 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Tina’s strategy triumphs© St. Petersburg Times, published May 4, 2001 He blew it. Macho, competitive Texan Colby Donaldson had the top prize in CBS's hit reality TV game show Survivor: The Australian Outback in the bag, and he let it go.
"Oh my God," she said, after hearing of the 4-3 vote that handed her a new car and $1-million prize, hoisted into the air by an enthusiastic Donaldson. Wesson's victory capped 14 weeks of telecasts, showing 16 people isolated on an Australian ranch enduring hellish deprivations and sadistic challenges. In the end, Donaldson and Wesson faced a "jury" of seven previously ejected contestants (to ensure no one guessed the winner, producers held off tallying the final vote until Thursday's live broadcast). Like last year, the vote went down to the wire, with Wesson edging out Donaldson -- who had won every challenge competition in recent memory and was heavily favored to take the big prize. Wesson in some ways was the perfect choice. Though she only won one of the game's competitive reward or immunity challenges, she got close to the game's strongest competitor -- so close that she persuaded him to keep her around even when it was in his best interest to kick her to the curb. Halfway through the show's finale, Donaldson won the final immunity challenge and was faced with a choice: vote off Wesson or abrasive chef Keith Famie. Though he would have almost been assured of winning by keeping the much-disliked Famie in the game, Dondlson chose Wesson, ensuring the vote would be a close one. "When Tina and I started becoming close . . . that's when we decided to play our game," Donaldson said, trying to explain his choice to Early Show host Bryant Gumbel, who led a live reunion show after the finale. "That's the beauty of this game." No Colby, that's the beauty of Tina. She snookered you, and you don't even realize it -- even now. "She really played the game," said fellow contestant Alicia Calaway. "It was using her brain . . . she deserves it." As usual, host Gumbel cut to the quick, telling Famie, "here's a guy who gave up $900,000 because he didn't want you to have it. I mean, c'mon." Famie kept his personal illusions intact, insisting that "the bond I've made with these individuals has been great." Okay, Keith. Whatever you say. Much of the finale emerged as a soporific, overly sentimental anti-climax, filled with breathy talk of "learning experiences" and "reconnecting" that seemed drawn straight from a badly written self-help book. Unlike last year's Survivor finale, where the show's snarkiest contestants could barely hide the tension and anger as they struggled for the game's brass ring -- Thursday's finale unfolded like Oprah in the Outback, with Donaldson, Famie and Wesson killing an hour carving wood idols and reflecting on their time in isolation. I couldn't help thinking: Survivor has turned into the show critics said it should be -- life affirming, emotional and caring. And I hated it. The knives didn't come out until after Famie's ejection, when Donaldson and Wesson let their nice-guy facades slip to talk about how they kept the chef around to use his vote for eliminating other rivals. Once Famie was gone, Donaldson and Wesson faced a "jury" of the seven ejected contestants. Each was allowed to ask a question, offering a typically mushy mix of queries about regret and strategy. The sole standout was actor Jerri Manthey, excoriated as an abrasive harpie through much of the show and ejected after a surprise betrayal by both Donaldson and Wesson. Manthey tried to finagle an apology by saying, "I want to allow you a chance to clear your conscience by bringing up an incidents where you might have (wronged) another person." But Wesson pointed out her most shameful moment was searching teammate Kel Mitchell's bag after Manthey falsely accused him of having beef jerky. Donaldson cited the exits of three other competitors. In the end, the finale marked Survivor's transition from TV phenomenon to just another popular show -- minus the excitement that made last year's debut such a singular sensation. - Information from Times wires was used in this report.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From the wire |
