Great Season! Your thoughts?

[toddjb]

Wow, that was a great season and a good finale. All my votes were thrown into the wind and I was surprised by every immunity/decision.

I had Jenna winning the first immunity, Matt winning the 2nd, etc. etc.

Only negative was a really boring jury. Few tough questions.

Why is it that the jury members always focus on being lied to and betrayed? Is it so surprising? Outwit...its part of the game! Jenna did impress me though by handeling some very tough questions. I would have loved to see Heidi answer any of those questions! THAT would have been entertaining....


Your thoughts on the season and finale?

-todd


(and thanks Mark for organizing this contest again and keeping it interesting with good spoiler busting bonus polls) :hi:

[Mark Lamutt]

I really thought that this was the best season since the first, but was disappointed that Jenna won it all, even though I voted for her to win. I would have much preferred Matt to win, as I thought he played a much better game than she did. But oh well...Vecepia won S4 without really playing the game, and now Jenna has done the same. I really hope that whoever wins Survivor:Panama next fall actually plays for once. :)

[Bill D]

First off, thanks Mark for a great contest, I felt like I was in it to the end with all the available points. I think I went an O for, in the final episode, I can't believe everyone voted for Jenna, she did nothing !!
Rob must have voted for here because he was mad that Matt went far with him and then he wasn't there at the end. Christy swore that she wouldn't vote for Jenna but did anyway and her reasoning on the reunion show was just stupid. I didn't understand why the lawyer (forgot her name) voted for Jenna either since she seemed to be under the we hate pretty girl's side. Oh well another survivor that you can never guess at the end. I thought this was one of the better group of 'characters'

[timf]

I was hoping Jenna would win, even though I voted for Matt. The results really surprised me. There's no way I ever would have guessed the vote would be 6 to 1. At least I managed to get all 5 polls up until the final vote correct - my best showing to date. These contests are fun, and even though I'm bad at making picks most of the time I look forward to more of them.

[cooper]

I definitely agree, this was the best S since the first. Great character interaction and manipulation. I was rooting for Rob from the beginning because he was funny and such a wise *ss. Then, half way through the series, I found out I used to work for his dad (retired Lieutenant in the NYPD). That really brought things close to home and made the show mean something as well as entertaining. Oh well, can't wait for Panama!

[toddjb]

Yeah, next season should be good. I always like the beach ones better than the jungle ones.


Wow...Mark Lamutt pulling the name "Vecepia" out of his hat! I can't even remember what she looks like let alone the name! How quick we forget... (or maybe its just me :) )

Yes, those final votes threw me. It made me wonder if Matt didn't throw the last immunity challenge, as he claimed, would he have gotten more votes? If the jury saw him sweating it out until the end and really working hard would they have voted differently? Maybe felt he earned it a bit more? I think he could have won that challenge...the whole martial arts mind of matter stuff...

[Mark Holtz]

I was surprised at the number of votes that Jenna got considering that, near the end of the game, neither she or Heidi helped rebuild the shelter after the vote.

[invaliduser88]

I thought it was pretty sad that Jenna won. Especially after some of the idiotic answer she gave during the final tribal council. "Matt just doesn't need the money". Give me a break. This is a game, not a charity. The one who played the best should win. Matt competed and contributed.

Jenna just sat there in her bikini and whined. Let's not forget the great human tragedy of her loosing her zeta crown in the fire. boo hoo!

The only reason she made it to the final two was that she lucked out and got the final two immunities.

What was the jury thinking? Were they that POed at Matt to just give it to Jenna as a form of revenge? Did they buy into Jenna's whining? We're they mind controlled by CBS execs who want only the beautiful people to win?

[John Corn]

I do think that Matt should have won but only slightly. When I make my couch potato call at the end of every edition, I always place my viewer judgement on 3 things...

1) How they played the psychological/ social manipulation game.

Matt had a slight edge here but let's face it, they both rode the coat tails of smarter players for pretty much the whole game. Only Matt started to get some ideas of his own at the very end. But by that time, there was nobody left to bear witness to it.

2) How much they contributed to the tribe and the camp environment.

Matt, hands down. Jenna did nothing.

3) How well they competed in the challenges.

Gotta give this one to Jenna who won the 4 of the 8 immunity challenges. That's outstanding. And winning the final two when they mattered most. Exceptional. Matt did well in this area. Jenna did better.

Matt was cool (in that psychotic way) so I was disappointed he didn’t win. But when it’s all said and done, they were more even than you might at first think.


I'm really looking forward to "Survivor: the Pearl Islands." I love Pirate legend and lore so I think I'm really going to get a kick out of this one.

[Ron Barry]

First off.. Thanks Mark for the contest. Though I did not win, I found it fun!!

Now on to my take.. Well the season finally basically left a very sour taste in my mouth and for what was an excellent season turned to something I am having a hard time grasping. (Before you think.. Get a life) I have one..

What keeps running through my mind is the 6 to 1 vote. Makes no sense to me and makes me think that there was a bit of jury tampering. No I do not think that CBS tampered. Well I do think they do a bit of manipulating of the challenges to maximize the chances of getting their desired outcome, but I don't think they messed with the Jury.

