Survivor: Cook Islands, the Finale’s Missing Intelligence Award – All Fired Up

Welcome to my final article of Survivor ramblings and the last ever Missing Intelligence Award for Survivor: Cook Islands.

I must start by saying: YAY, YUL! I like my men shirtless and intelligent, and Yul certainly fit that bill. My ultimate final three would have been Ozzy, Yul, and Jonathan. All three played the game hard and well in different ways, and all three can go without their shirts. In that scenario, I’d be fine with anyone winning, but I’m a sucker for baby blues, so I might have been rooting for Jonathan and his devious game play.

As far as the final three we did have, much as I liked Becky, she didn’t play a million-dollar game, especially in comparison to the two men she was sandwiched between. And what a sandwich that was, eh? Ozzy winning would be fine, as he did play a great physical game, and an okay strategy game. Basically, Yul and Ozzy were like two sides to a Survivor coin. Yul was decent physically and excellent strategically and socially, and Ozzy was the opposite. Combined, they are a force to be reckoned with.

CBS: I want to know what you would have done with a two-way tie and with a three-way tie. Enquiring minds must know!

Did anyone else feel this was the nicest final four ever? They went down to three, and I daresay they would have gone down to two, without the angst and whinings of backstabbings that so many alliances have. That is due in part to Becky not taking the idol. Yul needed to offer it to her, because they had been tight. It was right of him to say it was there as an option. Did Becky do right in refusing it? Probably. It certainly made her feel better, and it kept a nice final four nice. This jury could have been really nasty also if she’d done that, and you know Sundra would have been.

Random MIA-worthy tidbit: “Model boxing is hard!” Sure it is, Parvati, sure it is.

All in all, I am happy with this season’s outcome. My biggest issue with the entire season, however, is the casting, and that rests on CBS’s shoulders. Too many of these players had never watched Survivor before, or had only peripherally paid attention to the show, and they had ties to other reality shows or the entertainment industry. It felt way too recruited. I think that’s why I enjoyed Jonathan and Yul, because they seemed to know the game and how to play it. I enjoyed Ozzy because he so immediately became in his element and took to the game. Too many others though just didn’t cut it. I know the powers that be wanted a diverse cast, but you can’t tell me normal people of diversity did not apply for this show. Why so many California TV-whores? It was so unnecessary, and that cast a pall on the season for me. It’s one thing to apply for The Amazing Race and get convinced to go on Survivor, or vice versa, but this seemed more blatant. Maybe I’m wrong, but such is my perception.

Oh! During the jury questioning, did anyone else think Jonathan was looking to hear something from Ozzy that went more like, “Hey, I want to do some good things with it, like go back to school, and try to change the world, but I’m also just looking forward to having a million dollars. A MILLION DOLLARS!”? It seems like Ozzy rubbed Jonathan wrong some, but in the end, Jonathan rationally voted for the person he felt outplayed everyone. I must give Jonathan another kudos for his well-said words at the finale. His wife and kids are adorable as well. I think he may be one of my favorites ever.

All right, enough rambling, let’s get to it!

We do have a winner, actually a pair of winners, for the finale’s Missing Intelligence Award. By day 39, it seems fairly obvious that you should know how to make fire. Everyone should have been taking turns all season. Oh hell, before coming on this show, you should know how to make fire with flint! Or at least matches! Becky and Sundra, come pick up your trophies. It ain’t no million dollars, but it’s beautiful, in a virtual, imaginative sort of way. Really.

A five-year old can burn down a house in less time than it took Becky and Sundra to make fire with matches! Shame on both of your houses! You may have made the final four, but you’re not exempt from intelligence flying out the window, as Tribal Council showed!

I’m also tempted to give Ozzy and Sundra another matched set for not following Adam’s advice to get rid of hidden immunity on his way out. I’ll give it to Adam, that might have been the smartest thing to come out of his mouth. As far as sheer devious game play goes, this might have been a good thing for Ozzy and Sundra to do. But it would have made it less enjoyable to me, that’s for sure. I liked the Aitu four and how they stuck together when the chips were down and plowed their way together to the end. Granted that probably only happened because Ozzy kept individual immunity or else the Aitu three would have turned on him, but it worked out. I sort of think Yul was glad Ozzy kept winning immunity, so he wasn’t faced with that difficult decision. And indeed, in his RealityNewsOnline interview, Yul even said he let up a bit when he saw Ozzy was in the lead on challenges.

So, Sundra and Becky get it, but I’ll withhold the Sundra/Ozzy award, and with that, it’s a wrap! I’ll see you again next year when we head to Fiji!

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out these other recent Survivor: Cook Islands articles here on RealityNewsOnline:

Heathyr Fields Ford resides in Washington state with her exceedingly patient boyfriend, four awesome kids, two large macaws, and a harassed cat. She can be reached at heathyranne@hotmail.com.

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