Jenna Answers Her Critics

Whether it was the editing or a true representation of life in the Amazon, Jenna Morasca's victory left many viewers scratching their heads. Invited to call in to The Early Show Monday morning, at least two viewers were not shy about confronting her about certain behaviors.

A viewer named Roxanne asked Jenna: "All through the season, the episodes showed you as being lazy and not doing much of anything to contribute to the tribe. Was that an accurate portrayal to you and, if so, do you honestly think you deserved the title of sole survivor?"

Jenna replied, "I do think that there were times -- I didn't do the majority of the cutting down the trees. I just didn't have the energy. But I did do other things in camp, and I felt like that made up for the things I didn't do."

Like?

"I don't think they would have picked me if they didn't think I was deserving," Jenna continued. "I was trying to help cooking. I helped build the roof on the new Jacare shelter. I helped do a lot of things."

And a viewer named Carrie told Jenna, "Based on what we saw, it seemed like you and Heidi and Shawna acted like junior high girls when you would exclude Christy because she was not as thin or as pretty. And even at your age, at 21, why would you do that?"

Jenna replied, "You know what? I don't feel like we purposely tried to exclude anybody. I don't feel like maybe we made as much effort with Christy as we should have. In the same sense, she didn't make one with us. I don't think we excluded ourselves because we were younger. Deena was also in our alliance. I felt like it was just who we had things in common with, and it just happened to look like that."

There's one thing college basketball players and Survivor contestants have in common: They all want to make it to the final four. Butch Lockley, Rob Cesternino, Matthew Von Ertfelda and Jenna made it to that exclusive club.

On The Early Show Monday morning, Jenna acknowledged that she knew very well that it was vital that she win the last two immunity challenges.

The first of those challenges called for the four finalists to negotiate a maze, blindfolded, in the pouring rain. "If I wouldn't have won that
challenge," observed Jenna, "I would have been gone."

All agreed that the maze challenge was especially tough, because it took so long to complete, and they were all tired.

Of Rob, show host Jeff Probst said: He is the best player who never won.

"Well, I'm very flattered by that compliment," Rob said. "I don't know exactly what I did wrong. I think other than winning that other immunity challenge, the problem was I just didn't have anybody that wanted to go up against me at the end. And I really tried to sell myself to all these guys. You know, I'm really a jerk. I'd be really good to go up against at the end. But they saw through it."

Did he watch himself and cringe at anything he did?

"The only time I watched myself and cringed was when they kept showing me in the Speedo. That was the only time."

And he says he really meant it, in the final immunity challenge, when he tried to make a deal with Jenna, to bring her into the final two. Added Rob, "You can't lie point blank in front of the jury, you know, 24 hours before the final vote."

And Matt admitted that he threw that final competition, "because," he said, "I hoped that one of the people would be voting for me on the jury. Which wasn't the case."

If he had not thrown it and he had won it, Matt said he probably would have taken Jenna to the final two.

While Jenna and Matthew might have looked like a cozy twosome on the reunion show, they were quick to set the record straight when a viewer asked if they were a couple.

"Me and Matthew spent so much time together. I think we're just friends," Jenna said. "We'll always be friends. And we relied on each other a lot.
We needed each other out there big time."

Matthew agreed, "We are great friends. We really bonded in the Amazon. I expect we'll be friends for a long time to come."