Re: [BigBrother_Survivor] Survivor: Edge of Extinction season finale recap: Did the right person win?

I was fine with someone winning because of the big twist, but I'm pretty sure most of us wanted it to be the last one to join the jury.
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On Thu, 5/16/19, SHARON ceegee2006@yahoo.com [BigBrother_Survivor] <BigBrother_Survivor@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

Subject: [BigBrother_Survivor] Survivor: Edge of Extinction season finale recap: Did the right person win?
To:
Date: Thursday, May 16, 2019, 10:08 AM

https://ew.com/recap/survivor-edge-of-extinction-season-38-finale/S
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ESurvivor:
Edge of Extinction season finale recap: Did the right
person win?

By
Dalton Ross
May 15,
2019 at 11:01 PM EDT
I'M
SO CONFUSED!!!!Someone
just won Survivor after playing only
13 days of Survivor.
That's terrible. Then again…Someone
just won Survivor
after brilliantly convincing someone to do something
completely against her best interest to save him. That's
amazing. Then again…Someone
just won Survivor
after making friends with almost the entire jury by having
an opportunity to make amends and bond with them outside of
the game against the common universal foes that had voted
them out, while the other two finalists were awarded no such
opportunity. That's criminal. Then again…Someone
just won Survivor
who made the boldest move imaginable by giving up a FastPass
to the end to instead face-off against the biggest threat in
the game in a do-or-die situation. That's incredible. Then
again…The
aforementioned biggest threat in the game had also
already been voted out of the game. (Lame.) And they even
gave the guy who came back in on day 35 a hidden immunity
idol as extra protection. That's insane! Then
again…The
other finalists who hadn't
been voted out didn't exactly inspire a whole lot of
excitement or respect from their peers.Sooooooooo
how I am supposed to feel about Chris Underwood winning Survivor:
Edge of Extinction? That's not a rhetorical question.
SOMEONE TELL ME HOW I AM SUPPOSED TO FEEL?!? You all know
me: While I totally think Survivor
has to continue to evolve and try out new twists, I am not a
fan of themes that involve folks that are voted out getting
back in the game. When you soften the cutthroat blow of
someone having their torch extinguished, you inherently make
your product less powerful and impactful. It's like movie
and television shows that bring characters back from the
dead. If you know a TV or movie death is not real or final,
it doesn't hit you remotely as hard. It just doesn't.
That's my issue with the Outcasts, Redemption Island, and
Edge of Extinction. You care less about the weekly vote-offs
because they matter less. Not good.And I
do
think it is unfair that almost anyone that gets back in
close to the end has a massive advantage due to the bonds
formed in that setting when nobody actually has to backstab
each other. It's where people go to kiss and make-up,
which is something you can't do when you are still
actively playing the game. (Just look at Reem clapping and
rooting for Chris at the finale. You think that happens if
they don't make-up at EOE? Never. Remember how pissed she
was at him when he first arrived?) So I could never, ever
see myself voting for someone who had already been voted
out. However…Besides
playing all 39 days, never being voted out, and, in the case
of Gavin, never having been voted for, how strong were the
résumés of the two people sitting next to Chris at the
end? I don't want to take away from anything Gavin and
Julie did because making it all 39 days is an amazing feat
under any circumstance. I mean, yes, it is true that a guy
named "Dreamz" once made it 39 days, and another guy
named "Fabio" made it 39 days and
won the game, but it's still an accomplishment
despite a few notable aberrations. All that said, as nice as
Gavin and Julie are — and I sincerely do like both of
them a lot — neither of them would exactly be
demanding space in the Survivor
Ring of Honor, if you catch my drift.My
point is, I wonder how much of the jury's decision was for
Chris (he received 9 of the 13 votes and Gavin got the other
4), and how much was simply a vote of no confidence in
Chancellor Valorum. I mean, that's really what it boils
down to, isn't it? Sure, Senator Palpatine proved to be a
positively terrible
choice to lead the Republic. The guy cooked up a fake war,
ordered the slaughter of younglings through the
unimaginatively-titled "Order 66," and then the first
thing he does after pulling his BFF apprentice — who
saved
his life, I might add — out of molten lava while
missing three limbs is tell him he killed the love of his
life. READ THE ROOM, DUDE! You have to note all of those
things in the negative column when assessing the choice to
promote Palpatine. But , Valorum was sooooooo
boring. When I think of Chancellor Valorum, I am reminded of
trade routes, unauthorized intergalactic taxation, and Jar
Jar Binks. All terrible things.So
can you really blame Queen Amidala for setting the galaxy on
