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Underwood may have long run ahead of her on 'Survivor'

BY ZACH DIONNE, Special to the Morning Sentinel

Benton native Ashley Underwood made her debut on "Survivor: Redemption Island" on Wednesday night, and it looks like she'll be competing for a while.

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Contributed photo Ashley Underwood of Benton during the first episode of Survivor: Redemption Island television show that premieres Wednesday, February 16.

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Zach Dionne’s column will run Wednesdays and Thursdays for the duration of Ashley Underwood’s time on “Survivor: Redemption Island,” airing on CBS Wednesdays at 8 p.m. Follow Ashley’s progress (through Zach) on Twitter @mainesurvivor.

Ashley, 26, notched several firsts for the premiere episode: First to receive a close-up in the helicopter ferrying 18 contestants to their new Nicaraguan home; first player shown in the "Survivor" theme song montage; first to step onto the beach for introductions.

Ashley found herself on a New England-bolstered team as reality TV anti-hero "Boston Rob" Mariano was also assigned to the Ometepe tribe. Though Rob's "Godfather"-style gameplay in previous seasons earned him a sinister reputation, the all-star "Survivor" player's true character has shown itself over time to be more benevolent, less Brando.

It was a stroke of luck for Ashley to end up aligned with Boston Rob rather than his more maniacal nemesis, fellow "Survivor" legend Russell Hantz. "If Russell was here we'd all be on edge because he's nuts," Ashley's teammate Natalie said early on.

A basketball player both in college and a European league, Ashley's athleticism proved a moot point in an immunity challenge calling on pure strength. On a profile at the modeling website modelmayhem.com, Ashley lists her weight as 125 pounds and her height as 5 feet 8 inches -- not exactly ideal to help push gigantic blocks around in an intensely muscle-based challenge.

The challenge was a swift defeat, and Ashley's Ometepe crew found itself destined for the season's first tribal council. The voting session turned out to be a criss-crossing, surprising affair, and the tribe booted the fairly amiable Francesca.

Ashley's name never came up in talks of who to vote for. Phew.

However, should Ashley ruffle feathers and approach the chopping block in weeks to come, a new gameplay mechanic could save her: Castaways voted out will be sent to the show's eponymous Redemption Island to survive in solitude. The losers will "weather the grueling elements alone," as host Jeff Probst puts it, and eventually face the next outcasted contestant in an opportunity to rejoin the action.

For now, local supporters can look forward to Ashley progressing with what seems to be a mostly stable tribe with a hefty chunk of sexy young folks, including a doppelganger for last season's winner, Jud "Fabio" Birza. Also on team Ometepe is a woman who could conceivably be Ashley's younger sister -- the also-blond-haired, also-pink-shirted, also-short-shorts-wearing Andrea.

"Dude, our tribe, man?" Ashley mused while building camp. "We're the bomb."

Zach Dionne is an entertainment editor at AOL's PopEater.com in New York City. He is a graduate of Messalonskee High School in Oakland and the University of Maine. This column will run Wednesdays and Thursdays for the duration of Ashley Underwood's time on "Survivor: Redemption Island," airing on CBS Wednesdays at 8 p.m.