It was closer to 12 hours than 11. 11 hours, 55 minutes.
I’m less impressed with Ian than ever. So he’s willing to pay a million dollars to make people like him. He’ll never keep a dime of his own. His “friends” will bleed him dry “Gosh, Ian, you’ve hurt my feelings, and I don’t know what could restore our friendship other than a night out. On you, of course.” He’s a wuss. He quit the game. I’ve no respect for him.
This is the best Survivor series over all, although the final tribal council was a bit disappointing. I wanted to hear a Rat/Snake speech, and Caryn, who was capable of delivering one, didn’t. She was angry enough. Her eyes were on fire. It seemed like she was headed toward The Speech, and then she just stopped. Oh, well. Too bad.
Dumbass director. Too busy cueing overlays of Survivor record breaking factoids that he/she didn’t notice that the top overlay, a Survivor Palau official logo, was blocking out everything underneath. Finally, after the first several blurbs, the top overly was removed. But we missed whatever the others were.
If ever there is another Survivor Allstars, Steph had damn well better be on it. And Bobby Jon too, for that matter.
Tom was not the first nice guy to win. Ethan was. But Tom isn’t really all that nice anyway. He’s just pretty normal, it seems to me. He gives people the benefit of the doubt, but he can be pretty stern when he’s crossed, or when he senses a problem or obstacle. Don’t forget how he strong-armed Katie into voting his way.
Jeff Probst is one of the best interviewers on television.
As an admitted Katie-Hater, I would like to defend myself here. A very big part of what I don’t like about her was shown in the last two weeks. I got the impression early on that she is one of those people who has no problem lying to someone, but when the tables are turned she plays what I call the “martyr card.” My mother-in-law is the same kind of person, unfortunately. She doesn’t care that what she says about my clothes, my hair, my very being might offend or upset me – she is just being “honest” and “telling things like they are.” But if, for example, she feels her Mother’s Day present is less than what she thinks she deserves, then I have gone out of my way to hurt and insult her, and she will not let up on her anguish until I am groveling for forgiveness, even if I don’t really need it. I am not a doormat; she just knows how to push my buttons. I don’t like people who behave that way, and I find it particularly grating when women are like that. Which is why, when I saw Katie acting that way towards Ian (and make no mistake – I always saw it as the means-to-an-ends act that it really was), it tipped my Hate Meter. I am sorry that some people might have found my responses ugly, but FWIW, I found her behavior to be just as ugly as the words I used to speak of her.
Also, big ups to the Jury for not buying into Katie’s “strategy.” I will never think that leeching onto stronger players and letting them carry you into the finals is a good way to win a game. Maybe it’s just the kind of person I like to think I am, but I could honestly never sit in front of people and ask them to give me a prize for just showing up. I would also like to thank the Jury for not being spiteful, or for at least holding chauvinistic but strong gameplay in less contempt than coattail riding. Hopefully, we will return to a more active, strategic game in future seasons, where actual players are rewarded for actually playing.
I love Ian as much as I ever did, but I really think what he did in the Final IC was, for lack of a better word, strange. His youth and inexperience really showed. However, I am willing to forgive him for being not actively stupid, but more than a little silly and delirious. Plus, he has a Corvette. His gameplay left a lot to be desired, but I can’t help but respect a person who genuinely seems to believe that friendship is worth more than $1,000,000. Men like that are hard to find, and I think Johnny L.A. is right: you all need to stick together, if for no other reason than that it would make it easier for nice women to find you.
(Of course, my husband said to me last night, “A friend would not ask you to give up a million bucks. The Corvette, maybe, but not the million. And even then, it would have to be a really good friend.”)
Ian is still the dumbest Survivor ever. (And somewhere, S2 Colby is taking a huge sigh of relief that after four years, someone has finally taken his title away from him). I can understand what he did. It was great. But after 12 hours? No way.