a path to ruin by calling for a vote of no confidence? And
can we really blame the jury for voting Chris as the Sole
Survivor even though he did not really survive much of
anything? Look, nobody likes to diss a jury decision more
than I do. I even invented the disease BJS (Bitter Jury
Syndrome) to explain the curious malady that infects certain
people after they are voted out by superior players and
can't bring themselves to acknowledge that they were
bested by rewarding the person who did it. But did they make
the wrong choice here? I'm not so sure.I
remember back when Chris was voted out on day 8 and
writing in my recap that he didn't really do much wrong to
warrant being the third one out. Chris struck me as a strong
player when we spoke before the game, and nothing he did
before being voted out really changed that opinion. Then,
when he got back in, he somehow used some mental jiu-jitsu
on Lauren to get her to make one of the most nonsensical
moves in Survivor
history by wasting her immunity idol on him. An idol that
would have saved her at the next vote. (Whoops!) While it
may not live on in infamy like J.T.'s love letter to
Russell, or Tyson voting himself out, or Woo bringing Tony
to the end, or the men of One
World giving up their team immunity, or this pièce de résistance that merited over
14,000 words, Lauren's move was, in many ways,
even more confusing. And the fact that Chris pulled it off
is, therefore, all the more impressive.When
Chris took the gamble that Dom from Ghost
Island didn't in giving up his final immunity to take
on Devens at the final four fire-making, it wasn't just
bold and ballsy, it was the smart play. For one thing, he
was more likely to beat Rick than Gavin or Julie were, and
if Rick made it to the end, Rick won. Not only that, but if
Chris wanted to beat anybody
after spending 28 days out of the game, he needed to build
the best 13-day résumé in the history of the game. He
needed all the ammunition imaginable to counter the argument
that he hadn't done enough to deserve the win. If he
doesn't take on Rick in fire, I doubt he even beats Gavin
or Julie at the end. The jury wanted
to vote for Chris because they bonded with him on Extinction
Island in a stress-free setting. Now he just had to give
them a reason to justify it.This
will no doubt go down as one of the most fiercely debated
jury decisions in Survivor
history. Usually when I say that, it means I think the jury
got it dead wrong and can't put aside their petty jealousy
to reward the best player. That's not the case this time.
I think there is a solid argument to vote both for and
against Chris. I actually would go so far as to say it may
be the most interesting jury vote ever, and I am totally
here for both sides of the debate. You say that somebody who
only played 13 out of 39 days should not be allowed to win?
I agree! You say that Chris packed in more smart and bold
moves in three days than Gavin and Julie did in a combined
78? I agree! So it seems we're back where we started, and
I have no idea what to think. I suppose it may come down to
a question of quality vs. quantity. If it's quantity of
days actually in the game, then you have to vote Gavin or
Julie. If it's quality of gameplay in the days played,
then you have to heavily consider Chris.Okay,
let's backtrack and now get to all the big moments of the
three-hour finale/reunion extravaganza, including Chris
weighing in on the decision to give up immunity for fire before
the game even began! Yes, we discussed this exact
scenario the day before filming. Don't make me pull a
negative reverse to get you to keep reading! (Oh, and if you
want to read about the craziest Survivor
finale story you never knew, then definitely check this
out.The
episode begins with the Extinction Island folks competing to
get back in the game. Even for someone who wishes they were
all out of the game already, I have to concede these
challenges are always dramatic because the stakes are higher
than both Cheech and
Chong. It's also a well-designed challenge, with all the
players attached to a rope and having to make their way
through rope obstacles, then use pieces of rope to build a
bridge, cross it, and then maneuver two balls through a
table maze. What's cool about having so many stages is
that the lead keeps changing.. Eric makes it through the
first stage in the lead, then it's Aurora, then it's
Eric, then it's Aurora again… and you can practically
hear the producers chanting nervously to themselves,
"Please don't let Eric or Aurora win. Please don't let
Eric or Aurora win. Please don't let Eric or Aurora
win."Their
prayers are answered as it eventually comes down to Joe,
Chris, and their balls… which sounds worse than it
actually is when taken out of context. While pretty much all
of America was no doubt rooting for Joey Amazing to pull it
out (that was poorly worded), it's Chris whose second ball
drops (again, poorly worded, but accurate).So
after 27 nights away, Chris makes it back onto an actual
tribe beach, meaning he has to awkwardly introduce himself
to Gavin and Julie for the first time. ("Hi, I'm Chris.
