It's a couple of hours later and I'm still in a bit of shock over how Survivor: Samoa ended. I mean, part of the game's history is that the best player doesn't always win. However, I can't remember when the best player made it to the final Tribal Council and lost.
Russell Hantz simply owned this season. From finding three hidden immunity idols, two without a single clue, to masterminding one of the biggest comebacks in the history of the show, Russell dominated this season in a way we haven's seen since Tom Westman ran roughshod in Palau. And yet, as we also saw with Boston Rob in All Stars, if you run headfirst into a bitter jury, then you are probably screwed.
Did Natalie play a better social game than Russell? Of course she did. It was easy for her, since she had Russell doing all the dirt. Admittedly, this was one of the weakest casts we've ever seen from a strategic standpoint, but that doesn't diminish Russell's accomplishment. He put three people on his shoulders when they were in a four-player hole and carried them all the way to the final five. Russell was so clearly the biggest threat in the game that Galu voted for him when they knew there was a possibility he might have found a second idol.
Really, the only way this could have ended worse is if Mick had won. At least Natalie did make a move in rallying the vote to Erik. Of course, people seem to forget that a Galu was going home that night regardless. If it hadn't been Erik it would have been Monica. Would Monica's ouster have had a big of an impact as Erik's? I don't know. But aside from that, it was 100% The Russell Show.
And let's address some people's complaints about how Russell wasn't that great and that the only thing that saved him was the hidden immunity idol. Folks, the HII is here to stay. It's an integral part of the game, for better or worse. If you don't like it go watch America's Next Top Model. That's like someone trying to tell me that the game of football was better before they implemented the forward pass, or that basketball sucks since they introduced the three point line. You play using the parameters of the game they give you. The HII is an important part of the game now, and Russell used it to his advantage. OK, so he wasted the first one. It's much better to play the HII and find out you didn't have to than not play it and get voted out. Go ask James and Ozzy or Erik about that. The little munchkin went out and found a second idol with no clues! And knowing that Galu was gunning for him, he played it and sent Kelly packing. He was instrumental in getting Shambo to work with Foa Foa. He talked John into not taking a rock. He found a third Hidden Immunity Idol! Essentially, Russell made eight people look like fools on national television.
And that's why he lost.
I think Russell's final jury performance was one of the best we've ever seen. He clearly articulated why he deserved to win the game. He showed step by step the moves he made and pointed out how, had it not been for him, Mick and Natalie wouldn't even be sitting up there. Didn't matter. In a way, it almost reminds me of Survivor: Okinawa. For those unfamiliar with what I'm talking about, Mario Lanza, who used to be one of the most popular Survivor columnists on the internet, ran a Survivor simulation, getting 16 players to play online for what wound up being almost 3 months in real time. When you read the recap, you'll see how one player, Isabella, just completely dominated the game, almost from start to finish. She ran the show, almost without anyone realizing it. Like Russell, if she wanted someone gone, they were gone, and there wasn't much you could do about it. And like Russell, she didn't win.
Now, obviously anyonw who read Okinawa will argue that there were a lot of differences between Isabella and Russell. The major difference was that Isabella played Okinawa under an alias because she'd previously played in another high-profile Survivor sim, Tonga, and came in second. So while she had her own bitter jury to contend with, it was for a different reason, as most of the players were angry she'd gotten to play a second time. But most people who read Okinawa agree that Isabella was hands down the best player that season. And most people who watched Samoa would agree that Russell was hands down the best player this season. However, as I mentioned earlier, the best player doesn't always win.
Russell's problem was that he thought that the jury would use logic, just like he would in their shoes. I've got no doubt that Russell, had he been on the jury, would have voted for the person he believed played the best strategic game that season. He wouldn't have allowed pettiness to cloud his judgement. Watching the final episode disgusted me in a lot of ways. I hope Jaison nothing but failure for the rest of his life. The guy quit basically a week into the game. He would never have sniffed the jury, much less made the final five, if Russell hadn't dragged him kicking and screaming. And the dude had the temerity to criticize Russell's moral values? The same goes for Mick. Both of those pansies were more than willing to climb onboard the Russell bandwagon, because otherwise they'd have been hanging out in Ponderosa as the first two jury members at best.
Well, that's another season of Survivor down the drain. I can't wait for Heroes vs. Villains. I want to see how Russell does against some real Survivor players. It'll be interesting.
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