Live Blogging Survivor: Samoa Final Episode

So, here we are. I haven't really said much about this season, which is a shame. It's not a reflection on the quality of the season - this has easily been one of the most enjoyable seasons ever, especially post-merge.

So, who do I think will win? Russell, if he makes it to final tribal council. My list:

1) Russell
2) Brett
3) Natalie
4) Jaison
5) Mick

Naturally, this conflicts with my list of who I want to win:

1) Russell
2) Natalie
3) Jaison
4) Mick
5) Brett

Brett has done nothing at all to deserve this victory, but if he makes it to the end, he will win. That is wrong.

Show's starting up, so....

- Russell has treemail for the next immunity challenge. He complains about his team not being ready to play in the next immunity challenge and that he should be playing with "Superstars". Foreshadowing begins...
- Jaison claims this is an immunity run that has never been seen before. This is patently false.
- Russell tells Natalie that she is next if Brett wins and he won't be able to save her. Deep down, he wants to keep Natalie by his side and stay loyal.
- In a related note, Natalie is scary thin.
- Russell: "If Jaison can win two in a row, anybody can." "He's no Mike Tyson, he's Brett." This man is awesome.
- Jeff Probst in his blog that it was nice to let go of the "well, Brett might stick around if he doesn't win immunity" BS that he normally has to go through. Before the immunity challenge we see exactly what he was talking about. Foa Foa says that Brett is gone if he doesn't win, Brett accepts it. Fair is fair.
- Hey, it's another race/puzzle challenge.
- Man, Brett seems fast.
- Puzzle time!
- Shouldn't the symbol be easy to put together?
- Brett wins again. Maybe he is Mike Tyson.
- Sorry Natalie.
- "To finally see a Foa Foa member go to the jury will be relieving." Man, Brett, imagine if you voted one of them out in the first 4 weeks of the merge!
- Russell promises to change the vote from Natalie to somebody, since she's "riding his coattails".
- Russell and Jaison has had an alliance since day 2?
- So Russell has gotten Mick to vote for Jaison and Jaison to vote for Mick?
- Mick and Russell had an alliance since day 2?
- Russell is so much better of a player than anybody since at least Brian Heidik, if not Richard Hatch himself.
- Who thought Brett would win 3 in a row? Me, for one.

- Jaison telegraphs to Mick that Mick could be getting a vote
- Mick telegraphs to Jaison his vote, but Jaison doesn't realize it.
- Brett has the foresight to note that he has to win the immunity challenge, but Foa Foa has the network to stay in the game even without the necklace.
- Russell is actually crushed that he hs to vote out an alliance member.
- Jaison gone!
- Not too suprisingly, Dave doesn't understand why they voted for Jaison.
- So, no vote for Russell from Jaison because he blindsided him. But at the same time, what can Russell do? Tell him just before the tribal council?

- "I relly think my fate is in my own hands?" You think Brett?
- Russell working Brett is funny, but it's pretty dangerous to promise Brett final 3 when Brett can talk to the others
- Yay fallen comrades walk!
- Marisa "Being a strong woman is more important than getting any kind of validation from a man." Uh, yeah.
- So far, I remember 2 of the first 4 people voted out.
- Yazmin was a "Crackup?" And she refers to herself as being "from the hood." Oops.
- Yeah, Galu Russell takes the game a bit too seriously.
- Erik clotheslining himself chasing after the chicken will never be not funny.
- Laura: "You can't beat me" Um, why are you on the jury then?
- Dave: "I'm okay with being misunderstood." As Dalton Ross and Jenna Morasca learned.

- Commercial reading: Dalton Ross's best Survivor seasons including Survivor Samoa. I'll make my list later this week.

- So, final immunity isn't that physical, all things considered.
- Thank goodness Russell didn't throw the challenge immediately.
- Jeff Probst is going to say pole way too often for me to be comfortable.
- Mick and Natalie out one after another.
- Russell looks like he's in trouble.
- The wind is making this even more difficult.
- Russell waiting until the last minute to do his adds is brilliat strategy.
- Russell wins!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1!!!!!!!!
- "In my opinion, I just won the game" Not modest, that Russell.

- WTF is Brett talking about? "It's been an awesome experience, I'm proud to have made it this far, etc?"
- Oh, he actually mentioned the deal with Russell.
- Um, Russell, shut up. You don't think that Mick and Natalie are not going to roll over?
- Mick getting paranoid now.
- Natalie trying to talk him down as best as she can.
- Russell having the heart to heart with Brett, talking about maybe a fire challenge?
- Russell has figured out that his pretty well screwed at this point. He would have been better off telling Brett he was going instead of giving him hope that he might stay around. Ideal outcome for Russell: 2-2 vote of Mick and Brett, then Mick wins fire challenge.

