasn't ready for the total immersion. Nobody's kidding when they say the game changed their lives.

Christopher: The game was intense, and frankly, a little nightmarish at times. You , in particular went through a bunch of highs & lows in terms of the intensity of the game. Tell us about a few of the more unexpected events that occurred.

Amy: And yes, I'd go with nightmarish. It was a roller coaster. I remember Joni saying that her "secret" in response to a TC question was that she hated roller coasters. I concur completely after this game. **laughs**

Christopher: I like that.

Amy: Oh, unexpected events... Where do I begin? I didn't expect to connect with some members of Sato so quickly, I didn't expect the game to get so cutthroat so fast, I didn't expect the cast to all have different plateaus of expectation when it came to the game... I think we all may have expected something different.

Christopher: I think that is a very accurate statement. At the end of the game...some seemed shattered...some seemed mystified...and some seemed triumphant.

Amy: Post-game was a big group therapy session. I just wish we'd had someone certified to lead us... we may have ended up in a better place. **laughs**

Christopher: Honestly - makes you understand why they have psychologists waiting post-game, doesn't it? After 16 rounds of destroying or being destroyed by your "friends"...no wonder people who play the game seem a little nutso afterward.

Amy: Oh, yes. I understand entirely! It's very much a kill or be killed situation, and it's hard to do that when you like someone. I certainly didn't expect to feel a personal friendship connection with as many people as I did. I think that probably surprised me the most.

Christopher: You had quite a few personal connections in the game, sometimes with surprising people...

Amy: Surprising people... are you referring to Lance?

Christopher: Actually - No...I meant myself, for one, not to mention you & Matt. You seemed to have a few surprising connections - at least in looking at the "cast list" on day one.

Amy: Now, you and I are an odd pair. **laughs** I think we made one of the more dynamic duos of the game, albeit short-lived. I think the thing that both helped me and hurt me is that I can see past the labels such as "gay" or "teenager" or "liberal" or "conservative" and find something I like in just about everyone. Because of that, I end up having to hurt someone I like in just about every TC. Not a fun way to play. It was great for my time in the game, but not great for my gameplay itself.

Christopher: Hmmm...interesting point. And, yes - you were very easy to talk to - never seemed like you were judging. It's a good quality.

Amy: Thank you. I didn't feel the need to judge... and who's got time, when you're trying to stay alive? **laughs**

Christopher: Agreed.

Amy: It was a shock to the system when I saw how many people *were* judging.

Christopher: It happened a lot. But, the game resembles life in that way. It is one of the reasons the game is so fascinating...

Amy: It does. A very strange little microcosm.

Christopher: Did anything play out exactly as you predicted?

Amy: Now did anything happen just as I thought it would...**grins** Actually, I don't think it did. There were always slight variants. I thought Matt & Beth would stick together. They didn't, in the end. I thought Sato was strong. We had some issues.

Christopher: As did Kamiya.

Amy: Amazing how your scheming couldn't bring us down, which I thought was very strong gameplay, but a 16 year old female can bat her eyes and our tribe comes crashing down around my ears. Some things you just don't prepare for.

Christopher: That's my Joni!

Amy: I had no idea how right I was when I called her a sweetheart with a dagger.

Christopher: While we are talking about Sato & Kamiya...how do you feel about the good vs. evil aspect of the original teams?

Amy: Well, Beth & I joked about it early on, how all the nice people were on one side, but as we learned later, there could've been some switches that probably would've made the "good" and "evil" monikers more accurate. I think what some people forget is that none of us are 100% of either.

Christopher: I think it's a valid point.

Amy: And I think our tribes were held to different standards throughout the game as a result of the division. "Oh, I expect that of them, they're Kamiya." "There goes the Sato lovefest again." But Sato had some catty moments (see the Henry TC) and Kamiya had great parties.

Christopher: Oh I loved the Kamiya parties **sighs** Who ever knew that parties over the internet could actually be FUN?

Amy: And Sato had some parties that were never discussed in the stories because of the overbearing lovefests that took place. *grin* We had karaoke night early on that was a blast.

Christopher: Do you feel that there was anybody on your tribe that didn’t deserve their “good” moniker?

