Russell loses to Natalie in Survivor finale

Dude, I’m tellin’ ya……….

In the two hour season finale of Survivor on Sunday night, southern belle Natalie beat mastermind Russell to win the $1,000,000 prize. I watched with a couple of fellow rabid fans and then a guy who had never watched an episode before. Ever. So it was all new and oftentimes amusing for him to hear the petty squabbles and the malicious attacks on people’s character.

So Natalie took home the cash. She didn’t exactly outwit Russell. And she didn’t outlast him. She sure didn’t outplay him. Jeeez, what the hell did she do?

Well, she got more votes from a bitter jury that couldn’t move past their jilted feelings and personal scorn for Russell and properly award him the money. I will say one thing for Natalie that was expressed by her in the show, and also put forth by another friend who is a huge fan. He watched the finale with his wife and so they hadn’t been exposed to the discussions at my home. And they said that it’s very easy for the jury members to completely dismiss a player who “rode someone’s coattails” to get thru the game. They do it every year. Someone rides another player’s coattails…and the jury calls them on it. And on one hand, they have a point. Sometimes a coattail rider is completely undeserving and is no match for the other finalist they are up against.

But on the other hand—and I do agree this is a fair position—–being a “coattail rider” can actually be someone’s strategy. And it does require some strategic decision making along the way. What if the person whose carrying you becomes such a wanted man that just conversing with him is downright poisonous? You have to know when to abandon that coattail ride. This season, Natalie never had to. Another thing is actually identifying and aligning with that special someone very early who looks like they may dominate the game . They just may not take a liking to you. You have to forge that relationship and maintain it for 39 days.

And Natalie expressed some of this position on the finale. She said she knows that Russell was out in front “taking enemy fire” for her. Taking the bullets. But she pointed out that she made it to the end of 39 days outlasting all of the more aggressive, outspoken, and calculating women.

So I give this position some credence. Her strategy was to fly a little under the radar, allign with a really strong player, let other bigmouths get knocked out of the game, etc. According to her, those were big, conscious elements of her strategy. I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt on that.

But even so, Russell deserved the million dollars. Bottom line……his strategy was better—-and better executed than Natalie’s. And he was her damn benefactor ! Just that alone should be enough. Then when you factor in everything else he did like finding the three immunity idols without any clues. Like turning Shambo against her tribe, then using her for every last drop he could squeeze out of her, and then shipping her ass right out of the game……

{And to Shambo’s credit, she was the only jury member who was used and abused by Russell, can blame her ouster directly on him, and still voted the right way. She voted for Russell to win the million bucks. She didn’t have any lasting animosity. She realizes it is a game and she got voted out after a good run. And the person who played the game the best should get the vote. She was the only one who seemed to do that}.

Russell was the executioner on at least 7 or 8 people being voted out of the game out of the total of 17 who were eliminated. {Actually two people left due to injury}. He won the last and hardest physical challenge against a healthy 21 year old kid. He did everything a man can do to win the game and get the money in turning in one of Survivor’s greatest all-around efforts.

But the people on the jury forget (or dismiss) the fact that this is a game and their bitterness and personal dislike for somebody jades their vote. Not just this jury…..it happens every year and really irritates me. They don’t want to give a million dollars to someone because they perceive him to be a jerk. That’s it. They give a million dollars to a person who is undeserving because they are nicer. To hell with merit.

This jury was so filled with hostility that they accused Russell of acting and behaving in the real world the exact same way he acted on the island. It wasn’t even enough for jilted little Jaison to tell the active players what he had learned of Russell’s private life. He also made him acknowledge that he was a successful businessman to the (to that point ignorant) jury in the Q & A part of the voting process. What a puss Jaison was. He himself is going to be a lawyer. So I guess by his own viewpoint, we shouldn’t give him the money either. Everyone knows lawyers make big bucks. So all lawyers, doctors, and successful businessmen shouldn’t win, right Jaison? You puss.

I don’t care if it’s Alex Rodriguez up against a Red Cross volunteer at the end of the game. If A-Rod outwitted, outplayed, and outlasted everyone else but the volunteer, then I vote for him to get the money. If you are not ready to face the truth of the game and possibly find yourself voting for a rich person……or a cocky braggart…….or just someone you find completely abrasive…..then don’t even apply to be on the game. You might just have to vote for someone like that.

But I found the general opinion that Russell must be a backstabbing, conniving jerk in real life that uses people and throws them aside to be very small and close-minded by the jury. We know very little about this man. On the reunion show, we learned he has a wife and twin 9 year old daughters. We know that he respects a young man (and I’d assume anybody) who seems moral and brought up really well, and is a spiritual person–like the contestant Brett was. Russell said he is the type of young man he hopes his daughters eventually end up with.

For all we know, Russell organizes the town Christmas party for the kids where he lives in Texas. Perhaps he donates generously to his old high school. His employees may think he’s the greatest and most generous boss in the world.

Who knows? He very well could be a dick in real life.

That’s the thing…..we don’t know. And the losers on the jury gave the wrong person the million dollars. Russell said some cocky things on the reunion show and made a strange, sorry offer to Natalie just to get the title of Sole Survivor. But I don’t hold that against him. He was quite obviously very upset with the vote.

As was I and a few of my friends.

And still am. Dammit !