- Russell and Brett in a lovefest right now.
- Mick and Natalie are just understanding what might be going through Russell's mid.
- Brett plays the "get jury respect card", which I think has Russell realizing tha he has to vote Brett out.
- I don't know why Mick was so worried about the first vote. It's the second one he has to be worried about.
- The jury's anger at Brett getting voted out is going to end up horrendously for Russell, but awesome for the audience.

- Commercial conversation topic: If you are Mick or Natalie, how do you sell yourself to the jury to beat Russell? Play up your accomplishments, or sell Russell out as a snake?

- "If you want second place then you're going to have to do better than that." Russell is so fantastic for the backhanded compliments.
- His beating up on Natalie and Mick is the final play in his game. It's also the most uncomfortable to watch. It's like the hatable Russell from the first episode came back.
- Final tribal council, I can't wait!

Mick opening statement:
- He realized there was a bit more pressure to give in to more leeway on morals. He didn't try to go outside of his framework. (Jaison and jury shaking heads at this.) He didn't try to treat anyone like pawns. (Russell looks at Jeff as if to ask for the million dollars right now and spare everybody having to go through the tribal council.) He feels like he accomplished what he set out to do. (Shambo shakes her head.) Fini

Natalie opening statement:
- She was told "What are you doing?", "You can't do this". It was important for her to do it to get out of her comfort zone (Jaison smirks.) This has been humbling for her. Without the jury she wouldn't be sitting there. Thanks to the jury.

Russell opening statement:
- "Mine is going to be a little bit different than these twos." I came here to do what I said I was going to do - get to the top. I made huge strategic moves from the start, beginning with my own tribe. Marisa and Betsy said "get rid of Russell", guess who goes first? Marisa and Betsy. (Mick looks surprised at this.) We go to Galu and I solidified with Shambo to get rid of Kelly. But my biggest move was Laura. I went to John, promisd him to vote out a Foa Foa if he would vote out Laura. Then when it came to vote out a Foa Foa, I had to get rid of him. Then it went like dominoes until I had to win immunity to get rid of Brett. If Mick or Natalie outwitted or outplayed me, give them the money. But I don't think they did.

(Thus far, Russell has killed this.)

Question time!

Jaison up first. Who are you really? If you don't tell them I will. Natalie, I'm unemployed to come here. Russell's business became successful 2 years ago. Mick has $300,000 in debt and is 35. Jaison doesn't think anybody lied, but Natalie has made money, Russell has the most money of anyone and doctor's do get paid. He doesn't think anybody is broke, and he thinks that everybody should look to other criteria to give the million dollars. (He cut out Mick's big surprise fact he was going to use to defeat Russell. Awesome!)

Shambo:

Shambo wants to apologize to America for dismantling Galu (no need to apologize - it made the show better.) Mick doesn't know what feckless means, but Shambo uses it to describe Mick's gameplay. Natalie next in the crosshairs. The word for her is "coattail" How do you think America is going to perceive you sitting up there in the final three. Natalie thinks thusly: She came the most ill-equipped in a sundress and gold wedges. Should have been voted out first. She noticed that the girl who goes out all agressive - target, gone. Not smart. Shambo stops it right there calling BS. Mick and Natalie are not getting her vote. "Thanks for playing!"

Brett (looking like Topher Grace at age 15):

Congrats. Mick, imagine you and I are going on "a little bro date together" What kinda of stuff would we do? Mick: "Wait, what is it what we are doing?" Brett: "A bro date. Nothing sexual." Mick: "I'll wake you up with a little sweet nothing in your ear." (Jury laughs at Brett.) We'd check out the news, and be guys. Brett stops him and says it sounds like a silly question, but he wanted to see at what level he invested in Brett as a human. (Oops.)

Kelly:

Nat up first. Kelly doesn't think that Nat was not on the field. (Kelly looks at Monica.) Russell is up next and says he's 100% different out of the game. He uses "honour, integrity and loyalty" to describe himself outside the game. Kelly can't believe it. (At this point Russell should have pointed out that he kept his Foa Foa members with him as long as possible.)

Monica (this should be fun):

Congrats. Mick and Natalie lacked the passion that Russell has. Why do the two people next to you not deserve the $1 million. Mick says that Natalie doesn't deserve it because he doesn't know what Natalie did except align with Russell and through their trust get through the game (Hey, Mick makes the point about loyalty that Russell didn't.) Russell was willing to lie and pit people against each other. Russell then asks to speak and says that Natalie and Mick didn't mind it when Russell voted people out. The honest people didn't mind following the snake. Monica is now done (hey, there's that passion.)

Dave Ball:

What do you think your chances are everybody? Mick "After this? 20% maybe 25%" Natalie: "Maybe 30 to 40%." Russell "I came in here with a much larger percentage, but now about 55 %"

Laura:

Russell, what did you learn about me that enabled you to defeat me? "I thought right away you were the biggest threat on Galu. I thought you were controlling everything. Whether that is true or not I don't know. But if it didn't take place like it did, I don't have a doubt in my mind that you would be here right now."

