Techtite's TV Reviews!

 

 

 

 

"Lost by a hair ...or at least a cuddle.."

---from the review.

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Other Survivor seasons reviewed:

The first season!

The 1st contestants!

Australian Outback

Africa

Marquesas

Thailand

Amazon

Pearl Islands

All-Star!

Vanuatu

 

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Sidebar ::

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No more questions of the week? No; we're passed that now, with fewer people watching after the monstrosity that was Survivor Vanuatu. However, read possible questions to ponder as the series progresses, starting coincidentally with the season premiere:

What Happened to Jonathan? That's the question asked on many a message board and/or blog this week (the season premiere). I mean; Wanda's dismissal was a case of "Miss...? We're dehydrated and don't want to hear a chipper little ditty right now thanks." Jonathan's dismissal is more of a mystery, aside from Coby, this season's Richard Hatch wannabe, starting a witch hunt against him. Whatever. 

A better season than Vanuatu? That's definite. Vanuatu was just plain awful with its pitiful sexes battle mixed within another season where the person who admittedly did little to earn such cash, got to win the grand prize. This season has interesting people, but its flaw was that all the best personalities were on one tribe; the losing tribe. Say what you will about the Koror tribe but they are pretty boring as people. Yes, Coby, this includes you too because, you see, complaining to the camera does not make one a better personality. It just makes you look like a whiner of sorts; "I'm on the team that always wins and yet I still find things to complain about." Give it a long rest pal. 

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Survivor (10): Palau

Once Again: The Winners, The Cheaters, and (when it airs), The Finale...

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A Review by Techtite

This was one roller coaster season. Starting off with almost a whole "tribe" worth of additional contestants --20 in all-- this season had the potential of being the best yet. What followed was...well, not the best season, though one that was definitely with the biggest highs and lows. The good news: the parting feeling was a "high," not a "low" with the deserved winner of the game getting the grand prize. A survivor "first"...? Nah...though it is very rare.

First things first: no more "choose your own team" stuff! This season showed the worst case scenario of this formula, when the "nice people" all picked each other for one tribe, and the "sportsmanlike" people were chosen for the other team. That is to say; while one group picked tribe members who would win the challenges, the other tribe chose people who'd be nice to talk to on a beach for 39 days. The "MVP" tribe easily picked clean the "nice" tribe. That was painful to watch. It also made those first episodes rather boring, as not only one tribe dominated nearly every single challenge; they began to pick off the most vibrant personalities of the entire season.

Not that all was in err. In the end, a final "jury" not only unanimously voted for the contestant most worthy of winning the whole game; their questions to Katie seemed to show almost a sign of revolt at the notion of another Chris or Vecepia winning the first prize. Does this mean an end to grand prizes handed to people who did poorly on the challenges? Is that possible?

Let's leave that thought for future seasons, as we review this season's hopefuls, in order of their boot-off episode:

Wanda. Best One-Line Summary : I'd say she every single season of the series...except the first.  My Comments: I guess it's safe to call Wanda a diehard Survivor fan, given all her self-made survivor songs. Yet among all her knowledge of Survivor, it would've been best to remember Sonja; the first person to ever voted off of Survivor. Remember Sanja playing her ukulele all the way to her eminent dismissal? It's okay if you didn't...unless you're about to be on Survivor. Wanda seemed like a very nice person given what we saw of her, though people starving on a beach don't like to be sung to while building shelter. Sorry about that.  Booted Off: Non-contestant #1 (see "Low Point"). High Point : She certainly took her early dismissal from the series well, as she sang one last self written survivor song as she left by boat. Low Point: The lowest possible point for any teammate is: she never was in the real game! In a contestant pool of 20 sent to the island, players were asked immediately to choose 9 teammates, for two teams. Wanda was the even numbered female who didn't get chosen. Sorry Wanda. Rating : Near Miss

 

