December 14, 2006: The True Puppet Master
For some reason I really thought Parvati would end up in the finals. Not due to any true game play on her part, but merely out of some cosmic irony. Rarely have I seen a castaway who has done as little as she. I was wrong. Even with the seismic tremors at Aitu - Becky and Sundra maneuvering to oust Ozzy - the easily influenced Yul pulled his strings and chose Adam as the Raro member most worthy of staying.
As much as Yul denies it, he is the top dog on the island, and he wears the Puppet Master title well. The thing is, even though he is the whole
Survivor package - smart, strong, has ripped abs - he thinks too much and that overactive brain may just knock him out of the game.
In case you hadn't noticed because you were distracted by Yul's mud-caked torso, there will be five people in the finals! Five relatively strong competitors. Seriously, who thought Sundra would last this long? After the first merge, Flicka was in a better position than the alliance-free Sundra, and yet does anyone remember the rollergirl now?
So tonight, everybody took a mud bath at the reward challenge in hopes of winning a real shower and a massage. Ozzy somehow carried 45 pounds of mud on his person to win reward. How does one gain a skill like that? Either way, it got him the best shower of his life and a nude hot-tub experience with Yul and Parvati, who I think said she had peed in the water. Now that's a reward! Best line of the night? Sundra explaining that Parvati was napping because "she had a hard day getting her massage."
The immunity challenge was another multi-part obstacle-course puzzle that Ozzy won easily, therefore blowing Becky's plan to vote him out. Yul was the only one giving Ozzy any kind of run for the win but, again, he fell short. I'm not sure if Yul's not trying hard to win because he has the idol, or if he honestly just can't beat Ozzy.
At tribal, the jury filed in, and I couldn't help but wonder how things were going back at the hotel now that Jonathan had crossed over. (Seriously, I wish they'd show us some after-the-torch moments with the jury members.) Even showered and shaved, Jonathan was still a large part of the island game. Last tribal council, Jonathan asked to get his hat back. At this tribal, Yul obliged. In what some might call jury tampering,
Probst aggressively suggested that Yul's action was more of a jury-stroking move than a friendly gesture. So now everyone thinks Yul is evil. And if you look back over the season you have to ask, who's the real puppet master in this show?
We may get our answer this Sunday when
Survivor: Cook Islands airs its finale. Four represented ethnic groups, five finalists, nine jury members and a million dollars at stake. Will we see the cursed-car reward? Will we have to suffer through the somber parade of losers? I, for one, can skip the sentimental stroll down torch lane if it will get me to the reunion show faster. Remember to set your DVRs, because this finale may be a keeper.
