# Survivor Finale and Reunion 17 May **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 17, 2009, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-finale-and-reunion-17-may/496772 "2009-05-17T19:13:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-finale-and-reunion-17-may/496772/21 "2009-05-18T02:39:31Z")
So it is really about 1st place. ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-finale-and-reunion-17-may/496772/22 "2009-05-18T02:44:57Z")
Har: The crowd yells “JT” A voice chimes in “Stephen” Stephen mumbles “my mom” ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-finale-and-reunion-17-may/496772/23 "2009-05-18T03:15:54Z")
As i suspected, the reunion show ignored 14 people. Of course, Coach gotmost of the air time and the winner. Of the also rans, Sierra came in a distant second to Coach for airtime. Did they even talk to the person that came in third? ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-finale-and-reunion-17-may/496772/24 "2009-05-18T03:34:52Z")
That had to be the most interesting final tribal I’ve seen in a long time. J.T. and Stephen debated each other more than they argued with the Jury. The jury was relatively nice. They still seem like genuine friends though. ---
**Author:** ![Meltdown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Meltdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meltdown)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-finale-and-reunion-17-may/496772/25 "2009-05-18T03:39:18Z")
Jeff said that this was the second time in Survivor history that the final vote was unanimous. What was the first? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-finale-and-reunion-17-may/496772/26 "2009-05-18T03:40:35Z")
> [@Meltdown](#): > > Jeff said that this was the second time in Survivor history that the final vote was unanimous. > > What was the first? Earl in Fiji. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-finale-and-reunion-17-may/496772/27 "2009-05-18T05:09:44Z")
Incidentally, Richard Hatch was released from prison on Thursday. He’ll be released from the halfway house in October. ---
**Author:** ![singular1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-finale-and-reunion-17-may/496772/28 "2009-05-18T11:14:48Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > It’s $75,00 for third. I had a list for every other place, but I have no idea anymore. Unless it’s changed recently, third place is $85000. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-finale-and-reunion-17-may/496772/29 "2009-05-18T13:52:46Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > As i suspected, the reunion show ignored 14 people. Of course, Coach gotmost of the air time and the winner. Of the also rans, Sierra came in a distant second to Coach for airtime. Did they even talk to the person that came in third? Briefly, because I remember looking at her hair. It was very brief, though, because i have zero recollection of what it was about. And Coach – Coach, Coach, Coach. He brought his own fucking lie detector test and a girlfriend. :rolleyes: Glad to see that the friendship between JT and Stephen seems to be real and enduring – would love to know what kind of business they might get into together. This is the second season in a row when the person I’ve been rooting for as one – guess I’d better not get too used to that, eh? So, next All-Stars – Coach will be back, of course – how about JT and/or Stephen? ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-finale-and-reunion-17-may/496772/30 "2009-05-18T14:00:47Z")
Could the next all-stars be **Favs vs Family**? That way Probst could have Eddie George as a contestant. JT would have to be a lock to come back. I don’t think Stephen is much of a favorite, he lost 7-0! I thought he would get at least couple votes from the girls. ---
**Author:** ![Lady\_Venom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9fc348/32.png) [@Lady\_Venom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lady_Venom)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-finale-and-reunion-17-may/496772/31 "2009-05-18T14:03:48Z")
My husband and I usually pick one person each season to go all the way…this year my pick was J.T. I thought he played an excellent game, and I’m so glad he won. Only other season my pick was right was Ethan! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-finale-and-reunion-17-may/496772/32 "2009-05-18T14:06:16Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > And Coach – Coach, Coach, Coach. He brought his own fucking lie detector test and a girlfriend. :rolleyes: It surprised me that he had a girlfriend! I thought his weirdness would preclude that, so he decided to me a mystic monk! 😛 The lie detector bit was all hype. Lie detectors can be ‘beaten’. If Bennie the C had taken Probst’s test, I think he would have passed. Choosing his own analyst just made it easier. It doesn’t prove a thing. And poking around the 'net yesterday, I read that a few of his claims are demonstrably false. For example, he’s not [the world’s greatest trumpet player](http://www.cbs.com/forum/posts/list/345/35120.page#top): > [@](#): > > He also claims to have won the prestigious International Trumpet Guild Competition in 1988. That little gem of an accomplishment was not only stated on his website, but is proudly proclaimed in his bio on the Susanville Symphony website . I’m sure Bret Jackson would have some problem with Benjamin’s claims, since he is the one who actually won the competition in 1988. His name, along with all the other winners, is a bit hard to find, but is available in this PDF on the International Trumpet Guild’s website . And just in case you are thinking he might have gotten the year wrong… a search of the entire document reveals a Ben or Benjamin Wade never won the ITGC. And he does not hold a [kayak record](http://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/archives/survivor_tocantins/2009_Apr_28_coach_lies): > [@](#): > > Anyway, while Coach may have kayaked that distance, he does not hold a record. Canoe & Kayak Magazine editor Jeff Moag told [Film.com](http://Film.com)’s Susan Young, “I can’t confirm whether he paddled 6,000 miles solo or even if there are small cannibalistic people in Peru, although I doubt it. I can tell you that Paul Caffyn kayaked more than 9,000 miles in 1980 and 1981. So, no record.” ---