Jonathan. Best One-Line Summary : Yeah; let's all feel sad for the old guy...and Jonathan.  My Comments: Here's the scene; the teams have left Jonathan and this season's token old dude, Willard, as the last two male teammates to choose from. The one who isn't picked goes home. Sure; we feel sorry for Willard. He looks old, frail, malnourished, dehydrated, yet still he deserves to be in the game for longer than one day...right? Right. Yet we equally wonder if the girl who chose Willard over Jonathan was actually thinking about the game, and not "Gee I wonder if I can be the 'Neleh' to Willard's 'Paschal'...?" Yeah; we all liked how Paschal's paternal camaraderie kept the admittedly cute Neleh in the game, in Survivor Amazon. Yet we still wonder if booting Jonathan was the right choice. In the end; I really can't rate Jonathan highly because he wasn't in the game long enough to know how he would've done, one way or another. Yet given how he still seems like a nice guy, I'll stick with my first impressions and give him a thumbs up. Maybe he can even be given a chance to "actually" be in next season's Survivor. Maybe... Booted Off: "Non contestant" number two. High Point : No sign of the reason for his early dismissal whatsoever. Low Point: Yet Angie in the reunion show implied the reason was his conversations with other teammates. What really did go on here? Rating : Small Crater

 

Jolanda. Best One-Line Summary : The obligatory "radar" victim. My Comments: If it's been seen once, it's been seen ten times so far; the first contestant is always the one who doesn't stay off the radar. This means, quite frankly, shutting your trap even when you almost "have" to say something. Yet Jolanda had to offer her two cents for just about every initial decision in the game, and she became this season's bull in a china shop as a final result. Nobody likes a perky contestant, but they don't like a bossy one either. Booted Off: 1st High Point : If her speeches in the game were as humble as her parting speech was, maybe she'd have been in the game much longer than that. Low Point: Her biggest mistake was to "order" everyone to take a rest, just because she herself was tired. It was like she was saying, "Okay, I'm tired, so we're all going to rest now." Yeah. Whatever. Rating : Near Miss

 

Ashlee. Best One-Line Summary : Lost by a hair...or at least a cuddle. My Comments: Okay, so Ashlee didn't win any Miss Congeniality contests, with all her alleged alienating of her tribe. That's still no excuse to basically decide to boot her simply because the least valuable player of the team, Kim, is smart enough to cuddle at night with the (alleged) leader of the team, Jeff. Ashlee was many things but least valuable player was not one of them...unless we missed something somewhere. Yet the name of the game is outwit, outplay, and outlast, so she failed to make the alliances she needed to keep herself in the game. No; we're not suggesting she cuddle with her team or anything; she simply needed an alliance that would stick her firmly in the game beyond Day #3. Booted Off: 2nd High Point : Overall, it didn't seem like she made any waves. Low Point: She didn't need to cuddle; just converse. A few good conversations with smarter teammates would've kept her in the game for many more days. Rating : Small Crater

 

Jeff. Best One-Line Summary : This season's Michael Skupin. My Comments: Remember how in Survivor: Australian Outback, Michael Skupin --if not his entire team-- looked like they would sweep their way to the grand prize until he fell in that fire? Well, okay, maybe Jeff's predicament isn't exactly like that. His team had, after all, lost three immunity challenges in a row. Yet I would have to agree with public consensus with his team --which actually really liked Jeff-- that had Jeff not sprained his ankle very badly, they could've aced the challenge this week. Yet sprain it he did, to the point that in a challenge that allowed players to slowly "quit" the challenge when tired, Jeff bowed out at the start of the race. The sprained ankle hurt very badly. That's all the opposing team needed to win immunity all over again. It's too bad Jeff had to go, though. From what little we were able to see of him he could've even been the "Tom" of Ulong...if not for one little trip-up. Booted Off: 3rd High Point : Simply put, he did seem like a nice guy... Low Point: ...yet he's so nice he could not see that he was keeping at least one contestant on the team solely because she was really cute. On the other hand; to hear them say it on the reunion show, they actually moved to the same city and are still dating. Cool. Rating : Large Crater

 

Kim. Best One-Line Summary : Cute; that's all we really know. My Comments: There's really nothing to say about Kim because this season seems so poorly interested in character interaction. It's like everything is suddenly about the challenges. Not to digress, but; did we really need to see that much about a reward challenge that involved building your own outdoor toilet? With little contestant interaction it's getting very hard to feel bad whenever anyone is booted, no matter how cute they admittedly are. In Kim's case we only know this: she was in the game this long because she snuggled with Jeff...who sadly left the game prematurely. Man; the change of dynamics in the game due to one sprained ankle! So; goodbye Kim. Too bad this season's poor video editing didn't allow us to get to know you much. Booted Off: 4th High Point : Optimistically: with little to go on, there's no reason to feel "happy" about her dismissal. Low Point: Pessimistically: with so little to go on here, we can't feel "sad" either. Rating : Small Crater

 

