A GREAT final episode!
Sandra Diaz earned the majority of votes to become the first person in the history of "Survivor" to win two seasons! An incredible feat considering that this was only the second season she participated in.
Parvati Shallow took the runner-up position, and arguably should have won it all. Parvati won three Immunity Challenges, including back to back crucial immunities near the end of the game. She masterminded the first double idol giveaway, saving her team members Jerri and Sandra and ensuring the ouster of former Hero J.T. She schemed and plotted, made friends and enemies, and outplayed, outlasted and outwitted pretty much the entire cast!
The Russell Factor
Why did she lose? In a word, Russell. Unfair but it's a game! The jury saw her as riding Russell's coattails and I wonder how the vote would have gone had they been privy to the details of Parvati's game play. She was responsible for more key moves than Russell, who thought he was the original puppet master of "Survivor." The jury also fostered a lot of resentment toward Russell's game play which negatively impacted Parvati.
The Greats!
Both Sandra and Parvati could legitimately claim the title of "Greatest Survivor Ever." Sandra laid claim to the title of "Queen" and probably deservedly so! Both women chose decidedly different paths to the finals but undeniably, these two former winners most definitely are among the best players the game has ever seen.
Targeted by both Heroes and Villains alike since the first Tribal Council, Parvati managed to finagle her way to the end. Granted she received some help from Russell with a well timed idol gift early on, but by and large she maneuvered through the game implementing her own strategy throughout.
Sandra clashed with Russell from the very start. His mantra "If you cross Russell Hantz, you are gone," never really came into play where Sandra was concerned. Oh, he huffed and he puffed, but he never followed through with it because he gave little credit to Sandra's game play. In fact, more than anyone, Russell wanted to sit next to Sandra at the end. What votes did she have? He also thought the jury would never reward her with a second win. He was wrong.
Fatal Flaw?
While Sandra celebrated, and Parvati showed that she could be gracious in defeat, Russell stubbornly clung to the belief that the game was flawed and he should have won. The flaw, in his mind, is that America has no vote. As Jeff pointed out, that''s not how "Survivor" is constructed, and if he wants America's vote he should try out for that show.
Russell underestimated a lot of people in this game. He underestimated the strength of Parvati when he urged her to ride his coattails. He underestimated Sandra's social game which she extended to pretty much everyone but him. He underestimated the attitude of the jury regardless of the fact that they sat only a few feet from him on several occasions.
Probably his biggest problem is overestimating his own game. Russell basically told the jury that their only option was to vote for him. No one wants to reward a blow hard. His ego got in the way, not to mention the fact that he played dirty. Like his first season, Russell played hard but in doing so, did some really unnecessary things. Why hide the machete? Was it necessary in the overall game?
Some fans may love Russell's game play and say that he deserves to win, but they did not have to suffer through 39 days with him. Russell is the school yard bully. He's the boss that terrorizes his employees. He's the person who in real life you would cross the street to avoid. Yet, in the game of "Survivor," people cheer on his over-the-top behavior.
Last Hero Falls
All in all, it was a great conclusion to one of the best seasons!
Colby finally showed a glimmer of fight as he made a last ditch effort to save himself following a disappointing Immunity Challenge. He performed better during that challenge than any other Immunity Challenge this season. I guess when his butt's on the line, Colby digs a little deeper.
Parvati demonstrated her prowess as she claimed the Immunity Necklace once again. A tremendous physical player, she showed her strength in outlasting Colby. So Colby played an interesting hand. An initial bluff that he was conceding the game, followed by an attempt to oust Sandra from the game.
Russell listened but in the end, the last Hero was sent home. Actually, it was probably the only real choice as Colby likely would have won with four of his former teammates on the jury.
Homage to the Fallen
A day later, the Survivors conducted their walk of remembrance. A few words for each contestant that did not make it to the finals: Sugar, Stephenie, Randy, Cirie, Tom, Tyson, James, Rob, Coach, Courtney, JT, Amanda, Candice, Danielle, Rupert and Colby.
It's always interesting to see how the survivors remember their former teammates. Surprisingly, Jerri remembered Randy as someone who made her smile every morning. Sandra recalled Boston Rob's words that they would get along because Puerto Ricans and Italians were loud and ignorant. Not surprisingly, Russell had very little good to say about any of them; however, he did call Colby the only true hero.
Photo Finish
Finally, it was time for the last Immunity Challenge of the game. Blindfolded and relying on pedestals with directional carvings, the survivors made their way around a roped course collecting necklaces along the way. In what can only be described as a photo finish, Russell edged Parvati and grabbed the necklace for himself.
Promising safety to Jerri, and approaching Sandra to vote out Parvati, it seemed like the final three was struck.
The really peculiar thing was how certain Russell was that he owned the game. He felt that Courtney was Sandra's only vote. He also felt that he carried Parvati, and she would get no votes. Russell is unable to remove himself from the game long enough to view it from someone else's prospective.
In the end, it probably did not matter who he took to the end, because Russell ultimately was not rewarded with a single vote! As Boston Rob put it during the reunion which followed, Russell does not play to win, he plays to make it to the finals.
After Jerri left, Russell, Parvati and Sandra spent some time gathering their thoughts for the final Tribal Council. As a parting gesture, Sandra threw Russell's hat in the fire. Flashback to the socks Russell threw in the fire during his first season. Karma is a bitch.
It Is What It Is!
Facing the nine member jury, Sandra and Parvati made great cases to vote for them. Russell, meanwhile, approached the jury with the same finesse he did during his previous season. No one likes to be told what to do, and "Survivor" juries are no different.
Moments in, it was clear that none of these past players of the game respected Russell's game play. I actually liked Rupert's speech when he acknowledged the game play of both the women. Sandra and Parvati arguably had very different strategies, yet no less effective. Sandra played a quiet game and after Rob left, survived on her own by her own wits. Parvati survived by winning challenges and playing strategically!
Surprisingly, the viewers were shown six of the nine votes prior to Jeff's reveal. It was clear that it was a race between only Sandra and Parvati.
Russell did manage to take home the Sprint player of the game, and used that as justification for America having a vote.
In the end, a great season, and can't wait for the next!
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