As many of you predicted in the comments section for last episode, Danielle bested Cirie in the fire challenge. Cirie did try hard though and even Jeff smiles at Cirie as he extinguishes her torch. It becomes a far less interesting game with her gone. Nevertheless the finale has a few twists in store. After Cirie leaves, Terry seems quite excited to finally have a Casaya ally. He starts feeling confident and brings out the hidden immunity idol making a grand display of destroying it in front of Aras who he thinks he has beaten now.
Before playing for final immunity, the three play for the chance to eat a "power meal" and a cot to sleep on in order to prepare for the final challenge. This just seems like filler to me. But it is fun to watch Terry and Aras compete because they play so damn hard. Aras loses and spends the next chunk of time rationalizing all the ways that Terry's win is actually a bad thing for Terry. It's a bit cute and sad. Their relationship is often characterized as father/son but to me it seems more like big brother/little brother.
I refuse to blog about the torch farewells because it's just so boring except to say that they could not have picked more unflattering shots for Shane if they tried. Someone in the editing room must have it out for him.
The final challenge is the basic endurance and balance challenge, this time on floating platforms that get progressively smaller. It's a tricky challenge and Terry is actually the first to go followed quickly by Aras. They don't even get to the smallest platform before it's all over with Danielle in the catbird seat which is definitely a surprise.
Watching Danielle figure out who to take to the final two I am getting the impression that this is a girl who dates more than one man at the same time. She gave Aras the head nod so he quit the challenge even though she has an alliance with Terry. When Terry presses her she admits that she isn't sure yet. Terry just looks totally flummoxed that yet again he is being let down. It's like Charlie Brown and the football. She keeps holding it out and then snatching it away.
Aras realizes he was nuts to jump off the floating pad and tries to threaten Danielle, assuring her that he and Cirie will not vote for her. The threat works and Terry gets screwed yet again. He was a strong physical player but no match for the Casa Dysfunction brand of a family-like alliance. And the car cruse goes on.
Before Aras and Danielle can go to the final tribal however, Aras takes a header on the rocks and has to get stitches on his hand and back.
At the final tribal there isn't a lot of anger. Courtney gives the most spacey Survivor speech ever but manages to throw in a few well-placed digs at both Danielle and Aras. Shane is our designated bitter hitter in a peasant blouse saying that Terry is the most deserving at the million and that Danielle is useless and Aras is a betrayer and a freeloader.
I love that Terry voted for Aras. I've had my beefs with Terry throughout the season but that's a pretty cool move. Despite spoilers to the contrary, Aras wins! Not my favorite player but at least he was more of a hard-driving player than Danielle.
The Reunion show discusses the Casaya alliance. This season had perhaps the most solid alliance I have ever seen on the game since the early days of Hatch's first alliance. Other details include Tina's story of losing her son, which leaves not a dry eye in the house and Terry's presentation of a fishing trophy to Cirie. According to Shane, his wackiness wasn't an act (I still think it was at least partially). There is also a weird moment where Sally talks about her divorce and her estrangement from her family. This wasn't really touched on in the show or if it was I snoozed through it (the La Mina crowd bored me).
It wasn't the most exciting season of Survivor and the reunion show reflects that focusing mainly on a few key characters (Shane, Cirie, Terry etc.). Cirie wins a GMC Yukon for being a fan favorite and we learn that the next Survivor will be in the Cook Islands.
Andy Richter: The TV Squad Interview
Have any questions for Vik Sahay of Chuck? Ask them here!
Mike Henry and Daryl Hall on a Cleveland Show Thanksgiving
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
5-15-2006 @ 6:18AM
Robin said...
cirie should have won we love her i hope next show is 1/2 as god as this one
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5-15-2006 @ 6:24AM
Jeff said...
Tell me you didn't laugh when Jeff was describing the competitiveness between Terry and Aras and he said something to the effect of, "This was some real man-on-man action. These two strapped it on."
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5-15-2006 @ 6:25AM
Robin said...
I loved the show almost if not better than the very first one although i belive ciece should have won she came along way from the women who was affried of leaves. she was truley the in our hearts who came the farthest. good luck with the next show we will be watching.
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5-15-2006 @ 7:45AM
cm said...
I totally lost interest when Terry was voted off.Neither Danielle or Aras deserved to be the sole survivor!! Next Season they should have the jury pick theirs and the VEIWERS pick who they think should win!!
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5-15-2006 @ 7:58AM
Maria said...
Did anyone else think that the final challenge was geared so that Danielle had a big advantage? Both Terry and Aras's platforms were a lot lower than hers (b/c of their weight), and women have a lower center of gravity to begin with, making balancing easier in some ways for them.
I wonder what the breakdown in voting would have been if it was Aras vs Terry in the final 2?
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5-15-2006 @ 8:18AM
KMF said...
I'm glad that Aras won, only because that meant Danielle lost. Danielle picking Aras over Terry stunned me at first but then well it was typical of her to flip last minute. No matter who she picked for the final two, I knew Danielle was not going to win. I think they should bring Bruce back for another Survivor so he can finish the game.
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5-15-2006 @ 8:40AM
Michael said...
