AUSSIE WARNING - Survivor discussion: Colby's conduct

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’m glad Colby flipped on Jerri. She’s had it coming for a while. True, it would have been better two weeks ago, so that she couldn’t get on the jury, but it’s an imperfect world. At least Jerri will only be getting a mediocre fee for her participation.

(Every contestant gets a steadily escalating fee, depending on how long they last in the game. For example, using the last Survivor game as a guide, the 4th-place winner gets $75,000, and Jerri will probably just get a few thousand.)

Colby might be a hero. Bringing back bits of coral was a genius stroke.

EXCEPT…

It sent a chill down my spine when Colby threw Jerri over the barricade, so that she landed (with a thud) flat on her back, and didn’t even say “Sorry” or offer to help her up, but just grunted, “C’mon.”

It must have really hurt when Jerri landed like that. It could have given her back problems that could last a lifetime. I hate Jerri, but I don’t want to see her crippled. This “tough” chick would have been all over anybody else who treated like that, but unfortunately she has a blind spot when it comes to Colby. (Much like other women who act “tough” but turn into doormats for their lovers.)

People say Michael creeped them out, but now it’s Colby who creeps me out. Does he treat other women like that?

What do you think? Is Colby a more dangerously insensitive lout than Michael? (Actually, Michael wasn’t such a bad guy to other humans.)

By the way, I am now enjoying this edition of Survivor more than the original. I totally hated it in the beginning, because I couldn’t stand all those whining, catty, bitchy people like Mitchell and Jeff, and of course I was appalled at what happened to Kel. (What Hollywood producer would give a job to someone who goes through other people’s bags??)

But ever since Episode 4, it’s been GREAT!!!

Here are my favorite, standout, first-rate episodes:

Episode 4: Keith organizes a coup against the wannabe actress/bartender. Mitchell practically asks to be voted off. Michael kills a pig.

Episode 5: Kimmi fights with Alicia and washes her boobies. :stuck_out_tongue: Alas, she is gone before her birthday, which she would have celebrated Richard Hatch-style. :frowning:

Episode 6: Michael gets burned and the game turns serious. Mucho drama.

Episode 7: Underdog Ogakor pulls off a coup! It’s a whole new game! People groan or grin in 10,000 betting pools!

Episode 9: DING DONG, THE…well, you know the rest.

My least favorite episode was the second. Too much bitchiness, all around. Bitching about Michael getting up early to cook breakfast for everyone. Bitching about Michael making himself look too good by catching fish. Bitching about Keith’s rice. And, of course, the beef jerky thing made me see red. I was ready to give up on the show at that point.

If anyone saved the show for me, it was Keith and his adroit maneuver in Episode 4. That’s when the show became much less predictable, and it satisfied my sense of justice, too! Keith deserves to win just for that.

And to top it all off: this time it’s the “bad guys” being picked off one by one! Yay!

(Didn’t Amber look cute in that logrolling challenge, smiling and thrusting her hips back and forth, back and forth??)

2

I absolutely hated Episode 2. It was what prompted me to wish that no one from Ogakor would win the show. Since then they have redeemed themselves, at least in my eyes, by voting off Jerri.

As far as Colby man-handling Jerri, I almost felt sorry for her. Then I realized it was Jerri and well, I took a little pleasure in seeing her dropped on her butt. He was definitely rough but he was out to win the game. I don’t think he was doing it on purpose. They’re racing against the other team. He was trying to ensure that they won the challenge and win the reward.

3

I never got to watch any of the first survivor and I wish I had. I am enjoying this show greatly, and I agree with everything the OP said except on how Colby treated Jerri. For one, she was dropped, but on sand. Sand is not exactly the hardest surface in the world. Second he dropped her about half way down the wall, not very high. Third if he hadn’t dropped her (he was bascially carrying her through the race) they would have lost. Fourth I can see Jerri as the “whips and chains” type, so probably liked being roughed up a bit by colby.:smiley:
BTW I never got to see episode 4 :frowning: Damn my roommate…damn him to hell!

4

The more I see of Colby, the less I like him. He twice got as close to hitting Jerri as he could without getting kicked off the show (when he threw a pail of water in her face and when he dropped her off the wall). He also was continuously lying and manipulating a woman who openly told him she was attracted to him and seemed proud of how well he was using her. I feel sorry for any of the women in Colby’s life when the cameras aren’t on him to keep him halfway civil.

And while Amber’s hula dance was indeed impressive, it didn’t come close to the Baywatch slow motion bounce her boobs took during the obstacle course. Poetry in motion.

5

tclouie said:

Oh, come on. It looked to me like she landed on her ass. And it’s not like he did it on purpose (probably). They were in a hurry to win the reward. You didn’t see her complaining, did you? And she sure as hell complained about everything else.

I’ve actually come to like Colby more as the show has progressed. Then again, I had a pretty low opinion of him to begin with because of his “Thank God I’m a Texan” remark in the first episode.

As far as how he treats women, you are reading far too much into this. It’s a game, not real life. And it’s not a real “relationship” just because Jerri wanted him.

6

A bucket of water? C’mon! I hate to say it, but you can get a LOT closer. I agree with David B - y’all are reading WAY too much into all of this.

7

(Anticipates loud groaning and vile name-calling but here goes anyway) - please do NOT remove coral from the Great Barrier Reef. It is not a souvenir, it is part of a living thing. Imagine if everyone who snorkelled the reef broke off 5-10 pieces to take home.

