Survivor: Worlds Apart

Am glad this season is over because... ugggh. That was a struggle to get through at times.

Also, hate the way this season was edited, where the producers/editors really were treating the audience like idiots, making tio super obvious for a start, but not only that, is an insult to the intelligence of the Survivor watchign communities, that they don't trut thei viewers to be abvle to handle and deal with complex storylines and telling.

Mike's win, and can't believe I'm saying this, was probably the best given the cast at hand and how super unlikeable this cast was. Heavens only knows what Probst was smoking when he proclaimed rthis ti be one of the all time greatest seaosns, because it most definitely was not that. Anything but.

But what really gets me about Mike's win, is that this is a masive step back for Survivor. This is not a move forward in the evolution of the game, but a retreat. By having somone that, although clearly dominant at challenges win despite the fact that his social faux pais were almost as many as thpse highlightd elsewhere, and the fact that when things went against him, despite having bought so much time, he could not at any point salvage his game, strategically or socially, meaning that he was entirely dependant on challenge wins. That is not a strep forward. Seriously, as far back as Borneo and Australia were more involved than this.

Am really surprised hat Carolyn didn't get more votes, considering she had won a couple of challenges. she was able to use strategy in making a number of moves and was social enough to be able to be aware of when in danger and using the HII, as well as after that, to get the target off of her, and on to other people. This was the thing that Miek could never do. 

Anyhow, it's done now (thank heavens). 

Where it fits in the pantheon of Survivor seasons... well, it's at least it isn't as terrible as Caramoan or Redipshit Island, so I guess there is that... but it's not that much above them though.

Couldn't agree with you more, GM.  Carolyn really did get screwed from top-to-bottom.  She was by far the better player, and yet everyone gave the money to Mike.  It's an unfortunate side-effect of winning that many immunity necklaces.  It doesn't mean you're a good player, by ANY means at all. But people tend to respect it.  And in his case, everyone was gunning for his ass.  If Mike would've just lost, Mama C would've mopped the floor with everyone, I think even SHE knows that.  

Absolutely agreed, I've said it earlier in this thread that Probst sucks for saying this was such a great season.  It was adequate...it wasn't one of the WORST, in my opinion, but it was far from even getting close to the top 10.  It's hovering for me, somewhere right about smack dead center, or maybe a little lower than half way down the charts.

But winning all those immunities didn't win the game for Kelly in Borneo. It didn't help Colby win at the end in Australia. Considering that was season 1 & 2 and challenge whores were not able to get over the line at the end - even someone as relatively likeable as Colby (especially compareed to Mike) - what does it say that 30 seasons later it now suddenly is good enough?

In Cook Islands, Ozzy won pretty much everything, but it was Yul that got over the line at the end - even though he had the super powered HII which pretty much gave him a free pass all the way to the end.

Just contrast, let's compare with someone who was in a similiar position at the same point in a game. Take Chris in Vanuatu. At F7 he is the last man standing, with 5 immunity challenges before the FTC. Yes, he won a few of these, but there were at least 2 he didn't win, and on those occasions was able to avoid being voted out, not because of a HII but because he was then able to position himself so that the target was able to be put on other people and he was able to stay safe. Mike had plenty of time and opportunity to do this, yet never could get out of being in a position in which he could not survive without immunity. What this underlines more than anything is really lacking in the social and strategical aspects of the game.

The point being, this S30 Jury have done the game a disservice, by basically endorsing somone that really was only particularly good at one faucet of the game to be the best player and deserving of their vote. Yes, Mike had moments of being half decent socially, but was still a major douche and did some horrendous social decisions also. So in this way it is a step back, and hope that this is an anomaly and does not set a precedent to be a norm.

I think the problem was that the cast was so unlike-able that even a douche could win.

I couldn't find a reason to reward Will or C. Having to be the underdog the whole game is the only reason I think Mike deserved it over the other two. I could at LEAST come up with that reason as to why he should of won.