Amy: Hmm. Did anyone not deserve to be called "good"? Yes, probably. But I'm biased because I look at them and decide if they were "good" for my game or not. *grin* David? Not good for my game, he almost blindsided me! Henry? Not good for my game, I couldn't communicate with him. So I don't know if I'm the best judge of that, since I have tunnel vision when it comes to that topic.

Christopher: Alright then. **evil grin** I've always appreciated your ability to be political. It is one of many qualities that propelled you to endgame

Amy: Ha! Yeah, Mario's probably cursing me for giving non-answers right about now.

Christopher: Pretty much - "cut that sappy crap from the interview, Christopher.”

Amy: Yeah,he'll find me dull and uninformative. But it's how I feel... so I guess I don't have an answer for that question.

Christopher: So...speaking of tribes...you were caught in what seemed to be a devastating position during the infamous switch. Tell me about that...

Amy: At the time, I thought my game was over! Henry, Lance, Hogan, and three people I didn't know. Oh, fabulous. I knew Henry and Lance were close and Hogan I'd *hoped* would be on my side since Henry annoyed him, but I honestly thought Henry might have a chance at swinging you three and my game would be done.

Christopher: So I assume, based on your relationship in the story, that you were one of the people who's vote sent Henry away... How shocked were you to see him return?

Amy: I wasn't surprised. I was shocked to see my entire alliance leave. Nobody made any bones about my relationship with him. We found out later that he called me the Antichrist.

Christopher: I had my moment with you...but I don't know if I'd go that far.

Amy: **grin** We did indeed have our moment. But with Henry, as soon as I saw him return my hopes for Okinawa flew out the window. I just knew I was toast.

Christopher: Yeah - in your position I would have just about died... If you had been the outcast, based on what you knew at the time – who would have ended up on Sato?

Amy: I'd have grabbed Ryan right away - the tiebreaker in the Codebreaker challenge showed me that he was a competitor. I'd have taken him first easily.

Christopher: He rocked that challenge.

Amy: Next I'd have chosen you because of your performance in the rowing part of the relay, the first IC. You blew Henry away, and I didn't know at the time that he only gave medium effort.

Christopher: I think every Sato I have asked that question to has told me I'd have been dragged back. **sigh** Looks like I was meant to be half Sato.

Amy: Heh. It doesn't shock me. You looked good to us from over there! Then I'd have probably taken Emma because she was the builder in that relay, and we only had Matt for a builder at the time.

Christopher: If you could pick a tribe of 8, who would have been on it?

Amy: Myself, Ryan, Chris, Matt, David, Elizabeth, Michelle, and Beth. No offense to the others, but I think all of us would have something to offer the others and it'd be the most cohesive one we could form out of the 16. That, and we'd have a TON of fun!

Christopher: It would have been a great tribe. I like it very much. We're talking about tribes...so reading the episodes, who was your best ally? Who did you think it was at the time?

Amy: Depends on which episode we're discussing. **laughs** I thought, early on, my best ally was David. He was let into my game instantly, knew everything I was thinking. I guess I let him see too much because he started to think of me as a threat... or maybe that was his girlfriend seeing me as the threat. Either way, I didn't trust anyone else entirely for the rest of the game because of that, with the exception of Lance.

Christopher: Great answer.

Amy: Thanks.

Christopher: Reading the episodes, who was your biggest nemesis? Who did you think it was at the time?

Amy: You, you brat!

Christopher: Me?

Amy: Actually... at the time, I thought it was you. You *did* smack my game around quite a bit, especially when you look at my relationship with Joni. It was ruined after ep 6. We never got it back. Your character assassinations affected the outcome of the game long after you were in it.

Christopher: Well, I guess I I know that was true for Ryan...

Amy: And I know a lot of people expected me to say Henry, but he wasn't around long enough to be a nemesis, although he probably single-handedly handed a Kamiya the game.

Christopher: Henry & you were a significant part of the early part of Okinawa, even though he was only around for a relatively short time. As for me, and I know we've discussed this...I really was disappointed that you had made plans that seemed to somehow cancel your plans with Joni & I. It was never my intention to turn on you (at that point in the game - everyone gets left behind eventually, I suppose).

Amy: And as for my plans, I do understand where you're coming from. I didn't intentionally make said plans with the intent of leaving you & Joni. I played out of fear, as you said, and just about every move I made was done to keep myself safer than I already was.