I'm just going to play 4 days and then take all your
money. That cool by you? Awesome. So, hey, where's that
water well at anyway?")Before
we go to the first immunity challenge, Chris tells Lauren
that Kelley Wentworth said at Extinction Island that she
needed to play her idol in a big way for herself OR
SOMEONE ELSE (hint, hint) if she wants any chance
of winning. Apparently, he also tells her that Kelly said
she should dump her boyfriend at a bar for Ryan Reynolds but
I don't know why that would even come up and I don't
know why Lauren would listen to anything Chris said after
suggesting she use her idol on someone else at this late
stage of the game. But, I mean, she would never do something
that dumb so let's just move on to the first immunity
challenge, shall we?The
first immunity contest is a race through obstacles that ends
with a circular puzzle, and the most interesting stuff
occurs at said puzzle. Julie takes a big lead on it, but the
problem is that she has one piece left to get in and the
whole thing may topple over if she's not careful. I mean,
in itself, that's not all that interesting, I suppose. But
the fact that Chris completely stops working on his puzzle
to talk Julie through the final steps certainly is.
"Chris, man, I don't know what you're doing,"
exclaims Devens.No
doubt this was a tightrope Chris walked. He wasn't going
to win the challenge so clearly figured he would try to win
some social points with Julie. But he also is attempting to
repair his damaged relationship with Rick, and to throw that
in jeopardy the day after returning is a dangerous move. And
Rick continues to feel a little salty as Julie picks Chris
and Lauren to join her on her steak and cake reward.
"I've gone to bat for Julie a number of times," says
Devens. "She knows that. She's never gone to bat for me.
And Lauren and her have had more rewards than anyone out
here so I'm disappointed."But
Rick's disappointment is only temporary because Chris then
whispers sweet nothings into the news anchor's ear, and
I'm not talking about the IFB device that Devens has to
wear when he's on television so a producer can tell him to
stop picking his nose or whatever in the middle of a
broadcast. (I'm not saying Rick Devens picks his nose on
television. Then again. I'm not saying he's not
picking his nose on television either. Hell, this guy could
be Spaulding Smales for all I know, chowing down on boogs
outside the Bushwood golf club snack bar.)No,
the sweet nothings, in this case, amount to Chris telling
Rick: "If it's not me who gets to the end, I will fight
and die for Rick Devens to win this game." Now, why the
hell would you go and tell someone something like that? This
was the one bum note Chris played after returning to the
game. In telling Rick this, what Chris is doing in
incentivizing Devens to put him on the jury to fight and die
for him at final Tribal Council. That's what I would do,
even if Chris did give me half of an idol as he does to Rick
here.Okay,
let's get into the idol. Just like Devens before him when
he returned to the game, Chris was given two halves of an
idol. He gives one half to Rick and then if they both
survive the vote, Rick can hand it back to give Chris a full
idol. I get why producers do this. The person that gets back
in is often too easy of a vote, so they give them a little
help. Makes sense. But I don't like it. If you are going
to insist on giving people a chance to get back in the game,
they should have to do it with no advantages and no excuses.
