Survivor: South Pacific, Final & Reunion

It has been noted by people who have played that most Survivors vote for who they liked the best, not who played the best game. When Sophie started getting flak and then broke down at tribal council, I thought it was due to a realization that the game might be slipping away for this reason. In the final tribal, the unduly hostile jury didn't give many overt signals that they liked Sophie, so I really thought Coach might pull it out in the end. Thankfully, he didn't. It turns out nobody really liked any of the three, so Sophie won for being least objectionable. It was not an All-Star caliber performance, but she's nowhere near the list of least deserving winners. She played a good game, and I would have voted for her.

The duel and both immunity challenges were very exciting. Watching Sophie crack at tribal was interesting. It's clear the strain was finally getting to her, but I don't think less of her. She had the presence of mind to win the next challenge and stop Ozzy. It was a very good performance.

So, the question is - why did Coach target Brandon and Rick instead of Sophie? Albert was rightly worried about her, and Coach dismissed his concerns by saying that Albert isn't as smart as Sophie, so he's threatened by her. I too doubt Albert is as smart as Sophie, but on this issue, he was smarter than Coach. So, why did Coach not see it?

I think Coach could see that Sophie was smarter than Albert, but I don't think he was capable of seeing Sophie beating Coach. I'm not saying Coach is a full-blown misogynist. But, for whatever reason he had a hard time seeing Sophie winning - instead, he feared Brandon and Rick. I think Sophie being a young woman might have something to do with this. Coach coached collegiate women's soccer for 13 years. As a coach, I think Coach might have started seeing college-age girls differently. For whatever reason, he just couldn't see the 22-year-old Sophie beating him (when Albert could).      

The final tribal annoyed me a little. I understand the jury is going to be disgruntled, and often with good cause. But, frankly, though there were some legitimate grievances, I thought the anger was a little higher than in relation to the crimes of the finalists. It was unpleasant to watch the perpetual undertone of nastiness from the jurors. Did anyone even congratulate them for making it to the end? If so, I don't recall. 

Cochran rehabilitated himself a bit at the reunion show. He had months to prepare an explanation of himself, and made the most of it. Brandon, however did not. I thought Ozzy was pompous and long-winded. Ultimately, the reunion show was only OK. so, overall the first half of the evening was very good, and the second ninety minutes were a bit dry (apart from Sophie actually winning).

This was the best season since Heroes vs. Villains - but below average overall. Yet, a below average season of Survivor is still better than most of the garbage on TV.

At the end of the Reunion, Jeff revealed the twist for next season - the two tribes will live on the same beach. This makes cross-tribe alliances much easier. I also suspect it could lead to a challenge or two getting thrown (I hate that). We'll see. In general, I like the idea a lot. The next season premiers February 15, 2012 (less than two months away!).