I did enjoy this season's Survivor
Dec. 14th, 2003 11:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
novapsycheSandra Diaz-Twine Wins $1M on 'Survivor'
Here's a more descriptive story: Survivor Sandra Outscouts, Outlasts
Office assistant Sandra Diaz-Twine captured a $1 million booty and a new GMC Envoy as the winner of pirate-themed Survivor: Pearl Islands, triumphing over scoutmaster Big Lill Morris in the final vote of the reality show.
Despite an aversion to the water that caused her to perform poorly in aquatic challenges, Diaz-Twine pulled her weight first as a member of the Drake tribe and later the merged Balboa tribe, earning the respect of her teammates.
The 29-year-old mother of two from Fort Lewis, Washington passed for popular among the other Survivors—she never received a negative vote at any Tribal Council over the course of her Pearl Islands adventure. As one of 16 colorful castaways, several with shady pasts, Diaz-Twine used a smooth and straight-forward strategy to ease her underdog way to the winners circle.
The two-hour season finale aired Sunday night on CBS, followed by the obligatory hour-long Survivor reunion show immediately after.
Here's a recap of the finale:
It all began with a plot by the nefarious Jon "Jonny Fairplay" Dalton to break up the all-female alliance of Diaz-Twine, Morris, and Darrah Johnson that had basically assured him a extinguished torch by nightfall. Dalton convinced Morris that the scrawny Johnson was dangerous due to her winning immunity challenge record, and swayed her to vote for the Southern mortician, saving his own hide.
"It's pretty bad when people think you're a physical threat when you weigh about 60 pounds soaking wet," Johnson drawled to the camera.
The following morning, the final three rose early on the orders of Jeff Probst to pay homage to their fallen teammates in a touching CBS montage of memories complete with inspirational background music. Then they placed the extinguished torches of the banished castaways aboard a shipwreck and blew the whole thing up in a final blaze of glory.
Then came the final immunity challenge which involved teetering on a few planks in the ocean using only hands and feet—no other body parts—for balance. Ever water-fearful, Diaz-Twine caved quickly, leaving the other two to battle it out. Morris took the challenge without difficulty, while Dalton tried repeatedly to bargain with her to throw it, promising that he would take her to the final two, should he win immunity.
At the Tribal Council, Morris chose to take Diaz-Twine with her, sending a dejected Jonny Fairplay to the chopping block.
That left the two women to present their cases before the jury of castaways.
In a final plea to a jury of her Survivor peers at the final Council, Diaz-Twine pointed out that she was always a team player from the get-go."
Apparently they agreed—Diaz-Twine took the victory in a 6 to 1 vote, with Tijuana Bradley casting the lone vote for Morris.
I was struck time and time again by the different ethical standards for Survivor and Paradise Island. The one guy on PI who played by Survivor's rules got shut out. Meanwhile, on Survivor, the game played out just like the human game would have had you play it.
--until Lil's decision. What? Huh? If you recognize that Survivor is a game, and you've compromised some ethical decisions, fine. Pick the best person to be judged against. That would be. . . Jon. Duh. No one likes him, he backstabbed everyone, if you go to the final 2 with him, you win the million dollars, hands down.
In the end, Lil did not play the game to win.
So all of the manipulation that she let herself become bent under, all of that compromising of ethics. . . got her nothing in the end. She did not play the game well. She played the game the "girl" way--the cooperative way. Either that, or she didn't understand the way that juries decide things.
Tijuana voted for the right person. Lil should have won. Unfortunately, she made the wrong choice. I understand why she made the choice, but it was the wrong choice at the wrong time. It cost her the game.
Here's a more descriptive story: Survivor Sandra Outscouts, Outlasts
Office assistant Sandra Diaz-Twine captured a $1 million booty and a new GMC Envoy as the winner of pirate-themed Survivor: Pearl Islands, triumphing over scoutmaster Big Lill Morris in the final vote of the reality show.
Despite an aversion to the water that caused her to perform poorly in aquatic challenges, Diaz-Twine pulled her weight first as a member of the Drake tribe and later the merged Balboa tribe, earning the respect of her teammates.
The 29-year-old mother of two from Fort Lewis, Washington passed for popular among the other Survivors—she never received a negative vote at any Tribal Council over the course of her Pearl Islands adventure. As one of 16 colorful castaways, several with shady pasts, Diaz-Twine used a smooth and straight-forward strategy to ease her underdog way to the winners circle.
The two-hour season finale aired Sunday night on CBS, followed by the obligatory hour-long Survivor reunion show immediately after.
Here's a recap of the finale:
It all began with a plot by the nefarious Jon "Jonny Fairplay" Dalton to break up the all-female alliance of Diaz-Twine, Morris, and Darrah Johnson that had basically assured him a extinguished torch by nightfall. Dalton convinced Morris that the scrawny Johnson was dangerous due to her winning immunity challenge record, and swayed her to vote for the Southern mortician, saving his own hide.
"It's pretty bad when people think you're a physical threat when you weigh about 60 pounds soaking wet," Johnson drawled to the camera.
The following morning, the final three rose early on the orders of Jeff Probst to pay homage to their fallen teammates in a touching CBS montage of memories complete with inspirational background music. Then they placed the extinguished torches of the banished castaways aboard a shipwreck and blew the whole thing up in a final blaze of glory.
Then came the final immunity challenge which involved teetering on a few planks in the ocean using only hands and feet—no other body parts—for balance. Ever water-fearful, Diaz-Twine caved quickly, leaving the other two to battle it out. Morris took the challenge without difficulty, while Dalton tried repeatedly to bargain with her to throw it, promising that he would take her to the final two, should he win immunity.
At the Tribal Council, Morris chose to take Diaz-Twine with her, sending a dejected Jonny Fairplay to the chopping block.
That left the two women to present their cases before the jury of castaways.
In a final plea to a jury of her Survivor peers at the final Council, Diaz-Twine pointed out that she was always a team player from the get-go."
Apparently they agreed—Diaz-Twine took the victory in a 6 to 1 vote, with Tijuana Bradley casting the lone vote for Morris.
I was struck time and time again by the different ethical standards for Survivor and Paradise Island. The one guy on PI who played by Survivor's rules got shut out. Meanwhile, on Survivor, the game played out just like the human game would have had you play it.
--until Lil's decision. What? Huh? If you recognize that Survivor is a game, and you've compromised some ethical decisions, fine. Pick the best person to be judged against. That would be. . . Jon. Duh. No one likes him, he backstabbed everyone, if you go to the final 2 with him, you win the million dollars, hands down.
In the end, Lil did not play the game to win.
So all of the manipulation that she let herself become bent under, all of that compromising of ethics. . . got her nothing in the end. She did not play the game well. She played the game the "girl" way--the cooperative way. Either that, or she didn't understand the way that juries decide things.
Tijuana voted for the right person. Lil should have won. Unfortunately, she made the wrong choice. I understand why she made the choice, but it was the wrong choice at the wrong time. It cost her the game.