SURVIVOR FINALIST RUSSELL REALLY IS AN ASS:
WHEREAS 4TH PLACE BRETT
SHOWED CLASS WILL TELL
I watch a bit of Reality TV and I'm a big fan of seven-time Emmy Recipient The Amazing Race -- the best of the breed. Better than American Idol
and all the rest on NBC, Fox, ABC or the CW. I'd love to participate
with my pal, charismatic German TV Star Andreas Stenschke (take a look and you'll agree)
-- not just for the million dollars. It's fun and challenging, and the
winner wins because the team has achieved victory, as opposed to
contests decided upon by scheming and jealous cohabitants of a house or
remote island.
But the point here is to cast light on the devil incarnate of the most recent Survivor,
which concluded Sunday night on CBS. Machiavellian is too tame to
describe the overconfident and somewhat deluded Russell Hantz, who was
earlier voted Fan Favorite by the viewing audience even as he sat
through the program sullen and glum after learning he'd lost to Natalie
White.
For many weeks we watched Russell plot and play people against each
other, and, to a certain extent, he must be commended for achieving his
goal to make it to the end. While his Survivor counterparts
couldn't see the edited confessionals presented to the television
public in which he admitted his lies and cheating, they were
nonetheless exceedingly dimwitted as each of Russell's supposed
confidantes were voted off the island.
Didn't these clever people, including a physician and articulate law
student ever talk to each other out of Russell's presence? Wouldn't
they have let it be known they had a deal with Russell in the same way
that Mick Trimming and Jaison Robinson conversed about the rare slip
Russell made when he revealed he was actually a successful businessman?
Wasn't it obvious when his close companions, such as the earthy but not
too swift Shannon Waters (Shambo) were voted off with his support?
And yet, when there were only six people left and attention turned
to the heretofore mostly wallflower, soft-spoken and handsome
23-year-old Brett Clouser, who'd saved himself by winning the immunity
idol, no one started talking about getting rid of Russell. This was the
amazing faux pas, that each of Russell's tribe mates stuck with him
when Mick, Natalie and Jaison could have taken him out. At the least,
they should've made him think they were going to do so to make him use
his last personal immunity idol that he amazingly kept finding (even
without clues). Instead, they allowed him to keep the idol for another
round, thus ensuring he'd be in the game for another two tribal
councils.
But that's the background to the finale. The game changed enormously
when Brett, who'd stayed on the sidelines most of the season was
suddenly in jeopardy because he was one of the only players left not in
the Russell alliance. He surprised everyone by winning the competitive
immunity idol. Then winning it again. And then a third time. All three
contests exhibited a combination of physicality and mental processes.
The first entailed learning how best to catapult a coconut into a box,
no mean feat, the second, slow methodical counting and the third
putting together a jigsaw puzzle faster than the others.
He was suddenly the one to beat, as all his former tribe mates were
on the jury panel and everyone feared going up against him in the final
vote. It was down to the last contest, prior to which Russell, who'd
mocked and derided Brett as a punk, now played up to him, offering to
take him to the final three because he deserved to be there.
It was a close call, finally down to Russell and Brett balancing a
figurine on a continually growing elongated stick, and, as fate would
have it, Russell won. Even then Russell told Brett he was going to vote
out Mick to force a tie, his strategy being he would gain respect and
favor with the jury, who he feared mostly despised him.
I'll skip to the end, where Jeff Probst delivered the final vote,
which Russell had earlier predicted in front of the jury he had the
best chance of winning. It wasn't even close. Natalie won by a five to
two margin, and during the hoopla of her victory one could see Russell
wasn't happy. Even though he'd declared during questioning by the jury
before they voted that he wasn't really the cunning liar they'd all
known. He was an honorable man and it was just a game.
But he couldn't help himself, even on live TV when the vote was
announced. He continued to protest to Jeff Probst that he was the
winner, and the morality-challenged audience cheered in agreement. But
the jury members took issue, as did winner Natalie who refused his
outrageous offer of ten thousand dollars if she would allow Jeff to
declare him the Sole Survivor on national television. So much did he
need the validation of that title.
Contrast that with Brett Clouser, who was asked how it felt to have
a million dollars slip through his fingers during a final event that
was so close. Probst even took a poll of the jury, which confirmed his
thought that Brett would have won hands down. But Brett said with a
warm smile it was just the way things are. He did his best and while he
surely regretted losing he was proud of his achievement. He was the
epitome of grace and a good sportsman.
Brett was voted, along with Shambo and Russell, one of the three
finalists as audience favorite, and perhaps had the viewers seen
Russell's true colors the young man would have easily won the hundred
thousand dollar prize. But the audience voted for the villain, much as
they preferred J.R. to Bobby on Dallas, and were no doubt
demonstrating their most favorite character. Had they realized it was
not an act and what a despicable, unpleasant and ungracious man Russell
Hantz was perhaps they wouldn't have been so generous adding to the
hundred thousand dollars he'd already won as runner-up.
For me, Brett Clouser made a run for the roses in the last quarter
mile, falling short by a nose but coming out a life winner in the long
run.
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