Survivor Reflections

Last night at 10:00 pm, Tim Cuprisin, the long-time media columnist for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, posted the following on facebook, “In the least exciting conclusion to a "reality" show I can remember, JT won "Survivor." Being an official Survivor Geek, I was offended at first. After some consternation, I realized that he was indeed correct. It wasn’t exciting. But it was something else. It was satisfying.




It was satisfying because JT, the guy I was pulling for, won and he was a respectable family-orientated guy to boot. The reason the finale was less than thrilling was because the final four contestants were all down-to-earth, decent people. There was no “villain” to root against.

The manipulative Coach Wade was voted off last week and his disturbing minion Tyson was blindsided three shows prior to that. Don’t get me wrong, without characters like Coach and Tyson, Survivor Tocantins would have been a snooze fest from start to finish. That being said, it was still nice to see a “good guy” win.

The “good guy” doesn’t always win, nor does the person I am pulling for. Here is a list of all 18 winners of Survivor. My opinion of the outcome is indicated by a YES! or a BOO! or a Whatever…

1. Survivor: Borneo - Richard Hatch is the winner of the first Survivor series, which aired in 2000. He was released from prison on May 14, 2009, having been incarcerated for tax evasion. YES!

2. Survivor: The Australian Outback - Tina Wesson became the first woman to win the $1 million prize in 2001. BOO!

3. Survivor: Africa - Ethan Zohn co-founded Grassroot Soccer that leverages soccer in order to raise money and awareness to fight HIV/AIDS. YES!

4. Survivor: Marquesas - Vecepia Towery won $1,000,000 on the Marquesas edition of Survivor, the first African American contestant to win the game. Whatever…!

5. Survivor: Thailand - Brian Heidik reportedly worked as a soft-core porn star before Survivor. BOO!

6. Survivor: The Amazon - Jenna Morasca was the youngest ever winner at the time of taping and is currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. YES!

7. Survivor: Pearl Islands - Sandra Diaz-Twine currently lives with her husband and two children while working as a bank teller in Fayetteville, North Carolina. YES!

8. Survivor: All-Stars (Pearl Islands) - Amber Brkich accepted fellow All-Stars competitor Rob Mariano's proposal of marriage on live television. BOO!

9. Survivor: Vanuatu - Chris Daugherty was considered by host Jeff Probst as one of the most unlikely Survivor winners. Whatever…

10. Survivor: Palau - Tom Westman is a husband, father of three, and former firefighter. YES!

11. Survivor: Guatemala - Danni Boatwright represented Kansas at the nationally televised Miss Teen USA and Miss USA pageants. YES!

12. Survivor: Panama - Aras Baskauskas is the second youngest male winner of Survivor at the time of it’s taping. Whatever…

13. Survivor: Cook Islands - Yul Kwon is a member of the Washington, D.C. and California State Bar Associations. Whatever…

14. Survivor: Fiji - Earl Cole is a California advertising executive. YES!

15. Survivor: China - Todd Herzog is the youngest male contestant to win the game, at age 22 at time of air. BOO!

16. Survivor: Micronesia - Parvati Shallow won this Fans vs. Favorites edition of Survivor. BOO!

17. Survivor: Gabon - Robert "Bob" Crowley is the oldest winner in the history of Survivor and also won the $100,000 from the Sprint Player of the season contest. YES!

18. Survivor: Tocantins - James "JT" Thomas Jr. is a cattle rancher who also won the $100,000 from the Sprint Player of the season contest. YES!

I know everyone isn’t going to agree with my viewpoints. For instance, Fellow Survivor Geek Aunt Janet didn’t like the outcome and I am sure other Fellow Survivor Geeks such as Jamie, Mary Beth, Karen and Greg will have their opinions. That’s the beauty of Survivor.

It might not have been the most exciting finale, but it satisfied this Survivor Geek. Until next time…from Samoa.