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WC Amber's Fan Club
By: Scott Tady, Times Staff
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Amber views herself shedding tears By Scott Tady , Times Staff SURVIVOR - Seated amid a "Survivor" party Thursday inside her Brighton Township house, Amber Brkich shed tears as she watched herself weeping on TV. Though Thursday's third episode of "Survivor II: The Australian Outback" was filmed nearly three months ago, Brkich still feels sad about voting to banish her teammate, Maralyn Hershey. "We're like, 'Amber, it's over. Don't worry about it,'" said friend Laura Gray, one of several dozen people who attended the Brkich family's weekly party celebrating their daughter's appearance on the highly rated CBS show. Brkich survived Week Three of the $1 million, winner-take-all game show, though it was an emotional experience for the 1996 Beaver Area High School graduate. The camera lingered on Brkich for one shot, where she was stretched out headfirst on the sand, gasping for breath. Her tribe, the Ogakor, had just lost the show's weekly immunity challenge, a grueling obstacle course race that had members climbing over and under logs, running down sandy ditches and wading through a river. Members of the competing Kucha tribe won the race, and so Brkich and her fellow Ogakors were forced to kick one of their members off the show. After the race, Brkich was shown wiping tears from her blue eyes as she and the other Ogakors walked dejectedly back to their camp in the remote Australian Outback. In the show's climactic scene, five members - including Brkich - voted to banish Hershey, the 52-year-old retired police inspector from Wakefield, Va. The oldest member of the tribe, Hershey had fallen a few times during the race, hurting her team's effort. When Hershey learned the results of the secret ballot, she removed her blue ballcap, emblazoned with her nickname, Mad Dog, and warmheartedly placed it atop Brkich's head, as if symbolically passing the torch. The camera then zoomed in on Brkich, whose head slumped down into her hands in sorrow. But Brkich's growing number of fans must be pleased with Thursday's episode, which solidified her status as a strong contender to reach the show's finals. Nobody cast a vote to banish her. Fellow tribe mates, Jerri Manthey and Mitchell Olson, each received one vote. CBS slapped a strict gag order against all "Survivor II" contestants and their families to prevent them from publicly revealing the outcome of the show, which was taped late last year. Even the people invited to Thursday's "Survivor" party acted as if they don't know how long Brkich lasts. "We still think Amber has a good shot at going a long way," Gray said. "We want Amber to go all the way," family friend Gabe Reighard of Midland said. The Brkich's party featured tiki torches burning at the entrance of their driveway and people wearing "Survivor II" shirts autographed by Brkich. Cars lined both sides of their narrow street. "I counted 50 people inside the party, and probably another 20 trying to get in the door," Reighard said. Cyberspace 'Survivor' fans like Amber From sea to shining sea, fans are showing their fascination and admiration for "Survivor: The Australian Outback" contestant Amber Brkich. The Brighton Township woman's star shines especially bright in cyberspace. CBS's Web site for its hugely rated game show lets people rate their favorite contestant, based on a scale of 1 to 10. Before Thursday night's show, Brkich scored the highest approval rating, averaging an 8. The "Survivor II" Web site offers separate pages for each of the 16 past and present contestants. Brkich's page has drawn the most visitors, nearly 22.9 percent, according to leading Internet audience measurement service Nielsen/NetRatings. "Amber seems to be getting as much, if not more, buzz than any other Survivor," said Lockhart Steele, one of a group of New York City professionals who runs the www.survivorDeadpool.com site. Steele's site lets people coast to coast predict the next contestant to get voted off the $1 million, winner-take-all reality show. Last week, Brkich earned the fewest number of votes, meaning most "Survivor" fans who visited that site think the 22-year-old Beaver Countian will last a long time on the show. "I know many people here in Texas are cheering for Amber much more than (Texas contestant) Colby Donaldson," said Ryan Clark, 17, of Round Rock, Texas. "It doesn't hurt that she's young and absolutely gorgeous." Clark sent an e-mail to The Times to see how he could reach Brkich. His best bet might be to log on to any of the Brkich Web sites that let computer users share their opinions. Brkich and her family eagerly examine those sites, said close friend Arlette Kronk of Monaca. "They check them every day," Kronk said. "They just think it's funny." When one Web site printed inaccurate information about Brkich, her older sister promptly e-mailed a response to that site to set the record straight, Kronk said. The Yahoo computer search engine reveals Brkich's six fan sites are the most of any "Survivor II" contestant. "We've been in contact with several of the Amber sites (notably amberbrkich.50megs.com) and find the webmasters of these sites the most enthusiastic of any fan sites," Steele said. On Jan. 16, students and alumni from Brkich's alma mater, Westminster College, launched a Web site in her honor: www.geocities. com/amberfans. "The results have been staggering," site co-founder Mark Natemeier, said. Getting more than 32,000 hits in its first three weeks, the Westminster site is loaded with Brkich photos captured from the show and creatively categorized under such labels as "CBS Bikini Promo" and "Amber Riding the Rapids." A close-up of Brkich in her blue-and-white polka dot bathing suit carries the editorial comment, "Is 'Baywatch' next?" The Westminster site also offers exclusive photos from her college years and recollections from Brkich's former professors and her Alpha Gamma Delta sorority sisters. More than halfway across the state, at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Brkich seems to be the sentimental favorite to win "Survivor II," said her childhood friend, Jenny Sue Schlack. "People I don't even know come up to me and say, 'Yeah, Amber's my favorite, too,' " said Schlack, who grew up on Tuscarawas Road in Brighton, near Brkich. North of the border, Edmonton Journal columnist Dave Staples is heaping praise on Brkich, predicting she will make the show's final four, based on her athleticism, social skills, brains and beauty. "She's obviously a smart and beautiful young woman," Staples said. On last Thursday's episode, members of Brkich's Ogakor tribe voted Texas Army intelligence officer Kel Gleason off the show. Las Vegas bookmakers had given Gleason the best odds of winning the show. They had given Brkich the second-best odds. Scott Tady can be reached online at stady@calkinsnews papers.com. Friday, February 9,
