~ SURVIVOR Samoa ~ Season 19 ~

[4greatboys]

Good interview with Jeff

Jeff Probst blogs about 'Survivor' finale: 'Nobody outplayed Russell'
by Jeff Probst
Categories: Reality TV, Survivor



Okay, now that the show is officially over I’m going to take off my hosting and producing hat and just give you my personal reaction to what went down last night.

I think Russell was the victim of a jury of bitter people. I am not taking anything away from Natalie, she clearly did a great job of reading the group dynamic of the jury and as a result she deserves the money.

Oftentimes on Survivor, the vote does come down to a choice where a determining factor is “how nice someone is” but that’s usually when all other criteria being considered is equal. That doesn’t hold up this season. This season was so lopsided in terms of one person (Russell) completely dominating the game that to not give him the money and the title is a bit silly.

If I were playing Survivor, no matter how much I despised someone, if they kicked my *** in the game I would give it to them. Period. Outwit. Outplay. Nobody outwitted or outplayed Russell. Not even close.

I was a bit surprised at Erik’s nod to Natalie during the final tribal council. I think he certainly helped Natalie and definitely hurt Russell. I also think that when Erik watches this season again in a few years he will regret not giving his vote to Russell. Erik is the kind of guy who I thought would respect a player like Russell. I think Erik was still smarting from the whole Galu disaster.

I do not believe the jury voted for Natalie, I believe the jury voted against Russell.

Russell was clearly upset last night and I think a lot of people understand why that would be. He played a very risky and creative game and he wanted to be acknowledged. As for the audience, they spoke quite loudly when they awarded him the $100,000 from Sprint by an overwhelming 46% Russell to 10% Shambo… and 7% Natalie. Not even close. I put myself in that same group. Again, I’m speaking as a fan, not as a host or a producer.

But hey this is how it goes, it’s why Survivor is so fun to watch, you can never predict the outcome. So…

A FEW QUESTIONS…
Q. Can you be considered the greatest player ever if you don’t win? Hmmm. It’s a tough question for me. On one hand, it’s a no-brainer, absolutely not. Survivor is a social game and to win you have to vote people out in a way that compels them to return and vote for you to win the game. It’s extremely complicated and Russell did not achieve it, therefore he cannot be considered the greatest player to ever play. On the other hand, I can’t think of anybody who has ever played a game like Russell played. It was so dominating that I am still shaking my head that he didn’t win. The only guy I could even see having the talent and guts to do something equally dominating would be Boston Rob. So I am on the fence on this one. But this much I am certain of – Russell is without any question ONE of the greats. No doubt about it.

Q. Did Natalie play a better game than Russell? For me, that’s a bit easier to answer. I do not think that Natalie played a better game, but rather was the right person in the right position who made one very good strategic move and that was to stay out of Russell’s way, and as a result she ended up with the money. But to be fair – a very good counter argument is that Natalie used her strengths, avoided her weaknesses and by taking this active approach to the game, she put herself in position to win the money and it paid off. It’s a counter argument, but not one that I’m that fond of supporting.

Q. Was this a great season or a lame season? For me, this is another easy question. Survivor: Samoa will rank as one of my favorite seasons and for one reason: Russell Hantz. He single handedly kept this show interesting week after week after week. But I know some will argue that because it was “The Russell Season” it lacked having more big characters and therefore does not rank as high. This is one that will be debated by Survivor fans for years to come.

LIFE GOES ON AND SO DOES SURVIVOR
I hope you’re all jazzed about Survivor: Heroes Vs. Villains. I think you are going to really enjoy it! We have an all-star cast returning. A lot of people you will expect and want to see and a couple of surprise choices that may leave you scratching your head, which we love, by the way.



Happy Holidays Survivor fans – and Happy New Year.

 

[smiley]

I think Jeff said it perfectly. Jeff was there, saw everything, heard everything. And if he says Russell deserved it, he did! Go Russell, Go Jeff.

Russell Hantz: Sole Survivor and Winner of Survivor Samoa

Unfortunately Jeff does not get a vote in the game. Natalie is the Winner of Survivor Samoa fair and square.

 

[puffkin]

I have read Jeff's blog posts each season and tend to agree with him 100%. His knowledge of the show/contestants/conditions is unparalled and he does a great job of breaking things down.

