I just saw the first program in the Machigenga series, and I could not help but feel bad for Olly. I realize that they were impressed with Mark because he caught that one frog and Olly didn't, but I was curious as why some other standards were not applied to Mark as they were to Olly. The tribe said Olly showed up without a wife, but so did Mark. Olly's sexuality was also more scrutinized. I was wondering if something happened that we did not see on film, as it seemed Olly was judged much more harshly then Mark. The women really seemed to come down a bit hard on Olly. Well, I guess all cultures are different, because Olly to me is extremely attractive. I have to give Olly and Mark a lot of credit for doing these shows, and I thank them for showing us these fascinating cultures. I am really looking forward to watching the rest of this series.

I've watched all 3 and they always pick on Olly. Mark is a good hunter, fisherman, builder, mother and father, but it seems the Kombai, Mek and Michigenga tribes- they always scruitinize Olly for everything he does. What gives?

Olly has always been respectful, humble and hard working while living with these tribes. He seems to have a great sense of humor and gets along well with the children, so I can't understand why he would appear to be weak to these people. These tribes are not unintelligent. Surely they know Mark and Olly have not been raised in their culture, doing the things that they do and therefore aren't always good at it at first. I wonder if any of these people have pictured themselves trying to function in our western culture. Surely they know they would be just as out of place as Olly has in their culture. I still have to say though, that I think Olly is quite attractive and quite impressive. After hearing the opposite so much with these tribes, I think Olly needs to hear that. :-)

I also do see the distinct treatments of Mark and Olly, but keep in mind, this people do not worry about rent or bills. The same way the modern world lives paycheck by paycheck. this tribe lives meal by meal. And maybe, if they are harsh we Olly, is because they see something in Olly, that we do not see. Every member in this tribe contributes to their survival. I was very impressed the way Olly handled his spiritual journey with ayahuesca.

I did not detect any unfair treatment of the guys during either the Mek or the Machigenga show episodes. I do think Mark is a little bit more of an outside guy and I'm sure the people they're living with pick up on that, but I've not sensed a preference for either within the tribes.

There's so much we don't know about the people Mark and Olly live with; there's so much they don't have time to learn. For all we know, the members of the tribe may think Mark is some kind of different human because of his light hair. Sometimes it's something as subtle and simple as that which affects the way people perceive someone--that's true for all cultures and individuals.

And yes, while both guys are adorable, Olly is a little less serious. a tad bit hotter, 8-) and therefore more adorable to the women who watch him (women in the UK, US, Australia, etc). So maybe this has something to do with the overall effect as to how the guys are perceived within the tribe. Perhaps Olly has the same effect on the women in the tribes as he has on us...?