A lousy end to a terrific season. Hey jury - it’s a game!
In the end, Russell didn’t win for the exact reason he thought he would: he was playing against a bunch of fucking dumbasses.
Fucking hell, they better not bring back Johnny Assplay for the next season. The only reason the Fans Vs Favorites was bearable was because he was the very first voted out. It’d be awesome to see Hatch & Russell on the same team though.
I’m glad Russell lost. He was a complete asshole from start to finish. I shudder to think that he has a wife or daughters after all the misogynistic bullshit that came out of his mouth. The look on his face after he realized his loss was the best part of the show tonight.
I don’t like this “Heroes vs Villains” setup. Many of the best players weren’t nearly that clear cut.
While I did think Russell was the best player this year, it was sweet to see him all sullen & pouty at the reunion, he was even about to cry when he lost. Ha ha!
Yeah, Lavenderblue, I’m with you, and this from somebody who got into a bit of trouble for rooting for Natalie (Garcia) to win BB11 over sweet blonde Jordan.
Dammit, more Coach AND Russhole in my life? Why God why?
Of course I could not watch SURVIVOR at all next season…naw, that’s just crazy talk.
So despite the fact that he outwitted, outplayed and outlasted everyone else, you still wouldn’t agree he was the the best player, and deny him the prize on a personal dislike for him? I don’t think you understand the game.
he didn’t outlast, he did outwit and outplay.
Although I can see why Russell should have won, I can also see how Natalie won. She played a more interpersonal game with Galu, which neither Mick, Jaison or Russell did. The game isn’t black and white, you get bitter juries, you get juries that give props to gameplay. If Russell knew more of what the jury would do, he would have played slightly differently. He believed that they were all like him, hardcore Survivor fans and Survivor players. If that premise were true, he would have won the prize. He didn’t get to know or understand that the emotions he elicited from Galu would be his downfall. He should have done more to know the psyche of his opponents rather than assume they’re like himself. That’s why he lost.
If i was being generous I would say Natalie knew this as fact and therefore let Russell take all the bullets. She knew that the jury would be bitter and let Russell play out his game assuming they wouldn’t be. She used that fact to Russell’s disadvantage and took the win. So she deservingly won. Not sure how much of this is true but I think if it is, Natalie is the true champ.
I’d have to agree with the earlier poster–stupid end to a good season. Russell played the game and played it well. And oh the poor jury got its feelings hurt because they were voted out in a game where you vote people out. Get over yourselves.
Now I can give that Natalie played a better social game. But when Jeff did the Russell/Sham/Jaison tribal, Russell barely won because the votes between Sham and Jaison were split. That’s a stupid jury there that’s just bitter. Which is silly because Foa Foa all voted the same. They’re all to blame for you being on the jury. And it was obvious that Foa Foa would vote for Galu. All Russell really did was make sure they could pull it off.
NO FRACKING WAY! Dumbass jury. Russell was CLEARLY the best player.
Bittercakes, it is.
Be care what you wish for. If future players decide that is the way to win the game, Survivor will not last many more seasons. If everybody tries to slide under the radar, not step on any toes, and smile, smile, smile, I see no reason to watch any longer. The game needs assholes, but if they can never win, they won’t play. Survivor Darwinism will breed the show out of existence.
I’m all for asshole players like Russell. I’m just trying to rationalize out how people can give the victory to Natalie. Something in the lines of what Realitynewsonline.com would do. Why Russell lost is he didn’t gauge his jury well enough to get the victory. He did set himself up with what he thought was the best 2 people to be up against. He just didn’t see the bitterness brewing which he should have taken into consideration.
I am a vocal Russell fan, and an even more vocal hater of Shambo and the type of player that she is. I need me some survivor drama and conniving for it to be considered a good season. Endings matter but the journey is really what it’s all about.
All the bitching about the jury getting it wrong is kind of amusing, since BY DEFINITION winning the Jury’s votes is all that matters in the game.
For most of the game all that matters is NOT getting the most votes.
For the last vote all that matters IS getting the most votes.
Russell succeeded at the first part magnificently.
Russell totally failed at the second.
That he deserved to lose is proven by the fact that he lost.
Finding idol is good. Doing evil, being snarky, playing the game is fun for the audience to watch.
But that isn’t what matters. Getting the people you voted out to vote for you – in the end, that’s all it comes down to.
Personally, I think Russell HAD a chance to win, but totally blew it with the jury when he couldn’t stop himself from being arrogant and dismissive towards the people holding the million in their hands. Pretty stupid, that.
Absolutely right. The problem is that good social gameplay doesn’t make good television. As viewers, we love Russell for his on-air scheming and dirt-dishing. But that’s not the sort of thing that endears you to the jury and wins their votes.
Jaison had it right when he said that we all hate people who behave like Russell in the workplace. So why is it surprising that the jury disliked him?
I thought it was a great end to the season. I absolutely saw the game going Natalie’s way and loved to see her win. Strategically, she wasn’t the over-the-top player Russell was, but she had a plan and she executed it extremely effectively. Yes, it’d be nice to see a strategist like Russell win, but he completely disregarded the social aspect to the point of alienating all of his peers.
It’s easy to dismiss the jury as being bitter, but I actually think this jury did vote with their heads. Natalie played a great game without having to rely on any immunities or idols. She played the social game hard and showed some personal growth along the way to boot.
I haven’t been this satisfied with the end of a season since China.
I liked it better when the players were starving.
People get crazy when they’re hungry.
I was thinking something just like that as I watched poor Russell with his hurt feelings, seeming on the verge of tears. He also got voted out of a game where people get voted out. He simply failed to convince the jury that he deserved to win, so he lost. And he should stop being a big baby and get over himself too. But I can’t imagine he ever will do that. I can only imagine him spending the rest of his life telling everyone that he really deserved the majority votes, and the win, even though he clearly didn’t get either.
West Coast checking in…
…Well, that sucked.