While I am at it, please do not climb on the Code of Hamurabi while visiting the Louvre. Do not reach out and touch oil paintings. Just common sense, folks.

I love Survivor, BTW.

8

You probably shouldn’t have put Colby’s name in the subject of the post. The fact he’s still in it is spoiler info. for people overseas.

9

I winced at the coral at first also. I hoped (still hope) that it was at least dead, drift coral and not living coral.

Not that Colby would know better on his own; heck, I might’ve done something that dumb myself until last year when I went diving in the Caribbean and became edumacated about the fragility of coral ecosystems.

But surely, I thought, the producers of the show would have told all the contestants what they can and can’t touch, kill, build a travois out of, etc. Right? At the very least, a little primer for Colby and Jerri before their little side trip (“Don’t swim near the box jellyfish, Colby. Jerri, feel free.”)?

It’s shouldn’t be naive of me to assume this. Network brass tend to go to outrageous lengths to avoid pissing people off.

But apparently it’s illegal to take coral, living or dead, so I guess there’s no way around the conclusion that somebody screwed up in this case.

Say, on another topic, how can the final vote be live? Are they bringing the jury and Final Two back together in May to vote then, after months of reflection and reliving their experience on television?

Or did they vote at the end of the adventure, but seal the result until next month?

And what kind of paper is it they write their votes on? It looks like such a sturdy bond, it could practically be stiff canvas.

10

The title doesn’t say or even imply that Colby’s still in it. He could have very well gotten kicked off and the title would still work since it is about his conduct throughout the series.

11

Fiver said:

From what I’ve heard, the latter. They voted, and had a camera running to record how they voted and what they said, but that’s it. Mark Burnett knows, and probably a couple other people, but the rest are in the dark.

12

I realize it’s a game. But there’s a difference between enjoying winning and enjoying making others lose. Colby seems to be closer to the latter.

Besides, the incidents I described had nothing to do with the game. Colby’s plan to sneak gifts back to the camp behind Jerri’s back was underhanded but clever; it helped Colby advance in the contest. But throwing her around on the obstacle course and tossing water in her face did nothing for or against his chances. So I can assume that was just his natural personality.

One of the rules of the show is that you’re immediately disqualified for any kind of physical fighting. With that in mind, throwing a bucket of water in someone’s face is probably as close as you could go without being kicked off the show. And, judging from the look on Colby’s face when he walked away, he was only annoyed because he couldn’t go further.

This said, like everyone else here, I know very little about Colby or any of the other contestants. I realize that watching a few minutes of heavily edited airtime is certainly not sufficient to make declarations about anyone’s character. So consider my remarks as mere speculation on the subject of the OP if you wish.

13

Nemo said:

Are we watching the same show? I’m sorry, but I haven’t seen that at all. Now Rich Hatch enjoyed winning and making the others lose. Colby is just having some fun and trying to win at the same time. (Jeez, I never thought, when this show began, that I’d be defending Colby…)

Sure it did. It was also a nice thing to do. So he didn’t tell Jerri – so what?

Actually, “throwing her around” on the course is what helped them win the reward. And tossing water in her face was just a sign of frustration, and it’s not like he hurt her.

You can assume anything you like. Whether it’s true or not is another matter. And we really have no way of knowing.

Oh, so now you’re a mind reader? Yes, he was annoyed – because they lost yet another challenge. They were all upset. That doesn’t mean he wanted to pummel her or anything.

14

David, chill. As I have written my speculations on Colby’s personality are just that. And so are yours. Neither of us knows the man, so we’re both free to guess what he’s like. For all we know if he wins the million he plans on donating the whole thing to building shelters for the homeless. Or maybe he’ll wants it to finance a schoolyard heroin ring.

The reason I mentioned Colby’s coral manuever in my most recent post was to point out why I hadn’t mentioned it in my previous post. The gift thing, as I see it, was a legitimate manuever in winning the game so I felt it said nothing about Colby’s personality. I was attempting to contrast it with the other two incidents I mentioned.

And if you wish, you can insert “in my opinion” into all of the sentences I have posted in this thread.

15

:rolleyes:

16

BTW, I think beckwall and Fiver are right about the coral.

Colby.

Unfailingly polite.*

Environmentally callous.**

(Hope Keith wins.)

(Or a cute chick.)

(Or a folksy ol’ Kentucky gran’-paw.)

(Or a breast-implanted middle-aged Tennessee mama.)

(Anybody but Colby.)

*to anyone who’s not Jerri.
**Isn’t President Shrub’s home state supposed to be one of the most polluted??

17

In Australia, they posted strongly worded disclaimers both before and after the scene with the coral. The fines are pretty high - IIRC, $22,000 AUS for individuals and $110,000 for corporations.

Maybe they plan on Colby being victorious and paying those fines out of his winnings. :smiley:

18

There was a blurb on the radio this morning about Colby’s taking of the coral, specifically that the network apologized for his taking it and is investigating the matter. Heck, you’d think with the many months between shooting and airing someone would have caught that…unless they had already been busted and figured they had nothing to lose by showing it.

The number, fine-wise, I heard this morning was “up to $52,000.”

19

Here are some links to articles on the coral issue:

Washington Post (Points out that there are rules in Burnett’s Eco-Challenge against violating environmental restriction.)

Entertainment Weekly

Excite (talks about the Aussies looking to possibly file charges)

20

Any fragile bits of Yosemite National Park I can break off, stuff into my backpack, and bring back to Sydney?

Luckily, despite morons such as this, I still have a fairly good liking for Americans (thanks SDMB).