A Slippery Little Sucker
I'm not sure how I feel yet about the
Survivor: China finale. I found myself cheering at the end. Strange since I wasn't originally a fan of the winner though I did warm up later on. I ended up feeling unsettled about a player I had liked all along and I survived a mini-roller coaster ride with another player when I found myself with no clear favorite in the end. To sum up, I was a little all over the place during the final three hours of the show. Now I sit here somewhat dazed by it all so let me tell you how I got here and see if anyone else feels the same.
The two-hour finale started with a final reward challenge that had Amanda, Denise, Todd and Courtney rebuilding
Survivor's version of China's Great Wall. Amanda won and was rewarded with a meal. She could choose to keep it all for herself or share it with one or two people. She agonized for the appropriate length of time and then chose to share her meal only with Todd. This was, after all, a perfect opportunity to privately evaluate her closest ally and determine if he was still trustworthy. Ironic since in the end she would be the one called out for being a liar
Amanda prevailed again at the final immunity challenge that had each person balance a growing stack of porcelain plates on a balancing arm while standing in the hot sun. Todd and Courtney succumbed first leaving Denise to try to get Amanda to make a deal for the final three. Amanda refused, going on to win it all on her own, beholden to no one. Didn't you just want her to win the whole thing right then and there?
At this point we learned in confessional that in her real life, Denise earned only $7/hour as a lunch lady. I wish I never heard those words. I've liked Denise pretty much throughout the game, but after tonight I left the show not thinking of her as I did for episodes 1-12. Instead, because such a big deal was made of it, I ended up feeling bad for the woman who we've learned has lost her Lunch Lady job because of her time on the show and now works as a janitor. I hate that people like Courtney feel they are entitled to make comments such as, "This isn't, like, welfare. She doesn't deserve it because she, like, sucks at life." And while it's great that Mark Burnett decided during the live reunion show to give Denise 50K on the spot I'm soured on it because it reduces this nice woman to being a charity case and she doesn't deserve that.
As we all knew it would, that tribal Council separated Denise from her four-pack leaving her bitter and angry at final tribal. Denise's one consolation, however, was the fact that, deliberately or not Todd, ever the masterful player, tossed Amanda under the bus in the jury's eye by making them believe that she had betrayed Denise. With that move, he effectively took Amanda out of the game.
Facing the jury, the final three fended off a few targeted questions, but unlike other final tribal councils, the jury was not completely nasty. James, in his wife-beater, chose not to be a 'Bitter Betty" and asked a benign question. Jamie, however, tried to be a tough nut, but only accomplished the second half of that description as she stumbled over her circuitous question. There was some flirting between Frosti and Courtney, "You look great," "Thanks, I dressed up for you." There was some indignation on Todd's part towards Peih-Gee. "First, I did not
slide anywhere! Second, I got my numbers. I fought. It was a glorious battle!" And there were some retorts on Courtney's part to Jean-Robert, "I won a challengeDid you?'
Overall, apologetic Amanda killed her chances by painting herself as the "doe-eyed" liar who had no choice but to lie. Todd on the other hand owned his lying ways and backed up his every move with strategic reasons for each one. Courtney played the survivor card she was the smallest and the weakest, but she lasted to the end. 'You have to give a little bit of credit to the little girl who everybody thought would be gone."
In the end, the jury voted Todd as the ultimate survivor, with Courtney a close second and Amanda a distant third with only one vote. I cheered and I surprised myself when I did. As I said, I was not a fan of Todd at the beginning. Then he won me over, but I still didn't I want him to win; though I wanted and fully expected him to be there in the end. I had started to root for Amanda in recent weeks but was frustrated by her action-less talk of ousting Todd. I discounted Courtney as pretty much everyone else did. I wanted to see Denise make final three at the least, but we know how that went. Congratulations to Todd, a true student of the game who has earned his place in Survivor history.
However, if Todd were just in this for some money, then he need only have worked on being popular because that's the other route to a fatter bank account on
Survivor. Fan favorite James edged out Denise and Peih-Gee to win $100K merely by being, in Jeff's words, one of the most popular players the show has seen in a long time. Hello? Does anybody remember a little guy named Yau-Man? I'm not all that keen on the additional prize money. In my opinion it negates the work of the actual winner. Perhaps I'd feel differently if I were Rupert or James.
Despite this, I do enjoy seeing the aftermath of the show at the reunion special. We have another Survivor love connection with Jamie and Erik who are dating. He's still a virgin (wink, wink). Ever so tactfully,
Jeff addressed Courtney's weight and she says that she is not anorexic. She currently weighs more than 95 pounds. James was named People's Sexy Man of the Week. All other reveals were uninspiring. Things like Jean-Robert saying he'd play the game exactly the same had he the chance to do it all over again.
So that's it folks. Join us next season for
Survivor: Micronesia where fan favorites will battle the show's super fans. Should be good.
It's been great blogging for you this season. Thanks for all your comments. Now one last time you tell me. Did the right person win
Survivor: China?
For more Survivor: China check out our Online Video Guide.