It should
be harder for someone who was already voted out to win the
game. And, as I have often pointed out, they already have
the MASSIVE advantage of having already cozied up to the
majority of the jury in a non-game setting.. So to give them
another advantage over that? Not into it.So
off to the first Tribal Council we go and… HOLY $#*&,
WHAT THE HELL IS ON THE WARDOG'S FACE? That's the worst
Survivor
hair situation I have ever seen, and I lived through Randy
Bailey's mohawk in Gabon.
Honestly, I don't even know what you call that facial
hair. All I know is The Wardog looks like he is about 13
seconds away from being killed in a John Wick movie. And not
even, like, as the big bad in a John Wick movie, but just
some rando that John Wick has to kill among approximately
1,312 other randos just to get
to the big bad. Oh, God. It's just terrible! That little
soul patch in the middle? Vote this entire look
off the island.Sorry,
where were we again? Oh, Tribal. Right! Yeah, so Rick plays
his idol and then poor Lauren, after showing more patience
in this game than I have ever shown in my entire life by
holding on to her idol for 34 days even after she went to
Tribal time after time after time, just throws it in the
proverbial garbage by using it on Chris when 1) She didn't
need to. 2) Should want Chris out. And 3) Now doesn't have
it to save herself next vote. Just a colossal mistake of
epic proportions. Again, the fact that she did such a great
job of holding onto it for so long makes the fact that she
wasted it so needlessly sting even more. Ouch.Victoria
is voted out with only two votes against her, which also has
to sting, but the magnitude of her big exit is lost in all
the excitement about what Jeff Probst will say after she
leaves. With this being the first Tribal Council without the
Edge of Extinction twist, that means Jeff Probst for the
first time gets to uncork some final words of wisdom, which
have been criminally absent all season long. EW launched a full-scale
investigation earlier and learned that even
though we have not seen the final words of wisdom (the
phrase or bon mot Jeff leaves the contestants with at the
end of Tribal Council before sending them on their way) all
season, Probst has, in fact, been saying them. But this
would be the first time his carefully crafted words of
wisdom would make it to air. No doubt he is ready to unleash
some serious Sun Tzu Art
of War level musings. Let's all turn up the volume
and watch Jeff Probst BLOW OUR MINDS!"Well,
you made it to the final 5. I'll see you tomorrow for your
next immunity challenge."What…
that's it? Those are the final words of wisdom? Pointing
out the obvious in how many of them are left and that
he'll see them again tomorrow? That's what we waited all
season for? I think I know what's going on here: JEFF
PROBST IS SABOTAGING THE FINAL WORDS OF WISDOM! All the
evidence is there. First, he advised Australian
Survivor host Jonathan LaPaglia not to say them, then
he refused to show us his own, and now the first final words
he delivers all season are smothered in weak sauce. Very
disappointing. I would send those final words of wisdom to
Extinction Island, but they would just come back
anyway.Whatever.
For those that think there are too many idols out there,
best to avert your eyes during the next sequence of events.
First off, like a record skipping over and over again,
Devens finds yet another
hidden immunity idol. For season 40 they should just
put Rick Devens and Ben Driebergen on a huge island with one
idol. First one to find it wins the million dollars. The
problem is, the season would be over in about 7 minutes. The
good news is that means there would be plenty of time to
bring back the opening credits, schoolyard pick-ems, and
Rites of Passage.But
we're not done with the idols, folks. Not by a long shot.