Willard. Best One-Line Summary : Last Koror chosen; first booted. My Comments: How embarrassing was it for Ulong, when the rules had to be changed to "force" Koror to go to tribal council? The catch, to make things fair; the team which won the challenge got to eat a full meal. What's more; they got to do so in front of the other tribe during tribal council. The concept was in vain: try to make petty politics split up the powerful team dynamic of Koror. Not so fast, Survivor! Koror did not win four consecutive immunity challenges only to be fooled so easily. As a result, the ever-logical Koror tribe simply booted the last person who was chosen to be on their tribe, Willard. Last one chosen; first one booted. That's fair. It's also pretty boring, though. I don't know; I never felt that Survivor without backstabbing would be so enormously dull. However; I digress. Sorry you had to go Willard. Truly. Booted Off: 5th High Point : Even as the oldest contestant this season he was still a fitting member of his tribe and therefore hardly a stumbling block for them, on their way to five weeks of constant victories.  Low Point: In the reunion special, Willard confessed that he had lied to his tribe about his job...he's actually a lawyer! What would've happened if a guy who could keep such a secret was allowed to play the game even longer? Rating : Large Crater

 

Angie. Best One-Line Summary : "Bizarro" Willard. My Comments: Imagine "Bizarro" Willard: the same team spirit, yet totally opposite. From her opposite gender to her multiple tattoos, Angie was no Willard and yet she was ironically the one to leave the same episode as Willard. This may be because as opposite as they were, they had very surprising similarities. Both were the last contestant chosen for her tribe, who would turn out to be a very formidable teammate. Then again; to be fair it can be said that Angie's team dynamic was slightly different. Koror chose Willard as their first teammate to go; Angie by contrast was only "forced" to leave when five other teammates left before her. Even then; they chose Angie only when they "had" to. See; although Ibreham was the arguable LVP, a reward challenge allowed opposing team Koror to offer immunity to a tribe member of Ulong. As master strategists; they chose Ibreham. Unable to boot the more fair choice, it took Ulong a tie vote to see who would leave, and the resulting tiebreaker would finally force Angie's disappointing vote off. Booted Off: 6th High Point : For all her tattoos and all her talking "tough" in the challenges, she seemed like a nice person. Low Point: In the end, her biggest mistake was in not seeing the sexual dynamic of her tribe, and how aside from a sprained ankle, none of the men on her tribe had yet to leave! She really should've tried to put a wedge between the men, though once again, a female contestant left the game. Rating : Large Crater

 

James. Best One-Line Summary : Da'n Knots! My Comments: Pardon the "Don Knotts" inspired pun, but it is appropriate: a single knot would mark the end of James' run in the game; a man who was quite frankly one of the most interesting "characters" this season, if you get my meaning. Among all the contestants this season, his personality was the most lively, or at least the most interesting, if you catch my meaning. Yet James' mistake was in an immunity challenge where the goal was to tie up a chest to make sure the opposing tribe could not open it quickly. James offered an anecdote; a trick he heard of in the military, where one single knot had the seeming ability to only get stronger if you didn't know how to untie it. His plan was flawed for two reasons: one, the only thing the other tribe needed was to already know of this knot, and how to untie it. Second; it was only one knot! Yet it's saying something when this is all we can say bad about James; this one little mistake. Indeed; even in the season finale, the three remaining members of the opposing tribe had kind words to say about James; a nice guy who was even noticed as such by the opposing tribe. Booted Off: 7th High Point : His will always be the most memorable comment about a fellow teammate in this season, when remarking on how the only thing Kim had going for her was her "sexiality." Low Point: Man; the change in the season dynamic, had they won that knot challenge. Rating : Large Crater

 

Ibreham. Best One-Line Summary : Well...at least he wasn't "Pagonged"...! My Comments: Sometimes being booted from a team can be a good thing, if looked at optimistically. I mean; after Ibreham leaves, can Ulong still be called a tribe? There's only two people left! At least Ibreham didn't have to endure being "Pagonged"; the term used since the very first season, when one team consistently votes off the other, weaker team when the teams merge. Yet even this is unlikely when there's only a team of two left. At least Ibreham was still a member of his team when it was still technically a "team." As for Ibreham himself; he is one of those typical athletes that didn't get enough food to be very athletic. Had he been fed by Tom's tribe --shark, crabs, and what not-- maybe Ibreham would've been an MVP to contend with. It's a shame when that sort of thing happens in survivor but hey; how poor and pitiful would the performance level of Koror be, without their fishing supplies? I'm just saying; Ibreham was a potentially good game player placed in the poorest circumstances possible. Booted Off: 8th High Point : Nothing really bad to say about him at all... Low Point: ...aside from being on the losing tribe that is! Rating : Large Crater

