Survivor: Redemption Island

[Melanie]

[*]First on the topic of Rob winning. You may not like it, but come on ... he played a masterful game and I completely agree with Jeff that it might be the best game ever played. You may want to downplay it and talk about how stupid the other people were and all that, but at the end of the day he still had to pull it all together and make it work, win the challenges when he could, find the idol, and hold his alliance together. He earned this victory plain and simple.

Okay but, my thing with this is OF COURSE he played a masterful game. He's done it FOUR times. He was 3 up on everyone to start with. Aaaaaaahhhhhh! And sorry, but I'll 'downplay' it and say that it was a definite advantage for him getting the tribe he did. I think they'd been the same way with Russell. He'd chosen Natalie and Ashley as his girls, but I do think the end result would have been different (with one of the girls winning).

The dude has had 6 chances at the big bucks, and he FINALLY gets it. Kudos to him. Yay.

[lovewalt]

I really enjoyed this season.I haven't been this riveted in a "please don't tell me who won until I watch the dvr" kind of way in a long time! Not because of RI,though.I'd rather see the reward challanges again.
Being that Maine is a "small town" kinda place, I usually root for any Maine contestant on the show.But I just couldn't do that for Ashley,she was no Bob Crowley that's for sure!
Since Grant didn't make a comeback, I'm happy that Rob won.I would have been very dissapointed if either of the other two finalists had.Well played Rob.Your ten years of training finally paid off.

[*]Totally missed the torch retrospective segment. Wonder why they didn't do it this year? That's always one of my favorite parts of the finale, because they look back on all the other players and all that. It's cool. Definitely hope that comes back again next season.

I agreed with all your comments except this one.For the past few years,I've missed the live finale because I work Sunday nights.So when I watch the recorded show I fast forward through the torch segment.It reminds me of a memorial service.These people didn't DIE,they just lost the game!

[The Hitchhiking Ghost]

I really enjoyed this season.I haven't been this riveted in a "please don't tell me who won until I watch the dvr" kind of way in a long time!

Really

One of the biggest and most reoccurring complaints this season, with good reason, is the total predictability of each tribal council. I don't think there was a single tribal where we didn't know the outcome. It was so bad they actually crammed two episodes and tribals into one because it was so predictable.

The only thing in doubt was, was Rob going to get all 9 votes or maybe just 7 or 8.

Kudos to Rob, he finally got his win on his 4th attempt (and he deserved it) but Survivor 22 - Redemption Island will go down as one of the series worst seasons (lame challenges, predictable tribals, inept players, terrible final 3 with Phillip and Natalie, terrible twist with Redemption Island and finally bringing back players.)

[Nascfan]

One of the biggest and most reoccurring complaints this season, with good reason, is the total predictability of each tribal council. I don't think there was a single tribal where we didn't know the outcome. It was so bad they actually crammed two episodes and tribals into one because it was so predictable.

The only thing in doubt was, was Rob going to get all 9 votes or maybe just 7 or 8.

Kudos to Rob, he finally got his win on his 4th attempt (and he deserved it) but Survivor 22 - Redemption Island will go down as one of the series worst seasons (lame challenges, predictable tribals, inept players, terrible final 3 with Phillip and Natalie, terrible twist with Redemption Island and finally bringing back players.)

Finally, mercifully, the most predictable Survivor season comes to a predictable end. Hey, Rob deserved to win, but I certainly won't say it was one of the most masterful, brilliant games played. He won because he was the only Ometep playing! I've never seen so much hero worship as with his "6". Hopefully they'll get some real "players" next season. One of the reasons I love the show is for the blindsides that even we don't see coming. I like nothing better than to say "Whoa, I didn't see THAT coming!" after a tribal. None of that this season.

[Carol]

Very happy Rob won. David was right on with his address to the jury.

I was not a fan of Rob during his own season - but have come to enjoy his game play - especially after watching him on the Amazing Race. He is always thinking ahead. Many of the tactics folks use today in both games came from Rob.

He's done it FOUR times.

Exactly -- but it gave him a HUGE target on his back.

[A Big Kid]

I think I fell asleep during every episode. I am not sure if survivor is played out, but this edition was just boring.

[SBETigg]

Exactly -- but it gave him a HUGE target on his back.

No, it could have given him a huge target on his back. With any other group of people, it probably would have. With the tribe he ended up in, it gave him hero worship that only helped his plans and strategic moves come together and get him to the end.

[Scar]

This season was just OK for me. It was entertaining enough, but the finale and reunion show were horrible. Oddly enough, I found myself wanting Phillip to win, but knew that Rob would.

[The Hitchhiking Ghost]

No, it could have given him a huge target on his back. With any other group of people, it probably would have. With the tribe he ended up in, it gave him hero worship that only helped his plans and strategic moves come together and get him to the end.

Russel joined a tribe that immediately viewed him as a villain, and being a one trick pony he stayed to form and tried to find a couple young women to manipulate and to find an idol. He got one of two. Rob on the other hand, with the exception of maybe Franscesca and Christine was viewed more as a celebrity than a villain, and hero worship ensued. Difference between Rob and Russell is that as people said, Rob knew how to work relationships, which is a two edged sword in the type of game Rob plays. The relationships get him close to other tribe members and it's what kept him around, but then when he starts the slaughter that's when those friendships can become dangerous as he has to vote them off despite the relationships, which is in part what cost him in all-stars.

