Her second go around on Survivor was doubly painful.
First, Ami Cusack was the eighth person voted off Survivor Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites April 3. And when she returned home to Colorado, doctors determined that Cusack needed full surgery on her left knee, which was injured in the same Survivor challenge that also hurt fellow competitors Jonathan and Parvati.
Still, she's all smiles, even after a teary-eyed final tribal council and a clash of sorts with mastermind Ozzy.
'I definitely thought I would last longer than I did and I certainly should have, but I made a few mistakes by not communicating with Ozzy on a daily basis and I think he just got a little nervous, Then, in the end, it caught up with me,' said Cusack, a favorite this time. She previously participated in Survivor: Vanuatu.
'I was pretty upset that Ozzy had lost faith in me because, throughout the entire game, we had been pretty close,' Cusack said. 'He told me that he found the immunity idol the first day [ back with the tribe ] , but they didn't show that on TV. Throughout the entire game, we had been pretty close, so the fact that he all of a sudden stopped trusting me really, really bummed me out. Also, a week before I left for the game, a childhood friend died, so I think I was ultra-sensitive.
'The first time [ on Survivor ] , I had a lot more going on, a lot more activity in the game. This time, I was a lot more on the outskirts of the game. The first time, I liked the game better. The second time, I liked the location better.'
Cusack, 35, is back working at a coffee shop.
She had knee surgery in late March.
'I'm now just starting to get around without crutches, so I'm starting to feel better,' she said a week after being eliminated on the air. 'A lot of people got injured this go around. Jonathan almost lost his leg. Chet seriously injured his foot. Parvati was injured. Why? I think it's due to the fact that the challenges are a lot more physical, not as mental or endurance-driven.'
But, she added, 'I'm so glad that I did it. I loved the experience. And I definitely would do it again.'
The Survivor: Micronesia finale is May 11, airing live from New York City.
'I'm really looking forward to the finale, to get to see everyone again,' Cusack said. 'I really enjoyed everyone from this season; there really were a lot of great people, including the fans. I see a lot of long-term friendships coming out of this season.'
Cusack said her best friends from this round were Mikey B., Mary, Alexis, Eliza, Yau-Man and Ozzy.
Cusack is forming a charity group to give back to fans, 'who have supported us in our communities.' For more information, she said go to www.myspace.com/amicusack.
Cusack was recently named an ambassador for the Colorado Make-A-Wish Foundation. In addition, she will make an appearance at Los Angeles Pride on June 7.