Christopher: Understood - it is all the game...and it is all water under the bridge. But I was never really sure if you understood that while I knew you were smart & dangerous...I liked & respected you too much to turn on your - the "patented character assassination" never would have happened.

Amy: I think my confessionals speak for themselves around that timeframe -- I didn't ever want to have to choose. I think it goes back to finding things to like in everyone. Remember, I never once aligned with Dave Roth.

Christopher: I see that now. At the time...Joni & I had our own fears that set up the way our relationships played out.

Amy: And I know you had mitigating circumstances in your own game that hurt your ability to make choices for yourself.

Christopher: If we'd have managed to all make the merge we probably all would have been fine for some time. **wipes brow** Phew!

Amy: Probably... until the Angels got back together and took us all out. **grin**

Christopher: I can honestly tell you that in many ways you had become more of a confidante than anyone else. So I have NO idea what would have happened had we stayed such close friends. I really can't say.

Amy: You had for me too. We talked about very personal things, which is what made episode 6 that much more difficult.

Christopher: Right. You & I seemed to have the same exact schedule. And...neither of us really had anyone else on the tribe we could talk to in that way. We were both going through some very personal issues at the time (which I don’t think either of us care to disclose in this forum). Intense times...thank you for being there for me.

Amy: I was glad to do it, it made me feel better about crying on your shoulder. The friendship we had was very real. To have it deteriorate that way was a heartbreaker... in many ways I still felt that I needed you there to talk to, you know?

Christopher: I do. Reuniting post game was odd...and soon after, I went underground anyway.

Amy: Post-game was a wreck for many reasons. Too many raw emotions.

Christopher: But our time in the game was very important to me...you were a good friend - and the game doesn't change that.

Amy: Great, now you've got me in tears over here.

Christopher: Ok! Let's move on to lighter subject matter for a moment.

Amy: Good! Lighter, please.

Christopher: What was your favorite challenge?

Amy: The relay race early on... the one where we were all tied together and we had to break the glass balls at each station to see who sat out. That was a great challenge for me personally and it did a lot for Sato morale. We needed it.

Christopher: I LOVED THAT CHALLENGE! We did so well. And we had been starving for so long. It was such a tremendous feeling of pride to take that one.

Amy: We did! And it was hard not to giggle when we read the part about Mike and Emma running out of gas at the end.

Christopher: Which challenge did you loathe?

Amy: Hmm.... I hated ANYTHING that involved searching or building because I sucked at those. Probably Ring Diver. The one where Hogan couldn't even find the flag? Yeah. That one. Between Hogan and me, if it involved searching I just threw up my hands.

Christopher: Oh Hogan...do you remember going on fruit searches...we'd all have to go in groups? None of us could find much of anything...so poor Joni would have to lead and load us up.

Amy: **laughs** Oh, yes. And we'd get SO excited when we'd find anything...

Christopher: Took us awhile to figure that one out. And even she wasn't so great at searching.

Amy: Yeah, we were a little slow on the uptake at times. When you work together, it's easier to find things.

Christopher: Perhaps so. But, c’mon now - who was the best damn fishing team in Okinawa!?

Amy: You and I, of course! I hold the bag, you reel 'em in.

Christopher: True dat. We rocked the fishing!

Amy: Those were the days.

Christopher: Sato really came together at a certain point. I was proud of us.
So...back to the darker recesses of the game...

Amy: Oh, great.

Christopher: Watching the episodes, has anybody surprised you in a positive way with their strategy and/or confessionals?

Amy: Has anyone surprised me in a positive way? Well, in all honesty, I'm pleasantly surprised that I haven't gotten trashed by Isabella yet. **grin** I'm still waiting on it though!

Christopher: **laughs** Watching the episodes, has anybody surprised you in a negative way with their strategy and/or confessionals?

Amy: Many people surprised me in a negative way.
I'm surprised that Mike was such a kissup who believed he was string-pulling the whole time... surprised that you had such a mouth on you...in fact, everyone who developed a God complex in the game surprised me in a negative way. Is that what being in The Valley of the Gods for too long does to you?

Christopher: Don't even ask me what being at "The Village" does to ya.

Amy: **laughs** Point taken.

Christopher: Soooo, Amy...I've been dying to ask this...

Amy: Here it comes...

