SURVIVOR FINALE SPOILERS
Dec. 20th, 2009 11:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rabid1stWe interupt the pony countdown for this special Survivor Finale Bulletin.
You know, I have watched Survivor since that first game with Richard Hatch. People generally are surprised when I tell them and usually they respond by saying they can't stand reality television. For the most part, I agree with that assessment. I don't watch Top Chef or The Bachelor or Jerry Springer or Who Cares About the Lyrics or Are You Smarter Than Your Gay Neighbor?
Most reality television is an exercise in honoring the bottom feeders in society with celebrity they don't really deserve. But I do not feel that way about Survivor. I believe Survivor is a game of skill that reflects America's ideals. This season speaks to that and clearly demonstrates why Survivor was voted the most influential television program of the past decade.
This season was dominated by one of the worst human beings to ever play this game. A man arguably more horrific than the fellow that lied about his dead grandma. Russell H was either a genuine sociopath...or a very sane man...hard to say without knowing him personally. What I can say is he came to play and win and from a Machiavellian standpoint it is hard to argue with his strategies. However, despite really earning his way to the finale and honestly being the best all around player this game may have ever seen...he lost.
He lost, because...he's a snake. And nobody played fair with the snake. Nobody voted for the BEST player. They voted for the person they liked. Survivor isn't just about how cunning, how fierce or how Alpha you are. And that's the beauty of this game. It really is a game that requires people to develop relationships with those they mean to destroy. Beyond that it is a game where the producers work very hard to make sure that they create something fresh and exciting season after season. Survivor doesn't coast along on past successes. The game is constantly changing to deal with people who might actually outsmart it.
Russell did outsmart it, by finding 3 hidden immunity idols without clues. He knew they were there, so he simply set out to find them. Paradoxically, his mistake could well have been keeping the people he had developed relationships with close to him to the very end. but it might also have been crowing over his victories in hopes of intimidating others. In a way, his personal integrity DID foil him in the end. He thought, as many CEO's think, that if you are an alpha male and you have cowed employees...people who would never question you, because of the fear you instill in them...that you automatically win. This is what our society has told us, really. We equate underhandedness with intelligence and reward these pirates on Wall Street...so why wouldn't we reward them in a family or close tribal setting?
Well, because one on one...people are nice. One on one...people want to get along with one another, help one another. And yes, that has cost many a person on Survivor their otherwise certain victory.
In fact, it is interesting to me that few people playing Survivor remember that it is a game. Technically, Russell outplayed everyone. But when he told them that and then asked them to give him his well-earned money. They decided to deny him his win. This is very much like the CEO's that are laying people off...and then expecting consumers to buy more at Christmas and keep them in the money. Survivor really says a lot about human beings...and what else is television but a reflection of us?
You know, I have watched Survivor since that first game with Richard Hatch. People generally are surprised when I tell them and usually they respond by saying they can't stand reality television. For the most part, I agree with that assessment. I don't watch Top Chef or The Bachelor or Jerry Springer or Who Cares About the Lyrics or Are You Smarter Than Your Gay Neighbor?
Most reality television is an exercise in honoring the bottom feeders in society with celebrity they don't really deserve. But I do not feel that way about Survivor. I believe Survivor is a game of skill that reflects America's ideals. This season speaks to that and clearly demonstrates why Survivor was voted the most influential television program of the past decade.
This season was dominated by one of the worst human beings to ever play this game. A man arguably more horrific than the fellow that lied about his dead grandma. Russell H was either a genuine sociopath...or a very sane man...hard to say without knowing him personally. What I can say is he came to play and win and from a Machiavellian standpoint it is hard to argue with his strategies. However, despite really earning his way to the finale and honestly being the best all around player this game may have ever seen...he lost.
He lost, because...he's a snake. And nobody played fair with the snake. Nobody voted for the BEST player. They voted for the person they liked. Survivor isn't just about how cunning, how fierce or how Alpha you are. And that's the beauty of this game. It really is a game that requires people to develop relationships with those they mean to destroy. Beyond that it is a game where the producers work very hard to make sure that they create something fresh and exciting season after season. Survivor doesn't coast along on past successes. The game is constantly changing to deal with people who might actually outsmart it.
Russell did outsmart it, by finding 3 hidden immunity idols without clues. He knew they were there, so he simply set out to find them. Paradoxically, his mistake could well have been keeping the people he had developed relationships with close to him to the very end. but it might also have been crowing over his victories in hopes of intimidating others. In a way, his personal integrity DID foil him in the end. He thought, as many CEO's think, that if you are an alpha male and you have cowed employees...people who would never question you, because of the fear you instill in them...that you automatically win. This is what our society has told us, really. We equate underhandedness with intelligence and reward these pirates on Wall Street...so why wouldn't we reward them in a family or close tribal setting?
Well, because one on one...people are nice. One on one...people want to get along with one another, help one another. And yes, that has cost many a person on Survivor their otherwise certain victory.
In fact, it is interesting to me that few people playing Survivor remember that it is a game. Technically, Russell outplayed everyone. But when he told them that and then asked them to give him his well-earned money. They decided to deny him his win. This is very much like the CEO's that are laying people off...and then expecting consumers to buy more at Christmas and keep them in the money. Survivor really says a lot about human beings...and what else is television but a reflection of us?
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(no subject)
Date: 2009-12-21 05:18 am (UTC)I, too, don't watch much reality tv--Amazing Race, Project Runway, Top Chef and Survivor are the only ones, and they all take certain skills to play. I don't care about who wants to marry who or who's cheating on who or any of those Real Housewives of whereever.
Survivor is something unique. It's held up very well for ten years. I'm really looking forward to the Heroes v. Villains.
Russell forgot the social aspect of the game, or downplayed it, and that's why he lost. I knew he was going to lose; I just didn't know which of the other two would win.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-12-21 05:54 am (UTC)And yes I do not see the point at all in Real Fake Housewives and their Bachelorettes. If you want me to watch your show...you need to entertain me. Survivor definitely entertained this season. And, while I didn't think Russell would win...I think his getting to the end was a major accomplishment. Probably not as amazing as Natalie getting to the end, however...so she did deserve the win.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-12-21 12:45 pm (UTC)Project Runway is one reality show that I have consistently watched from the beginning. There's some bitching that goes on (my least favorite part of the show), but it requires real skill and creativity to win, not popularity.
I also started watching the Amazing Race again this past season after a number of years. Again, I get annoyed with the "game players", if you know what I mean, but I find the challenges and destinations interesting.
I've been off and on with The Biggest Loser for a couple of reasons. Though I find what these folks manage to accomplish inspiring, the pace and emphasis on losing weight so quickly worries me. I've always felt that they get sent back into the world not really being ready for everyday existence (proven by the fact that the 1st winner put all his weight back on). Plus, again, game players. They turn me right off.