Greatest Survivor Ever!

And the winner is …

Actually, it's kind of a tough call without some hard and fast parameters, and by whose standards will those parameters be identified? Ironically, this topic would likely only be a blip if not for Russell's constantly bringing it to the attention of the viewers.

In his mind, Russell is the greatest survivor to ever play the game. In another blog, I reviewed the question, but this season has made me rethink it entirely.

The final five included two past winners: Sandra and Parvati; two runners-up: Colby and Russell; and Jerri, who made the jury during Australian Outback, but came up short during All Stars.

Legitimately, the Greatest Survivor candidates should come from this group of five, but were they the most competitive players this season? For whatever reason, few of the Villains and most of the Heroes actually did not come into the game in a competitive mode.

Heroic Gamers!

Based on the shows, the gamers for the Heroes were limited. JT obviously came to play and left his good guy image at home. He played all sides and was instrumental in weakening his tribe by voting out Sugar, Stephenie, Cirie, Tom and James. A pre-game roll in the hay lead to a secret alliance with Sugar which he quickly dismissed in the first round. But it was his ridiculous Immunity Idol gift to Russell that will standout as one of the biggest mistakes in game history.

Stephenie may have come with a game plan but her strength and likability posed a threat to James and Rupert. So, she went too early to know what her game impact might have been.

Amanda's game plan was to stick close to James and Rupert. After James left, Amanda had little choice but to stick with the less athletic Rupert as her strongest ally. She showed some game when she convinced Parvati she was on her side, and also when she grabbed the Immunity Idol from Danielle. Her biggest deficit was her teammates that couldn't have found a way to win if they were the only ones playing!

Candice seemed like the woman without a tribe for so long that when she finally made her big game move by switching to the Villains, she was faced with distrust all around.

Villainous Gamers!

The bigger gamers were, in fact, among the Villains. Rob Mariano came in with a plan to switch his game persona. His successful transformation made him a threat to Russell. In spite of everything, Rob seemed to have lost his edge and he wasn't quite the same player he was a few years ago. His advice, however, was pure gold!

Randy, Coach and Tyson were non-factors or maybe better yet, placeholders on the team. Courtney fell into the same category.

The Real Players!

But the real game players were: Parvati, Sandra, Russell and Danielle — in that order! Of that group, only Danielle was eliminated prior to the final five. So who deserves the crown of Greatest Survivor Ever?

Colby eliminated himself from the title. How many times did Colby concede the game and consider himself gone? Hardly, a trait one would look for in the Greatest Survivor Ever. He showed little fire and less strategic planning.

Jerri lucked into the final five. Sorry Jerri! She actually turned out to be one of the more personable survivor contestants and I'm happy to say she became one of my favorites but she was simply not on the same level as the others.

You Don't Know Who You Are Dealing With...

Then we have Russell, the self-proclaimed "Greatest Player Ever." Not to rain on his parade, but Russell made many mistakes. Too many for him to remain a contender for the title!

His first, and biggest mistake, was his belief that no one played the game better than him or, for that matter, was smarter than Russell Hantz. His second mistake was his incredibly one-sided loyalty to Parvati. Russell ran every game move by Parvati, who was then privy to his strategy. Other mistakes littered his game play, but his final mistake was his emotional involvement. Whether it was his desire to be the best in the history of the game, or his desire to be everything to Parvati, Russell's emotions were most definitely in the game!

"I'm Against You Russell!"

Next there's Sandra, who played a devious and underhanded game, and looked Russell in the eye and told him she was against him and still survived. She may very well win the entire game, and this would do much for her selection as "Greatest Survivor Ever." Sandra would become the first person ever, to win the game twice.

Her skills were not in winning challenges, although she did outlast Colby in most of the challenges. Her skills were mainly mental. She focused on the game and threw people under the bus when it suited her. Ultimately, she never lost sight of the end game. The only thing which would have made her a stronger candidate would have been the elimination of Russell.

Survivor Queen!

Finally, there's Parvati. Three times a "Survivor" contestant, Parvati proved that she was a winner, and she also could be the first to win the show twice. Not only does she have the mental skills to win, she also has the physical skills to win the challenges. Time after time, she outlasted the men who seemed to be real wusses when their backs were against the wall.

She consistently outwitted her male ally, Russell. One of the best blindsides ever was Parvati handing over not only the Immunity Idol she received from Russell, but the one she had found herself to Sandra and Jerri. Russell was visibly shocked by this development and it was the beginning of the end of their close relationship. For the first time, Russell realized that he wasn't among first-timers.

Of all the past players of "Survivor," Parvati has earned the title of "Greatest Survivor Ever." Her game skills are unmatched and hopefully will not go unrecognized!