Survivor Tocantis Finale Thoughts

For a finale that was going to have no drama to the end result (JT was going to win,) there managed to be quite a bit of (manufactured) drama. JT and Steven seemed to dissolve their friendship right before our eyes (much to Steven's surprise/dismay.) Alas, we were had, and JT proved once again why he deserved the win with a grade A acting job.

JT was the second person to win via clean sweep of all votes. It's tough to say whether his clean sweep was more impressive than Earl's - on one hand Earl had to face 2 opponents in final tribal, but his opponents were infinitely weaker than Steven. Ultimately, I'd give the nod to JT, as he actually dominated the game, and Steven had an argument that might have swayed a vote or two his way.

It's fair to start to think about where JT ranks in the pantheon of greatest Survivor players. He dominated the game physically, and he dominated the social game as well. He definitely ranks as one of the captains in the goofy idea Boyd and I came up with after the Cook Islands season. In terms of winners, here's how I stack them:

1.  Tom (Survivor 10)
2.  JT (Survivor 18)
3.  Brian (Survivor 5)
4.  Richard (Survivor 1)
5.  Yul (Survivor 13)
6.  Todd (Survivor 15)
7.  Tina (Survivor 2)
8.  Aras (Survivor 12)
9.  Bob (Survivor 17)
10. Chris (Survivor 9)
11. Jenna (Survivor 6)
12. Ethan (Survivor 3)
13. Earl (Survivor 14)
14. Sandra (Survivor 7)
15. Parvarti (Survivor 16)
16. Amber (Survivor 9 - All Stars)
17. Danni (Survivor 11)
18. Vescepia (Survivor 4)

More importantly, they need to find a way to get Coach on another season. I'd be willing to sit through another All-Star season just to get my Coach fix (his Twitter feed just isn't enough.) His lie detector stunt is fantastic, because it shows he's aware of what his role is, but it also shows that if he gets caught in a significant lie, les jeux s'ont fait.

And finally, your link du jour: Bid on Jeff Probst's Tribal Stool!

(Yes, I just made a bad poop joke.)