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Related Sites: · Amanda Kimmel Official Site · Sirlinksalot.net: Amanda Kimmel · Sirlinksalot.net: Survivor Micronesia

The notion of a beauty queen killing a shark seems like something that could only happen in the most far-fetched of movies. Yet, emerging victorious from a battle with a shark is exactly what former Miss Montana USA Amanda Kimmel achieved on "Survivor: Micronesia - Fans vs. Favorites." Kimmel, who just completed two consecutive seasons of the popular CBS reality series, describes her shark conquest as her most memorable moment on the show. "I never thought that in my life I'd ever do something like that," she says. "It's a cool experience to know that you can take care of yourself and do things that you never thought you could do."

Kimmel says her dad, who is an avid hunter and fisherman, was especially proud. "He tried his whole life to get me to go fishing with him," she says. "I was always the kind of a girl who liked to play with Barbie dolls and be in pageants, so I didn't really like to go fishing with him. So, when he saw me catch a shark, it made his day. He was so proud of me."

Based on the way Kimmel performed on "Survivor," her dad should have numerous reasons to be proud. During her two seasons, she set several "Survivor" records, including the most days on the show by a contestant.

She also reached the finals in both seasons, but failed to claim the top spot either time. Still, Kimmel says she's happy with the way she played the game. "I think things happen the way they're suppose to happen," she simply states. "I don't regret the decisions I've made. I kind of regret not standing up for my game more in the finals, but it is what it is."

Although Kimmel didn't walk away with a million dollars, she developed some lasting friendships with her fellow contestants. "[James Clement] is probably the one I'm the closest with," she says.

Like Kimmel, Clement also competed in the each of the last two seasons of "Survivor." He and Kimmel have become so close that she says he's like her brother. "I talk to him pretty much every other day," she tells me. "I admire his honesty, and I respect him immensely."

She also credits the friendship she shares with Clement for helping her make it through their second go-around on the show. "We were kind of our support systems for each other," she recalls. "I don't think I would have made it to the end if he wasn't there. Honestly."

Kimmel says she and Clement had a distinct advantage during last season's "Survivor," because although they were "favorites," their first season had not aired before the new season started filming. "No one really knew us. No one knew how we played. They hadn't seen our season…We kind of had the advantage of making up what we wanted them to know about our season."

Long before Kimmel braved the struggle of advancing to the finals of "Survivor," she enjoyed consistent success in the competitive world of pageants. Her experiences include competing in the Miss USA pageant, as well as representing the U.S. in the Miss Earth pageant. "In pageants, the competitiveness is kind of similar, but they're definitely not as cutthroat as Survivor," she explains. "They helped prepare me for some of the competitive parts of the game, but I think [that experience] kind of hurt me, too. In pageants, you are trained to answer questions in a certain way. In Survivor, I think people respect brutal honesty whether it's something they want to hear or not."

As Kimmel prepares for the next phase of her life, she says she hopes to establish a career as an actress. She will appear in the upcoming film, "The Reef," directed by Steve Herek. "I've kind of taken acting classes as therapy since I've gotten back," she says. "You're emotionally so messed up from the game, and acting classes help you open up and take away the layers until it's down to the rawness of who you are. I just really love the whole process of acting, and I really want to pursue it for now."

Having already proven that not even a shark can stand in her way, Kimmel seems poised to conquer any challenge that she encounters.