Christopher: You saw this coming a mile away... **innocent smile** Did you find yourself having a crush on another castaway?

Amy: I'm actually glad I get to tell this story from my point of view!

Christopher: Oh - we're glad, too. Verrrrrrrry glaaaaad.

Amy: **laughs** I bet you are.

Christopher: And, THIS is why I do these interviews folks...

Amy: Everyone knows by now that I was involved with David. Mario was kind enough to spill that. But how it developed wasn't really discussed. When David and I met, we talked easily and openly. Sure, we danced around one another when it came to strategy, but I think every good player did that at first. Anyway, we quickly became comfortable with one another in the game's status and got to know one another. We'd talk about home and family and yes, his girlfriend. I'm no homewrecker, so I left him alone. In fact, neither of us discussed our interest in the other until after he was already out of the game and we were given permission to talk.

Christopher: Right...Mario talked about the permission in his episode notes...

Amy: So for everyone who was hoping for a story full of nude pictures and trysts in the shelter, sorry. It never happened. Any other details you're itching to ask about?

Christopher: THAT was IT? Oh no no no no!!!!!!!

Amy: Well, what else is there to tell? **grins**

Christopher: Beyond a crush...did you two..."date"? Are you still together? The fans wanna know Mrs. Robinson!

Amy: Yes, we did. We met in real life and carried on a long-distance relationship for a time. And **laughs** I'm younger than he is. Mrs. R was all Matt.

Christopher: **giggles** So from "for a time"...I will assume that you are no longer an item? Sorry I am sticking it to ya...but I am taking care of my audience here...I have a feeling quite a few of them would like to know if Miss Amy is single...

Amy: Yeah, sure they want to know. They want to know because if I'm single, that means they can go after David. **grins** And I treasure my relationship with David, but we are not together at this time.

Christopher: Thank you. Ok - let's play the adjective game:

Amy: Okay.

Christopher: I know you like this part.

Amy: It's my favorite part!

Christopher: Smartest?

Amy: Ryan.

Christopher: Sassiest?

Amy: You, naturally.

Christopher: Annoying?

Amy: That's tough, but I have to be honest. In terms of the game, that was Henry.

Christopher: Funniest?

Amy: Matt.

Christopher: Trustworthy?

Amy: Lance.

Christopher: Kindest?

Amy: Beth.

Christopher: Social Butterfly?

Amy: I think that was me!

Christopher: Sure was! ?Cutest

Amy: Too many ways to define that. I'll go with Elizabeth.

Christopher: Toughest?

Amy: Michelle, no doubt.

Christopher: I concur. Wildest?

Amy: You again.

Christopher: Sneakiest?

Amy: Hogan and Joni for keeping the intensity of their friendship a secret for so long.

Christopher: Good call! Out of Touch with Reality?

Amy: The whole cast.

Christopher: **laughs hard** Awesome answer!

Amy: I've been holding on to that one.

Christopher: Ok. This question is unique to you.

Amy: Uh oh. Okay.

Christopher: You were the last Sato in the game...much like Colleen from Pagong...or Jake from Sook Jai. What was it like to watch your allies go down post merge? Especially when it would have been avoidable had Sato stuck together...

Amy: It was very emotional for me, watching everyone around me get picked off. The vote where Matt left was terrible, in particular, because I'd really held out hope that we could pull it together and take over the game. Hogan made sure that it wouldn't happen. I know he had his reasons, but again, that's my tunnel-vision. Joni made a great save for Kamiya in that episode and I don't think she was given proper credit for it, ever.

Christopher: I have another specific question for you...We've touched on our relationship. We’ve touched on your relationship with David.

Amy: Sure....

Christopher: But I want to talk about you & Joni. You two were close for some time...and then no longer.

Amy: *sigh* Believe it or not, that might be harder to talk about than you or David.

Christopher: I am not surprised. You were in the game with Joni longer than anybody else.

Amy: Yes, I was...We were close for a while and then couldn't recover.

Christopher: As you pointed out above...Joni had a lot to do with Kamiya taking the game. Some people have maligned her for that. Some have ignored her role. In particular...I am talking to you, because I feel that you were closer to her than anyone in the game save myself and Michelle. Why do you think people have been so hard on her? I keep looking - and I can't help but feel people are mad at her for playing the game.