**Author:** ![CCYMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/87869e/32.png) [@CCYMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CCYMan)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-finale-and-reunion-17-may/496772/33 "2009-05-18T14:28:48Z")
I still see some comments under the “Coach, what a tool!” theme. But unless I was seriously whooshed during the reunion show, didn’t anyone else get the impression that the “Coach” character we saw in the game was a persona he had adopted? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-finale-and-reunion-17-may/496772/34 "2009-05-18T14:33:06Z")
Fine – but who but a tool would adopt such a persona? ---
**Author:** ![Minnie\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Minnie\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Minnie_Luna)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-finale-and-reunion-17-may/496772/35 "2009-05-18T14:56:18Z")
> [@](#): > > But unless I was seriously whooshed during the reunion show, didn’t anyone else get the impression that the “Coach” character we saw in the game was a persona he had adopted? > Reply With Quote I thought about that as well, but I don’t think he adopted any persona, he really is that person. You will recall that he lost his job over going to Survivor because he lied about his whereabouts. I think he really does believe all the things he said and truly thinks that he is all that and more. Delusions of grandeur also appears to run in his family. Check out his brother’s website: www.petewadeshow.com On the brother’s website, they claim that parts of the movie _Cast Away_ with Tom Hanks was based on Coach’s kayaking trip: > [@](#): > > At one such get-together, as he spun tales of his escapades on the high seas, one celebrity partygoer became a very intrigued eavesdropper. Unbeknownst to the public at that time, Actor Tom Hanks was gathering ideas with writer William Broyles, Jr. for the script of the motion picture Cast Away (2000). As Hanks listened intently, occasionally asking questions, he was apparently inspired by a number of fascinating details experienced by Ben during his weeks of profound solitude without human contact during his journeys. Some of these ideas that eventually made the final movie script included the scene in which Hanks’ character Chuck Noland looks directly into the eye of a whale beneath his boat, the scene in which Noland sleeps on the floor after returning to society and the scene in which Noland hears coconuts dropping from trees in the distance, unsure of the source of the noise. Take from it what you like… ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-finale-and-reunion-17-may/496772/36 "2009-05-18T15:21:54Z")
> [@Minnie\_Luna](#): > > Take from it what you like… I take “raging narcissism” from that! ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-finale-and-reunion-17-may/496772/37 "2009-05-18T15:33:05Z")
I watched the first dozen or so Survivor seasons and haven’t watched the past two or three. I’m just not enamored with the show anymore. But there was nothing else on last night, so I watched the big finale. I’d only seen maybe the first two episodes of this season and then I got distracted by House or something. Anyway, it really struck me that these final two were the most emo p•••sies I’ve ever seen on Survivor. Was it just me, or was that finale damn near homoerotic because those two love each other _so_ much? And that “it would have been Erinn” thing really _hurt_ the other dude’s feelings. I wanted to slap the shit out of both guys. I seriously thought JT was going to kiss Stephen when they announced the winner. I mean, when they announced the whiner. Sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-finale-and-reunion-17-may/496772/38 "2009-05-18T15:34:52Z")
Heh…yeah, when Taj got them going at each other in Final Tribal, I turned to **supervenusfreak** and said, “It sounds like a lovers’ quarrel!” ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-finale-and-reunion-17-may/496772/39 "2009-05-18T15:41:12Z")
> [@Dogzilla](#): > > Anyway, it really struck me that these final two were the most emo p•••sies I’ve ever seen on Survivor. Was it just me, or was that finale damn near homoerotic because those two love each other _so_ much? And that “it would have been Erinn” thing really _hurt_ the other dude’s feelings. I picked up many of the same vibes but I just want to point out that during the reunion Jeff asked JT if he was really crushed by that confession and JT admitted it was all an act. He pretended to be hurt to hopefully get more votes. It seemed to me that JT finally figured out that there was no way he was losing to either one of those and that picked Stephen was actually _more_ likely to lead to a win. The lack of convincing arguments Stephen could make for picking him over JT was only highlighted by Stephen’s ridiculous “I’ve grown more” opening statement. If you’re gonna win either way why not take your friend and get him a few grand more? ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-finale-and-reunion-17-may/496772/40 "2009-05-18T15:54:24Z")
Props to me 🙂 for predicting a unanimous vote, once the final 3 got set. Award for Cleaning Up the Best goes to Erinn. A few pounds, hairdone, ditch the glasses, and da-yum! Something that I’ve noticed all season, and this is my last shot to post it: the producers are doing a nice job of keeping the game fresh, with new challenges, new twists on the rules, etc. But the production, and Probst’s commentary, is as rigidly scripted as a Latin Mass. Every Tribal Council will feature a shot of a snake. Every episode, Probst will say “wanna see what you’re playing for?” and “I got nuttin’ for you.” and every Final TC he will say “the power now shifts…to the Jury.” Every Finale, he says “this is the only time you \*want \*to see your name.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-finale-and-reunion-17-may/496772.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-finale-and-reunion-17-may/496772.md?page=3)