I, too, was secretly hoping Tom would take Ian to the F2. But he’s a man of his word. He told Ian he’d vote him off, and he did. He wasn’t happy about it. And he gave Ian every last chance to get off the sword. Before making the vote, he asked Ian again if, removed from the emotion, he wanted Katie out of the game. Ian said no.
Dear Ian, when you cried because your friends hated you, it made me love you.
Coby named his adopted baby after a quitter? Why?
Most obvious Tribal ever. Katie gave away Janu’s vote, which she didn’t have anyway, but was she aware of the six other people listening to her refuse to answer a jury question? Geez. Then again, she seemed to give away quite a few other votes. By saying “Yeah, I sucked at this game in everything but riding Tom’s coattails, but HA!, I’m here”, you’re saying, “Vote for Tom.”
Tom is perhaps the most deserving winner since Hatch. And the most likeable winner since Tina. And he cleans up real good.
WORD. Even my husband said: “Well, if you’re ever going to leave me, if it’s for a guy like that, I’ll understand. Plus, then I might get his car.” I am trying to decide exactly what that means, but I think it’s a compliment. To whom, I am not entirely certain.
On another topic, I had kind of a random thought last night. Jeff said something like, “Of course, I’ve never actually played the game…” and I was thinking – how cool would it be if Ol’ Jeff actually did play one? Maybe the next all-star (if they do one)? They could pick one of the more presentable former players – Colby could do it, I’ll bet, or maybe one of the women – to take Jeff’s place. I wish they would do that!
Nope, don’t like Tom one bit. He was relentless in tearing Ian’s guts out over the “tough decision” comment. Relentless. Some friend. Yes, it’s a game, and yes, it might have won him the million bucks. but to somebody who constantly prattled about honor and integrity…shitty thing to do to a friend.
Ian, stupid, no doubt. Moreover, wimp. After Tom had gone on and on about “boo hoo, it would have been a tough decision for you”, after about the 3rd time I’d said “it was just words”, I would have told him “you wanna duke it out, take a swing right now.”
For all the twists and turns this season gave us, I didn’t like it that much. Steph and Bobby Jon were really the only likeable people on the show. Ian, kinda, but not really.
I interpreted that as “you had my friendship (and lost it?), but you have my respect (again).” I don’t understand it, either; I’ll go Tivo the remark this AM, if my SO hasn’t erased the show.
Man. What a rough night. I was in Europe all week, and managed to avoid the net and any American papers to see the results of last week’s reality tv shows (and Lost). So I was happy to get home Sunday afternoon to watch Thursday’s episode JUST in time for the finale to begin.
But when the show ended at 10PM CST, it was 4AM the next day to my body’s internal clock! But I enjoyed this season SO much that I wanted to be able to see it as soon as it came on! And it lived up to it. I was kind of worried that an undeserving player would win (I really thought it was going to be a Katie/Jenn final).
A few random thoughts:
Katie’s “strategy” only works if she shows up with Caryn or Jenn sitting next to her. She could then say she road coat tails to the last minute and then axed the power players. But with Tom sitting next to her, she is basically saying, “I road along with players who dominated the game like no one else could, [sub]please ignore the fact that he is sitting right next to me.[/sub]” If Katie had been sitting next to Jenn or Caryn, would she have won? I don’t know. She was Jenna Lewis recast.
The Hypocrisy of the jury annoyed me last night. It wasn’t like they went all sour grapes on anyone (which I admired), but I wish Jeff had called them on the fact that everyone who said Tom betrayed them, were trying to do the same to him! Gregg, Caryn, and Ian (to a lesser extent) all whined that Tom backstabbed them. But every time it was a preemptive strike. Gregg WAS going to ax him. Caryn WAS playing both sides (and neither very well), and Ian would have voted off Tom had he won immunity. Ian’s comment about “difficulty” honoring his promise DID hint at an underlying betrayal that would have taken place. At no point did Tom pull a Lex and play into paranoia. Tom was right. I don’t think he ever betrayed anyone in this game that wasn’t flirting with doing the same to him first. The only thing is, he never gave them the chance.
