May 16, 2005
Survivor Palau -- Season Finale
Up until the final two was chosen, this was pretty entertaining. But from then on it was pretty much no contest.
Spoilers after the jump, and in comments.
I have to admit that, as Tom pointed out in TC, Jenn made her best play in the game very late. Her confronting Tom, to challenge Ian on his "disloyalty", was a masterstroke. And it almost worked, but of course Katie's loyalty to Ian remained. What's up with that?
I haven't watched the reunion special yet, and I'll be interested to hear if the Ian/Katie "friendship" blossomed, cause it sure was significant during the 39 days of the game.
And how about Ian?! This must go down as one of the goofiest meltdowns in Survivor lore. He goes from being one of the strongest players in the game, to basically quitting the game. Boy was he a bad liar. I don't mean that he couldn't keep a straight face, I mean he would stutter and couldn't make his stories consistent. It's a wonder that he was as strong as he was, for as long as he was.
And what's up with the quitting? I'm trying to think back here, but at least two, and maybe three people quit the game this time. Ian, Janu, and didn't Ibrehem basically quit? There should some huge penalty for quitting.
I've said before that you don't "win" Survivor, you "survive". And that the sole survivor usually isn't the best player, but someone who drifted and managed to make fewer enemies. But this season was an exception. Tom was a good player, and a deserving "winner".
Many people think Stephenie was also a great player, and maybe they're right, but I don't think we saw Steph competing with good players enough to know how she might have really done. She was the best of the worst, as the sole survivor of the Ulong tribe. But by the time she got to play with the big kids, she was so targeted that she didn't have a chance. It would have been interesting to see her on an even footing with the rest of Koror. I nominate her to be on the next All-Stars season.
All-in-all this was a good Survivor for me. One thing that made it particularly fun was that for the first time I watched most of the season with a group of people. Heckling the screen, and instantly discussing tactics, was a lot of fun, and made the show better for me.
Next: Mayan temples in Guatemala, in September.
The Survivors:
(name, age [picked by])
## Koror (brown):
Tom, 41 [Katie]
Order out:
1. Jonathon, 23
2. Wanda, 55
3. Jolanda, 39 (blue = Ulong)
4. Ashlee, 22 [James]
5. Jeff, 21 [Stephanie]
6. Kim, 25 [Jeff]
7. Angie, 24 [Ibraham]
8. Willard, 57 [Caryn] (brown = Koror)
9. James, 33 [Kim]
10. Ibrehem, 27 [Ashlee]
11. Bobbyjon, 27 [Jolanda]
12. Coby, 32 [Jenn]
13. Janu, 39 [Tom]
14. Stephenie, 25 [Bobbyjon] (was Ulong)
15. Gregg, 28 [Janu]
16. Caryn, 46 [Coby]
17. Jenn, 32 [Gregg]
18. Ian, 23
19. Katie, 29 [Ian]