Dec 19, 2011

‘Survivor: South Pacific’ Finale: Who Won?

Just like last year, this season of “Survivor” ended up being all about a popular returning player. Like Boston Rob, Coach Wade dominated the game and never seemed in any jeopardy. It was often his vote that determined who would survive and who would go home. But, unlike Rob, Coach was not able to translate that domination and power into a victory.

Instead, Sophie, one of the strongest female competitors in “Survivor” history, managed to win over a jury that thought she was standoffish and distant. In the end, they had to respect ability to compete with the guys in challenges as well as her strategy of who to sit next to at the end. It also probably helped that she shed some pretty genuine tears and seemed to genuinely feel bad about some of what she had done during the game. She and Coach both seemed to play the jury well, especially Coach who appeared to have nothing but enemies on the panel but seemed to win some respect with a fit of real honesty at the end. Albert, the third finalist, was never a contender. His plan to be a friend to all was too transparent and he instead seemed to be a friend to none. Several jury members really seemed to agonize over their votes. Sophie may have beaten Coach 6-3, but the margin may not have reflected how close a competition this was.

You cannot talk about this season without talking about super-”Survivor” Ozzy. Eight people tried to defeat him on Redemption Island… all failed. He got within a whisker of making the finals, and clearly would have won the jury vote in a landslide, but finally lost a challenge and was voted out. The fact that it was Sophie who defeated him probably carried some weight with a jury that wanted to vote for Ozzy, but could not. Sophie was the next best thing, and it made her a million dollars.

Watch Survivor: South Pacific’ Finale Online

All in all, it was a good season of “Survivor.” The contestants seemed to figure out that Redemption Island could be a strategic part of the game and the fans seemed to embrace Redemption more than a season ago when it caused a bit of a fan backlash. After consecutive seasons where returning players, folks who have been on “Survivor” before, have dominated, perhaps it is time for Survivor to again try a field of newbies.

What do you think? Is the “Survivor” magic still there? Will you keep on watching in Season 24? Leave your thoughts in the comments.