 

Bobby Jon. Best One-Line Summary : I don't know, dude; I'm totally speechless here.  My Comments: There comes a time when this reality show's shenanigans are beyond the mere "one liners" per contestant. That time is now. Bobby Jon not only was the last legitimate Ulong tribe member to lose to Koror; he even had to endure this season's incessant insistence, that his tribe of two against Koror was still a "fair" competition. Huh...? Koror may have chosen only two teammates for each challenge, to "even things out," but those "mere" two teammates were prepped, fed, and well taken care of, by a full team of eight players. They were given fresh fish by fisherman Tom, good pep talks, good company, and when they needed to carry their boat out to sea because of low tide, they didn't do it all by themselves! See; that's what Bobby Jon had to do, all by himself, just to row to the challenge itself! Although he had help in a manner of speaking; undernourished Stephanie was unable to help him much. So yeah; after all the help they got with the fishing and water boiling and other work that a mere two-person tribe had to do alone, added to the hurdle of an already winded Bobby Jon...sure enough, Koror won again. Surprise! Yet sarcasm aside, Ulong may have the last laugh after all. Jumping ahead, little happened in this season worth talking much about when Ulong was disbanded. Theirs may have been the losing tribe, but they were also the most interesting. Booted Off: 9th High Point : The second last contestant this season that's worth watching on a weekly basis. Low Point: ...yet for the same reasons she's still in the game; yeah, Steph is easier on the eyes. Rating : Large Crater

 

Coby. Best One-Line Summary : This season's biggest social enigma.  My Comments: Coby was the hardest one to rate this season. On the sympathetic side you have a very likeable, emotional contestant, who got misty eyed talking about how he had to drop out of school due to being picked on. There's also that cute moment in the reunion show, where he talked about adopting a young baby girl, and naming her after teammate Janu. Yet in Coby was also the sole teammate of Koror that was always complaining, even when his team had yet to lose a single immunity challenge. There's also the matter of how Coby was the sole jury member to vote for Katie, apparently to spite Tom but...why? Coby obviously had a lot to complain about in life, but not in this game. Booted Off: 10th High Point : To be fair, he was indeed among the MVP tribe for a reason; he was an effective adversary in the games against Ulong, and a strong player. Low Point: ...yet with all his constant complaints about every little thing, even in a tribe that was always winning...? I don't know. It was pretty annoying, really. Rating : Small Crater

 

Janu. Best One-Line Summary : Can a showgirl without her rhinestones shine as brightly?  My Comments: Why did a Vegas showgirl not get along well with her tribe? Did I miss something...? Janu, after all, was the same teammate on day one who actually climbed a tree to help build their first "hut." Later on she was a bit malnourished and a bit sad, sure, though that's no reason for her feeling so out of touch with her team. It may be an unanswered mystery what exactly made Janu feel so much like an outsider, especially when they didn't ask her about it in the reunion show. After all; as was apparent when she "quit" the game, her allegedly out of touch tribe was ready to vote off Stephanie instead of Janu. I'd say Janu's feelings of being out of touch were therefore just dehydration and paranoia, but we'll never know for sure. Booted Off: 11th, though she booted herself, technically speaking. High Point : Janu will probably always be known on this season as that vibrant Vegas Showgirl who straddled a tree in the premiere to help built the team's first shelter. Low Point: So, like; what happened between "now" and "then" that made her so blue? Rating : Small Crater.

 

Stephanie. Best One-Line Summary : This season's "Colleen Haskell" My Comments: Stephanie was "the cute contestant" this season, who everybody rooted for. It almost seemed likely that this season's "Colleen" (a la the first season's cutest contestant) would actually get close to the final two. She was the last member of her tribe, after all, and at that point, two members of the former rival tribe had left, not her. Yet Stephanie walked a good walk, and talked even better. She tried every angle to stay in the game: the "Tom is the biggest competition boot him first" angle, the "don't you hate this teammate more than me" angle, and most effectively, the "let us girls stick together and pick off the boys" angle. That last one would've nearly worked, in fact, if not for Caryn, who actually believed that her better shot at "final three" was with Tom, Ian, and Katie. Yeah; that's already three people, but see; Tom promised it would be Caryn Ian and himself, while Ian promised it would be Caryn and Katie and him, or maybe Caryn and Tom and him, or...oh, whatever. Who's to say exactly what Caryn was thinking? Her best shot at final four was with the ladies. Yet Caryn told them no way. That's all the other ladies needed to jump off the Stephanie bandwagon as well, making hers a unanimous boot off. Man, I can only hope this strategic gamble works for Caryn. Oh, that's right; it didn't. Sorry Caryn...though I'm more sorry for Stephanie. Booted Off: 12th High Point : As all the hoots and hollers for Stephanie showed in the live reunion show; she was the last "fun" contestant this season; the person rooted for against all odds. Low Point: Then again, if she couldn't sell a "women's alliance" plan to Caryn, she clearly lacked the ability to seal a deal. Without that, she would've been gone no matter what. Rating : Large Crater.

