The Puppet Master Wins it All

So another season of Survivor comes to an end, and even with a lackluster final tribal council, this was one of the best seasons in awhile.

The second to last immunity challenge is always a tough one, and the ropes course puzzle challenge was no different. It was TOUGH, and it was a close finish at the end. I do wonder, though, if there was a challenge or two that was cut out by the producers (before the survivors actually competed in it). There has always been a "second chance" obstacle course...elements from lots of previous challenges. There also wasn't a final reward challenge - no car reward. I do know that Chevy pulled out of their sponsorship of Survivor this season (though the way it was announced it seemed like it was in response to the racial divisions of tribes, which was after the season was filmed). I also wonder when the decision was made to have a final three - if it was mid-season, or a decision made before filming started. No surprise that Adam was the next voted off, though I loved his game play in the end to try to force Yul to use the immunity idol. Very very smart - probably his best strategy move in the game...too bad he didn't start really playing the game earlier.

So after the final rite of passage (which was nice that they got to all do together...and also why part of me thinks that the final three twist was added later in the game) we had one of the best final immunity challenges in awhile. I still can't believe how long Sundra lasted. I also think that by having a final three, they eliminated one of the greatest powers in the game - deciding who sits next to you in the final tribal council. It may have well been by design...so much of the game play in the past has been choosing someone for the final tribal that you know you can beat (and therefore the most deserving players often go out third). I don't think the game would have played out any differently, but still an interesting twist. I also loved that Ozzy & Yul decided that it was most fair to have the vote end in a tie. Kudos to Becky for realizing that if she wanted any hope at all of winning, she couldn't accept the immunity idol from Yul. In the end, it was the lamest tie breaker ever. How can you be out there for 38 days and not be able to make fire? And not being able to make fire with matches? Oh my goodness. Did you see the looks on the faces of the jury (nice yawns by the way) and on the face of Jeff Probst? It's going to be a tough call for best Probst look of the season...the look of disgust as they can't make fire, or the look of shock when Billy professed his love for Candice. In the end, Becky managed to actually get a flame (after over 90 minutes), and Sundra was the only member of the Aitu Four to not face the final jury.

Which brings us to the final tribal council. I do feel bad for Becky. She had to know going in that the chances of her even getting one vote were slim to none. So why she didn't just lay it all out there is beyond me. She had NOTHING to lose. Instead, she said very little, which was how she played the game. I don't think she could have won, but she could at least have gotten a few votes. With the exception of Jonathan & Adam, this final tribal council was one of the most boring ever. It seemed like everyone had just accepted the fact that Yul or Ozzy would win, and that most (if not all) had made up their minds before tribal ever started. Part of the problem, too, was that Brad, Rebecca, & Jenny had never been on a tribe with all three of them. And while CBS hasn't posted the final votes on their website (which, by the way, is strange, since they usually show us in the end who everyone voted for, yet they still haven't...hmmmm...), I would bet that Jenny & Brad voted for Yul, since they actually knew him from their original tribe at the beginning of the game. Regardless of final two or final three in the future, the members of the jury need to be voted on post-merge, simply so they will have had actual interaction with the final survivors.

In the end, Adam's decision to honor his promise to Yul (to vote for him if Yul voted out Jonathan before Adam & Parvati) was the deciding vote. And with the car being rewarded during the finale, Ozzy manages to keep the Survivor car curse alive. It was a tough call...it's the one of the only seasons where the final two (yes, I know that Becky was there too, but no one really thought she could win, did they?) really both deserved to win. Yul was one of the best strategic players ever, and Ozzy was certainly the best physical players ever. I only wish we could have found out what would have happened if there had been a tie. Maybe a million for both?

Speaking of unanswered questions, what happened to Nate? Did you see him hobbling in with a hurt ankle for two of the last tribal councils? And seriously, why didn't they explain what would have happened in the case of a tie?

With four nice people in the end, and lots of love all around, it was a really boring reunion show. Cao Boi continued to be weird (and I loved that when he tried to add something Probst looked at him and shook his head no), and no one mentioned that Sekou's music wasn't very good. And why didn't Probst ask if something happened between Adam & Candice while they were on the jury?

So a great season of Survivor comes to an end. And the previews of Survivor: Fiji look AMAZING. I just wish I didn't have to wait till the spring for it. I hope you all have a wonderful Chanukah/Christmas/New Years/Winter Holiday...see you in 2007.