Last night my wife and I watched with glee Rupert win the second million…It was a really interesting show. It explained a lot with regards to some of the behind the scenes moments throughout Survivor history. I am not a huge television watcher, but for some reason Survivor clicked with me. I am the least trendy person anyone could meet, but hey, I like Survivor.
So in all: Rock on Rupert! Congratulations.
BTW, for those who do not know what Rupert does for a living, he’s a councelor for young troubled youth…He plans to use some of the money to help his organization…As my wife and Ia re huge donors for Make-A-Wish…we like people who work for charities…
I had no doubts at all that Rupert would get the second million, and I’m glad he did. I think he deserved it, if only for the shoe-stealing.
Did anyone else notice how much fun Jeff Probst seemed to be having? He spends a lot of his Survivor time being either the Guy Who Has To Explain or the Deep-Digging Tribal Council Moderator–it was nice to see him so relaxed and having a good time.
Yes, he seemed quite euphoric last night. My wife commented on that. I also thought it was interesting that not one female was on the final 4…Anyone wonder about that?
In Mark Burnett’s transparent efforts to grant someone a million dollars who was inexplicably popular but who didn’t deserve either the adulation or the money, Survivor has officially jumped the shark.
I liked Jeff too. He knows the right questions to ask. I especially liked that he came out and asked Jerri why she was mad at him, then gave everyone the chance to leave if they didn’t really want to be there ‘otherwise shut up about it.’ He has a way of cutting through the bull that I find refreshing.
He just seemed to be having a good time, while making fun of the process a little bit, like asking for the music whenever he read a name.
I didn’t vote for Big Tom but I was a little touched by how grateful and happy he seemed when he was on the final four. I knew Rupert was going to win. I’m ok with that, although I can see arguments why he didn’t deserve it.
I thought Rob did deserve to win this season, but I’m sure he and Amber will be crying all the way to the bank with all the publicity and money they will get as people beg them to put their wedding on tv.
Overall a good show. I hope this is only a one-time thing for the all-stars though, it wouldn’t make sense to start doing it every season.
Is it just me or did they not hype next season very much? The location is not that different than what we have seen before, and there were no teasers about how this is the hardest season ever, or how the game will be mixed up, or anything.
It’ll be Survivor: This Time, You Might Get Eaten.
Other than the history of cannibals, I don’t see how Vanuatu will be much different than the Marquesas. I just hope the contestents they get are more interesting than the ones from the Marquesan round.
I never said I hated the man. But I do hate the adulation of one contestant who was no better (and in some ways, demonstrably worse) than any of the other contestants.
But the way people talk, you’d think he shit marble.
At least every other $1M winner did what was necessary to receive the money–they played by the prescribed rules to achieve the end result.
Within the Survivor context, Rupert was a piss-poor player, a bully, a whiner, and a judgmental attention whore. I don’t know what he (or any other player for that matter) is like in real life, and I don’t care how “noble” his day job is: If you’re going to give someone $1M, it should be based on their performance within the context of the game, and Rupert demonstrated over and over that he thought the game was unfair because it rewarded people based on the game’s rules and not Rupert’s Rules.
Until last night, Survivor was a game of strategy, skill, diplomacy, and luck–it wasn’t perfect, but it was consistent in its model. But it was never an unadulterated American Idol-style popularity contest. Last night’s result was no surprise, and Burnett knew it, and since he’s fine with rewarding whatever favored shmuck catches the public’s fancy (as is his right; it is his show after all), he shouldn’t have to worry about me ever giving a shit about his program again.
I agree with ArchiveGuy about Rupert’s skill as a strategic player. But I still like the guy, even if he’s got major esteem issues that sometimes play out unpleasantly on camera. (Bitterness is never attractive, no matter how understandable.) But he’s essentially kind and honorable and enthusiastic, and although those may not be the best skills from a game standpoint, they obviously have a boffo effect on your Q score.
I remember being disappointed during Pearl Islands, though, after the enthusiastic shoe-stealing pirate of episode 1 ended up suffering strategy-wise because he couldn’t find it in himself to be cutthroat.
That said, Rupert winning $1,000,000 for being the most popular Survivor ever doesn’t really bug me. It doesn’t detract from any of the game’s winners’ achievements.
I would just like to say how disappointed I am that this new Survivor will yet again be on a tropical island. I guess they’ve never heard of tundra, or boreal forest, in Mark Burnett’s world.
I also voted for Rupert. I would have voted for Boston Rob, but I figured he already got the girl and half of her money.
Personally, I would love to see a survivor that is set in the snow somewhere…or is in some northern woods. I wonder why this has not happened yet? Maybe because it would bring a darker, more sinister feel to the show…
