Survivor - Past Seasons

[Mockingbird]

I couldn't believe I didn't see any follow-up to Parvati's statement about keeping Russell as her pet. Heh. It was awesome.

 

I'm not generally a fan of shows that bring back the same people to replay the game. When I've had my laughs at their expense, I'm through with them and barely (if that) remember who they are a week after the show ends. Fade away into obscurity, fame whores. I have no further use for you. This Survivor season turned out to be a big exception. I was entertained throughout, in spite of the relatively early eliminations of my favorites of the bunch.

 

I thought either Parvati or Sandra would be deserving of the win. Russell is too stubborn to play the game as it is, social component and all, but until the end, he did make it interesting. I enjoyed watching him go head to head with Boston Rob. I liked Parvati's game play, but at the reunion show, her ego made me go back to disliking her. I still couldn't stand Jerri.

[RCToros]

My favorite part of the reunion show was Probst trying to explain to Russell that making up the rules to suit your needs does not mean you are the real winner of Survivor. I still don't think Russell gets it.

 

Pretty sure Russell knew he would get 0 votes, his pissy-face was reminiscent of last season's finale. I'm glad Sandra won, but I would have been happy with a Parvati win. Really surprised that Russ and Rupert were the fan favorites. I thought for sure Parvati would have flirted her way in there.

 

Jerry still annoys me. I think this new hippie-Jerry bugs me more than the bitch-Jerry.

[angelmi]

early show Julie told Russell if he wanted to play for america's vote he should sing on Ameria's idol. I did not get to see her on Live with Regis but heard her talking about quitting her job just to be home with hubby not because she is a millionair.

[PhilG]

I love it--first thing she's gonna do with the money is "pay my taxes."

[angelmi]

Yes she kept making a point of adding that even on Regis. Not one mention of Russell on Regis. She talked about her husband a lot. He was a cutie and she looked so much better off the island.

[ff174]

Here is an interview with Russell.

 

Guess what? He's bitter.

[gforce]

Bitter, delusional and living in an alternate reality. His best quote from that interview was that he didn't have fun and was miserable. Yay!

[Sophy]

Probst's finale blog is up. He thinks Parv should have won, and probably lost because of being lumped with Russell. Oh, and less than 2,000 votes separated Rupert and Russell for America's vote. America am dumb.

[ShyLurkerGuy]

My favorite part of Probst's EW finale post:

Then again, I’m just the host and as a contestant recently reminded me at a tribal council, I don’t have a vote, so I don’t count. Truer words never spoken. I don’t have a vote. I don’t count. So let’s move on…

Umm... You said it, Jeff, so kiss that!

 

Second fave, Re: Russell (totally out of context, but it works for me):

He [Russell] needs a retreat somewhere far away where he is not allowed to talk about Survivor, not allowed to talk at all.

ETA Interesting... even a show this apparently successful isn't immune to economic forces... contra to all of Survivor's accolades, CBS is cutting costs by filming season 21 and 22 back-to-back in Nicaragua.

Edited May 20, 2010 by ShyLurkerGuy

[PhilG]

seasons 19 and 20 were both filmed in Samoa.

[Shannon]

What Russell doesn't get is what I don't get, why have a game/reality show in the first place is a do nothing dumb girls club wannabe member gets the votes because icky poo, Russell's' not nice? What's the point, let Sandra stay at home, call in her votes, and then send her a check. Why play a game at all, if Sandra is the winner? Total ripoff and waste of time watching the show. Now if it had been between Russell, Parv and Jerri, then it's any one's game depending on who the voters chose, but Sandra....fraud.

[Magpie]

Although there have been plenty of winners that I did not like, I agree with Tom Westman that if someone wins a season, then they deserved to win. If Russell would pull his head out and realize that the point of the game is to get the jury to vote for you, then he might do better. I don't see how any fraud can be involved if the jury picks who they want to pick...again, the jury selecting the winner is the whole point. If he just can't get it, then he really does need to find another show to be on, because this one is too complex for his pea brain.

[gforce]

I completely agree, Mags. To have a show which ONLY rewarded the backstabbing or "outplaying" aspect would be one-dimensional and boring. Doing that while getting everyone to vote for you is actually much more difficult. In this season and in this particular group of contestants at the end, Sandra's approach worked well. In another situation it may not. But her approach is no less valid than any other, whether it works or not. Russell only played part of the game, and lost (again!) as a result. His childish petulance after losing is just ridiculous.

[Shannon]

I didn't mean fraud, I meant foul, but I guess we will have to disagree. While I do see winning the jury's vote, I think playing a hard strategic game is what would get my vote if I were on the jury, not doing anything much would not be my idea of a winner. It isn't just sneaky lying cheating that makes good game play, Russell is just damn good at getting people to do his bidding...until the end. I have more respect for his game play, as big an asshole as he is, than I do for the do-nothing ride to the end then winning like you played anything. Again, just my opinion, but watching Sandra win was like I'd wasted my time watching the game. As I said, she could have called in her votes and they could have sent her the check, and not bothered with having her there at all. Now if Parv or Jerri had beaten Russell because of the social part, that I would have understood. But Sandra, bleck.

 

I've probably posted enough of my opinion on this, so I'll shut up.

[chrysana]

I don't know that Sandra was necessarily riding to the end. Her alliance went home so she wasn't protected. Her strategy of "as long as it isn't me" worked for her. I also think that when you're on a tribe with the huge egos she was playing with "laying low" is a strategy. I can't imagine trying to be heard around Rob, Coach, Russell, ect. Makes sense to not ruffle feathers and wait to make a move.

 

I was shocked Russell got 0 votes at the end. I thought the votes would be between Parvati and Russell until the questions started. I thought that the jury, at least some of them, would have rewarded his strategic game. But, I think some of his arrogance during that final tribal council cost him.

 

Parvati was my favourite to win out of the final three. After reading Jeff's blogs and some of the other posts here, I do wish Jerri had also made it to the finals. I think I could have been behind a Jerri win, which is a completely opposite feeling for me than I had during her first two seasons.

 

All in all it was an entertaining season and that's all I can ask out of a reality program. Being that said, we are going into season 21 (?) the game has changed and evolved since it's first seasons. The players who are out there need to change with the game. Russell did not. He didn't even change from one season to the next. However, to be fair he didn't get to "see" his mistakes in his first season as he was off filming.

Edited May 24, 2010 by chrysana