Survivor - Fiji

I don't know what the original plan was, but there was no second place. Earl got all nine votes. So it was just the unanimous winner and the other two.

I think you're right about Dreamz and the big picture. In the reunion, Yau-man talked about Dreamz. He said that he saw flashes of brilliance in a very undisciplined mind.

Too bad you didn't watch this reunion show. It was interesting and revealing.

Just couldn't swing 3 straight hours of TV.

Tell me more about it! (The reunion show.)

Jeff's discussion with Dreamz was bizarre and fascinating. Dreamz was absolutely incapable of answering a direct question. Incapable of it. I don't know nuttin' 'bout drug addiction. I attributed it to his life on the street, which made him totally lacking in trust and unwilling to commit from fear of saying the wrong thing. This was amazing to watch.

Earl was very low key. At the end, above the shouting he announced that he was giving half the money to his mother.

Yau-man is also a fascinating person. Very reasoned and measured. Very rational.

In the discussion with Dreamz it was revealed how much power he had wielded. Certainly he made it possible for Earl to win. Jeff polled the jury to find out how many would have voted for Yau-man if he'd been in the final four. Six hands went up. Yau-man would have won.

Cassandra also discussed Dreamz. He confided in her. She knew that much of what he was doing was calculated. I was surprised. He was, as you said, so seemingly of the moment. But she maintained that much of what he did was planned.

I watched the whole 3 hours, and I agree with much of what's been said here. The only thing I have reservations about is the character of Dreamz, and Cassandra's support of him. I don't buy that he is a modern day Macchiavelli. His flipflopping simply confused all the more cerebral players, IMO. On the other hand, given the makeup of the final 4, loose cannon tactics were brilliant. Perhaps only Rocky could have understood and undermined him.

It would be interesting to see where he is a year from now. Will he blow the cash he receives, or will he use it wisely (and sell that truck to buy a second hand Honda)?

The moment Dreamz said that he'd keep the immunity necklace, I so hoped that Earl would vote for Cassandra. That would have set up a tie vote. Nothing against her, except that I believe that Yau-Man was more deserving. However, as noted, voting for Yau-Man was the move that saved Earl.

I'm an atheist, so was bemused about Boo's "Christian" speech, particularly because at no time were we shown any religion among the players. However, I agreed with the sentiment: Dreamz said he was a man of honour, to Earl, to Yau ("You'll get it back" he said to Yau when Dreamz won the necklace), to private-time camera. At that point, he had the truck and what? $75,000?, and still a chance at the $1m. To ensure his place at the final three, he had only to convince Earl to vote for Cassandra, but as far as we were shown, he didn't try that tactic. In the same position, I could not justify myself doing what he did, so I do condemn it as unworthy.

Wasn't Lisi a piece of work at Tribal Council? Wasn't Yau-Man gracious and generous at the reunion? Didn't Stacy come off well as someone who was determined to grow from the lessons learned?

In the end, I'm glad Earl won. He played a superb game.

I don't think I've ever liked a player as much as I liked Youman. He was amazing. A gentleman. I think he felt good about helping Dreamz even after it all shook down the way it did.

But what Dreamz did was terrible. He sold his soul for $15,000 - the difference between 3rd and 4th place. After Jeff made such a point about the promise Dreamz made he should have known that there was no way that anyone would vote for him - he never had a shot at the $1,000,000. No way. No how.

"It's a game blahblahblah." I didn't believe it for a second.

He really did. I told my husband that I always liked Earl and was rooting for him pretty much the whole time, then went back and read this to make sure it was true -- yep, I kept saying variations of "I really like that Earl" from the third episode or so.

Again, while Yau totally tore things up for the latter half, Earl was the power behind the throne in a lot of ways. Yau was the one with the target on his back, Earl was the one who made a lot of stuff happen -- including purposely deflecting the focus from himself.

I've mentioned before that the captions lag (they do them real-time, or something), and when Lisi started her "eeny meeny minie moe" thing I was sitting there slack jawed wondering if it was going to be about the fact that all three finalists were black. (Original formulation -- "catch a n***** by the toe.") I wonder if they'd show it if she did. I wonder if that was anywhere in her mind. She was weird and odious anyway. (I think almost everyone on the jury was a Sue Hawk wannabe.)

("He really did" was directed to Tico.)

I agree, boomer, Yau's a gem.

