Ten Thoughts on Survivor: China

I was behind throughout the season, so I never posted on my beloved Survivor. Here's ten thoughts on this season:

1. This was a very standard season. First, the outstandingly annoying people were voted off. Then a powerful alliance formed and controlled the game. Then, a strong contender made a mental error and paid the price. The final four was the usual mix of a male/female ancient alliance, one wild card, and one freeloader who had no shot.

2. It was great to see someone finally pull the trigger in one of those do-or-die, now is the time to get rid of the threat situations. Amanda stepped up and made the move where so many in the past have sat idly by. Interestingly enough, later, she needed to make a similar but more obvious and easy move and failed to pull the trigger.

3. Amanda is the prototype of a Survivor champion. She is smart, but not smart enough to be viewed as a threat. She is beautiful, but not so sexy as to arouse jealousy from competitors. She is nice. She played crafty, but kept it quiet and buried the craftiness below the friendly, sympathetic exterior. She had all the tools, and played a great game right up until the last two days in China. There she had the chance to eliminate Todd, but passed and instead sent Denise home. Then she choked at the final Tribal Council. Todd's superior public speaking skills were the difference in the game.

4. One time I was watching Survivor and afterwards CSI came on. A man in a fireman's suit broke into a house and set everything on fire. The family in the house was shown suffocating, desperately trying to crawl through the flames to safety. The segment ended with the evil fireman watching them die, then locking the door and walking outside. It was one of the most disturbing things I have ever seen on television. It sickens me that this kind of atrocity can be shown in full detail and a tiny portion of Amanda's ass had to be blurred on Survivor. This country really has some screwed up ideas when it comes to censorship of violence versus censorship of sex. This has always bothered me, and the juxtaposition of that beautiful butt against that heinous burning really brought it home.

5. Erik - virgin. Amazing.

6. Jean-Robert came off exactly as I, or anyone who has ever interacted with him, expected.

7. It's too bad Jean-Robert was on the show, because he ruined it for other professional poker players (like me) aspiring to be castaways. They have an asshole every season on Survivor, they could have just had some hotel doorman or waiter be the Obligatory Asshole, but instead Jean-Robert was the professional poker player asshole and now it's gonna be harder to get on the show now that a pro player has been on. I can't complain though, I've never applied. When I do I might spin my profession a little different though.

8. Aaron got screwed. Hard. I think all the mixing and swapping they are doing early in the show hurts continuity, makes the tribes harder to follow and root for, and is very unfair to the players.

9. Jeff Probst really does a great job. I can't imagine the show being as successful with anyone else.

10. Next season - fans against favorites - seems like a good concept.