 

[disneyworldluvr349]

He single handedly kept this show interesting week after week after week. But I know some will argue that because it was “The Russell Season” it lacked having more big characters and therefore does not rank as high. This is one that will be debated by Survivor fans for years to come.
It was the "Russell Season" he made the show!
If I were playing Survivor, no matter how much I despised someone, if they kicked my *** in the game I would give it to them. Period. Outwit. Outplay. Nobody outwitted or outplayed Russell. Not even close.
Wow, I think I love Jeff even more than I did before. That's exactly how I feel...

"Russell Hantz: Sole Survivor and Winner of Survivor Samoa"

Amen!

 

[TnTsParty]

He doesn't get a vote but his opinion counts more than any other individual.

Russell Hantz: Sole Survivor and Winner of Survivor Samoa

Jeff's opinion doesn't count more than the jury members - that is who is in control of who wins or looses the game - so they jury 's opinion counts more than Jeff's - he is just the host and unable to determine the outcome of the game - that wouldn 't be fair.

 

[McDISer]

From Jeff Probsts blog-

Q. Was this a great season or a lame season? For me, this is another easy question. Survivor: Samoa will rank as one of my favorite seasons and for one reason: Russell Hantz. He single handedly kept this show interesting week after week after week. But I know some will argue that because it was “The Russell Season” it lacked having more big characters and therefore does not rank as high. This is one that will be debated by Survivor fans for years to come.

The show sure gave Russell tons of air time.
Russel did keep the show interesting-being the outspoken one,
but at times, he acted psycho-I wouldn't have wanted to be on the island with him.
If Brett would of won the last immunity challenge, he would of won survivor. How come no one brings that one up.
But then again, we had no idea Brett was even on the show, he totally flew under the radar until the last couple of immunity challenges.

 

[dejr_8]

From Jeff Probsts blog-

The show sure gave Russell tons of air time.
Russel did keep the show interesting-being the outspoken one,
but at times, he acted psycho-I wouldn't have wanted to be on the island with him.
If Brett would of won the last immunity challenge, he would of won survivor. How come no one brings that one up.
But then again, we had no idea Brett was even on the show, he totally flew under the radar until the last couple of immunity challenges.

Brett winning wouldn't have been as big a surprise:

1) Last Galu Member
2) Would have won the 4 final immunity challenges
3) Jury Support since most were from his original tribe

These are positive reasons to vote for Brett

In my opinion, the votes that Natalie got were negative votes against Russell.

 

[Metro West]

If Brett would of won the last immunity challenge, he would of won survivor. How come no one brings that one up.
But then again, we had no idea Brett was even on the show, he totally flew under the radar until the last couple of immunity challenges.

That's a good point and I would have been happy to see Brett win. I just wish he could have won that last immunity challenge.

If Russell HAD been voted out after that last challenge (if Brett had won), can you imagine how Russell would have acted? Wow...that's pretty scary to think about.

 

[dejr_8]

That's a good point and I would have been happy to see Brett win. I just wish he could have won that last immunity challenge.

If Russell HAD been voted out after that last challenge (if Brett had won), can you imagine how Russell would have acted? Wow...that's pretty scary to think about.

I think Russell would have handled that well. He would appreciate them scheming to vote him off. He understands that part of the game.

 

[Metro West]

But it didn't happen. Russ stopped him dead in his tracks!

Russell Hantz: Sole Survivor and Winner of Survivor Samoa

I think you need to start an online petition to overturn the jury's vote and award Russell the money and the title he craves so badly.

 

[PixieDust32]

If it would matter, I would. Only Nat can give that title up and she won't, even though she knows she didn't earn it. Her reaction after receiving each vote was one of shock, she was shocked she won. So was America!

Russell Hantz: Sole Survivor and Winner of Survivor Samoa

I wasn't socked at all. I knew Russ couldn't get enough votes from that jury. And I think the only reason this season was a "Russell season" well, because the production edited that way, Russ craves attention and camera time and the others didn't. Production need ratings and that gave them ratings.

 

[4greatboys]

I wasn't socked at all. I knew Russ couldn't get enough votes from that jury. And I think the only reason this season was a "Russell season" well, because the production edited that way, Russ craves attention and camera time and the others didn't. Production need ratings and that gave them ratings.

I'm going to have to disagree with that. Yes I do agree that Russell likes attn but no one else seemed to shy away from it. Dave seemed to enjoy his camera time and so did several others so I wouldn't say the others don't want the attn, they are on Survivor after all.

 

[legalsea]

I like a good argument about ‘who won’ a game. It is very improving to the mind.

Let us keep some salient points in mind:

Just because you wish someone else had won the game does not, in reality, mean that said person you favored won the game. Let us not mix up facts and fantasy.