It would have been really interesting to see how Rob would have functioned with Zapatera. I could see him garnering the same two that Russel did, Stephanie and Krista, plus, based on the bromance he constantly showed, he probably could have gotten Dave, that puts him at 4. Could he have gotten one more and controlled the tribe? Mike, Steve, Ralph, Julie or Sarita, could he have pulled one of them in and formed a 5 person alliance, or would they have stuck together?

Rob should have had a huge target on his back, but maybe his smartest play in the game was to identify Christine as an immediate threat to the tribe, which was only helped out by Phillip's manic performance at the first tribal totally laying out Christine's plans. It fed right into what Rob needed, a bigger and more immediate threat.

[Carol]

No, it could have given him a huge target on his back.

That is not my point. I said he had a target on his back entering this game again - as did Russell. Rob had no idea going in what his team mates would be like. Hence he did not alienate his tribe-mates from the get-go like Russell did. Again - great game-play.

I do not think it's a big factor that it was his 4th season playing. His other 2 return seasons were with returning contestants - giving the biggest targets to those that had won before.

[Ian]

Okay but, my thing with this is OF COURSE he played a masterful game. He's done it FOUR times. He was 3 up on everyone to start with. Aaaaaaahhhhhh! And sorry, but I'll 'downplay' it and say that it was a definite advantage for him getting the tribe he did.

I don't see having played three times previously as an advantage at all. In fact, I think it makes it more impressive that he won.

And you can blame his tribe to some degree, but you can't completely discount the work that Rob put in to prevent them from turning on him. They may have been naive about Survivor to a degree, but at the critical points in the game when Rob's instincts told him things might not be going his way he stepped up and won challenges, dug out immunity idols, and worked hard to strengthen relationships to protect himself.

I don't think it's at all fair to simply write off his victory to playing with a bunch of dummies.

David was right on with his address to the jury.

I was not a fan of Rob during his own season - but have come to enjoy his game play - especially after watching him on the Amazing Race. He is always thinking ahead. Many of the tactics folks use today in both games came from Rob.

Totally agree on all points, Carol.

I, for one, enjoyed this season a lot. I don't see any of the "predictable" issues that everyone is putting out there. I thought every week there was a chance for something out of the ordinary to happen. Was it really "predictable" that Grant would get voted out when he did? Maybe you guys saw it coming, but I didn't. And there were plenty more like that, if you ask me.

Now I've said before and I'll reiterate ... I wasn't a fan of RI at all and I definitely thought it should have ended post-merge. I'm not happy to see that coming back and I'm also not thrilled with the idea of Coach and Phillip coming back. I definitely liked Coach a lot more last time he was on than the first time, but I'm totally over Phillip. He didn't annoy me the way he did some others, but I just found him oddly inert. He wasn't really anything to me. A non-factor.

[Melanie]

We are definitely not going to agree on this ever, so it's best we just agree to disagree. Which is funny, because all of our feelings here are pretty much what I'm reading out there in cyberland as well. You either think Rob is the best thing since sliced bread, or you're over him. I'm just glad it's over and hope to never see the guy again.

[JanetMegan]

Finally got to watch last night and while I was pretty sure Rob was going to win I managed to make it through the whole week without spoilers =) Too much catch up to say much but I SO did NOT miss the torch segment, I always fast forward through that anyways!

[SBETigg]

Finally got to watch last night and while I was pretty sure Rob was going to win I managed to make it through the whole week without spoilers =) Too much catch up to say much but I SO did NOT miss the torch segment, I always fast forward through that anyways!

Wow, I'm most impressed that you avoided spoilers all that time!

As to earlier speculation, I'm thinking for the next season, they won't bring Phillip back so soon. That's probably just a rumor. The cast really wouldn't know Phillip yet, since they probably filmed before this season aired or before it wrapped. So the point of bringing back a veteran player is kind of lost if they choose Phillip. Though, they brought Russell back when no one knew him, for his second attempt, so anything is possible.

[The Hitchhiking Ghost]

Wow, I'm most impressed that you avoided spoilers all that time!

As to earlier speculation, I'm thinking for the next season, they won't bring Phillip back so soon. That's probably just a rumor. The cast really wouldn't know Phillip yet, since they probably filmed before this season aired or before it wrapped. So the point of bringing back a veteran player is kind of lost if they choose Phillip. Though, they brought Russell back when no one knew him, for his second attempt, so anything is possible.

Anything is possible. Russell was approached during the middle of filming Somoa about doing HvV season (which was the next one). Likewise Rupert was approached during Pearl Islands to do the Allstar season, again the next immediate season. Also, Stephanie and Bobby Jon were tapped to reappear in Guatemala right after the Palau season. James was in the China season and was brought back immediately for Fans v Favs.

If there is one thing that the producers of this show do know, and that is when they have a fan favorite, either a heroe like James or villain like Russell.

So I think there would be little surprise to see Phillip brought right back for back to back seasons.