 

Gregg. Best One-Line Summary : Heck has no fury...like a male teammate denied food.  My Comments: Forget a woman scorned; just try to deny a pair of MVPs a solid meal! That's what Gregg learned when he won a reward challenge and, being a red-blooded guy, decided to take two female teammates with him, instead of Tom and Ian. In a typical spin on the motto "never shop when you're starving," Tom and Ian shopped for ideas to get back at Gregg. Not surprisingly, the only female not to go with Gregg, Caryn, had a "brilliant" plan; boot his butt off the tribe. To add insult to injury; Ian consulted best friend Katie about the boot-off, just before tribal council, and even she was all for it...even though it meant booting the guy who gave her food, and a wonderful time on a yacht, and an afternoon swimming with dolphins, and, oh yeah; he made her the only one of three tribe members allowed to see a loved one from home. All this meant very little, apparently, because Gregg was easily booted in a vote of four to two. What did Gregg do wrong though? Not much really. Aside from this blunder, via a third person perspective, Gregg did everything right. Well, maybe he shouldn't have let Tom stay back at the camp, strategizing with every sulk. That's the only real thing Gregg did wrong...but it's enough. Booted Off: Another Unlucky 13th Bootee in Survivor season history, that never saw it coming. High Point : The truth is, he seems like a very nice guy. Low Point: Then again; when deciding who to take with Gregg on a reward challenge, he asked for "girlfriend" Jennifer's advice. What's that about?  Rating : Large Crater.

 

Caryn. Best One-Line Summary : Man; what was up with that tribal council speech?  My Comments: Caryn had a mood about her; I can say that. In fact, I'd say the only time she didn't have a mood about her was in more recent weeks, when one would wisely keep her mouth shut and not makes waves, to stay in the game. So what was up with that long winded speech, in the tribal council that would inevitably boot her out of Palau...? She had things to say about everyone, insisting that she felt "the jury" should know. I'd blame this speech on Caryn knowing in advance (unlike us) that she was about to be unanimously booted off. Though let's be honest here; was this really any big surprise? Caryn had no bond with Katie, who she chewed out near the beginning of the game. She didn't have any major bond with Jennifer, because, hey; Jennifer's best bond was with Gregg, who Caryn helped boot off just the other night. As for Tom and Ian, well, they made a few promises to Caryn, and she believed them, and well...who's fault is that really? Maybe it's Caryn's fault, because if she didn't betray one female teammate's trust and chew out another, maybe she could've been all "those men lied to me!" and the three women would've started booting off the boys. Yeah, good plan...too bad for Caryn it never happened. Then again; I liked Ian and Tom, so it's all good for us...even if not for Caryn. Booted Off: 14th. High Point : To be fair; even when obnoxiously chewing out Katie some weeks ago, she was no Jerri. Low Point: Yet as little as one more loud rant would've put Caryn fully into "Jerri" territory. Rating : Small Crater.

And Now, The Final Four:

 

Jennifer. Best One-Line Summary : Would've been this season's "Colleen"...had we just seen more of her.  My Comments: Jennifer was cute, so why so little screen time? The good news is she was on the team that never lost a team-based immunity challenge. The bad news is that with so little need for politics to stay in the game, we knew little about any one member of Koror, even well beyond the merge of tribes. This is because this show is so used to showing the politics of a tribe before tribal council that the winning tribe isn't seen at all for the last half of each show. Yet with so little sign of politics in Koror meant also very little of Koror seen, period. That's the most disappointing when looking at Jennifer; a professional nanny who's cute as can be, and really would've improved this season's ratings if the video editors had some sense. I mean, okay, her team won and that means seeing the losing team at tribal council; let's see more of Jennifer, anyway! On the other hand, let's be fair: too much sight of Jennifer would've made you really hate the season finale, where Jennifer was voted out in the first few minutes. Maybe it's a good thing to have never known how disappointing this is. Maybe. Booted Off: 15th. High Point : Cute as can be. Low Point: Yet with so little screen time, is it fair to give her the highest possible grade? All right then; second highest! Rating : Large Crater.