In order to ‘win’ the television game show of Survivor, one must collect the most votes from the jury. In this case, since it was a jury of nine members, a person had to collect five votes. Russell garnered two votes, and Natalie received seven votes. Simple mathematics will show to the most disinterested person that Natalie’s vote count exceeded Russell’s vote count, and so she ‘won’.

My opinion: Russell was not as great a player as he thinks he was. He took a lot of credit where credit was not due him. For instance, in one episode he was crowing about how he was going to ‘take out’ one player. When he brought up the player’s name (I forget who) to Jaison, Jaison said no, he wanted to take out another player. Jaison’s wish prevailed. Yet Russell claimed it was all according to his plan.

Russell was very good at looking for the hidden immunity idols. He said that he spent hours searching for them (five hours in one area in one instance). If there was a game show where something was hidden in a forest and participants had to search for it, and Russell was a participant, I would bet my money on Russell. It was smart and it kept him in the game longer than he would have lasted. It this was the older version of Survivor (before they started hiding such idols) he would have been gone.

Natalie allied with Russell on the second day and stayed with the alliance to the end. Good game play. It was her luck that the jury ended up hating Russell, perhaps in part because the jury members compared notes (in Ponderosa) and figured out that he was not a Hurricane Katrina victim, for one (I think he also said he was a firefighter). That is the kind of lying that makes people mad. Claiming that you were part of a national catastrophe is not gameplay, in my opinion, but simply stupid.

Russell had a big mouth. A truly good player keeps his or her own counsel. Think back to the times Russell would find the idol, tell the camera how he had to keep it dark, then run out and start telling different people. He even once stated that it was his mistake to tell one person some piece of information and so that person had to go (that person did not, in that particular instance).

Was Russell an interesting player? Without a doubt. Did he ‘deserve’ to win? I guess not, since the jury voted for Natalie. The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

Natalie: Sole Survivor and Winner of Survivor Samoa.

 

[PixieDust32]

I'm going to have to disagree with that. Yes I do agree that Russell likes attn but no one else seemed to shy away from it. Dave seemed to enjoy his camera time and so did several others so I wouldn't say the others don't want the attn, they are on Survivor after all.

Just saying...

Throughout the season, CBS, which seemed to have suffered a massive casting failure in which the vast majority of the 20 people competing this season simply had very little to say that was interesting, struggled to make more out of Russell than was really there. If a group of people decided to do something, even if Russell was not the first person to suggest it, it would somehow later be reported in one of the increasingly delusional Jeff Probst "Previously on Survivor" summaries (which became the funniest part of the season for me and many people with whom I discussed the show) that it was all his idea.

What Russell did the most was talk about himself. If you excised Russell's confessionals in which he told the camera what a genius he was, and you excised Probst's rooting openly for Russell (as he always does for whatever man he deems the most manly), the perception that Russell did more than everyone else would largely disappear. (Yes, you would be left with the fact that he found a couple of immunity idols, now that the show has stopped burying them or really hiding them and has started hiding them in near-plain-sight. This is not "mastermind" play. This is being good at scavenger hunts.)

 

[SeaSpray]

Just saying...

Throughout the season, CBS, which seemed to have suffered a massive casting failure in which the vast majority of the 20 people competing this season simply had very little to say that was interesting, struggled to make more out of Russell than was really there. If a group of people decided to do something, even if Russell was not the first person to suggest it, it would somehow later be reported in one of the increasingly delusional Jeff Probst "Previously on Survivor" summaries (which became the funniest part of the season for me and many people with whom I discussed the show) that it was all his idea.

What Russell did the most was talk about himself. If you excised Russell's confessionals in which he told the camera what a genius he was, and you excised Probst's rooting openly for Russell (as he always does for whatever man he deems the most manly), the perception that Russell did more than everyone else would largely disappear. (Yes, you would be left with the fact that he found a couple of immunity idols, now that the show has stopped burying them or really hiding them and has started hiding them in near-plain-sight. This is not "mastermind" play. This is being good at scavenger hunts.)

Wow, that person quite obviously intensely dislikes Jeff Probst, and Russell. LOL Russell didn't find those hidden immunity idols "in near-plain-sight". He found them when even those WITH clues to their locations, couldn't!

 

[PixieDust32]

I like a good argument about ‘who won’ a game. It is very improving to the mind.

Let us keep some salient points in mind:

Just because you wish someone else had won the game does not, in reality, mean that said person you favored won the game. Let us not mix up facts and fantasy.

