Survivor: Samoa

[FoBoT]

all he did was lie, he stabbed every other player in the back,...

which is what survivor is all about at least until someone else does it to you and puts you on the jury, then all of a sudden the jury thinks that. survivor juries suck

 

[FoBoT]

Did anyone else get thrown off by Brett's "brodate" question? That was funny as shit.

yeah, that didn't work, not sure what brett was trying to do, just a bad idea

 

[Miramonti]

Has anyone heard anything about Russell NOT being a rich oil man and it all is just a con?

Haven't heard anything here, but if it's a lie, it'll no doubt be discovered pretty soon.

 

[Miramonti]

I thought Russell was going to win going into the final Tribal Council vote. Then he got all cocky and reminded everyone why he shouldn't win.

I was cringing at his blatant cockiness. He should have had more sense to keep playing the game one more day.

 

[M0RPH]

Check out Jeff Probst's take on this seasons result here:

http://popwatch.ew.com/2009/12/21/jeff-probst-survivor-russell/

I think he sums it up pretty well. Russell clearly got screwed by a bitter jury of sore losers.

Okay, now that the show is officially over I’m going to take off my hosting and producing hat and just give you my personal reaction to what went down last night. I think Russell was the victim of a jury of bitter people. I am not taking anything away from Natalie, she clearly did a great job of reading the group dynamic of the jury and as a result she deserves the money.
Oftentimes on Survivor, the vote does come down to a choice where a determining factor is “how nice someone is” but that’s usually when all other criteria being considered is equal. That doesn’t hold up this season. This season was so lopsided in terms of one person (Russell) completely dominating the game that to not give him the money and the title is a bit silly.
If I were playing Survivor, no matter how much I despised someone, if they kicked my ass in the game I would give it to them. Period. Outwit. Outplay. Nobody outwitted or outplayed Russell. Not even close.

 

[Muadib]

I was cringing at his blatant cockiness. He should have had more sense to keep playing the game one more day.

Exactly!! Russell reverted to being a dumb ass again not long after Brett was gone. His little speech did nothing but throw away jury votes. He should have heeded the advise he gave Natalie, when it was just the 3 of them left. She certainly did, and gave the perfect speech for the game she played. He clearly did not , and it cost him the win.

I haven't watched the reunion yet, but I can guess how Russell will respond.

 

[Muadib]

Check out Jeff Probst's take on this seasons result here:

http://popwatch.ew.com/2009/12/21/jeff-probst-survivor-russell/

I think he sums it up pretty well. Russell clearly got screwed by a bitter jury of sore losers.

I think this quote from Jeff summed it up best:

I do not believe the jury voted for Natalie, I believe the jury voted against Russell.

I watched the last show with my gf & 9 yo nephew. He and I watched most of the season together, and like most here, became huge fans of Russell. He went nuts after Russell convinced everyone to vote off Jaison, and thought they should have gotten rid of Natalie instead. After the speeches to the Jury, he agreed with Erik, and called Russell a cocky dummy. I laughed, but my gf, myself, and the jury agreed with him. son

 

[boomerang]

She played it the only way she could win it. Russel was her pit bull dog which had all the anger and slyness to make everyone else go away. She was his trophy "friend". She knew this right off the bat. Of course on the final vote everyone remembered him as being the pit bull and the "innocent" dumb blonde was never really a threat.
She is actually very smart on how she played Russell if you ask me and deserved the million. He doesn't even know what hit him. A lot of men are so dumb concerning good looking women, gotta watch out for 'em because some of them aren't so dumb.

I think you're giving her way too much credit. She doesn't come across as being overly bright to me. Quitting a great job to go on Survivor would be the first clue.

 

[Homerboy]

which is what survivor is all about at least until someone else does it to you and puts you on the jury, then all of a sudden the jury thinks that. survivor juries suck

Exactly.... I HATE when the jury started talking about "in life... these are the people you hate" Like Jaison's comparison to the work place and such.

HELLO? Its NOT really life. It's a game. I like when Russel used the the motto of Survivor in his speech "out wit, out last..." Maybe something happens when you play the game and are voted off, maybe it becomes more than a game at that point. But I said it earlier in the thread. The jury rarely RARELY votes for the best player. They vote for the one that hurt them less.

 

[Homerboy]

oh and imagine that, the most cerebral one in the bunch (ie not emotional), John voted for Russel.

 

[onlyCOpunk]

Anyone know if the cast gets wiped out by the recent tsunami?

 

[Spineshank]

Anyone know if the cast gets wiped out by the recent tsunami?

The tsunami didnt effect anything they said.