 

Ian. Best One-Line Summary : Tom Lite.  My Comments: In any other season, Ian would be the clear cut MVP. He's likeable, he's loyal to his alliance/tribe, and he's won an immunity of his own or two. Yeah, near the end he made a promise or two to everyone in the tribe, and not surprisingly, the last person he promised anything to, Caryn, was a little upset about the fact that, chronologically, she was first to go, since she was the last to be promised anything by Ian. It's simpler than it sounds. All I know is that I really like Ian and think he's a shoo-in to win. Simply put; all targets are aimed at Tom as the MVP, so maybe the second MVP can fly under the radar and deservedly win the million. Either that or this is going to be another "the two remaining LVPs win the whole thing"...but that is another story.  Booted Off: 16th. High Point : Love or hate Ian; when it was obvious to him that he wasn't going to win the final challenge, he made a deal of sorts with Tom to "promise" to take Katie if that meant they'd still be friends and let bygones be bygones. That was a nice gesture. Low Point: Yet was Tom right in assuming Ian would've booted Tom had he been given the chance? We'll never know, though it is interesting to think about it. Rating : Large Crater.

 

Katie. Best One-Line Summary : In any other situation, we'd not mind if she'd won, but...let the next paragraph explain it.  My Comments: A lot of people had a lot to say about Katie. Hey; if you felt that way about her, guys, how'd she stay in the game longer than Coby, Janu, Stephanie, Gregg, Caryn, and oh yeah...Jennifer?!? That's the problem with Survivor; every once in a while there's this "Kelly" a la Survivor 1, who's the sort of silent partner of an alliance. Yet who do you accuse of treachery, if any, when given a clear cut MVP and an LVP in the final two...? That's the problem, and it's one with an often bizarre solution; for many seasons now, the "trick" the jury plays on the MVP is to vote for the LVP who got to the final two. It's their way of saying "We'll show them!" when it is they who are being shown. Dudes; you've given totally weakest link the million dollar prize. Anyway, I digress; this season went all "postal" on the idea of giving this season's LVP, Katie, the grand prize. No offense Katie but...bravo! Tom really did deserve to win. Yet I cannot bring myself to "hate" Katie like so much bile spewed at her in the finale's jury showdown.  Yeah; right. It's not "trickery" on her part that got her to the final two. Katie didn't deserve such flak; she simply didn't deserve to win next to Tom. They didn't have to drive the message home so harshly. Booted Off: The second place Survivor winner. High Point : She was hardly bad enough to rate a thumbs-down. Low Point: Yet to be mostly candid, we're thrilled Tom won the game. Rating : Small Crater.

 

Tom. Best One-Line Summary : Another deserved winner in this series' history...and that's very rare indeed.  My Comments: In another time and place, this season's finale would be a slam dunk. Tom would be the clear winner. He's strong, he's cunning, and hey; he killed a shark and shared it with his tribe as food. Whoh. Yet there's something to be said for either this season's poor video editing, or Tom himself, when even the slaying of a shark seems a bit humdrum. No offense; we're blaming very poor video editing on that one. This season's contestants kill a shark, and it seems almost like a sidebar event. It's like someone was trying to say "In this episode team Koror walks on a beach and cuts open a coconut and says 'hi' to one another and...oh yeah, one of them kills a shark." Am I digressing again? Sorry. So yeah Tom killed a shark. He also kept winning immunity over and over. He also is a good enough strategist to protect himself the times he wasn't immunity winner for once (or twice, as it were). You'd think this would make him the obvious winner, but in Survivor, no. So you can imagine everyone's glee in seeing the deserved winner of the game, actually win the million dollar prize. This season was actually good! The winner didn't suck! Bravo! Booted Off: The grand prize final winner. High Point : Deserves a "deep impact" this season, even if it were based on the way he played the game alone. "MVP" is putting it mildly. Low Point: Yet why didn't Coby vote for him? Did we miss something? Perhaps, but really; Whatever. Rating : Deep Impact.

 Final Rating: Large Crater. This season had some ups and turns, yet in the end wound up being one of the series' best seasons so far.

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