Because then Rick gives Chris his half of the idol back,
meaning Chris now has an idol as well. But we're not done,
folks, because Devens also planted two fake idols using
parchments from his real idols. So now Julie and Lauren find
idols they think are real but aren't. So for those keeping
score at home, that means at the final 5 Tribal Council we
are going to have one immunity necklace, two real immunity
idols, and two fake immunity idols. (Hey, has anyone seen
Cirie?)But
before we can get to that Tribal, we need to head to the
next immunity challenge, and the next immunity challenge is
AWESOME. Just look at it! How cool is that? When you think
about it, it's pretty basic and something we've seen
many times before on Survivor:
Just head out to a bunch of different stations, bring back
puzzle pieces and then build the puzzle. But doing it all
out in the water over the ocean backdrop is just an
incredible visual. I can't express how into this final 5
challenge I am. I mean, I'm trying but I'm not sure it
is coming through. Are you getting that I dig this? I hope
so. And if challenge producer John Kirhoffer is reading
this, a tip of the cap to you, sir. (Note: I don't
actually wear hats when I write my recap. That's probably
because I am not a scribe from the 1920s who wears a fedora
with a card in the side that says "PRESS" on it. But the
point stands. Awesome challenge.)I
guess I should mention who wins it. It's Rick. Rick wins
it. Meaning he can now use his idol as a chip, which he does
by promising to give it to Gavin if Gavin, in return,
promises to bring him to the final 3 should he win the next
challenge. Gavin agrees, but I think we have to assume that
he would not have followed through on that promise. Nor
should he.So
the weird thing about this Tribal is that everyone
essentially walks into it thinking they are safe: Rick with
his necklace, Chris with his idol, Julie with her (fake)
idol, Lauren with her (fake) idol, and Gavin with Rick's
idol. But the stage is set for yet more Tribal Council
theater. Clearly working off a script, Devens waits for
Julie and Lauren's idols to be shown as fakes, working the
jury up into an uncontrollable lather. Then he saunters up
to play his idol for Gavin as Chris attempts to act, I
guess? At least I think that is supposed to be acting. I
mean, it's not exactly Bobby De Niro in Raging
Bull, but he tries to act all surprised and hurt and
offended when Rick does this, only to then threaten to
"poop on everybody's parade" with his own idol…
which, technically I guess is better than aqua-dumping on
everybody's parade, but not by much."Anybody
else?" Probst asks after four of the final five attempted
to play idols or have idols played for them, and I half
expect Reem to pull one out just for no reason whatsoever.
(Sorry, everybody, but YOU GOT REEMED!) So poor Lauren gets
voted out by Chris after not having her idol to save her
because she gave it to Chris at the last vote. Woof. Rough
way to go. Sucks for her.So we
go straight to the final immunity challenge which is a
variation on the "stacking blocks to spell something out
competition" we first saw (I believe) on Kaôh
Rōng. But now instead of spelling "immunity," they
need to spell "final 3." And instead of just walking on
the ground, they need to walk on a rocking contraption that
makes stacking damn near impossible. Because I am a
needlessly miserable human being, my favorite thing about
stacking challenges is watching people get soooooo
close to the end and then having their entire stack splatter
all over the ground. That's the good stuff right there.
Unfortunately, we only get that money shot once as an
in-the-lead Julie drops everything while carrying her fifth
block. From there, slow and steady Chris closes it down in
very methodical (read: boring) fashion, holding onto his
lead while everyone else drops repeatedly around him. Damn
you for your smart and calculated approach, Chris!But
what to do next? Clearly, Chris is not going to bring Rick
to the end because Chris' name is not Woo. But whom does
he pit against Devens in the final four fire-making? He
tutors Gavin and Julie in the finer points of fire-making,
saying he will pick the better of them to face Rick.
Evidently, he does such a good job that both Julie and Gavin
both embrace the chance to prove themselves at first. "I
don't want to be chosen," Gavin says at Tribal Council.
"I want to earn it so don't pick me. I want to go
against Devens." That tough talk is smart in terms of
setting a tone with the jury, but what Chris does is even
smarter. As previously stated, it isn't just a bold move
by Chris to give up his immunity to face Rick. It really was
his only move in terms of making sure Devens was gone and
boosting his own résumé to counter claims he did not do
enough to win the loot.Was
Chris influenced by Dom contemplating giving up the immunity
to face Wendell and then not doing it and losing to Wendell
in the final three? You bet he was. In fact, since this
season started filming less than a week after the Ghost
Island finale aired, I actually asked Chris if after
watching what Dom didn't
do, he would consider giving up his final immunity to try to
take out the biggest threat at fire. Here's what Chris
told me the day before the game began:"Here's
the thing. We're at the point of this game where there's
been 36 seasons. We know that once you get to that point, if
you're a threat, you're gonna get voted out before the
final three. Fire's the only way, if there are two people
that are playing a good enough game to get to the end and
one of those two people wins immunity, the other person's
getting voted out at three. So the fire, I love the idea
that the fire has kind of sealed the fate between that
fourth-place finisher and the three who are in the final
Tribal. "In
Dom's situation, Dom's kicking himself because Dom
should've gone up against Wendell in that fire making
challenge. Dom might be a little butthurt because his vote,
his split, it came down to Laurel. Yeah, if he had even,
let's say this, 'cause I was thinking through this, if
Dom had given Laurel the immunity idol at five instead of
keeping it for himself, and that instead of Wendell giving
Laurel that idol and saying, "Hey, here's my test of
loyalty to you," that would've been a huge. Who knows?
