Here we go, sports fans! (Unintended pun)
CBS has started the advertisements for “Survivor Week,” so you know what that means! It’s time for the finale! It’s time to find out who will be the eleventh Sole Survivor.
And let me start this week’s column by celebrating. JUDD IS GONE!! There has been no mystery this season, if you’ve been reading regularly, that I have not liked Judd since almost the beginning. I noticed fairly early he was more arrogant than I like to see. Then, there was the childish encounter with Margaret at Tribal Council. However, nothing made me happier to see Judd go than his shameful exit.
If there’s one thing that drives me absolutely crazy in Survivor, it’s hypocrisy. No joke, it drives me completely up the wall. Lex on All-Stars is a prime example: it makes me sick re-watching his childish behavior towards Rob. And now we have a new candidate to induct into the Hall of Hypocrites.
Judd, who moments before being voted out, said that the notion of a happy family was BS and that everybody wanted to see someone go home, since it was better for their game. He actually said, “Nothing personal. Deal with it.”
And then, he is forced to eat his own words. But does he do it with dignity? Of course not. He calls them all scumbags and says he hopes they get eaten by crocodiles. According to his interviews, he is still bitter about it today. Was it great TV? Absolutely. But it’s always frustrating for me to see hypocrisy.
What’s the matter, Judd? You realized you weren’t the only one allowed to play the game anyway you wanted to? News flash: the other people are allowed to play and strategize, too, and they’re even allowed to do it without you involved.
So now I’m happy because my worst Guatemalan nightmare will not be realized: Judd will not be walking away with a million dollars.
Actually, I’m thrilled with this Final Five. I like everybody left, and wouldn’t mind seeing anyone win. I’d rather not see Lydia win, just because I don’t think she’s been doing enough on her own in terms of strategy to deserve winning, but if she does win, I won’t die, like I would if Judd won.
We’re shaping up for a great finale. All of these people want it, only one can get it. Where do they stand?
DANNI—My favorite to win it all. She played it absolutely perfectly last week. She won the advantage (which I can’t believe the others let her get so easily), played the challenge flawlessly and won Immunity, and said exactly the right things to the right people: Rafe and Stephenie. She not only saved her butt for another week, but also secured a potential Final Four alliance with Rafe, Steph, and Cindy. I knew she was smart from all the swing vote decisions she had to make back on the new Yaxha, and her game play last week was further proof of her intelligence. If she wins, I’ll be thrilled. Regardless, she gets MVP for last week’s episode for sure.
STEPHENIE—Thank you so much for getting rid of Judd! In terms of strategy, however, I do need to question her motivation. Obviously, I do not blame her in the least. I would be uneasy about trusting Judd, too, who proved many times (like with the hidden Immunity Idol) that he is a liar, despite his claims. He also said himself numerous times and in numerous ways that he didn’t care about anybody else and was going to do whatever it took to get to the million. As the game gets closer to the end, paranoia increases, and in terms of the circumstances and the tentative trust issue with the other players, I think I would have done the same thing in a heartbeat. You just can’t feel safe with a volatile, unpredictable, loud player like Judd. So did Steph make the right decision? Under the circumstances, I think so. Ultimately, the question comes in when you consider that, in hindsight, Judd was most likely going to be loyal to her, and she may have gotten a ticket to the million dollars with him sitting next to her in the Final Two. However, for the time and circumstance she was in, I definitely feel Stephenie made the right decision.
RAFE— With quiet authority it is becoming more and more apparent he is ruling this game. Could he win the whole thing? Absolutely. He has been a quiet strategic mastermind, the nice guy everyone wants to come talk to, and the surprising Immunity threat. Good going for Rafe in working with Danni to pull Judd’s ouster; for the same reasons as Steph, it was the right move just because of the loose trust issue there is with a player like Judd. Great game so far, keep it up!
CINDY— Every week, we see more and more of Cindy, and I like her more and more. She’s not a power player on the levels of control of Rafe, Steph, and now Danni, but she has still managed to get inside the big alliances. Except for last week. She was caught off-guard, which is never a fun position to be in when you need to go back to camp with these people. However, she has proven she is no slouch in the challenges, and I think she has a little fight left in her.
LYDIA— As I said earlier, even though I like Lydia, and wouldn’t die if she won, she is the one of the five I want to see win the least. The reason is because of the five, she has done the least amount of contribution on her own in terms of strategy. Last week, she was not actively working in the overthrow. She was selling her vote, saying “My vote is available for anyone who needs it.” I just don’t respect that in terms of strategy, especially when you have the types of players that are still around. She is a real nice lady, though, and was glad she got to see her brother, even for just a few minutes.
Now, if you’re wondering, “Well, what’s your ranking in terms of who you want to see win the most and least of the five left?” Look no further, because I just gave it to you. The order in which I just gave my little blurbs on each player is the order in which my current favorites are. That is not the order in which I think they WILL stack up, but rather the order in which I HOPE they stack up, starting with Danni and working our way down to Lydia.
In terms of how it WILL go, your guess is as good as mine. All I can say is, I can’t wait for these next two episodes to unfold! I have a feeling we’re in for a great finish!
Enjoy the finale this Sunday!
I’ll “see” you next week with my Guatemala wrap-up!
