Survivor's Frank -- A Man of Honor

One thing I have noticed about Frank Garrison, a contestant on the latest version of Survivor, is that viewers either love him or they hate him. There seems to be no middle ground. I don’t know why people feel this way about him. But I thought that perhaps Frank needs some champions. I make no bones about it, out of the 16 contestants this time, Frank was my favorite. I am truly sorry he is no longer playing.

But why do so many people dislike Frank? I don’t think it is the editing, I think Frank was actually portrayed correctly. Frank’s problem is several things. One may be something my high school English teacher made us memorize: “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, it is perhaps because he hears a different drummer.” Frank definitely marched to a different drummer.

Frank is an introvert. Is that a bad thing? No. Unfortunately, Survivor seems to be made up of extroverts. An introvert cannot be a bad thing, and helps ground the other contestants. But judging from what other people were saying in reality TV land, this is a bad thing. I disagree. Lisa Simpson once told Homer, “A wise man knows when to speak and when to listen.” Frank listened. And when Frank talked, Frank was, frankly, Frank.

Now, Frank may not have been politically correct. Certainly his views on certain topics, especially on the last show, were very much to the right of most Americans. But he has a great work ethic, which must make his superiors happy at the phone company. Frank, like Mike Skupin in S2, was constantly working, gathering firewood or doing whatever else needed to be done. Unlike Mike, Frank was not trying to be the leader. Frank was a soldier, not a general. He knew it. So he tried to make himself valuable to his tribe. He is a strong man, and as David Bloomberg stated in his article, Why Frank Lost, this contributed to his getting the boot at this time.

Frank is also a man of honor. Do you know how rare that is today? In all the reality shows, and real life, people would betray other people for their own agendas. Only Rudy in S1, and Rodger and Elisabeth in S2 had that kind of honor. Frank once said he never broke the honor of a handshake. In other words, if Frank tells you he will do something, he will do it. No and ifs or buts. It’s as good as done. Frank seems to be steadfast and true. He is not the kind of man to break his marital vows, once he made them. He promised to be a good father and husband, and he is. He’s the type of man any father would love their daughter to marry, because daddy would know that his princess would always be taken care of.

Frank had a funny side. In his application video, his maiming of a stuffed lion was a hoot. I had laughed with some of his quips, like the brunch one, or telling Lindsey she was not at the mall in the first episode when she said she had her monthly visitor (although wouldn’t you love to be a fly on the wall when his daughters hit adolescence?). The scene that was shown with Frank coming up near an elephant and imitating it was brilliant. That was one of the best scenes from any Survivor. And yes, I agree with Frank on this one, I like animals more than most people I have to interact with as well.

Frank does have a tender side. According to one of the writers on this site, Peggy, who saw him on CBS’s morning show, Frank “Hinted that something ‘happened’ that made a big impact on him at the lodge. He did not go into details but I think Survivor did good things for Frank.” Indeed, according to his interview, he and his wife will be naming their baby Tassia, after the lodge he stayed in after his eviction. Frank’s final words were for his wife and his young daughters. In fact, again according to Peggy, he talked about how much he wanted to help all children to know they are loved.

Frank, you did nothing that your daughters would not be proud of. You , like Cassandra from BB1, conducted yourself the entire time you were on the show with grace and dignity. You are a good role model, and the men of America would be in better shape if they had more of your traits, like your honor, and knowing that when you give your word it means something. I will be eagerly waiting to see what you will do next, and I thank you for making my Thursday nights watching Survivor so interesting. Best wishes. (And e-mail me if you want to do an interview when the show is over.)

Be sure to sign up for our e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on the site and be registered for giveaways and special offers! You can find all of our articles about this show at the Survivor: Africa Page, and take a look at our sections on The Amazing Race and Popstars 2. You can even buy reality show stuff at our Reality TV Store!

For even more news about reality TV, be sure to check out RealityTVFans.com, SirLinksALot and the Manly Man!