*Because of this, and his power player in the team and immunity challenges, I am putting Tom on my Survivor Mount Rushmore. I think he is one of the greatest players ever. I stick him up there with Richard Hatch, Chris Daugherty (Vanuatu), and Boston Rob (the only non-winner to make the cut).
I think if Katie was going to take a pass on Janu’s question, not an altogether bad strategy, I would have been more insulting to her. I would have said that I refused to answer the question of someone who laid down her torch. Then I would have praised all the other jury members who didn’t.
I liked the tiebreaker for the final four TC. I like individual immunity challenges for tiebreakers. They need to eliminate the rock (which obviously is still in the rulebook) and go to that every time. I wouldn’t mind a new challenge though. I understand the need for a quick one, but let’s get a little variety.
I thought Tom was cool for not accepting Ian’s offer to fall on his sword right away. As to his “respect/friendship” analysis, I read it as more “I would have left the betrayal on the island and been your friend anway, but DAMN BOY!”
I don’t have time to read the whole thread right now (though I greatly look forward to it when the stupid phone stops ringing), but I just wanted to pop in and say a couple things.
First: Ian, Ian, Ian. I still love you, but you’re dumb as a spoon and you can’t lie to save your life. It’s a credit to you as a person, but certainly not as a Survivor.
Second: I no longer feel even remotely guilty for all my Katie-Hate after what got said to her at the final TC. If the people who were there with her disliked her as much as I did, rockle and the rest of the Reality TV Boyfriend Club (Cult?) couldn’t have been all that wrong.
Third: I refuse to say “Hi, Opal!”, but I don’t really have a third, so I’ll just say that Tom may be the most deserving Survivor winner ever.
I’m still seething the day after. How freakin’ retarded is Ian?? You went in to WIN THE GAME. Not to make friends, not to make others happy - to “outwit, outplay and outlast”. There you were mere minutes away (according to Tom after the fact) from finally wrenching that immunity away from fireboy…and you quit! Not even to get yourself to the final two - but someone else?? Idiot! I’m so sick and damned tired of these people who get in the game, get voted off and then whine that they “played with integrity”. Shut the hell up! Its a game, of course theres going to be lying and backstabbing - its set up that way. This just strikes me as if a guy sitting at a poker table gets beat on a hand and complains “Hey you acted like your hand wasn’t that good! No fair! At least I bet WITH INTEGRITY!”
Note to future Survivor contestants: you may have to lie to win. If you aren’t prepared to do so, don’t sign up to go to the island!
Seriously. Damnit.
Ian: let me know how much they give you off your student loans with that “respect” you earned by wussing out. Cry baby. Blah.
[QUOTE=Draelin]
I don’t have time to read the whole thread right now (though I greatly look forward to it when the stupid phone stops ringing), but I just wanted to pop in and say a couple things.
First: Ian, Ian, Ian. I still love you, but you’re dumb as a spoon and you can’t lie to save your life. It’s a credit to you as a person, but certainly not as a Survivor.
Second: I no longer feel even remotely guilty for all my Katie-Hate after what got said to her at the final TC. If the people who were there with her disliked her as much as I did, rockle and the rest of the Reality TV Boyfriend Club (Cult?) couldn’t have been all that wrong.
QUOTE]
O, there is much moaning and thrashing and gnashing of teeth today in the Reality TV Boyfriend Club! Our sweet Geek and his pixilated Dork Butt pulled one of the biggest bonehead moves possible. I was pissed at Tom for joining the Dreaded Katie and making him bawl his little heart out! That was rough. A hard week for finales - after The Amazing Race and the bad taste left by the begging and the fishy Airplane Pullback, here we get a gallant but undeniably stoopid surrender by Ian. Damn!
I haven’t seen the final speeches to the jury, or any of the finale (had to get to work), but I’m still reeling, trying to absorb what I watched. I did enjoy Gregg’s Katie smackdown, and I was also sorry Caryn didn’t match him, and I can’t believe she came up with that lame defense. And why the hell did they have to burn everything?!?! There was a lot of really nice stuff they could’ve left for the natives - it seemed almost malicious.