My guess is that Alex and Heidi did a bit of campaigning for Jenna. Maybe using the "she needs it more" argument.

I have no evidence of this, but come on.. 6 to 1??? I had it 3 to 3 with Dave the swing vote. Everyone around me at it 2 to 5 in favor of matt.

Something does not smell right.. Maybe it is my upper lip, but I think Jenna got some help from a couple of angels.

Does anyone know if the Jury is told not to talk about anything and are they watched so this does not happen.

I have come to the conclusion that one of two possible situations happened.

1) Matt is a lot more unlikeable than was shown. That everyone really hated him. We all know Alex had big issues, but I dont think it was accross the tribe.

2) Some campaigning went on to sway some votes. The person that keeps popping up in my mind is christy..

Well that is my take.. Could be way off base, but I think a good season was ruined by the final show. The tribal council was boring and the vote made no sense at all.

Take it for what it is worth. my opinion and a buck will get you a cup of coffee.

[sampatterson]

I agree, definately the best season since the first. Lots of good twists and turn and I actually cared about many of the players this time (some in good ways, some in bad!). Rob, to me, made this game the best and I think he should have won. He manipulated so much for so long, and even in the end, came out an ok guy. Can't wait for the next season. Thanks for holding the contest Mark, adds one more layer of fun to the gawdy entertainment of survivor!

[toddjb]

WJD,

I'd say #1 and #2 are probably true.

Also, as opposed to having an entire continent like Australia to travel around in, the kicked off contestents hung out on a yacht this time around. Much closer quarters and not much else to talk about other than the game. So I think you nailed it.

I also heard Jenna and Rob on a radio show this morning (stern) and they were genuinely very friendly with each other. They also mentioned the show was edited to portray certain behaviors. There seemed to be a lot more friendliness between Rob, Jenna & Heidi that was not shown during the show.

Yeah, good season...

[Ron Barry]

Hmm interesting comment Todd. I did not know that. Well if this is true, then Survivor has a problem they need to solve. The voting should be based on what people take away from the Tribal council and this type of influence should not be allowed if it occurred. I have been in a Jury before and I have had friends in Jury and have heard how one person could push a verdict one way or another.

This is a real shame if this happend. Based on what I saw, I am not sure what else could explain the wide vote margin. Up until the last show I thought the season was great. Know I feel like I have been tricked and that the Survivor team did not take care of business. Hmmm One must wonder about the other Survivors know.

Did some of this occur with Richard and Kelli.
Did this occur with Colby and Tina?

Etc... well it is only a show.. but I guess I am the type of person that when a million dollars is at stake.. This type of mistake should not happen. Maybe if the Jury was seperated Jenna would still have one, but we will never know. I think Rob and Matt played the game the best and Matt is best Survivor person I have seen to get one vote. He did not play the game well from a stratagy point. Throwing the last challange.. What a dope. However, from the other aspects of doing what it takes to be a survivor.. He kicked butt.

He did not get the Kudos he deserved and getting one vote makes no sense. Maybe it is just a wierd coincidence, but in my eyes Alex and Heidi campaigned. The sole survivor did not win this time. And the wide vote margin really sticks out!!

[Mark Lamutt]

Same kind of thing happened in S5 with Ted not voting for Clay to win because of some supposed racist comments that Ted learned about after being voted out. I also think that Burnett would be wise to sequester the jury until the end, but you know, that's part of the game as well. As a player, they just have to be more careful about what they say and do around everyone.

[angiodan]

My only beef is that I can't even try out for Survivor because I'm Canadian! :lol:

[RandyAB]

The person who really irritates me with this season of Survivor was Christy. Because a couple of weeks ago when she was on Dave Letterman she still talked about how she hated her evil step sisters.

[Randy_B]

Housing them together is nuts! Reeks of tampering. The jury should be separated from one another for the duration. I can't believe it serves any purpose for them to talk about secret alliances and misdeeds over lunch.

Wasn't this the first time the jury has been there and seen the fianl IC? I think Jenna scored big points here. Sucking it up and turning down Rob's offer to end it quickly made her look pretty damn noble.

I have been suprised by the post Survivor whippings on Heidi! She was a b#+ch, but wow. On the CBS morning show, the callers really took her to task and I guess she is really paying for it back home.

Didn't someone try that "he doesn't need the money" routine on an earlier show?

I am also always amazed at the "honesty and integrity" crap the losers wail about. GET A CLUE! They have nothing to do with this. That is what this game is about and it is a game (and a weight loss clinic). Of all the Survivor's, Greg (S1) still had the best question: Pick a number between 1 and 5!

It was also interesting the statement that it was fitting that it came down to a man v a woman in the finale. Of the 6 shows, 4 have been that way. 1 was w v. w, and 1 was m v. m. This one just fit the profile, no surprise or poetic justice.

I wish someone would tell CBS that Richard Hatch's 15 minutes is OVER!