JoAnna Ward's devout faith may become a vulnerability in what one contestant called the "dog-eat-dog" atmosphere of "Survivor: The Amazon."
Ward, 31, of Orangeburg, is a castaway competing for a $1 million grand prize in the CBS-TV reality show's sixth challenge in an exotic venue. The premiere episode was the third-most-watched show on TV last week.
In the second episode Thursday night, Ward argues with teammate Christy Smith over the "immunity idol" the women's tribe, the Jaburu, claimed for winning the first contest against the men's tribe, the Tambaqui.
"That's why we got rained on last night, bringing that idol into our tribe," says Ward, who refuses to touch the statue.
Smith disagrees, and a shouting match ensues.
"I'm gonna shut you down!" Ward threatens.
Reflecting later, Smith says, "She flipped out! ... Man, if you are a vessel of Christ, don't you think you need to be a little nicer or a little kinder?"
An unrepentant Ward votes against Smith in a tribal council the following day. "It's her personality. It has nothing to do with her disability," Ward says of Smith, who had revealed in the first episode that she is deaf.
"I understand you're deaf," Ward says, "but your attitude stinks!"
But in the end, it's Janet Koth who is voted out after being accused of smuggling a granola bar into the base camp.
The others are indignant that someone would smuggle food into the remote site and not share it. "I don't like cheaters!" one declares.
While the others talk, once again it's Ward who takes definite action. She throws the granola bar into the fire.
She also leads the women's team to its second consecutive victory over the men. It's a contest requiring precise communication skills.
The reward? No, it's not a Hummer. It's something much more valuable to the castaways: a bucket of bait the winning team can use to catch the big fish in the crocodile-infested river.
And that is exactly what they do. After having "barely anything to eat in five days," the team eagerly devours the manioc that one contestant mispronounced as "fried maniac."
But the women lose the next contest to the men, setting the stage for the tribal council in which one of their number is voted out.
Five days into a grueling 39-day contest against the elements and each other, the women still had no shelter. "There's no roof over our heads because there's so many other things going on," one woman explains, citing "water and fire" as higher priorities.
"If we can't boil water, we can't live," Ward explains.
But then a tropical downpour brings too much water, endangers the bonfire and leaves the women drenched and miserable while the men sit high and dry.
Ward is a guidance counselor and certified aerobics instructor. Born in Niagara Falls, N.Y., she moved to Atlanta as an adolescent. She came to Orangeburg to accept a basketball scholarship and earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from South Carolina State University. She is a single mother.
T&D Staff Writer Lee Hendren can be reached by e-mail at lhendren@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5552.