Laurel might've still gone with Wendell, but if Dom had
played one step ahead, he might've had her vote at the
end. "If
Dom had gone out on a limb and say, all right, the
difference between fourth place and second place isn't
that much as opposed to the difference between second place
and first place, you're gonna make the fire. It's a
chance, but winners take those types of chances, I think. If
I were in Dom's situation, I would say, 'I probably
can't win if Wendell's in the final three with me, so
the only person who can take him out is
me.'"That
was a million dollar answer right there, ladies and
gentlemen. And even though they had to awkwardly do the
contest in the voting shelter because the Fijian winds were
so strong, it was Chris that moved on and Rick who ended his
remarkable run by moving on to the jury. But don't cry for
Rick Devens. For a guy whose career is literally based on
television exposure, his time on Survivor
should do wonders for his career. And you know he'll be
back on the island soon enough. After all, how many
first-time contestants get an ovation from both players
still in the game and the jury?So
we're down to our final three, and I think you all know me
well enough to know that I am not going to waste any time on
the part where the finalists sit on weird rocks and tell us
all about the journey while soaring music plays in the
background. Jeez, can't you at least go burn the camp down
or something? (Gotta admit, I kind of miss the massive fire
hazard that would close every season. I could just picture
junior producers running in with fire extinguishers after
they scored the rad aerial shot.) Anyhoodle, let's get to
final Tribal. I'm just going to hit on the biggest or most
interesting moments, bullet-point style.•
Things started off a bit rough for Chris, who hit the gas a
little too hard by interrupting Gavin's answer to ask,
"Gavin, were you building those social relationships as
someone in charge or as a goat?" Whoa, Nellie. That's
the jury's job to determine whether Gavin is a goat, not
yours. And that is certainly not a way to score points with
said jury. Kelley and Lauren said they were offended and
called Chris' tactics rude. That's the thing about final
Tribal: You want to be seen as a fighter, but not a petty or
mean one. Not a great start for Chris.• I
guess I don't blame Julie for trying to spin her emotional
breakdowns as a "social strength," but at the same time,
I don't blame the jury for rolling their eyes at the
attempt either. If I had been Julie I would have instead
played up the fact that I was the least likely to make it to
the end (Jeff Probst even said so in our day 1 interview),
point out that I was in a position of power (along with Ron)
for a good chunk of the game, and that I still made it even
after falling out of that power. And maybe she did mention
all that and we just didn't see it in what made it to air,
but the #SurvivorBreakdown as strength argument was unlikely
to sway many minds.•
Gavin said his big move was getting Aubry and Joe out.
Sorry, but wasn't that everybody's
move? Also, it was pretty brutal when Rick asked why
they did not hustle and look for idols like he did, and
Gavin's response was that he was usually in the numbers so
didn't have to. That is swiss cheese logic because there
are so many holes in it you could drive a fleet of Mack
Trucks through. Admitting you didn't work hard is never a
good look.•
I've never heard of Chris' "negative reverse" sale
technique, but the fact that Lauren admitted
"he
played me like a violin" was the clincher that Chris
needed. For her to admit this to the other jury members was
the best advertisement Chris could have ever asked for.
Game. Over.•
He didn't win, but Gavin never had his name written down
once. Even if that is because he was not deemed a threat,
that's still impressive.• I
generally thought the open discussion Tribal format worked
really well this season. I liked the way the jury interacted
with the players and with themselves and I love that they
got into the debate we started this recap with: How to judge
Chris' short stay vs. the full term of Gavin and Julie?
