My pick (from day 1) proved to be the ultimate puppet master this season and I am very happy to say that Todd, our sneaky Mormon gay flight attendant won the China edition of Survivor and is now a million dollars richer. Congratulations Todd, you played a great game and even better truly understood the game.The big finale had all the elements of the last round. The final reward challenge was narrowly won by Amanda (in all her pixelated glory) who decided to share her beer, pizza and brownies with Todd, going back to the very first day when the 2 decided to make an alliance and go all the way. There was lots of chat about getting rid of Todd again (an ongoing theme for the past several weeks) but as predicted, when push came to shove, it's better to take some one to the final vote with the jury that you think you can beat as opposed to someone who might beat you.
Before getting to the final Immunity Challenge, we had the usual " Walk of Shame" where all of the eliminated contestants are honored. It's not always the most thrilling part of the series but always fun to hear what kind of comments are said about those who have already left the game. The locales and visuals this year where just stunning, and I really loved the giant statue of Chinese good fortune.
At the Immunity Challenge, things were a tad bit different this year. It's usually some kind of endurance challenge of some sort, and this year is was endurance and balancing dishes. Todd was out first, followed by Courtney and ultimately won by Amanda who refused to swing a deal with Denise. I think that Denise should have known at this time that she wasn't going to be in the final 3. Courtney got in one of her bitchiest comments before the last Tribal Council, saying that it wasn't like welfare and that it's too bad if your life sucks..... I have to give the girl props for that and she had me in shock and awe and snickering every so much.
No surprise, Denise is eliminated as she was a huge threat if she went to the final 3. Much easier to vote for our Lunch Lady than any of the other survivors and they were smart to get rid of her. Then it's time for our Q&A with the jury and after a barrage of questions, Todd has explained himself well and his game tactics and it's very clear that yes, he has been a puppet master from the very beginning. I have been saying it for weeks and although the vote is close, Todd ultimately wins. Amanda only gets one vote and Courtney gets two and Denise is still fuming.
The Reunion show was great, Jeff tried to get lots of dirt on what is happening with the players. Poor Denise is still having a rough time, and after the public vote gives James $100,000, Mark Burnett feels guilty and gives Denise $50,000 which is generous if not a bit manipulated. Jeff putting Erik on the spot to find out if he was still a virgin was a bit over the top, but the icing on the cake was pointing out that Jean-Robert was completely out played by Todd, who manipulated him to the very end and left with the big prize. That was a great season of Survivor,and now I can hardly wait for the next one, Fans vs Fan Favorites. Here's hoping we get to see more Ozzie and Yau Man !