I was cracking up at the obviously prefilmed torches drifting into ever-increasingly picturesque underwater vistas each and every freakin’ time! They must’ve spent a lot of time filming that - somebody went out and retrieved the torches and put them up for sale on Ebay.
sigh - will I be even more disappointed after watching the reunion tonight? I’ll be interested to see what happens to Ian next - I have a feeling he’s not gone for good (as long as he doesn’t have to strategize to stay around!).
I dunno, I am friendly with some people I don’t respect all that much. They’re fun to hang out with and do a backyard barbeque, but I wouldn’t want them having my back if the shit hit the fan. I thought Tom was saying “I wasn’t mad at you anymore and would have been friendly with you either way, but now I respect you because you made an effort to retrieve your integrity.”
Was it just my imagination, or did I see Coby raise his hand, look around, and put it back down again when Jeff asked if anybody thought Jeff had coerced Janu into leaving the game? Jeff then said, “Okay, nobody thinks that. Let’s move on…”
I saw it. I don’t know if Jeff missed it, or if he ignored it. Or maybe Coby was stretching. Personally, I don’t think he coerced her. I think he was hard on her, but you know what? Somebody who willingly quits a game that millions of people are dying to play deserves to be verbally pistol-whipped just a little bit.
You saw it. It was brief, but he definitely had his hand up (rather tentatively, as he was looking around). I think Jeff ignored him, but I don’t know why.
I didn’t think he coerced her, given what we saw on the show.
Coby was on the jury and Janu’s friend so it didn’t matter what he thought. I thought Jeff was asking that question to the people who were still in the game.
It’s a perfectly good strategy for getting to the final 2, for someone who’s not athletically or mentally or organizationally blessed. But your only hope of winning is if your opponent is a complete and unredeemable flaming asshole, who’s pissed off at least 4 members of the jury. Tom wasn’t, so Katie was toast.
I do have to make one comment about the previews for Mayan Survivor: During Jeff’s VO, he said something along the lines of “they will have to follow the Mayan traditions” - the only thought that went through my mind was “so does this mean when a tribe member is voted off, they’ll be ritually sacrificed rather than just having their torch snuffed? :)”
If I may defend Ian for a moment: he tried to lie, and found he wasn’t good at it. He thought he was prepared to lie, but he didn’t realize his wiring prevented it. Even he knew nobody believed him at the end, even when he was actually telling the truth. Shit happens, you know? We don’t entirely know why Ian did what he did – only he knows that. (If he said why in the Reunion hour, I haven’t seen it yet, so I’m sorry for sounding like a dipshit.) But it’s hard for me (even from here in the cheap seats) to scoff at someone who decides, all on his own, for whatever reason, that in order to live with himself after the game is over, he needs to just walk away. For him, Life seemed to trump the Game. I can’t fault him for that. Some might view that as quitting, and that is fine – but I view it as self-preservation. Having never been in his position (and how many among us really have?), I can’t say that I wouldn’t do the same if I were.
(I do view Ian’s departure from the game differently than I view Osten’s in the Pearl Islands season. Osten quit because his “body” was giving out on him; Ian quit because his “soul” was. Maybe it’s one of those fine-line, potentially hypocritical distinctions that gets me into so much trouble. Oh, well, then: I am the Ancient Mariner, and Ian is my Albatross.)
Maybe I give him too much credit – and I will be the first to admit that it is more than entirely possible that I do – but I do think he’s one hell of a guy. To paraphrase Brian Wilson, he just wasn’t made for this game. Unfortunately, sometimes people don’t realize that until they’re 11 hours and 55 minutes into the final immunity challenge. Being the Sole Survivor just wasn’t his One True Thing. I’m cool with that.
Still and all, I wish anybody but Katie would have been saved by Ian falling on his own sword.