 

[kalrith]

I agree completely with Jeff's blog. He also said, "The only guy I could even see having the talent and guts to do something equally dominating would be Boston Rob." I didn't see the first season with Boston Rob, but I watched him on All-Stars. The exact same thing happened. He made all the big moves, thus making the jury hate him, and Amber just went along with everything. They voted for the one that hurt them less rather than the one who deserved it.

The only season I can remember in which the jury voted for the person who outwitted and outplayed everyone despite his lies and backstabbing was Todd in Survivor: China.

 

[Greenman]

which is what survivor is all about at least until someone else does it to you and puts you on the jury, then all of a sudden the jury thinks that. survivor juries suck

That's the mistake Russel made, and what most people seem to miss. If the jury wants you to die they aren't going to give you the money if they can avoid it. They had three to choose from, they chose the least offensive of the group.

 

[wyvrn]

Russell deserved that so much. And I despised him from very beginning of this season but he grew on me since he showed he was actually playing the game. The jury was just bitter as hell that Russell took out each and every one of them. If Russell wanted to at ANY point any single one of them could have been in the final three with him. Biggest sham on the planet.

Ding ding ding. Exactly how I feel. I won't watch any more seasons of Survivor because it will only be a popularity contest from now on. And there are enough of those on TV that Survivor is not original anymore. No reason to watch it.

 

[wyvrn]

Russell just didn't understand that even though it's just a game, the idea of being on a team means that there has to be a certain amount of assumed trust with your fellow teammates. The idea of "going rogue" and saying "to hell with my team- I'm in this for my own glory", is what makes the jury turn against you.

I think Erik's speech made Natalie the winner. Russell's bragging of being rich and not really needing the money was a big laugh when he seemed to be whining in the studio that he gotten screwed.

He didn't want the money, just the title. Did you even watch the season? He offered to pay Natalie 10,000 just for the title. But he didn't care about the money, he is rich.

 

[wyvrn]

I have to disagree, Russel only won half the game. Yes, he pretty much controlled who went home and who stayed, but he did it in such a way that the jury hated him. Everyone thinks Natalie was nothing but an airhead blond, but the fact remains that she made it to the end, she didn't lie to everyone else in the game, and she walked away with a million bucks. Russel was outplayed no matter how you cut it.

No he wasn't outplayed. The jury got schooled, and they were pissed. They voted Natalie not because of her strategy (there was zero), but because she was 'nice'. In other words, popularity contest. That's not supposed to be only what the show is about. Otherwise it is no different than any other show and is not worth the watch.

Even the host agrees:
>>

Okay, now that the show is officially over I’m going to take off my hosting and producing hat and just give you my personal reaction to what went down last night.

I think Russell was the victim of a jury of bitter people. I am not taking anything away from Natalie, she clearly did a great job of reading the group dynamic of the jury and as a result she deserves the money.

Oftentimes on Survivor, the vote does come down to a choice where a determining factor is “how nice someone is” but that’s usually when all other criteria being considered is equal. That doesn’t hold up this season. This season was so lopsided in terms of one person (Russell) completely dominating the game that to not give him the money and the title is a bit silly.

If I were playing Survivor, no matter how much I despised someone, if they kicked my ass in the game I would give it to them. Period. Outwit. Outplay. Nobody outwitted or outplayed Russell. Not even close.
I was a bit surprised at Erik’s nod to Natalie during the final tribal council. I think he certainly helped Natalie and definitely hurt Russell. I also think that when Erik watches this season again in a few years he will regret not giving his vote to Russell. Erik is the kind of guy who I thought would respect a player like Russell. I think Erik was still smarting from the whole Galu disaster.

I do not believe the jury voted for Natalie, I believe the jury voted against Russell.

Russell was clearly upset last night and I think a lot of people understand why that would be. He played a very risky and creative game and he wanted to be acknowledged. As for the audience, they spoke quite loudly when they awarded him the $100,000 from Sprint by an overwhelming 46% Russell to 10% Shambo… and 7% Natalie. Not even close. I put myself in that same group. Again, I’m speaking as a fan, not as a host or a producer.

But hey this is how it goes, it’s why Survivor is so fun to watch, you can never predict the outcome. So…

A FEW QUESTIONS…
Q. Can you be considered the greatest player ever if you don’t win? Hmmm. It’s a tough question for me. On one hand, it’s a no-brainer, absolutely not. Survivor is a social game and to win you have to vote people out in a way that compels them to return and vote for you to win the game. It’s extremely complicated and Russell did not achieve it, therefore he cannot be considered the greatest player to ever play. On the other hand, I can’t think of anybody who has ever played a game like Russell played. It was so dominating that I am still shaking my head that he didn’t win. The only guy I could even see having the talent and guts to do something equally dominating would be Boston Rob. So I am on the fence on this one. But this much I am certain of – Russell is without any question ONE of the greats. No doubt about it.