Amy: And Joni is a mystery because she combines so many qualities in one person. I love her spunk, hate the chip on her shoulder. Adore her enthusiasm for life, hate the way she sometimes judges others. In short, she is a young adult who has a lot to learn about life. Some people like to judge what they don't understand, and it's easy to not understand Joni.

Christopher: Alright.

Amy: As far as her role in the game...I completely get where she's at in terms of how the readers feel about her, because some people like to blast me for being hypocritical for my choices in the game. I think perhaps the difficult thing to handle about Joni is that people don't like it when the sweetheart is exposed for a cunning player.

Christopher: I agree. Now...back to your game...

Amy: Okay, okay.

Christopher: One of my favorite questions: Would you like to set the record straight about anything?

Amy: We'd be here for a while.

Christopher: I have the time

Amy: Based on the things I've read on our message board, I think some people have the wrong impression that I'm being heavily edited to look more popular than I really was. By the time everyone reads this, hopefully the truth will be out that I did NOT lose in the F2. The way I played the game in the story is real, not edited. I'm still not sure how I managed to earn the trust of so many, but I worked my butt off for every relationship I had in that game, and that's how I got as far as I did. That, and the Wheel. **grins** And no, the relationships were not built just to be fake and cast them off later. I still value every friendship I had in that game, whether or not they still exist today.

Christopher: Thank you for sharing that...

Amy: Sure.

Christopher: What was your favorite moment in Okinawa?

Amy: I had several... but my top three would have to be:
1. The merge
2. The family visit reward
3. The 80s chat with Ryan and Michelle just before silence in the first post-merge TC.
I have lots of great memories though. It isn't fair to just pick a couple.

Christopher: I understand. Worst moment in Okinawa?

Amy: Again, gotta go with a top 3...

Christopher: **laughs** Go for it Amy Letterman...

Amy:
1. The switch...
2. Our confrontation and fight... (Seriously, I was in tears that entire silence period, ask Mario!)
3. And losing the final IC.

Christopher: Oh I bet. That one had to be tough. So close - I can't even imagine.

Amy: It killed me! Did you hear how it happened?

Christopher: I actually didn't...

Amy: Oh, man...

Christopher: Oooh – I can tell this is gonna be good!

Amy: That last question was one Mario pulled from nowhere-- he didn't have more than 20 questions for us, but we needed almost 40...So he didn't know the answer immediately. When I answered incorrectly, he initially told me that I was RIGHT and that I'd won the IC. Then Isabella IMed him and told him that I was in fact wrong, Mike was right and he won the IC. He checked it out and changed it. Ouch!

Christopher: Oh man. Ohhhhhh man.

Amy: Yeah, it was a punch to the gut. Mario still apologizes for it.

Christopher: That is awful.

Amy: I thought so at the time. **laughs** But hey, it happens.

Christopher: Wow. Slightly different question. Biggest regret?

Amy: Not pushing harder to keep Elizabeth in the first TC.

Christopher: Ah...very interesting answer.

Amy: It would've changed the entire game.

Christopher: It would have. Which is often the scary thing about many of the boots.

Amy: Especially the early ones.

Christopher: If you think about any one person staying longer than they did...whoa.

Amy: Exactly. It's mind-boggling.

Christopher: Some less than others...but we lost some powerful players throughout the game right up through you. Elisabeth is a great example. What, if anything, did you learn about yourself?

Amy: I learned that I'm stronger than I thought I was, and I have to be careful to let others have an opinion sometimes.

Christopher: And, finally - would you do it again?

Amy: Yes, I'd do it specifically to have more fun this time... to let loose a little more.

Christopher: Ah. I sooo hear that. Well Amy – that’s it!

Amy: Thanks, Chris.

Christopher: Thank you.

Amy: That was painless.

Christopher: I'm glad . It's always a pleasure to shot the s**t with you.

Amy: **laughs** You don't have to edit your tongue around me now, I've read the eps!

Christopher: It's supposed to be fun - even if the scary stuff comes up.

Amy: It was a lot of fun.

Christopher: And that’s the end of the Amy Twieg interview. Only the finale is left...so naturally – stay tuned. The answers to all of your questions are about to be wrapped up in a nice, tiny, little package signed by Mr. Lanza himself.

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