Re: Survivor: Heroes vs. Villians
Yes he did. And then he lost the $1 million by a 7-2 vote margin.
When you are right, you are right. Good call- I was almost convinced that the Heros would see Russell as a good player vs. an A hole.
Russell may not get a single vote given the composition of the jury.
Sandra's biggest asset is the fact she tried to get the heroes to vote out Russell and they didn't listen to her. Other than that, she's been a non-factor in this game.
... and Sandra wins. Trying to get the heroes to vote out Russell multiple times must have counted for a lot.
I thought Russell would get Coach's vote, but hearing Rupert's comments at the last council really changed my mind- I almost thought he was bluffing, but it was pretty clear by all of their comments that Russell was not well liked by anyone. And Rupert's comments at the reunion show told even more (more on that later)
Sandra vs. Parv- Sandra's open goal was to get rid of Russell vs. Parv working with him. Got the Heros and some of her friends that way.
JT wins the vote for dumbest move in 20 seasons.
I think going home with two immunity idols in your pocket is a bit dumber.
Actually, while the stakes were a lot less, Eric's giving away his immunity to get voted off in that exact tribal council was more epic. Hearing JT's explanation was interesting, but I didn't buy it- the one thing that the villans did learn was to make sure you take out ALL of the opposing team- they didn't turn on themselves too badly.
Was a little disappointed to see Russel win the fan favorite...just cuz he definitely doesn't need the money. Looking forward to next season. I wish they would do a season in the arctic or something though.
So were we. But I think that was looking at his game play, and not thinking of Rupert's comments, which I thought were pretty darned strong.
If the only goal of Survivor was to make the final tribal than yes Russell should be considered one of the best ever because he has never been voted out even though he plays such a "In your face game" that everyone can see unlike Sandra or the Girl that beat him last season. But he can't seem to get the fact that to win you need to win the votes of the jury WHILE your are making the final vote.
I loved how he wanted this some kind of American Idol or Dancing with the Stars thing where the audience gets a vote. That's NOT the game, you moron. BTW, Sandra > Russell, since she's also 2 for 2, but instead of one second and one distant 3rd, she won twice. And I also give a lot of credit for Parvarti's two finals, since they were both in All Star Editions of Survivor.
If it were me I'd have voted for Russell given how much of the game he controlled, even if he didn't control it as much as he thought. People that felt betrayed by him have only themselves to blame.
I think Rupert said it best that Russell played the easy version of the game, convince and lie to their faces, and I really think all of these all starts took that into account more than the vote last season. I didn't really think of that until he said it at the reunion show, and do think he's quite right. It's a whole lot easier to get to the final by lying and deception than it is to play a straight up game- however irritating one is.
Look at Sandra- she's as smooth as 40 grit sand paper (except to her close allies), BOTH TIMES, and has won twice. She may be irritating, and manipulating (remember when she dumped the fish in a hidden but close area?), but when asked to her face, she didn't lie, either. Russell asked if she was for or against her- she flat out said- "I'm against you". I think Russell thought she was joking. Her biggest problem (and probably the thing that ultimately made her win) was that she could not convice the heros that Russell was WAY worse than they thought.
OTOH, instead of a few key stabs in the back where one or two (or even 3) votes were sacrificed to stay in the final, Russell did it to everyone- make an alliance- and end it without real regard. You can't pretend to be such a "player" and not live with the repercussions of your play. JT even told him that.
I was quite happy to see Russell so mad at the jury, and you could tell at the final count he knew he lost. Even better that he lost to Sandra who he held in such contempt for the entire show. And IF he's ever invited back to play this again, I don't suspect he'll last past the first tribal council, since EVERYONE know's his game. They'll not give him a chance to change, much like what happened do Cirie.