Q. Did Natalie play a better game than Russell? For me, that’s a bit easier to answer. I do not think that Natalie played a better game, but rather was the right person in the right position who made one very good strategic move and that was to stay out of Russell’s way, and as a result she ended up with the money. But to be fair – a very good counter argument is that Natalie used her strengths, avoided her weaknesses and by taking this active approach to the game, she put herself in position to win the money and it paid off. It’s a counter argument, but not one that I’m that fond of supporting.

Q. Was this a great season or a lame season? For me, this is another easy question. Survivor: Samoa will rank as one of my favorite seasons and for one reason: Russell Hantz. He single handedly kept this show interesting week after week after week. But I know some will argue that because it was “The Russell Season” it lacked having more big characters and therefore does not rank as high. This is one that will be debated by Survivor fans for years to come.

LIFE GOES ON AND SO DOES SURVIVOR
I hope you’re all jazzed about Survivor: Heroes Vs. Villains. I think you are going to really enjoy it! We have an all-star cast returning. A lot of people you will expect and want to see and a couple of surprise choices that may leave you scratching your head, which we love, by the way.

LIVE FOR THE MOMENT
One last reminder – if you are looking for a show that offers adventure as well as a positive message about how to live your life to the fullest. Check out Live for the Moment Thursday, Jan. 28 at 8pm on CBS.

Happy Holidays Survivor fans – and Happy New Year.

 

[Riverhound777]

I think Russell should have won, but I guess that is how it goes. I think he should go on Big Brother, he would have won for sure there.

 

[olds]

Did anyone else get thrown off by Brett's "brodate" question? That was funny as shit.

yeah, that didn't work, not sure what brett was trying to do, just a bad idea

I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to learn that half of the under 30 crowd here uses that term.

 

[purbeast0]

This was a good read as well that some of you may enjoy...

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20332130,00.html

It's pretty spot on IMO, and I really liked the 4th page about his view on the juries questions.

 

[abaez]

The only season I can remember in which the jury voted for the person who outwitted and outplayed everyone despite his lies and backstabbing was Todd in Survivor: China.

Todd? Are you kidding? That guy was frickin awful.

The only people who have actually won and played Russell-like are Yul and Richard Hatch. I think Yul and Russell are equal in their ability to play but Yul actually won.

As for this season - Russell dominated, but he didn't win. Period. I was very surprised the last episode after voting out Brett how really cocky he was (much cockier than he was during the whole season). Right to their faces. If he would have taken a better approach on the jury he would have had a better chance.

Next season sounds great though - Amanda has been on twice and has played ridiculously well and she has not won (I think she went to finals both times)? Richard Hatch coming back.. and COACH.. best player to hate ever?

 

[Miramonti]

I think the fact that Russell was soooo powerful, it gave too many people a single place to channel their bitterness for being a loser.

Normally someone wouldn't call all the shots for most of the season like he did, start to finish. But if Eric didn't get voted out, Galu would have run the table with 8 people to 0 foa foa. That means that 5 members of galu would have been stabbed in the back anyways, but by their own tribe instead.

Yet it's their cowardly shortsightedness that thinks its ok to blame Russell for playing without integrity, which is fvcking stupid because it is nothing more than a game. Russell schooled everyone like a lawyer schooling a bunch of 2nd graders, and in the end, they unfortunately all (most, that is) acted like 2nd graders.

 

[Spineshank]

Anyone read the interview where Russel said that Kelly, Dave, and someone else came up to him after the show and said they made a mistake.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Check out Jeff Probst's take on this seasons result here:

http://popwatch.ew.com/2009/12/21/jeff-probst-survivor-russell/

I think he sums it up pretty well. Russell clearly got screwed by a bitter jury of sore losers.

Surely a brilliant student of the game like Russell supposedly was would know in advance of jury bitterness, would see the history of jury votes based on personality and would be able to play accordingly. If Russell was unable to accept that he needed VOTES to win and was unable to adapt his strategy to take that into account then he clearly was not nearly as brilliant as he thinks he was. Case closed. He had 18 prior seasons to study and he failed to learn that most simple of lessons.

 

[Miramonti]

Anyone read the interview where Russel said that Kelly, Dave, and someone else came up to him after the show and said they made a mistake.

link?