In looking at the final challenge, Danielle had a bit of an advantage, just from the placement of her lillipads. In the midle semes like it'd be a bit more stable than the ones on the outside. But it was probably all luck and we know Mark Burnett would never try to meddle with the game to make it more interesting on TV.
Interesting to see that no matter who she picked Danielle wouldn't have won.
Oh and Melinda, I missed you so. Cirie should have gone home that second TC, not you...
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5-15-2006 @ 9:07AM
LC said...
All in all, a great season. I wanted Terry to win, but Aras did fight hard and gained enough loyalty from his tribe and the respect of Terry to get his vote and deserved to win.
I always like the reunion show as the contestants put things in perspective and really don't hate each other in real life. It's like football. you absolutely hate the other team while you are playing, but after the season ends you all golf together and have a beer.
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5-15-2006 @ 9:17AM
Joanne said...
I completely agree with what "cm" posted. I, also, lost interest when Terry was voted off. I am from Boston and could not stand Danielle. She did absolutely NOTHING to deserve to be in the final 2 or 4 or 10 for that matter. How dare she try to follow in Boston Rob's footsteps with her Red Sox cap. She could not even compare to my all-time favorite Boston Rob. With no personality and a complete bore to watch she deserved to be kicked off long ago. Terry was the "sole survivor". It was so much fun watching Terry be unbeatable, especially as the underdog. He deserved to win the million and no one else!!!!! I hope to see him in the next "All Star" or even a "Popular Vote" by us to win a million like the sweet, adoring Rupart.
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5-15-2006 @ 9:48AM
Suzanne said...
I have never seen a challenge to unfairly stacked to favor one of the players -- I am ASHAMED of Survivor for doing this! Danielle was short, with a lower center of gravity, a smaller leg span, AND less weight. It was easy to see how her lily pad stayed well above the water line, as Aras' and Terry's quickly sunk on the second step-down. Gee -- at least be more subtle when you decide to stack the deck!! We ain't THAT stooopid out here in TV LAND!
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5-15-2006 @ 10:48AM
BobMac said...
Since Danielle didn't have a chance against either of them, she should have picked Terry just so the real Survivor would have won.
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5-15-2006 @ 12:13PM
Tammy said...
Oh Terry might say he respected Aras but he voted against Danielle, not for Aras. This had more to do with hoping that Danielle would regret her choice than wanting Aras to win.
I think Terry deserved it because he kept winning but I still think he didn't play as smart as he could have. Yeah he tried to get someone to flip by promising them the idol but I think he should have given it to Sally or Austin so that they could have gotten one of the Casaya out a long time ago. If he found it that easily the first time, it could have been found again. He never used the idol to his advantage and that means he got Outwitted.
I didn't want Aras or Danielle to win anyway so it was a disappointing finish.
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5-15-2006 @ 12:20PM
Julie said...
I think the whole time that Terry was outwitted because he was never able to figure out how to successfully integrate with Casaya. THAT was his biggest downfall. He was certainly strong up until the very end but it is "Outwit, Outplay, Outlast"...
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5-15-2006 @ 1:21PM
IH said...
Terry should've won. It was a very disappointing ending. Personally, I don't think either Danielle or Aras deserved to win. I was happy to see Danielle's disappointment when she didn't win the million dollars. Now she know how far deceit will take her in life.
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5-15-2006 @ 3:13PM
Kittycremecake said...
Thanks, Jeff! I thought I must have imagined that "strapped on" comment. What an odd turn of phrase.
I also felt the last challenge was geared so the person that weighed the least would win. However, almost all of the challenges allow those with superior upper body strength (mostly men) to win so I don't feel too bad. It didn't do her any good.
Has anyone that has won the final immunity ever won the game?
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5-15-2006 @ 4:11PM
Joe said...
Oh, enough of this bs that terry "deserved" or "should have" won. Survivor is NOT "world's strongest man competition".
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5-15-2006 @ 4:13PM
Jodi Baxter said...
I stopped watching as soon as Danielle voted out Terry and picked Aras to go to the finals with.
UNBELIEVABLE!! That last challenge was ridiculous...there was no way the men could have won that over Danielle. What a JOKE!
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5-15-2006 @ 4:40PM
sissy said...
I THINK TERRY SHOULD HAVE WON AND THAT DANILLE IS A WITCH FOR PICKING ARAS. HA HA
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5-15-2006 @ 5:42PM
sallie lanier said...
i was dissapointed that the best survivor,terry did not win.
women are better at balancing than men.that is general knowledge.
also, Terry was incredulous that he was lied to.sad thing is, he would, have, with out reservation, kept his word.
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5-15-2006 @ 6:27PM
LC said...
"If he found it that easily the first time, it could have been found again."
I'm not sure, but I think the hidden immunity was a one time deal. Once used it was done for the season. It was too risky to give it away. Had he given it to Austin or Sally, they still would not have had the numbers as was later shown by Terry's failure to flip any of the members.
". I think the whole time that Terry was outwitted because he was never able to figure out how to successfully integrate with Casaya."
I'm not sure that would be considered outwitted since Terry had no control over the tightness of that group. The only way I could have seen him possibly flipping any of them would have been to outright lie and say that he heard one of them plotting to boot off one of their own, but that simply wasn't Terry's style of play.
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