That's what my wife said tonight after Tribal Council. And he's got to be one of the producers' favorites. Let's face it, Rob's money. He delivers for his team, he delivers for the camera, he delivers for the show. He's a terrific player, with a great head for strategy. His problem is that everyone knew him.
But nobody knew Russell.
If the Villains had seen Russell's season, there's no way he'd still be there. There's no way Jerri would have cast her lot with him. But Russell is playing an even better game this season than he did last time. He made bold moves that have paid off. Playing his idol on Parvati's behalf-- thereby exposing himself for eviction if Tyson doesn't prove himself an idiot (again!)-- was likely the main reason Jerri decided to switch teams. And from the previews, it looks like she regretted it pretty darn quickly.
I'd say Rob's the most deserving non-winner in the history of Survivor. I haven't forgotten about last season-- Russell was unquestionably the most deserving finalist and absolutely should have won. But I'm not talking about people who got the shaft. In every season, Rob's been a strong, strong player. Give me a field of any players from any season of Survivor, and I'm going to root for Rob. He's never mean. He's often clever. He works hard. He can do the physical, the social, the strategy, the puzzles-- he's got it all. So I'll always root for him, because I genuinely want him to win, and because the show itself-- Survivor, Amazing Race, whatever-- is always more entertaining with him in it.
Coach, meanwhile, continues to be a hypocrite and not even realize it. He bellyached about not wanting to break his word to Russell, conveniently forgetting how he'd already given his word to Rob. And instead of staying true to either of them, he knowingly throws his vote away on Courtney to avoid a tie. Feh.
I don't think Russell makes it much further. I don't think the Heroes will trust him at all, and there are plenty of people on his tribe who are eager to flop after the merge. I'm really surprised that after playing the hidden idol last week, we haven't seen him going hunting for a new one. He's found them before without any clues. Maybe he figures that the first one was hidden so well, his chances of blindly finding the right landmark are slim now that the producers are wise to him.
Parvati's on borrowed time. If Courtney makes it to the merge, she might just go the distance under the radar. Nobody views her as a threat, so once it's an individual game, she's got a free ride unless the Heroes hold their alliance strong. If that happens, I think Colby and Candice go home, and we get a final three of Rupert, Amanda, and JT. But there's a long, bumpy road between here and there, so we'll just have to wait and see.
Posted by Peter at April 1, 2010 11:27 PM | TrackBackSo good to have you back.
I think now is the time for Parvati to pull out all the stops. She must get rid of Russell next (or he will take her out), then start picking off enough people to give her a chance to flip to the Heroes at the merge. Shouldn't be hard, as the Villains should lose most of the immunity challenges now that Rob is gone. What remains of the Villains is divided and ineffectual. If she's not part of the Heroes at the merge, she's gone.
Posted by: Danny Novo on April 2, 2010 6:58 AMGood thoughts, Peter. You're right about the players not knowing Russell: his original season aired didn't start airing until mid September of last year, while filming on the HvV season began in August. Had the other players seen his season, he would have had an immeasurable target on his back from day one.
Posted by: Brent Holman on April 2, 2010 9:47 AMI think Sandra is a dark horse. She's got cunning. No one seems to remember that she won Pearl Islands. And it's possible she might hook up with Rupert after the merge.
Posted by: Doug Orleans on April 3, 2010 8:57 AMAlso, does that mean that the Samoa finale took place after this season was filmed? So no one, not even Russell, knew if he had won Samoa while playing HvV? That's weird!
Posted by: Doug Orleans on April 3, 2010 9:01 AMCorrect. Our friend on the Survivor crew was back from filming both seasons before Russell was crushed in the Samoa finale.
My take is that he's even cockier this season because he was convinced he'd won a million already.
Posted by: Jeff on April 8, 2010 12:22 AMFirst off, lemme just say once again, in re you being back: Yay!
While I agree with you and Christine - I was really sorry to see Rob go, and I, too, was rooting for him to win (though, surprisingly, I might end up being just as satisfied to see Colby or Danielle win) - your memory might be a little fuzzy when you say that Rob "is never mean." (Memory, or perhaps your Survivor definition of "mean" in relation to mine)
In Rob's first season, Marquesas, he was kind of an asshole. Mind you, that was great TV. And then in All Stars he made that promise to Lex, if Lex would save Amber. Lex then did save Amber, and, at the very next vote, Rob voted Lex off.
Again, I'm not saying that wasn't Rob's best move, perhaps, with regard to the game. And you are completely right about him being a really strong player, a great competitor, and having a good head for strategy.
Lemme say it again - I wanted him to win, too. I HATED seeing him go.
But you're not the only person to kind of idolize Rob now that he's gone, and I find it interesting that we all - yeah, even me - have forgotten or forgivien what we once might have thought of him having seen, this season, the new, improved Rob. The nicer Rob, the more noble Rob, the "better" Rob. And, in a way, this is good, right? I mean, we all want to believe people grow and mature, and HvV's Rob is, perhaps, proof of that, right?
I mean, It's no mistake that Burnett swapped out the regular "Outwit, Outplay, Outlast" tag for "Return, Revenge, Redemption." That third R could have just as easily read "Rob."
Posted by: Dave on April 12, 2010 2:44 PM