Gavin rightfully brought up the point that Chris got to skip
2/3 of the game, but Julia from the jury responded that
"39 days isn't everything. What did you do with those 39
days?" Gavin then countered back that Chris was able to
kiss and make-up with people outside the game and he
wasn't able to. Both good points from both sides. Perhaps
the most interesting comment came from The Wardog. "The
game is not on trial here. You three are on
trial."Ah,
but can you separate the two? Because how you feel about the
game and what constitutes being the most successful at it
colors how you choose your winner. But these were the rules
they were handed. Chris didn't cheat. He didn't cut
corners. He got to day 39 through the rules of the game that
were put before him. He had only a 9% chance of getting back
in at the EOE rope challenge.. He then had to survive one
vote, essentially got a freebie after that, and then had to
win a challenge or fire (in this case both) to get to the
end.. I'm not defending the concept of voted out people
getting back in because you know I don't like it. I hate
it, actually. But Chris wasn't just handed the title
either. His road was different from Gavin and Julie's, but
it wasn't easy by any means. Whether you would have voted
for him or not, you have to respect the game he
played.As
for the reunion aspect of the finale, well, there wasn't
much of it. This is a tough one; the reason the reunion is
so truncated is because we are getting more actual show, and
that is ultimately a good thing. My solution has been they
should make the finale a full three hours and then also do a
full one-hour reunion show on CBS.com & CBS All Access.
Yes, I want four hours of finale/reunion. That's how crazy
I am. But I do think this is a good solution. (The powers
that be would probably argue that announcing the winner at
10:55 p.m. is too late since there are so many kids that
stay up late to find out who won, but is that really much
worse than the 10:30 or so time they have been revealing it
lately anyway? In any event, we didn't get much from the
reunion.We
did have a few live hits before and during the finale. The
live look-in to kick off the season is always fun. Yes, the
mid-game Joe interview was awkward, but mostly because Joe
seemed to have no idea what the hell to say. The Devens
interview was a bit smoother. Not surprising seeing as how
he works in TV and knows how to deliver a short and sweet
soundbite. Jeff asking him about a new job was a nice,
respectful move by the host. Remember, it was precisely that
same move that got John Cochran a writing gig on a CBS
sitcom after Probst prompted him during the Caramoan
finale, and Greg Garcia happened to see it. The fact that
Jeff actively tries to assist these people in their careers
post-Survivor
is admirable. (I'd like to also point out that I also got
Cochran a gig recapping Big
Brother for EW.com after Caramoan.
Slightly less commendable, I suppose. Incidentally, I also
got Aubry a job recapping Big
Brother. She hasn't called me back since, and I
can't say I blame her.)As
for the actual reunion, the most jaw-dropping moment had to
be Rick winning the Sia award. But while poor Davie got only
$14,000 last season from the pop superstar, Devens got
$100,000, and that is not a typo. Damn, maybe players in the
future should just go on the show and play to a jury of one.
No chickens will ever be eaten on Survivor
ever again!Okay,
that is just about going to do it, ladies and gentlemen, but
before I give the official sign-off, a heads up on a few
things. I'm giving away all 18 of the original most
embarrassing moment confessions as written by the cast, so
if you want a chance to win those, you just need to do two
things: follow me on Instagram @thedaltonross, and then reveal
your most embarrassing moment in the comments of this post. Winner will be
revealed soon.In
the meantime, make sure to read what Jeff Probst had to say
about bringing Boston Rob and Sandra back for next season,
and my finale Q&A with Probst as
well as the winner and others will be up soon as well. Just
follow me on Twitter @DaltonRoss for updates as to
when all that stuff is live.Once again, I cannot thank you enough for taking
this journey with me. May your summer be filled with rest,
relaxation, and perhaps a few Zingbots. And let us know how
you felt about the jury's decision in the comments below.
I'm super curious as to what everyone thinks. I'll be
back in the fall with your next scoop of the
crispy!

__._,_.___

Posted by: "Donna M." <crow_donna2002@yahoo.com>

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