I also agree about Dreamz. Cassandra notwithstanding, the guy was a weathervane. I think he was good at manipulating her and I think he may have had her convinced after the fact that he meant to do something, but I think that was more her failing -- being taken in by that -- than an indication that he really had it all planned out. I mean, think about his "I know my plans never work..." speech (and that one didn't work either, when he tried to take out Yau-man and Yau-man used the idol). If his plans never work, then...?

It was just happenstance and scrambling, no grand plan.

He did come out some $150,000 ahead, though. (If third-place players get $85,000, and second-place players get $100,000, maybe they each got half of $185,000. And the car was worth about $60,000.)

I think they should have a new rule -- first-place gets $1,000,000, second-place gets NOTHING.

I don't like how the game rewards the meritless hangers-on.

But You got $70,000 for 4th place. So even if Cassandra and Dreamz split 2nd and 3rd place it amounts to a difference of $22,500.

That's nothing to sneeze at but I don't think I could have backstabbed You for $22,500. I would have been happy with the car and the $70,000 and still considered it to be a good deal.

I agree. I wasn't arguing with or refuting what you said about that, I agree completely. Just musing about how much he DID end up with.

Dreamz was basically put in a no-win situation depending on how sure he was that the others would vote him out. I thought overall it would be better for him to give up the immunity necklace as he would have had a better chance at the million if he wasn't voted out. I mean Cassandra may have voted out Earl and then it would possibly be a tie. In the end at least he would have been looked at as holding his word.

I can see the mature Christian stuff if Boo and Dreamz had discussed their faith prior - hard to know as there is so much we do not see before hand. As a Christian by Dreamz saying I swear to God - you would believe him.

Yao got nothing at least at this point.

I was thinking the same thing about second place - I was going to look it up on the internet but haven't got a chance - I believe it was simply because some one had to take the second spot next to Earl. My guess would be they would split the 2nd and 3rd place winnings as they in a sense tied for second.

That question about who a $1 million would affect their life the most - one I don't think that should come into play when deciding - it should be who in your opinion won the game; and two I think Dreamz would have blown that money - he wouldn't know how to handle it - the truck? Doesn't he live in NY or NJ - is there some where to park it in the city? Just imagine the insurance on the thing. I honestly do not think he is bright or more likely mature enough to handle it appropriately.

As well as Yau - Michelle was also very nice at the counsel and didn't seem to hold any grudges.

I'm glad Earl won too - as great as Yao was in some ways Earl was better - he appeared no threat, yet he seemed to influence most of the votes - it didn't really get anyone upset - he was sort of unknown leader (a mastermind as it is called). People didn't realize he was leading them.

But I do love Yau.

You, me and most of the viewing public. On the CBS Survivor website, the popularity poll going into last night (it hasn't been updated for the final show yet) had Yau-Man at 65.5% of the popular vote, Earl at 10% and all the other players, past & present, dividing up the remaining 24.5%

I think that probably makes him one of the most popular contestants ever. It was a pleasure to watch him, and I'm sure we'll see him in the future if they do another All-Stars game.

I can understand Dreamz (more like Nightmarez) keeping immunity but he should have at least given the truck back once he went back on his word. I don't know how anyone can justify him not giving it back. Giving it back would have at least made him look like less of a crapbag. At final tribal he could have told the jury to ask themselves what they would have done in the same situation, which probably would be the same thing if they are honest with themselves, and if he gave the truck back he still might have gotten some of the sympathy vote.

I still really don't understand how in good conscience he can keep that truck. I grew up poor, hungry and around drugs too, but that didn't make me a sociopath.

Actually he did say in tribal council how they would have done the same as him. It was actually one of the few comments I think he made sense in and had a legit reasoning. Most everything else was incoherent or seemed such a lie or he was too defensive and confrontational.

Anybody else reading the blog? Interesting stuff from Bobby and Jonathan.

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor14/show/ep14/blog.php

Knowing full well that he had to face the jury who held his million dollar fate in their hands and being the genius that some think he is, he had the time create and express a better justification for his actions, but as you said he was pretty much incoherent and in my mind was exposed as the fraud that he is.

I thought it was funny at the reunion show when an audience member shouted "give back the truck!" and everything got all awkward.

Sophocles, a Greek dramatist who lived from 406 to 496 A.D., summed it up best when he said, "Rather fail with honor than succeed by fraud."

As soon as it was just Yau and Dreamz by themselves on the inclined plain and Dreamz didn't just let go, I knew he wasn't going to give up the immunity to Yau.

Yes, the game allows deceit, but it doesn't say you have no other choice.

Joe(such a struggle to be honorable)Nation

Thanks - sozobe - the link to the blog was very interesting - Jonathan's comments were .... scary.