In order to ‘win’ the television game show of Survivor, one must collect the most votes from the jury. In this case, since it was a jury of nine members, a person had to collect five votes. Russell garnered two votes, and Natalie received seven votes. Simple mathematics will show to the most disinterested person that Natalie’s vote count exceeded Russell’s vote count, and so she ‘won’.

My opinion: Russell was not as great a player as he thinks he was. He took a lot of credit where credit was not due him. For instance, in one episode he was crowing about how he was going to ‘take out’ one player. When he brought up the player’s name (I forget who) to Jaison, Jaison said no, he wanted to take out another player. Jaison’s wish prevailed. Yet Russell claimed it was all according to his plan.

Russell was very good at looking for the hidden immunity idols. He said that he spent hours searching for them (five hours in one area in one instance). If there was a game show where something was hidden in a forest and participants had to search for it, and Russell was a participant, I would bet my money on Russell. It was smart and it kept him in the game longer than he would have lasted. It this was the older version of Survivor (before they started hiding such idols) he would have been gone.

Natalie allied with Russell on the second day and stayed with the alliance to the end. Good game play. It was her luck that the jury ended up hating Russell, perhaps in part because the jury members compared notes (in Ponderosa) and figured out that he was not a Hurricane Katrina victim, for one (I think he also said he was a firefighter). That is the kind of lying that makes people mad. Claiming that you were part of a national catastrophe is not gameplay, in my opinion, but simply stupid.

Russell had a big mouth. A truly good player keeps his or her own counsel. Think back to the times Russell would find the idol, tell the camera how he had to keep it dark, then run out and start telling different people. He even once stated that it was his mistake to tell one person some piece of information and so that person had to go (that person did not, in that particular instance).

Was Russell an interesting player? Without a doubt. Did he ‘deserve’ to win? I guess not, since the jury voted for Natalie. The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

Natalie: Sole Survivor and Winner of Survivor Samoa.

People told Russel what Russel wanted to hear, "you are the best" " you are great" etc, they feed his ego and that made it happy and he thought they were "stupid dumb people easy to fool" when at the end the "fool" was him.

In Ponderosa I saw Eric with a notebook and he mentioned something about how would the vote, of course production edited that part, but I bet they discussed all they lies he told everyone of them, and many other things and we probably didn't see and they did. I read somewhere the Natalie spend a lot of time talking wit the galu people, while Russel was too busy talking to the cameras, searching for idols or just thinking about how would he bet everybody else, he got lost into his own ego and head.

At the end Natalie was smarted than him, she knew how to stay in the game,on his side and most important she won the jury and earned the title of Sole survivor, the title that Russ wanted so bad.

 

[PixieDust32]

Wow, that person quite obviously intensely dislikes Jeff Probst, and Russell. LOL Russell didn't find those hidden immunity idols "in near-plain-sight". He found them when even those WITH clues to their locations, couldn't!

http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2009/12/survivor_crowns_a_winner_offen.html

You can read the entire article

 

[legalsea]

Wow, that person quite obviously intensely dislikes Jeff Probst, and Russell. LOL Russell didn't find those hidden immunity idols "in near-plain-sight". He found them when even those WITH clues to their locations, couldn't!

Is that right? I thought that Russell found the first idol before any clue had been given. I remember that Shambo did have one clue (I think for the second one), but Russell had already found the idol. I seem to recall that for the third idol no clue had been given but people were running around the forest looking for it.

 

[declansdad]

The jury does get to pick the winner but we have seen in this season and in oters, they don't always vote on who played the best game. Yes there is a social aspect to this game and that needs to be taken into consideration. But many jury memebers have voted based on their on personal feelings and that is what bothers many people.

To say Natalie won because she played a good social game is no different than saying that Russell should have won because he played a better strategic game. They both are one part of the game.

You can't take away the jury's selection but the one person who saw it al land had no stake in the outcome was Jeff Probst. If he says that Russell lost because of a bitter jury, I will take his word on it.

 

[SeaSpray]

http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2009/12/survivor_crowns_a_winner_offen.html

You can read the entire article

Someone from production? Ok so maybe they're jealous of Jeff Probst. Just kidding...really, who the heck knows, but they sure dislike him. LOL

Is that right? I thought that Russell found the first idol before any clue had been given. I remember that Shambo did have one clue (I think for the second one), but Russell had already found the idol. I seem to recall that for the third idol no clue had been given but people were running around the forest looking for it.

Russell was on the award where several of them got to watch the video clip on the cell phone, it showed the picture of the mossy rock, and Dave was close to it, and Russell called him away from it so that he could return later to find it. LOL