Last time we saw Amanda Garcia was on War of the Worlds. On that season she was in the middle of a lot of drama and had more enemies than friends. While she remained close with Ashley, her good friend was eliminated first. She was left in the house with numerous enemies and Hunter felt betrayed when Amanda defended Ashley.
On that season, she continued to argue with Cara Maria, she dropped a “bomb” on Jenna and Zach’s relationship, and she seemingly ended her ties with Hunter. Now, all of these people are gone and Amanda is the one coming back onto the show. She’s left with her War of the Worlds partner Josh, Lavender Lady Ashley, and Jenna’s BFF Nany.
For Amanda, this might be her opportunity to demonstrate she can successfully navigate a Challenge on her own. On prior seasons she made it far in the game when she had her Lavender Ladies, but with her allies she also received opposition. Now, there aren’t a lot of people opposing her, but she’s almost a born again rookie. Even though she only took three seasons off, a lot of people have forged strong bonds while Amanda was having her baby.
Amanda does have moments when she shows great potential. She showed puzzle strength on Invasion’s X-It. She was a star rugby player during Final Reckoning’s Don’t Push Me Around, and she was observant and crafty during Caged In, and she earned a spot in the Tribunal during the Arms-a-geddeon Tired challenge on War of the Worlds. Logically, we can attribute the success here to Amanda competing against Nany rather than Josh competing against Turbo. Assuming Amanda continues to demonstrate these abilities, she could be physically competent in the game.
She also has a relationship with Josh, who is now part of a bigger Big Brother alliance. If Amanda maintains this relationship, she’s bought herself time in the game. While she might have fractured relationship with Hunter, the Lavender Ladies were always close with Team Young Buck. Cory and Nelson have continued doing Challenges while opposition from people like Bananas or Cara Maria have left the show. If Amanda can continue working with these two, she may also have increased her time in the game.
Amanda could lay low this season and have a good amount of protection. She’s in the outer circle of multiple alliances, close to Ashley, and lumped in the with veterans. We all know this won’t happen. Amanda won’t lay low; she’s too outspoken. So she will likely go to a point where numbers can’t save her. This is when she will need to draw upon her competitive potential.
Looking at this season, there are two possible scenarios that could eliminate Amanda. In one scenario the rookies (or a smaller rookie-based alliance such as a Survivor alliance) could target Amanda because she’s a smaller girl and perceived to be easier to defeat. This could jeopardize her game. In a different case, she could be sacrificed toward the end of the game. Because she’s close to many people but only super close to Ashley, she could be strung along until the numbers get too small. Akin to Amber B. on Double Agents, core members of alliances will send Amanda into elimination before themselves.
Regardless, a lot can be said about Amanda and her gameplay. This is why she’s exciting on Spies, Lies, and Allies. She’s a welcome addition to the cast and a wild card in the game that makes the season slightly less predictable.
Stop Being Polite 