Survivor: Gabon almost threw away a great season with a disastrous final jury vote. I was ready to go on a rampage in this here column, decrying the hypocrisy of Survivor jurors and the stupidity of the three finalist system. I was going to be a bitter fool. Thankfully, Susie did not win a million dollars on Survivor: Gabon, Mr. Bob Crowley was rightfully crowned champion, and subtleties that would have been clouded by anger can now be fully explored. A lot went on in those three hours of Survivor coverage on CBS, and I found my opinions changed more than I expected and, frankly, more than I would have liked.
I think a lot about putting things in proper perspective. It’s hard to step back and reevaluate things, but we have to, lest our point of views become too narrow. Depending on how the events of the finale turned out, I was prepared to be as bitter as the jury members were at the final tribal while writing this column. Had I not taken a couple hours after watching to really ponder the events and the characters involved in the finale, conclusions would have been reached that I probably wouldn’t be proud of in a couple days. There’s a natural tendency to lump Survivor (and all reality show) contestants into groups like Good Guys and Bad Guys. I’ve fallen victim to this trap far too often, and I suspect most of you have been guilty of the same thing every now and then.
These are three-dimensional people we’re dealing with. How Sugar carries herself at the final tribal council should weigh as much as her “performance” at the live reunion show when coming to a value judgment on her character. The difficulty comes in the live versus edited footage – it became quite clear, given the jury’s behavior and the final vote tally, that Sugar received a very favorable edit this season. Her delusional, obnoxious, self-aggrandizing comments during the live reunion show only reinforced this. The first thing I wrote after the reunion show ended was this:
Can a jury, who had minutes earlier shown themselves to be a group of bitter swine, be vindicated so thoroughly by the meager, live television ramblings of a favorably edited pin-up girl? I was on Sugar’s side after the last two episodes, and I once again found myself on her side throughout the final tribal council, but then she had to open her mouth at the damn live reunion show, and prove herself a delusional fame-whore, disingenuous and annoying. The only way I can defend my yo-yoing Sugar opinions is that I think she wore me down as the season went along. I hated her crying early in the season, but she was so persistently emotional, that I ended up buying into it. Now, I don’t.
While my opinions on Sugar have certainly been altered, the blanket conclusion I came to was, I now believe, short-sighted. Perspective: Sugar is just a young girl who wants to be famous. She wants to be liked, and there’s probably no bigger ego boost for a very clearly unstable person than a season-long positive portrayal of yourself on a show watched by millions of people. Yeah, her comments regarding her so-called fame were ruthlessly annoying. But, I can’t hate her because of it. She’s got her flaws and, noticeable as they are, it only makes her human. At least now I understand why no one really liked her.
However, just because it turns out that Sugar isn’t the sensitive little angel that CBS led the audience to believe, that doesn’t let the jury off the hook. The bitter jury questioning of Survivor finalists always makes for entertaining television. Unfortunately, it makes the jurors out to look like buffoons. Corinne was out of line. Randy was out of line. Kenny was incomprehensible. Matty didn’t take the high road like I hoped he would. Even Marcus, who I thought would at least be level-headed, gave a verbal middle finger to Susie for reasons I fail to comprehend. I’m sure that the producers tell the jury members to be as combative as they can be, but I wish they wouldn’t bite the apple so vigorously.
Randy, as much as I try to figure him out, still eludes me. Never has there been a more enigmatic Survivor contestant. He says he’s bitter as can be, that this is really him, that he’s not in on the joke. But, even during the live reunion show, I got the feeling that he is in on the joke. There was a smirk on his face, and maybe, just maybe, he really enjoys the persona he’s chosen. He’s cut off the possibility of having real human, emotional interaction with people and traded it in for the ability to say whatever the hell he wants at any given moment. It’s like he had decades of suppressed emotions built up that he’s now able to unleash at will and without any meaningful retribution. I think he’s secretly enjoying it all. He’s too smart to trap himself in a life of misery the way he has. Either way, he’s profoundly and deeply unhappy, but he’s probably always been that way. At least now he’s equipped with the weapon of an unfiltered mouth, a weapon that, from time to time, allows him to make other people feel how he must feel all the time. As the saying goes, misery loves company.
Lost in the viewing experience last night was a triumphant victory for Bob. Sure, it was triumphant for him and his family, but as soon as that final vote for Bob was read aloud by Jeff Probst, the only emotion I felt was relief. Relief that a bitter jury didn’t give Susie a million dollars just because, in their minds, she was the lesser of three evils. There’s not much to say about Bob. He deserved it. He’s a great guy and he didn’t let a game as cutthroat as Survivor turn him petty or mean. He was legitimately thankful for his opportunity to play the game, and I’m willing to bet that he enjoyed his time in Gabon more than any of the other castaways. Karma, fate – call it what you will. One of the best, most entertaining Survivor seasons ever ended with the best person winning. Bob’s a winner we can all be proud of.
That’s it for now – we’ll have lots more Survivor wrap-up coverage as the week goes on, including interviews, so stay tuned.