John:

Mick, give John the hard sell. In terms of character, you aren't going to find a more solid guy up here. I don't think that the ends justify the means (um, Russell just blew that argument out of the water.) You don't treat people like pawns.
Natalie, It's not that you ride coatails, it's that.

Erik:

I don't need anything from you, so I'll try to keep this brief. Mick, day 1 they gave you a leadership necklace. For 39 days I struggled and couldn't find anything resembling leadership from you. You did nothing to encourage them. Nobody on that team had any guts. Russell, this hurts me. You are nothing like me. You admittedly played an unethical game and you are there and I am here. Did you play the wrong way and get the right result? I've never had this happen to me before. But you're proud of it. Natalie, people will call you weak. Why does Russell get a free pass and you get punished for your characteristics? (Because you're only there because others let you get there?) Erik is voting for Natalie.

(Erik has gone insane.)

Vote time!

Laura
John
Dave
Erik - "Ratalie"
Monica
Jaison
Shambo - Russel (thinks he's the only one deserving of the million
Brett
Kelly (and her cleavage)

- Jeff goes and gets the votes. Off we go to the live finale in LA!

- Boo to no action shots!
- Natalie cleans up pretty well. Mick resembles David Boreneaz.
- Jeff gives them congrats on the tough season.

Votes:
- Ratalie
- Russell
- Natalie
- Russell
- Natalie
- Natalie (we're veering into undeserved territory now)
- Natalie (and the biggest fiasco since All-Stars has occurred.)

- Poor Jeff Probst has to try to justify this result.

- Oh for crying out loud, she gave up everything to play this? That's the justification? Just move on to Russell for fuck sake's.
- Her key move was getting Erik ousted. Yeah, that's also known as her ONLY FUCKING MOVE.
- Her and Russell were a team. They would bounce things back and forth off of each other (Russell looks away to not laugh in her face.) "I was a lot more subtle than Russell."
- Russell disagrees with Natalie's key move "Her key move was aligning with me!"
- "You don't think I had a pretty good social game? I had Mick, Jaison, Natalie and Shambo. They trusted me. That sounds like a pretty good social game to me."
- Russell is breaking down. "I think I played the best strategic game ever."
- Um, best reunion ever. Russell wants the title of Sole Survivor, and will pay Natalie $10,000 for it. So long as Jeff Probst says "Russell you are the sole survivor." and I get it in writing.
- This has livened up Russell.
- Erik tries to back out of answering Jeff's question. Jaison tackles it head on, saying that Natalie played the better game, but Russell just thinks Jaison is bitter about Russell burning his socks. He then says that he has something for Jaison, and produces new socks, and goes to give them to Jaison only to throw them into the fire!

- I really hate the "coattail riding is a legitimate strategy" justification. It is, but you have to reward the person who took the lead, because without the leader, the follower is going to get voted out. The leader will find another follower. (Note: if Russell didn't totally run the show from day 1, I don't think people

- Shambo's hair started in 1984.
- Holy crap Laura. Wow.
- It's tough for Brett to have his fate determined by a figure falling over.
- Russell didn't know how bad off he was. Wow.

- Sprint is awarding $100,000 to Russell your favourite Survivor.

(Note: the strikeout joke never gets old.)

- Natalie declines the $10,000 offer. In doing so, Natalie shows more fire than she did in the final tribal council and at any other point.
- His daughter's school love him.
- Shockingly, he takes the game so seriously that he thought he had won since everybody took the game as seriously as him. He was wrong. But next season....(whoops, getting ahead of the announcement.)

- Mick seems to think that Russell won the game. Even admitted that he was the mastermind.
- Mike lst a lot of weight.
- Ashley (hey there) became closer to her father because of the show.
- Monica doesn't regret anything
- Ben and Yasmin seem to be getting along and make nice.
- Betsy was the one that everybody wanted to see last longer. And then she makes an innocent comment which turns dirty.
- Marisa wouldn't have done it differently.
- Survivor 20 details coming up!

- Daily Variety just named Survivor the most influencial television show of the decade, and deservedly so.
- All the openings from the frst 19 seasons!
- Hey Heroes vs. Villians! And they flashed faces across the screen! I think I see Bob, Sandra (Survivor 7 winner), Randy!, Alicia, Jonny Fairplay, Rudy, Rupert, Yau Man, Tom (Survivor Africa), Cirie (NOOOOOOOOO!), Ozzy, Yul, Ethan (who definitely couldn't have been there), Jenna, and...Richard Hatch, who I don't think was going to be allowed to play, so this is a red herring.

February 11th - stay safe, stay healthy.