An “Insider” Look at Survivor: Gabon, Episode 13, Part 2 – “I Think the Universe Made a Good Decision”

It’s time for Part 2 of the final Survivor Insider recaps. Have you read Part 1 yet? If not, go ahead and click here. I’ll wait.

The Oldest Survivor Finalist

Bob is sitting on the banks of the lake near the Nobag camp. He tells us he is 57 years old. He thinks he is the oldest Survivor finalist ever. He would take pride in that but he refuses to admit that he’s older than 27. His mother, who is 85, tells him she feels like she’s 26, but is stuck in an old body.

Bob has not had a mustache in 15 years. When it started coming in this time, he kept trying to wipe the rice (that he could see at the bottom limit of his vision) out of his mustache until he realized it was the white whiskers he was seeing. He saw a mirror and said, “Oh s___, you’re an old man!”

He takes a great deal of pride that, at three years from 60, he’s the oldest Survivor to be a finalist. Hopefully he’ll be the oldest Survivor to win a million dollars. (And indeed he was!)

Susie’s Inspiration

Susie says one of the main reasons she is playing Survivor is that her immediate family and friends all underestimate her. Every day she thought of her son, her husband, and her sisters and brothers. At every challenge and every day, she told herself to, “Just try.” And that’s what she did. Her son has helped her get through every day, every hour, every minute. She just keeps thinking about him. Her husband is a great father and her son looks up to him. She doesn’t think he sees much of an example in her regarding applying himself to the bigger challenges in life. She wants him to be ab-le to look at her and know that she can do it so he can, too. That was huge. Now he will have more respect for her and for women in general. That’s what she wanted.

Final Four Tribal Council Voting

Two of the final four thought they knew exactly what would happen when the votes were cast. What did everyone have to say?

Matty votes for Runaround Bob. “You know in a short amount of time, Bob, you made a major impact on my life and I truly respect the game that you played.”

Susie votes for Run-Around Bob “with respect.” “You are exactly runaround. Hey, you played an awesome game. I have total respect for you.”

Bob votes for Matty. “Hey, Matty, with a little help from my friends, we may have a little competition tonight.”

Sugar votes for Matty as she sniffs back tears. “Dude, I meant it when I said I love you. But I also love Bob and I’ve saved you each once. So now I’m gonna leave it up to fate.” She crosses her fingers for luck. “Good luck with the fire challenge.”

The tie led to the fire building challenge and Bob’s triumph.

Susie Confronts Sugar

Susie is talking to Sugar and Bob in the hut at the Nobag camp. She tells Sugar that Sugar talks at Tribal Council like she has no alliances, but she does. Does Sugar not feel she has alliances? Sugar says she talking about how she’s had her time divided up so many ways – nine days at Kota, ten days in Exile, etc. She’s all over the place. Susie persists in saying that Sugar did make alliances. In her head, she wondered if Sugar felt that she had any alliances. Bob says it was hard for her to have an alliance when she was away from camp all the time. She meant that her alliances would fall apart when things got flipped around while she was away. Susie says that if Sugar or Bob won immunity, she would have gone home. She waits for a response, which does not come.

Secret Scene: Matty

It’s day 38 at the Nobag camp. Bob and Matty sit side-by-side on the overturned canoe. Sugar is futzing around in the hut in the background. She says something that I can’t make out to Matty, but it definitely has the word “crazy” in it. He agrees with her and says he has to calm himself down. He needs to relax and cruise. Bob pats him on the shoulder and tells him to apply those words to his whole life. Matty grins.

Bob tells us that the teacher in him comes out occasionally. He says he told Matty to enjoy his younger years, but to slow down. Matty is a kid he could see doing well in life. He struggles and Bob thinks this Survivor experience could be helpful in life.

Bob tells Matty that he pushes himself too hard. Don’t get uptight. This is coming from a guy who was going nuts being uptight for years. It dawned on him that life is too short for that. Matty tells us that Bob has been a good guy. He reached out to Matty and tried to help him. He gave him a lot of tips to help in the outside world. “Stay in the moment.” “He’s a wise old man.”

Bob tells him life is like the game. 39 days seems like forever. All of the sudden you will be 57 years old, sitting in Africa with a surfer-dude, keeping warm at night. Matty agrees and says the game is a metaphor for life. Bob says, “Take it slow. Take it easy. Do your best.” Matty says it’s going to be how it’s supposed to be.

Secret Scene: Final Three

We’re at the Nobag camp on night 38 and the Survivors are returning after Matty’s elimination at Tribal Council. Sugar apologizes to Susie for turning on Matty and helping in his elimination. Susie tells her not to waste her breath. Sugar posits that Matty understands her vote and Susie says he doesn’t have a choice. Susie tells Sugar she made a good game choice. “Bob’s here and that’s great.” It’s obvious that Susie is not happy at how things turned out but she is trying (through gritted teeth) to be gracious in defeat.

Sugar tells us that Susie is mad and things are tense. Sugar just could not vote Bob out after learning so much from him and seeing the things he’s done. She left the decision up to “the universe” (by allowing the Bob and Matty face off in the fire building challenge), “... and I think the universe made a good decision.” Bob thanks Sugar for letting the “fire gods” make the decision. Wait a minute, the Universe and the Fire Gods were at Tribal Council? This is a bigger production blunder than when no one caught Michael Skupin falling in the fire! How could the cameramen have missed all this?

Bob tells Susie that he knows that she didn’t want him there. She says that’s not it. She just trusted Sugar and that’s why she’s upset. Sugar says she told a lot of people a lot of things. Bob says, “It’s all right for you to lie to me, but when somebody does it to you it’s like ... you get upset.” Bob tells us that it must suck for Susie to lose control like this but they will have to face the jury now and let the lucky stars fall as they may.