No, it wasn’t - it was between Ethan, Lex, and Kim Johnson, who actually won it. (She elected to send Lex home because he was sick the night before the final IC, and actually looked like he was going to keel over in the middle of the thing.)
Colby and Brian H. are the only men who won the final IC - and Brian H. is the only Sole Survivor ever to win the final IC and the mil.
No, usually it’s something that also requires concentration, like squatting on a raft in the middle of a choppy ocean where your hands and butt can’t touch, or standing in that freaky Thai iron-maiden-like torture thingie with coins between your fingers, or standing on one foot on a post in 100° temperatures with no water and animals keening all around you. They try to make it at least a little bit fair. The bucket challenge was actually “out of order” - that is where the “heavy things” challenge usually goes.
I think the reason for this is because they know for sure that tribal council will be aired. Back at camp there are cameras around all the time so they never know if what they’re doing at any given time will make the show.
I hope it works out this way. Because if Rob breaks this curse, there is no hope left for my beloved Red Sox.
Just an opinion here, but it’s better to side with the devil you know than the devil you don’t. It’s an interesting scenario that I think happened once before with the Lil and Burton alliance. If the swing vote comes across as an unknown (nobody knows how the swing is going to vote), it’s the swing vote that goes. The swing vote thinks he’s in a position of power, but unless he can act convincingly, he ends up being a target.
Rob and Amber/Tom – It could work out for Rob and Amber, but if Tom flips they lose.
Rupe and Jenna/Tom – It could work out for Rupe and Jenna, but if Tom flips, they lose.
Rupe and Jenna/Rob and Amber - They don’t gain anything, but they don’t lose.
If both sides are equally afraid of Tom flipping, the last option removes the risk for both sides. Remember, one second Tom’s screaming at Rob, “You made yourself a target by winning all those challenges.” The next second he’s saying it’s you, me and Amber all the way.
As for Lex, the captain of the freaking ship doesn’t blame other people. He blames himself. Lex was the leader of his tribe. As leader, he convinced his tribe to vote out Jerri instead of Amber. That was a blunder…Lex’s blunder. Lex needs to blame Lex.
Rockle’s got it. (Well, along with me.)
Munch, we’ll expect your Survivor cred resignation on our desks by Monday morning. 
Not entirely sure what “it” is right now, though. Certainly, it is not a life, that’s for damn sure. Why in the heck do I know this stuff? And how has this information weaseled its way into the part of my brain that knows how to spell “Carl Yastrzemski”?
Colby didn’t win an endurance test. The final three challenge that series was a trivia contest about the other players.
And while Brian was the first to win the final three challenge and go on to win, Jenna did it again in the next series.
The real secret to winning the million dollars? Geography.
Rich from New York beat Kelly from Las Vegas
Tina from Tennessee beat Colby from Texas
Ethan from Massachusetts beat Kim from Maryland
Vecepia from Oregon beat Neleh from Utah
Brian from Maryland beat Clay from Louisiana
Jenna from Pennsylvania beat Matthew from Washington, DC
Sandra from Washington beat Lill from Ohio
In every case the player from the north beat the player from the south.
So it should be easy to pick this year’s winner from the potential match-ups. But Rob is from Massachusetts; Amber’s from Pennsylvania; Rupert’s from Indiana (and was born in Michigan); and Jenna lives in California but was born in New Hampshire. And I don’t have an atlas handy.
I seem to remember from when the first Survivor was introduced that there was a mention that the jury got to review the shows and that this could influence their voting Particularly if they get to see those secret interviews where they take the player off alone to speak their mind). Anyone confirm this or is it just a case of more lost brain cells on my side? 
As I’ve been saying for weeks, these people are morons. I just can’t believe that this group of people is considered the best to every play the game. Oy. This was the last best chance to break up the Rob/Amber pairing that seems inevitably destined for the final two. They’ve had other chances, too, and repeatedly have ignored the most obvious rule of this game - when a pair of people outs themselves as completely devoted to one another, VOTE ONE OUT!
Of course, even if they had been smart enough to recognize this, Rupert and Jenna had a problem in this episode, in that Tom was stubborn/stupid enough to believe that Rob was on his side, and wanted to stay faithful to Rob. At some point, though, Rob lost trust in Tom, obviously, and came to Rupert and Jenna with the plan to vote Tom off. If Rupert and Jenna had been smart, they would have done the following:
This plan would have had two benefits. First, of course, you eliminate Rob’s chief ally. Even better, though, you’ve driven a permanent spike between Rob and Tom. Tom now would have known, based on Rob’s own actions, that Rob wasn’t trustworthy. There is no chance that Rob will latch onto Tom to weasel his way into a voting bloc now, because Tom - who reacts emotionally - is furious at Rob. Unless Rob wins immunity, he’s gone. If Rob does win immunity, off goes Big Tom. Either way, you go into the final three Rupert, Jenna, and Rob/Tom, which is outstanding odds for a Rupert/Jenna final 3. Instead, the two of them are utterly hosed.
Crackpot Theory Alert
I wonder if there’s a possibility that the shocking twist to be revealed on the reunion has something to do with that oft-discussed and pointedly mentioned rule: no conspiring to share the money. What if the final two is indeed Rob and Amber, and at the reunion, Probst says to them, “Rob and Amber, we’ve reviewed the tapes, and based on your repeated statements to this effect we’ve concluded that you have, indeed, conspired to share the money. According to the rules of the game, you are both expelled from the competition; the jury will now re-vote for either of the other two members of the final four (Rupert and Jenna).”
I would pay good money to see the expression on Rob’s face if that did indeed happen.
It’s making more and more sense to keep Ramber around. If you’re any of the other players, you want to face either of these two in the final.
As for the surprise, some people have raised the possibility that Rob is planning to ask Amber to marry him at the reunion show. An interesting idea if the two of them are competing for the million.
Another possibility is that they’re hyping some announcement about the next series. I’m assuming there’ll be another series. Anyone heard rumors? Maybe now that they’ve done the All-Stars, they’ll go for a celebrity series.
I have to agree with what was mentioned earlier concerning the so-call surprised.
Since there were 3 tribes in the beginning, I’m also inclined to believe that the other All Stars may have a say on who gets the money.
But the surprise I would LOVE to see is the look on Rob’s face, when Amber reveals her fiance back home.
That my friends would be a true Kodak moment.
But in all honesty, knowing Mark Burnett…he’ll probably reveal the new cast of Survivor 9 (who will be there at the finale). Then he’ll announce that this coming Thursday is the premier of the latest Survivor.
You’re right. I forgot about Jenna because, basically, she sucks.
I don’t think that’s right. I remember in the Thailand (I think?) series, during the reunion show, someone said that if they’d seen all of the stuff the winner had said during his confessionals, they never would have voted for him, even though they hated the alternative.
A friend at work raised a really disturbing possibility for this Sunday’s “surprise”.
Amber announces she is pregnant with Rob’s child.
Dear God, Little Nemo here, I know I’m in no position to be asking favors but I think we all agree the world’ll be a better place without Ramber Junior. Amen.
This would have made the All-Star Season a classic. Alas.